Tori is home!

She made it! Our world traveler is home...

It was so good to see her and hug her. She was pretty tired. It was 3am for them when they arrived in Houston. She wanted to go eat Chicfila - imagine that... :)

We heard many stories but I'm sure there's more. When we got home, she showed us all of her pictures. When she gets them off of her camera, I'll post some of them.

What a great experience she had... I've got to figure out a way to go with her next year!! Wonder if we could all go. hmmm... a family of five, about $4000 each - ouch!!!

I kept looking at her and thinking, "My baby was in Africa!" Some of what she experienced was funny, some heart-wrenching and some was just grosse (some funny and gross at the same time) but she handled it. We are just so proud of her!!

Tori's almost home!

Tori just called from the airport in Washington from her Kenya trip. She's super tired but has sooo many stories to tell. She said she's ready for our Italian roast beef sandwiches, some gooey, chocolately brownies, mexican food, her bed and a pedicure. :) She loved the letters from family and friends and they came at a good time. She would not go again without dramamine, blankets, granola bars and hot tamales and she wouldn't care if she doesn't eat potatoes or an omelette for a long time.

She said everyone is sitting around in the airport talking on their cell phones all at one time. That would have been a great picture.

Just a few more hours until a great big hug!!!

Anna's First Camp

Anna is off to her first real "away" camp, Camp Kid Jam. She's been to a few overnight camps at our church but that's just two miles away and for less than 24 hours. This one is several hours away, they're travelling on a charter bus and will stay for three nights! She was super excited about going and had a terrible time getting to sleep last night. She didn't have trouble waking up this morning either at 4:45 AM. That's crazy early and for her to pop out of bed and get dressed without us having to go back in three more times to get her up was amazing!

She'll be there through Thursday. I'm sure she'll have a great time and come back exhausted and probably hoarse. The only thing she was sad about is not getting to see Tori tonight when she gets back from Kenya. She misses her a lot so Mrs. Kathy is going to let her call Tori tomorrow.

Sometimes you gotta make a mess to clean a mess!

There’s a lot of work going on at our house these days. We’re getting ready for probably the biggest garage sale we’ve ever done. It’s funny (and annoying) how you have to get so unorganized to get organized – to make a huge mess to clean up a mess… It just doesn’t make sense. Our garage is full already and I have piles all over the house of things waiting to go to the garage but I have to organize the mess in the garage first. We normally donate our stuff cause it's just easier and you can do it a little at a time but we really need to buy a laptop to travel with and for school use so this was the best way to come up with the additional funds. If anyone would like to just donate a couple hundred $ or so, we'd be happy to just haul this stuff off. Except Anna is really looking forward to her lemonade stand. So, come buy lemonade this Friday and Saturday!

Tommy tore down our storage building yesterday. It was pretty bad when we moved in 8 years ago and a wolf with decent lung capacity probably could have huffed and puffed and blown it down. It took Tommy a couple of hours to tear it apart and he endured a couple of minor injuries and some sore muscles, but it’s down. Now we have to figure out what to do with all the mess.

We’ll begin gutting our bathroom soon. We’ll replace the entire shower, move the plumbing over to a different wall for the shower and put in a new vanity sink and tile floor and painting, of course. That’s going to be a mess! I’m thinking a shower schedule will be in order since we’ll be sharing the only other shower between the 5 of us.

We’re also painting the outside of our house, well we’re not, we’re getting someone to do it. We did it the last time and it was a big job and with everything else going on, we just didn’t want to tackle that one ourselves. Not to mention, it’s just HOT outside!! What a pain it has been to pick colors. Our brick is like the coat of many colors. I think we’ve finally settled on two. You be the judge.....

We’re getting our house ready to sell – "staging it" as they say. Along with these major projects, I’ve been taking down some personal items and packing up some things. We’ll be doing some fresh paint on some of the interior rooms and putting qtr round in our hallway, which we should have done 8 years ago, and replacing Jakeb’s ceiling fan and the upstairs plantation blinds and whatever else comes up along the way that we forgot to add to our list and will help us sell this thing. Most of you know we’ll either be moving to Singapore or to Houston some time next year. So by doing this work now, hopefully we’ll get to enjoy the fruits of our labor and an uncluttered house for at least a little while and when it is time to move, the process won’t be so intense.


Paint colors? Speak now or forever hold your peace.....














Two walls down. It's amazing how it takes so little to hold up a structure...










































The dogs are just always messy......

