What A Summer

I have been told by a few people lately that I have been a lazy blogger. So true! Now you are going to get a long list of what's been going on and I'm sure I will leave out a lot.

Several churches in our city pull together to do a huge day of service called, "Step Out and Serve." We felt so honored to be able to participate in this day of work, we made it into a family fun day. Olivia was a little too young to really help out but Emma and Reagan proved to be amazing workers. We planted, painted, pulled weeds and picked up trash at a inner city elementary school. On the bus ride home Reagan asked if we can do this again...makes a mom proud.


Both Emma and Reagan took swim lessons at the local high school. This year we saw such improvement...great job girls.


On my way to see my prego cousin in Cedar Rapids, IA I stopped in to meet an online scrappy friend. Michelle is on the design team for Jenni Bowlin...this girl really can do almost anything creative. When I grow up I want to be her. :)


Emma and Reagan went back to their old stomping grounds to spend a day with a few friends. Emma and Gabrielle spent part of a day getting their toes and finger nails done.


The girls and their cousins from up North.


What a joy to be able to witness my best friend from college getting married. I hope now we will make a little more time for each other. Dave, you've got an awesome girl!


Melanie winning the nail driving contest at the Sandborn July 4th celebration. I froze on the last nail...2nd place was the best I could do. Really people, it's much more difficult than it looks.


This is actually a recent pic...my girls and our crazy chiropractor. We love this guy. He keeps us healthy and out of the doctor's office.


Our 6th annual Back to School Party


First day of school...5th, 2nd and Chris is still in 7th!
Chris was able to leave his school (it starts an hour earlier) to take the girls on their first day. What a treat!


Emma @ church camp. She loved it but at the end of a week away she was ready to come home. I was ready to have her back too.


Right after we dropped Emma off at camp we took the boat out on the lake. Reagan and Olivia said, "Are we really going to have a party every day while Emma is gone?"


Our overgrown garden


Look at this produce...YIKES! We still have stuff growing.


Just last week I took the girls to see Point of Grace. I will admit that I was a little more excited than they were until the music started. We had incredible seats and we got to meet Leigh, Shelly and Denise. Loved it.


Last but certainly not least I had my semi-annual girls weekend with Kimberly and Susan. We laughed so hard. No, this isn't the best picture but it does capture the fun we had. Can't wait until next time...maybe we can even scrap.

A Bridge to No Where

When I was in high school and I had been out cruising main street all night long I would come home and mom or dad would ask where I had been. My answer was always "no where". Fast forward through 20 years and a new city, I finally can honestly say that I have been no where and it took me at least an hour to get there and back. Omaha has a new bridge to no where thanks to Sen Kerry. You have heard of those earmarks on a bill that had nothing to do with bridges or even Nebraska but since lawmakers do not really read what they vote on, no one knew or cared that they voted yes on wasting tax payers hard earned money. In reality I are thankful that we spent a million dollars (probably more I don't the cost to build a bridge of that magnitude), it gave me a great place to run yesterday morning. I got to No Where in Iowa, turned around and came back.

All silliness and irritation aside, the bridge is very pretty and provided a nice outing for me, my children, Nana and Great Grandma. If I could just get a lawmaker to reroute the Missouri River about 30 miles west and build another useless bridge I could run or walk over it everyday. The justification for driving 30 miles to run 2 just doesn't add up in my mind. With the right amount of dirt on a senator I could probably get my wish. That's how it works in Washington, right?

If you see smoke high in the sky, know that you are getting closer to our house. Chris is going to play with fire in the name of having friends over for smores. This is kind of our last free night before school and softball really takes hold of Chris and his schedule for the next 10 weeks.

My thought for today:
Eat plenty of fresh fruits and veggies at every meal, you never know when you might have the opportunity to eat smores. I think it all balances out. :)

Our Boys

No Chris and I don't have any boys of our own but we do have a site we would like to share with you. Some of you know where I'm from, some of you don't really care. :) The site below has a video clip about a small town in Kansas with a winning football team.
Joe Drape writes for the New York Times. He, his wife and 3 yr old child moved to Smith Center for 8 mos to write a book about my little town. Side note: can you imagine moving from New York to Smith Center, a town of 1500 people? I can't wait to read the book, it comes out August 19th. Go check out the site.

http://www.joedrape.com/

Today's Thought:
Perfection is not the key but the pursuit of excellence is!

This is the Day That the Lord Has Made

What a great day! It's still July right? I ask because it felt like a perfect warm fall day. I couldn't help myself but spread out a blanket and get some reading done in the warm sun. The whole family spent some time laying in the yard but it just wasn't the same kind of relaxation with 3 little girls rolling all over me.