Safari was fun! - Message from Tori in Kenya

Here's the latest text from Tori. It came in just a bit ago so her day is almost done when ours has barely begun...


"Safari was today, so fun! I have tons to tell you when I'm home and I'm bringing a little girl with me. :) Tell Anna to have fun at camp, love her and miss you all!"

Tori is being highly praised by a couple of the leaders on trip. She has served her team and God well. I wouldn't have expected anything less from her. What a girl!

From Aaron: I have been so proud of Tori. She was a kid magnet all week and you could just see God's love being demonstrated in the way she loved on the kids. She has really been a vital part of our team. She has really focused on putting others first. You've got a good kid. (a couple of them actually)

From Chantel: Andrea, I must begin this email by telling you how much I love your daughter!!! This trip has allowed me to get to know her in a deeper level. She is an amazing girl and I am so glad that God allowed me the chance to see Him through her.

Right in the middle!

Tori is right in the middle of where she's meant to be! What a treat to get this photo from the team in Kenya this afternoon. There's another one on the hope4kenya blog of the concrete floor project in the school if you want to go check it out and read the newest updates. The team had an emotional day on Friday as they said goodbye to their new friends. They'll go on a safari Saturday so that should be quite an experience.

She will be home Monday!!! I don't wish her home sooner than she's supposed to be but I'm also ready for her to be here...

(you can click on the photo to make it bigger)

Tori say's "HI"!

Tori texted me the last two nights. On Tuesday night, she just told me goodnight and that they were going to have a super busy day on Wednesday but it would fun and to tell everybody hi. So... Tori says "HI"! to you all...

I had texted her back, not knowing if she would get it or not but she did! The day before, in our brief phone call she had told me that she felt sick and that it was probably altitude sickness. So in my text to her I asked her if she was feeling better.

In the mean time, last night I got word from a team members wife that there were a few members of the team that were pretty sick. All he said was that one female in particular was not doing very well at all and the others were females too. Key word being "he". The message was from a guy so not very many details were shared. So... I really wanted to know if one of those was Tori but had no way to find out so I just prayed.

In Tori's text last night she said she was feeling a lot better. So that was hugely comforting to me!

Please pray for the team and especially for those who are sick. They are sore and exhausted. They should be finishing up their work day for Thursday about now but they still have Friday left. They are making good progress though so I'm sure it's a good exhausted. On Saturday, they'll begin their journey back with a safari and a trip to the giraffe center and some shopping over the weekend. A couple of updates were posted on the hope4kenya blog last night if you want to read the lastest.

I think they are probably realizing about now that they cannot accomplish all they'd like and it will be hard to leave. Pray that the team will know that they did all they could in the time they had and offered God's HOPE and love to the people of Kenya.

Funny names, bad music, baseball and stuff!

I seem to be using the word "stuff" alot these days. I think my brain is just so tired, it's easier to find an all-encompasing word like "stuff" to use rather have to come up with two or three real words.....

These are some pics we took when visiting my sister in Dallas a few weeks ago. I kind of thought Jakeb might want to put some on his blog but he took too long. I kind of got lost in Kenya trip "stuff" and Anna asked me if I was going to put these up so here they are.

We went to a Ranger's/Angel's game and found quite a few names to make fun of. We also went to Medieval Times and cheered and ate way too much, with our fingers I might add. I even asked for a fork and he said they don't exist. Great fun!

Funny Names!


He has two i's........



What an interesting mix.



His last name is pretty fun to say! It went around in a horseshoe shape and took up the whole back of his jersey.

And we can't forget about Milton Bradley. He plays quite a game!! :)


Bad Music! (and some bad videography)


Baseball
























Stuff...












Toaster Strudle!!

I GOT A PHONE CALL FROM TORI!!!

I posted about a phone call I just had with Tori on the Hope4Kenya blog. You can read it there if you want. And while I was typing this a picture came in from the Havilla Orphanage. I'm going back over there to post that one.

See ya'.......

Text message from Tori

I'm not sure when she sent this and I'm guessing she sent it when the arrived in Nairobi but it just arrived in my text message inbox at 10:22pm. Even though it's probably 2 days behind, I'll take it!

I wonder if the incoming text is included in our text package since it came from Nairobi? I doubt it. My guess is we're going to owe Emily some money on her next phone bill.

Whatever - I don't care. It's good to hear from her.

Update: When I talked to her on Tuesday, she said that she had sent it from Nanyuki at 6am on Tuesday morning. I got it on Monday night so it was not days old.

It had better be good!

Well, I just have to say that home schooling had better be good and my kids better learn something! It's so dang expensive!!!

All of our curriculum is ordered and with a combined total for Anna and Jakeb of just over $1200 (before school supplies, etc.), we're definitely committed or maybe we need to be committed! If we all start getting skinny and pale, someone bring us some "poor"idge or beans and rice or something. :)

I'm super pumped about learning Mandarin Chinese, though! Maybe someday Jakeb will be able to post a blog in Chinese. That would be cool, huh? Hmmm... maybe I'll add that to his lesson plan.

Journaling

I'm pretty lousy at journaling. I'm not sure why but in most personal daily practices I just don't seem to have a ton of motivation or discipline. Exercising, quiet time, structured prayer time, emptying the dishwasher, etc. I'm one of the most structured people I know so I have always wondered about this. I guess structure is not the same as discipline, though. Tommy, on the other hand, is an incredible journaler and he writes good stuff. He's also very disciplined in most areas of his life. In fact, when he was on staff at our church, his title was Discipleship Pastor. I thought that was fun and I've often lovingly and somewhat jealously called him Mr. Discipline. He loves writing down his thoughts whereas I'm generally content to have my thoughts roll around in my head - and believe me there's a constant roll going on in there! Physically, it's uncomfortable for me to write alot in a book and emotionally, well, I think I just don't want to write down what's in my head because then I'd actually have to confront it and do something with it and that might be uncomfortable. And someone may read it someday and my insanity will be confirmed.

So, here, today, maybe just for today, I'll journal my thoughts on this blog. Nothing profound, nothing super spiritual, just my thoughts. I may never do it again but for today, I'll push past the emotional uncomfortable part and the conflicting realization that my daughter is exactly where she's supposed to be but she's not with me and that's joyful and painful all at the same time. Physically, typing is way more comfortable for me as my fingers can keep up with my brain when I type but when I write, it just takes so much time! Okay, maybe I'm lazy too... See? When I start writing, I discover things about myself I'd rather not have to confront! :)

7.21.08
Tori is in Kenya. Tori is in Kenya!!! Her dream has become reality! Seriously, how often does that happen in a lifetime? When we've dreamt of something and wanted something so bad and it actually happens. Just so happens that the desire of her heart lined up with the desire of God's heart and He gave it to her just as the scripture says.

I've had no contact with her since Saturday before she left Chicago and probably won't until Sunday when they arrive back in Chicago. I didn't expect that I would but I'm used to getting several phone calls each day from her so it's just weird. I miss her. This is a taste, though, of what my mother's heart will feel once she graduates and moves on to the next stage of adulthood. It's bittersweet, for sure. She's doing just what we've "trained" her to do but watching her go and grow up tugs at my heart but gives me great joy at the same time. I'm not sure how we did it but she is a great example of "training up a child in the way 'she' should go" scripture. Tommy would know right off the bat what that "address" was in the Bible but me, well, I know it's in Proverbs somewhere...

We sang a couple of songs yesterday in church that made me feel especially connected to her. Your Love Is Deep (God's love is sooo deep and wide and long - even from Lake Jackson to Kenya!) and Amazing Grace, My Chains Are Gone. I even wondered if she knew that we would be in church at that time and God carried her thoughts of us over the expanse of ocean and land that seperates us. I hoped He would do the same with mine.

We went to Ecclesia last night and Robbie Seay sang Song of Hope and Shine Your Light. Two of the songs that I normally sing with everything I've got but last night, I couldn't utter the words in fear that tears would begin to flow. Song of Hope is one of the songs that has been kind of the theme of Tori's 2 year journey to Kenya.

Tommy is out of town with work and I couldn't sleep as is usually the case when he's out of town so late last night, I went over the devotional that the Kenya team was to go through on Monday. I was able to pray for her while she was sleeping. What an odd gift it is to be awake and be able to pray for your kid across the world for her to be getting a good night's rest. Through the devotional, I could imagine what she would be thinking about, working out in her heart and praying for as they prepare to get to work in Segera.

God is so good that He would allow us the opportunity to feel connected to someone we love through His love even when we can't see them, hear them or touch them. This is amazing to me and I'm grateful.


Comments are always welcome - keep critiques to yourself, please! :)

Home School Curriculum Update

I think we've landed on most of Jakeb's curriculum. This has been such a major research project!!!

With Anna, we took the "easy" way out and ordered a complete package of 4th grade material through Abeka. It comes with all the teacher helps like lesson plans and answer sheets and all. It's the same curriculum we used with Tori for 4th grade so it's comfortable and I know it will give her the 4th grade education she needs.