This morning I donated blood. Let me urge each and every one of you to do that this week. Be sure to drink plenty of water and little to no caffeine before donating. It takes 60-90 minutes which includes my travel time. Seriously, that's not a big deal. This is a gift that costs you nothing but can make an impact on a life (by saving it) like no other. HINT: I no longer go to the mobiles, I'm such a hard stick that I need the best of the best or they simply don't find my vein. I've had some very painful donations. So if you are a little nervous, start by going to the Red Cross donation center in your city.

Rodger and a business associate were in town last night and today for a "meat-ing". We throughly enjoyed our time with them, it wasn't even the bribe of the flowers, wine and fantastic beef they brought to the house. It was the time sitting around chatting.

Wow, it's super late. I should not be trying to put together complete sentences at this time of night. I am exhausted! Guess I'll be editing this tomorrow.

One more note worthy item...
Chris finished revising his novel tonight. Next week our friend Stacy Vogel will be editing it. Not sure where we are going after that. We'll be praying that God opens a door for us. Tomorrow Chris will be at the Nebraska Writer's Gild.

2 Thoughts...
Give Life by donating blood
Thank God for your blessings rather than focusing on your trials.

People...UGH!

They'll let you down every time! When will I learn to place all my hopes, dreams and security in God and God alone? We aren't perfect but He is. We can't keep promises but He does. We don't love unconditionally but He does.

Campin' for Christ (2nd grade style)

Reagan and Gabby went on their first ever over-night church camp. It was important for Reagan to have a friend with her for several reasons. #1 We have prayed for our daughters since birth to have christian friends who will support and keep our girls accountable even when we aren't around. We see this as an opportunity for their friends to grow and learn about Christ. #2 Reagan was a little nervous about going away and not knowing anyone. #3 Inviting a new friend to camp provided us with a discount. All good reasons!



Below the girls are standing in front of the newly built lodge. Lucky for them...much nicer sleeping quarters than what the boys had.

Reagan loved the zip line and climbing wall the best unless you count the snack shop, that was a huge hit too.

Weekend Highlights

Thursday as Nana and Papa pulled out of our driveway with the 3 girls I found myself joyfully waving and preparing for some quality time with my husband...certainly a highlight. Chris and I went to my college friend's wedding in Grimes IA. I have never seen Julie so happy as when she was standing by her new husband David. We will be praying for their new union and blended family. Julie and David will never forget that we made it to their wedding. Chris took it upon himself to make sure there were plenty of pictures taken at the reception...he was in most of them.



Have I already blogged about a family reunion this summer? This weekend in North Dakota was our 3rd summer family gathering.

Grandma and 4 of her 7 children.
We had a great time in Valley City, ND with family that we haven't seen in 5 years. Our three girls really enjoyed Sara and Pat's 3 kids. Liv called Aiden her best friend and by the end of the weekend she called him boyfriend. YIKES! :)

Papa told stories of Ole and Lena and the Norwegian Indians...we even saw the Great Medicine Wheel. The kids LOVED it!

Three days in a hotel was most certainly the highlight of the trip for the girls...lots of swimming. Sandborn hosted the world famous 4th of July parade (Emma was in it)

and later that night a world class fireworks display, mosquitoes included.





The trip home was long, longer than it should have been. I'm guessing 8+ hours but who's counting when you are throwing up in a Burger King bag. Food Poisoning from the Brookings, SD Burger King or maybe that food is just naturally so toxic that my body rejected it rather violently. Either way we WON'T be eating there ever again.

A post-weekend highlight came last night as Chris finished his book. Apparently a few people on Facebook thought it was ME writing a book. OMGosh, that is so funny. Clearly they don't read my blog, it would be obvious to them that I'm not a writer. :) Type-os, run-on sentences and boring dialog does not make for an interesting novel. Anyway, Chris is ready for revising and editing. After that we really aren't sure what to do. So far Lesa, Tami, Emma and Thomas have all given very positive feedback. When our basement is packed full of teenage novels instead of boxes of junk we will have a book signing party and you'll all be invited.

I NEEDED THAT!

What is it that picks you up?

How do you get rejuvenated?

Nothing like a get-away with a girlfriend, usually just one or two at a time. Big groups drain me more than refresh me. Today my dear friend from GI came to town. Since I have the best husband in the world he honored a 6 hour hall pass for us. Tami and I went to dinner, a movie and then Culvers....she's really tempting my sugar addiction. :) Why don't spas stay open late for pedicures? That's a great "pick-me-up."

Just a brief note. Have a great night. Now call a friend and spend some quality time together, it'll do you both a world of good.

THE COLLEGE WORLD SERIES

Chris and I are such sports fans, especially college sports. So living in the very city that hosts the College World Series every year is a pretty big deal. As a young boy, Chris grew up spending all week in GA seats watching every game for a total of $20. Oh those were the days. Now you can spend $20 just on parking. YIKES!