With Jakeb, we can't just order a complete package. Well we could but we'd end up with a bunch of stuff that we didn't like so we really needed to customize his curriculum. So we've been digging and asking around to find out what other people like and navigating around tons of websites (some got crossed off just because their website was so horrible). Here's where we're at.

Algebra 2 - Teaching Textbooks
Geometry - Teaching Textbooks
Chemistry - Apologia
World History - Bob Jones
Literature - Progeny Press (this includes vocabulary and reading comprehension)
Writing - Wordsmith (and an outsourced SAT essay course at some point in the year)
Foreign Language (Mandarin Chinese) - Rosetta Stone

We will also test them each online at http://www.kidtest.com/ for $12.95 each to see what gaps they might have that our curriculum choices may not take care of. This will help us know if we need to work on any specific areas that our chosen curriculum doesn't cover or keep us from wasting alot of time on something that they already know well.

If anyone reading this has any input that we need to consider, please speak up quick! I'm planning on ordering tomorrow and it's quite an investment. It's a shame we have to pay for all of this and school taxes too but it's our choice so we can't argue.

Tori - no news... Jakeb - big news...

Well, we've heard nothing from the team personally. We did get word from 410 Bridge letting us know that they had arrived in Kenya and made it through customs fine. It's about 3PM there right now and I'm sure that if they are able to call or email today, it will be a good one as they were scheduled to go to church there and also to the orphanage. What a sweet time that should be for them!

Switching gears... we have finalized our decision to homeschool Jakeb this year. Some of you may not even know that we were thinking about this. It came up suddenly a couple of weeks ago, at Jakeb's request, and it sent us reeling with questions, concerns, anxiety and some excitement. Home schooling can be a big plus for one's education but it is not without fear, especially for a high schooler and the parents/teacher of a high schooler. If you think about it, public schools waste so much time and often in high school the teachers are less than helpful because of their personality perhaps but also because their time is split between 20 other kids in the class. This was actually one of Jakeb's main concerns. He wants to learn and felt he could learn better at home, and of course, he'll have a great teacher! HA! Really, his maths and sciences will have to be taught fairly independently with some help from Tommy and Tori because I am not a braniac that way. But there are also concerns about the social aspect. We told Jakeb that we were going to make him socialize cause it would just be weird for him to hang out with his parents and little sister all of the time. He definitely agreed! :)

We are now feverishly looking into our curriculum options - and there are many! We have found some really great stuff and some really lame stuff. We'd rather take the approach to teaching our kids from the standpoint of getting an education first. Many of the curriculums begin with the Bible as the main guide and "fit" the course study into it. We're just not so sure about that. I mean really, what does the Bible have to say about Algebra 2 and Geometry?

We've talked alot about it with each other and other home school parents, we've prayed even more and we're at peace about this decision, although there are still some unknowns as to "why" but we're all excited about it and sure that God will reveal the answers to the "why" as the year progresses. It's going to be a busy year for this "teacher mom"! But what a treasure it will be to get to spend this time with my kids!

Last call from Chicago

I got my last U.S. phone call from Tori at about 3:30 PM yesterday before they boarded the plane in Chicago to cross the ocean. She was doing okay, struggling a bit emotionally and not looking forward at all to the long flight, but okay. She's such a trooper! I think once she gets to step onto Kenyan soil and gets to see the faces of the precious children she's been longing to see for two years, she'll be in good shape.

I don't expect to hear from her until they get back to Chicago on the way home. Aaron said that since I'm updating the Kenya trip blog, maybe he'll be able to let Tori call me with an update once or twice instead of him. It would be great to hear her voice. I know it's only about 7 days with no potential contact but I guess it's a mental thing. Just knowing that you have no clue what is going on in the life of someone you love so much and feel responsible for is hard.

I was hoping to get an email from Kirk Willson in London with some pics from Chicago airport and their lunch excursion but it didn't go through. They should be arriving in Nairobi in a little less than 5 hours from now. Hopefully I'll hear something soon.

I miss by "baby". We all do! Thanks to all who are praying!!

Have peanut butter, will travel...

As of about 3:06 AM, Tori is on her way to Kenya. She's going to hate that I put this picture up but she won't know for about 10 days so, oh well...

It was the expected emotional send off with an unexpected twist but all in all, she got off great and is ready to be there.

She recieved lots of sound advise from lots of people and one of those nuggets was to take some good, healthy snacks. So she took a jar of peanut butter, some ritz crackers, some granola bars and some other things, and of course, two bags of Hot Tamales. :) She loves those things! Her suitcase was about 3 lbs over the weight limit but we just couldn't figure out what to take out so Tommy and I told her that if they even notice, to just pay the extra charge and move on. This morning, though, another team member said her bag was under so Tori could transfer some of her stuff into hers. They're already working as team. We couldn't figure out what was heavy enough to take out anyway that would actually add up to three pounds except maybe her peanut butter and shampoo/conditioner and she certainly wasn't leaving those behind!

If I get specific updates about Tori, I'll post them here but you can check for general team updates on the Hope For Kenya blog. Just pray for her today, she wasn't looking forward to the long plane rides but is excited to fulfill her dream to be on Kenyan soil.

Feelin' the Burn!

This has been the summer of sunburns for Jakeb. He says he's using sunscreen and I have no reason to not believe him. Maybe he's just not using it often enough or we're using the wrong kind. I'm a bargain hunter all the way but I don't skimp on suncreen. I'm about to resort to making him wear straw hats and and long-sleeved tshirts here pretty soon! I think his first burn, on a school field trip, was due to the combination of fresh white skin with a high UV index and outdated sunscreen.

He's got a pretty bad one right now from yesterdays trip to Schlitterbahn with our church's student ministry. I've fussed at him pretty bad for the last ones but I didn't have the heart this time. He'll be suffering his own consequences over the next few days. He told me I couldn't put a picture of him up. (Yes, I wanted to - does that make me a bad mom?) But thought it would be okay to post about it at least for educational purposes and when you see him, it's not like you aren't going to know. For weeks now, he'll either be red or shedding like a snake. Anyway, he said he put on sunscreen three times and we know it's one that works because we used it all last week while at my sister's house and he swam every day, all day long. He's as red as a lobster!

I am fair-skinned also and have had my share of sunburns. I'm pretty sure that I will have to deal with skin cancer at some point but we didn't know (back in the day). We know more now and as a parent, it's hard to think that my kids might have to go through stuff when they're older because of something that could have been prevented.

This morning, I dug around on webmd (great tool, btw) trying to find some untried relief options for Jakeb and I found some interesting facts about the long term effects of sunburns. Here's a clip but you can go to this link and read the whole page if you like.

Long-term problems include:
An increased chance of having skin cancer.
An increase in the number of cold sores.
An increase in problems related to a health condition, such as lupus.
Cataracts, from not protecting your eyes from direct or indirect sunlight over many years. Cataracts are one of the leading causes of blindness.
Skin changes, such as premature wrinkling or brown spots.

Interesting, huh? I had no idea that sunburns were tied to lupus. I'm also going to pay more attention to wearing sunglasses more often.

Just for fun: My red-headed, fair-skinned cousin wore a shirt recently that said "pale is the new tan". I like that...

Last Night's Moon

I noticed the moon between two trees last night and it was a cool sight. The moon was perfectly centered in between two trees in our yard and it had little clouds all around it. I never can remember what all the clouds are called or which ones are which. I'm not a photographer by any stretch but I have a decent eye so I'm pretty sure if I ever figured out what cameras can do I'd be a decent one. I don't have to be a photographer as long as we have Jenny!

Anyway, here's what I captured of last night's moon. I'm sure it could be enhanced somehow but I told you, I'm not a photographer. It's not near as cool as what my eye saw but with my limited knowledge of how to work the camera and the camera just not be able to capture what our eye can (God is an amazing creator!), it's what I got...

Hope, Coffee & Melody - Robbie Seay Band

This fall, Robbie Seay Band will be on the road again! Joining the band will be Chris Seay (Robbie's brother, pastor, author, friend), Chris Taylor (BEC recording artist) and singer songwriter Alli Rogers. I think we heard her at Ecclesia recently. I don't think we've heard Chris Taylor but Chris Seay is a great speaker and we are long time fans of RSB.

Maybe you can catch one of their shows. Robbie emailed me recently and asked if we could get them down here in LJ in September or October. Yes, we do know a few "famous" people... Anyway, I'd love get RSB here in the fall but it would be a big committment for me with all the stuff going on in our family right now. Who knows, maybe it will work out but at the very least we will definitely plan on catching at least one of their shows in the Houston area.

Anyone interested in having Alisa Turner (our other "famous" friend) over for pancakes and some really great tunes should check out her summer Pancake and Performance tour.

Scoliosis - A Family Affair!