Sunday we shared front row seats with our friends Craig and Vicki. Today we sat up much higher but with an excellent view and a friendly breeze. Our friends Becky and Andy (or as Emma use to call them Bucky and Annie) are in town from Arizona. Do you have friends who are just easy to be with. You may go months or even years without being together but each meeting is as if there was no such break...Becky and Andy are those friends for us. We are so happy to have them in Nebraska. As luck would have it, they got to see an exciting ASU/Texas game tonight. So sad to see ASU go home, but what a game! Tomorrow we'll all be at Westchester field watching the 4th grade Yellowjackets start their tourne. I'm sure it will hold the same level of excitement but without the 2 outfield bleachers yelling back and forth. Hmm, maybe we should take a beach ball to toss around between innings.
This picture really doesn't do the day justice. Prior to this pose we walked around the Rosenblatt stadium area in the rain for about 3 hours. You can't see my umbrella but so thankful to have it. Get this, they wanted to take it away from me before entering the stadium. So I just walked away, buried it in my purse and took my chances. It's a nice little umbrella that I probably paid $5 for at Walgreens, I didn't want to lose it. ha

after the rain...before the sunburn

Family Reunion

All because 2 people fell in love...Warren and Sylvia started this crazy group and even though they no longer are physically with us they live on in our hearts. God and family were very important to Grandma and Grandpa. We all are so blessed to have their model of love.

Every year the family gets together for 2-3 days of R & R. My favorite get-a-way has been Lewis & Clark State Park. This year we went to a different Nebraska state park, it was wonderful! Cabins, Tepees, hiking trails, fishing, campfires and so much more. I was not born into this family but love them all just as if I was. Warren's Great Grandchildren (except the twins)...at the top of the small observation tower.

Geesh, I thought all those super dangerous old slides were surely taken down and disposed of...nope we found one and you got it, all the kids HAD to go down it.

Mom and the Girls

S M O R E S ... what more do we need to say?

The Official Photographer of the weekend!

FISHING FISHING FISHING FISHING FISHING

The tepees were pretty cool. We all decided spending the night in one just was not an option.

Great Grandma Wanda and one of the twins.

I just happen to know this is Paige because she has on PINK!! :)

Our family at the falls.

All That Sparkles

Look at these treasures............... My friend Courtney came to my house to show off her Premier Designs Jewelry. It really was a fun night and in the end a got a bunch of FREE jewelry. This picture represents some stuff I have wanted but couldn't bring myself to purchase...now it's mine!!

My friend Julia, ok I really don't know her but want to cuz she's just the neatest person ever, also sells Premier Designs. I am thinking about in the future hosting a jewelry party for her where people can purchase jewelry for themselves or for a charity. Then ALL the free jewelry would go to a house/organization for women who are or have been homeless or incarcerated and are now trying to start their lives over. Think about it, if you are down on your luck and trying to make something of yourself wouldn't it be so uplifting to have some pretty jewelry to wear at your job interview? I've gotta figure out the details and find the charity I want to support. If anyone has suggestions, I am totally open to hear what you have to say. Please leave me a comment below.

Big shout out to Julie Garst, her birthday is TODAY! and Grandma Pawluk is celebrating a birthday tomorrow. Ladies have a wonderful day! Love and hugs to you both.

MY THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
..but the greatest of these is LOVE! What are you going to do to show some love this week?

There's Proof in the Pictures

Not that anyone would doubt me but here are a few pictures to show you what we have been up to the last few days. Tomorrow is more of the same and then we will be heading to a state park for a little R&R without any schedules to keep.

REAGAN'S LAST SOCCER GAME...kicking a goal again! SHE LOVES DEFENSE BUT WHEN YOU ARE ON A GOOD TEAM GOALIE IS A MUNDANE ASSIGNMENT!

SWITCH HITTER #8 READY TO SMACK THE BALL
In tonight's game she even slapped twice, her daddy is so proud!

A RAINY MORNING AT THE ZOO

EMMA THE BRICK WALL...nothing is gettin' by this catcher!

TIPPY TOED BATTER...no she doesn't hit like a ballet dancer.

JUST OUT OF THE DRESSING ROOM...heading stage left for tap rehearsal

BEAUTY AND GRACE...Emma's first year in ballet

WAITING FOR FINAL BOWS (practice)

Just a brief note on the dance costumes. A HUGE thank you goes out to Jackie and Jason. You run a top notch dance company and let little girls be little girls. I'm proud of the modest costumes and choreography your team put together. You guys rock! Last year at our previous company on dad asked during the recital if he should have brought one dollar bills. Yep! It was that distasteful!

THE GREATEST SHOW ON EARTH ...elephants, tigers, high wire walkers and plenty of magic tricks.