Last summer at Jakeb's annual physical, we discovered that he has Scoliosis. It's actually called Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis but since it's been a long-time genetic family member of sorts we've always just called it Scoliosis while having fun with the real medical name, of course... :) If I'm right, my sister actually has what is called Roto Scoliosis where her spine is curved and twisted. We've could have some fun with that name too. Anyway, we went yesterday to our Dr. in Houston (Dr. Howard Epps, Fondren Orthopedic Group) for a check up for Tori and to begin to watch Jakeb's. A nurse yesterday called it "Scoli" so I think we're going to adopt that one now. It's just easier to say as if saying the whole word, Scoliosis, is just exhausting......

For the readers who don't know and haven't walked through the past 5-6 years with us, Tori has "Scoli" as well. She wore a body brace for around two years during her 6th and 7th grade and then had a major growth spurt that just made the brace completley ineffective. She had spinal fusion surgery in April of her 7th grade year. Her upper curve when we decided to go with the surgery was at 49 degrees which is the curve that is most crucial. She still had growing to do and we felt it would get worse and doing the surgery at that age was just better timing. Her corrected upper curve is at about 19 degrees and holding. She has a lower, compensatory curve that we've continued to watch and it appears that it will stay at about 37 degrees. She has just a bit of growing left which she is thrilled about (sarcastic! since she's already 5'8") and one more year of a check up and if nothing changes, she'll be good to go and will only have to go to the dr. if issues arise.

Jakeb on the other hand has a 30 degree upper curve along with the lower compensatory curve and some growing left to do. If he grows slowly, he has a chance of not getting much worse but a major growth spurt could make things worse quickly. We’ll go back in December of this year to check. He’s not worried about it at all and it causes no pain or anything. I have to say too that we are not quite as anxious about it either having been through it with Tori and see her living a normal life and having the opportunities to share her journey with others. Although it was not without its challenges, it has been an overall good experience for her.

We (Jakeb is included in the “we”) did choose to opt for surgery if the need arose and not go the brace route like we did with Tori. Wearing the brace was so uncomfortable and restricting and just caused all sorts of emotional issues for Tori and her parents that we just don’t want to do again. We also look back and see that the brace didn’t work for Tori, it didn’t work for my sister, there are a couple of other girls we know that it didn’t work for them so in our eyes, it just doesn’t have a very good track record to make it worth the issues that come along with it. Even Tori said that the surgery was much better than wearing the brace for two years. It's a tough call and we could "what if" this to death but we realize that we have to make a decision that we can live with and that would be the case of any family that is trying to decide what to do. The dr. said that if the curve stops anywhere in the 30’s or 40’s he would be fine without surgery but if it got much worse than that then we’d probably need the surgery as leaving it alone would cause long term problems with his internal organs. But for now, he lives life like any other normal 15 year old guy.

Well, that’s our “Scoli” update in a nutshell. Below are some images of their xrays. Obviously, Tori’s is the one with the rods and screws all in it. Her back is worth more than our house! I think they’re cool to look at and posting them here will help us document Jakeb’s journey, keep family and friends informed and possibly even help us share our experiences with someone else that might be going through it. That's why I titled this post like I did so perhaps if someone was searching the net for scoliosis info, they might find this and we're always happy to share our experiences if it will help relieve some fears and anxiety in parents or a child. And for the record, Jenny, I did ask permission to post these images as they are completely unclothed! They did have that wonderful hospital gown on, though. :)

A few more weekend photos...

To complete the documentation of last weekend, here are a few more pics that I wanted to share that were on Tori's camera. She tried to email them to me while we were in Dallas but they wouldn't come through. I think they were worth waiting for though...



July 4th Fireworks at the mall

July 5th - Visiting my Mom & Dad at The Gaylord Texan Resort

Photos From the Weekend

Here are some photos from this past weekend as promised in my last post. Starting at the "crack of dawn" and the Firecracker 4 run/walk and ending up with the anniversary party. I don't have any from the fireworks because they are on Tori's camera but just envision us sitting in the mall parking lot eating and "ooing and aahing" at the patriotic fireworks display. It was a great weekend. Enjoy...

How 'bout that finale? WOW!!

I love this movie! I think it’s one of my all-time favorites. I know many people have issues with Johnny Depp and although I think he’s weird, he’s an incredibly talented actor! Anyway, at about 2 minutes of this clip are the lines that go along with this post. You should watch the first two minutes until this part cause it's just the best part but then after that, you can cut it off if you want.

We had a jam-packed weekend of family fun so I’ll describe it here and add pictures a little later. I’m waiting for Tori to send me a few that she has on her camera.

July 4th – we got up at the crack of dawn to go run/walk the Firecracker 4. Tommy and Jakeb ran the 4 mile and Tori, Anna and I walked the 2 mile. We had a great time together and Anna got 1st place in the walk for the second year in a row! Tori and I tied for 3rd in the walk which is not really all that big of a deal considering I think there were only about 15 people walking in it to begin with.

We ate a huge holiday lunch – steak and fresh corn on the cob. It was super yummy! We never eat steak so this was a real treat for the kids. Anna could never be a vegetarian, she loves meat!!

Then at about 7pm we met our family at the mall to visit, eat and watch the fireworks. It’s a big family tradition for probably over 15 years now. This was the inspiration for the Wonka movie clip. The fireworks were okay but the grand finale was probably the best one they've done.

July 5th - Saturday morning, yet again at the crack of dawn, we woke up and got on the road to head to Dallas for my parents 50th wedding anniversary party graciously hosted by my sister and brother-in-law at their new house. We had a great time and I think they had a great time! Some extended family showed up and we ate (our family does that very well!) and swam and the “talented” members in our family performed a show for mom and dad with all their favorites and a few new ones. This was definitely the highlight for them. I think we even made them tear up a time or two. Then my sister, Edie, took them to the Gaylord Texan where we had set up a two night stay with the “romance” package. We went over there for a bit on Sunday so they could hang out with their kids and grandkids and we could all see that place – it’s pretty excessive! It was a special treat and I think Mom and Dad enjoyed a lot.

July 6th - Jakeb, Anna and I stayed in Dallas with my sister. Tommy and Tori had to go home after the weekend of festivities to work – bummer for them. It was hard to say goodbye to them but I know we’ll have a good time here and it will certainly be nice to visit with my sister and the kids sure are enjoying the pool.

As I reflect back over the weekend it has definitely been a whirlwind of travel and activity, spending money, a little drama (what family gathering would be complete without that?) and the addition of some new and great memories. Mom and Dad have been married now for 50 years and thankfully, it’s not the “finale” but it is definitely a milestone. What a gift they’ve given to their family through their commitment. I pray we can give our kids the same gift. Tomy & I are on our way with the 20 years that we’ll celebrate this November. Marriage is quite a ride and like most marriages, we'll be able to say, ”It was a little dodgey in the middle part but, then that finale, WOW!” I just hope that the finale is a long time away.

Story

I love stories. And I hate when people overuse words like “love” when love is really a stronger word than what they mean to say. I mean it. I love stories.

I remember growing up and having my mom and dad and grandparents read me stories. My favorites were Uncle Remus stories of Brer Rabbit, Brer Fox and Brer Bear. Brer Rabbit and the tar baby is still a classic. I think my dad and mom probably read it to me hundreds of times and even as I’ve grown I have replayed that story in my head a thousand times more.

I remember in second grade reading class, our teacher read a chapter or so a day aloud from the book Charlotte’s Web. I was captivated. Those few minutes of the day became more important to me than even recess. The day she read about Charlotte’s death I tried to contain the emotion because I was a boy and not supposed to be emotional. I couldn’t get the story out of my head. I thought about it on the bus ride home and during dinner with my family.

I am a reader and I am almost always reading at least one book. Sometimes I read a couple of books at a time. There was a period of time in the not so distant past where most of the books I read were about ideas rather than stories. There were stories in them but mostly they were there to support the idea rather than stand on their own.

Lately I have gotten back to reading books that are pure story and it has been in some cases like going back to my childhood. Right now I am in the last pages of Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys. In the book he alludes to the Uncle Remus stories and I have been transported back onto my dad’s lap listening to him read of a stubborn rabbit sinking his fist into a tar shaped kid that refuses to answer his questions.

Stories are important. Not just for entertainment’s sake. Stories change me. I have never set down a book after having read the last page or walked away from a movie theater where there has been a good story and it not affected me in a way that made me different. Stories shape the way I think and thinking motivates my actions. Sometimes that is good and sometimes maybe not.

I think some of the stories people read or watch or even experience affects them in a way that causes them to somehow live less of a life than they ever hoped for. But some stories are good enough to inspire us to write better stories (and sing better songs) for ourselves.

It makes me wonder what story I should be reading (or watching) next.

People take on the shapes of the songs and the stories that surround them, especially if they don’t have their own song. … People respond to the stories. They tell them themselves. The stories spread and as people tell them, the stories change the tellers.
- the character Anansi from Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

The following quote is just because:

Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.
- Dr. Seuss via Scott Williams’ Blog

Wii Fit - We Got One!

We got one of those "little white things you stand on" yesterday. I went to Target at 8:30am and it was there and I got it - the only one they had. They must put out only one per day. The kids had a good time "standing" on it almost all day long. Jenny even took a turn! I wish I could have caught Anna on video because she had me rolling. She wouldn't twist her waist to keep the hoola hoop going, she would shake her bootie really fast and do all sorts of funny things to make it go. Here are a couple of short video clips of the other two. I think the differences in form are pretty funny! Who needs a hoola hoop or a gym membership?!?







And to top it off, here's a photo of something quite astounding! If you don't get it, you can check out this post from our blog.















I haven't played it yet. I will, though, but I've been too busy taking pictures and videos. :)

Yesterday Was A Day! (Profound, huh?)

Yesterday started early for me, as is usual, but I hit the ground running (well not actually cause I haven't run in a while and haven't even walked very much here lately). Anyway, it was a day with a very long “to do” list and schedule. I started with a few personal errands but was home by 10 to make some dr.’s appointment calls for the kids and then take Anna and Jakeb to the eye dr.

Jakeb got contacts and didn’t like them at all. His prescription wasn't that bad so I guess we’ll go get him some glasses sometime soon so he can see the tv and such. Anna’s eye prescription has doubled just since August. We got her some really cool glasses that she loves a lot! She’ll have to wear hers all the time now. She looks so grown up! Tori got some new glasses as well and hers are cool too but she wears contacts mostly so you probably won’t see the glasses too often.

We have super good insurance now and we used it a lot yesterday! Since Tommy changed jobs, our new insurance wasn't effective until July 1st and we broke it in good yesterday!

So then, we went to the new little food place at the mall where the Soda Shop used to be and got some drinks. We taste tested almost all of the fresh fruit waters and ended up with a lemonade, watermelon, a strawberry milk shake and something else that was tasty and they said would clean out my kidneys. Oh, and a cinnamon stick thing that we shared. It was messy but okay.

Then I went to get Tori’s last prescription for her Kenya trip, Malaria. I really didn’t think insurance would cover it but once again, instead of paying $105, I paid a $10 copay and I was out of there. That’s awesome!! Guess they’d rather pay for the drugs than for the hospital fees if she got malaria.

A stop at Target for a jacket that I had seen that was on clearance and then to Walmart to grab stuff for dinner and something to clean our blinds (they're awful!). Then took Tori to the dr. for something relatively simple that ended up taking over an hour. Then to the movie store to get a credit for a damaged rental and to pick up some pants at the cleaners in the rain. Oh well...

A brief moment at home and then off to pick up the girls glasses and use a coupon for some free stuff at Bath & Body.

Then home again to finally eat dinner at 7pm and watch Wipe Out with the family. We’ve found this show strangely funny. We laugh so hard but those people get hurt so it’s kind of sad that we’re laughing. Oh well, they signed up for it. I think we mostly find it funny that people will actually go on tv and make such fools of themselves.

I finished off my day as usual, sitting on the couch with Tommy zoning out until we both decide it's time to go to bed. That happened at about 9:00 last night. I know we're so old!!

Today will be a little more relaxed. I’ve got to work on some things on the computer and hopefully finish scraping off my bathroom wallpaper. I am about to get ready to head out to see if Target has a Wii Fit. They said to check back in the mornings. Everyone in town is out of those little white things you stand on.

I can’t believe you read this whole thing. Did you skim? What if you missed something good? Hey, at least there’s no video this time!

Crazy Dancin'! One More Time...

Okay, I promise I won't keep posting videos but I ran across this one yesterday and thought it was good. I'm mostly posting this one so I can have it here for myself just in case I need to remember these moves some day. It's about 6 minutes long so go get a cup of coffee or something and come back and watch it. You'll feel better about it if you multi-task and don't completely waste 6 minutes of your day.

Jakeb and I were watching this together yesterday and it occurred to me that my kids have never seen The Thriller video. I think I'll have to dig that one up. That's worth sharing with our children, don't ya' think? That video was cutting edge back in the day! :)



And the icing on the cake (she writes sarcastically), Mr. Evolution of Dance was on Oprah a few months ago, yes Oprah! He was talking about the upcoming Evolution of Dance 2 he is working on. In another video clip, showing bits of his new work which doesn't seem all that impressive at this point, he says that "life isn't always the party we hoped for but while we're here we might as well dance." Sounds like a good plan to me.