I have struggled this year to get everything done. Not just blogging, but everything. It's weird because I had six months with no job and still have not completed tasks I thought I would have finished. The month of December has been a complete blur. I'll recap as best I can and try to be a better blogger in 2009. I've missed posting. Honest. And I pledge to do better than the three posts I've managed to do this month. Shameful.
One of the Christmas celebrations (we've already had three and will still have another) we had at work was a luncheon hosted by Bishop Michael Jackels. It started with a mass at the Spiritual Life Center and then we had a delicious meal catered by Corporate Caterers. Bishop Jackels served me wine and then coffee before I pushed back from the table. He has a great sense of humor and I had a great time at the luncheon. Here's a photo of the Bishop serving coffee to Michael who's the director of the counseling center and the Marriage for Keeps program.
Just in case you were wondering, I didn't win one of the poinsettias that were on the tables. Also, I'd completed my hours when this luncheon was over, so I didn't have to go back to work that Friday afternoon.
Christmas preparations were late for me this year. The tree didn't get lit and decorated until about a week before the holiday. Jennifer and Bella helped me decorate. A three-year-old's decorating sense is wonderfully refreshing! I managed to make about 10 dozen sugar cookies and five loaves of English muffin bread this year in addition to wrapping my gifts, trimming the tree, writing the Christmas letter (they just got mailed this week) and packing up to go see my family. I decorated some of the cookies for friends and co-workers, but my family has been trained by me to frost their own cookies. Pretty smart, huh?
Zach was definitely the star of the show at my family's Christmas Eve celebration. Andrew, Rachel and Caden were with Rachel's family in Missouri, so we were without his antics. Zach kept us plenty entertained on his behalf. I'm already excited for next year when they'll both be two years old. I've got some pictures of other people, but the ones of Zach are by far my favorite. Without further adieu...
He walked all around the house in one of my dad's boots until he lost interest and focused on the platter of cookies and goodies my sister Teresa brought. Dig the Santa suit!
And he helped grandma eat some of her birthday cake. Or more specifically the frosting on her birthday cake.
Lynette, John, Jenny and Mark tear into their presents.
When Zach opened his presents he wanted to play with them immediately. He looked at or played with each thing before he moved on to open the next present. Especially the books. Notice how he's using Jessica's legs as a book rest while she continues opening her gifts. The whole living room is filled with people and chaos, yet Zach is looking at his book.
Some of the chaos at the other end of the room included Christopher and Frank (sitting on the floor), Teresa, Katie, Kyle, Victoria and Jeffrey. You can also see Anissa's head on the right side of the picture.
After things calmed down a bit, Christopher and Victoria worked on a teapot puzzle that Teresa got from Jenny. Teresa said: "I don't do fuzzles. I mean puzzles." We all agree she should do puzzles instead of sending out forwarded email messages.
Mark and Jeffrey enjoyed looking at one of Zach's new books. Mark had to work the morning of Christmas Eve and he comes over right after getting out of his truck, that's why he has on his work jeans.
Last weekend Caden was here for a few hours while his mom and dad went out shopping. He was taking a nap when they left, but woke up because he had pooped himself. After the diaper change, we played.
Earlier in the day last Sunday, I was one of the teachers for the preschoolers at my church. We had a visit from a very special guest while we were working on a poinsettia project for the bulletin board.
I had dinner that night with my friends Kathleen, Laurie, Joyce and Jennifer. Sorry, no pictures of us or our food.
On Wednesday evening, I attended my book club's annual Christmas party. The wine, the food and my dining companions were impeccable as were the festive decorations and Bonnie's recently remodeled kitchen. We had our customary book exchange, but this time enacted an unlimited steal rule. It worked out in my favor. I had to steal it twice, but I walked away with this bag knitted by Amy (she used it as the gift bag) along with the book "Pride and Prejudice"!
I've been incredibly busy with work lately. This weekend has been spent mostly helping with the Christmas Sharing event that Catholic Charities does for the low-income families in the area. The families are able to come and pick out gifts for their children, get some non-perishable food products and browse a thrift shop where all the items are FREE. Friday I spent my time gift-wrapping their gifts. Last night we also had a holiday get-together for the couples in the program where I work and I helped get set up for that. Consequently, I have only gotten my house partially decorated for Christmas. That changes today. I'm working on decorating and making a list of presents I have yet to purchase. And I need to write my Christmas letter. So many things, so little time!
The big news from my Thanksgiving vacation is that Zach's mommy and daddy are getting married!
This was not Zach's reaction to the news. He was pretty mellow about it, really. Take note that he is sitting on this tractor backwards. It's got this storage compartment under the actual seat, but he likes to open that and sit on the steering wheel. And every now and then while he's sitting on there it honks at him. It's pretty funny.
But back to the reason for this post. Apparently Mark and Terri decided a couple of weeks ago to get hitched, but waited for the Black Friday sale to buy the ring. Little did I know that's what Terri was going shopping for at 4 a.m. Friday morning while I was at their house with Zach. Mark had to work, but he went to JC Penney's in Great Bend first to see and buy the ring. And what a ring it is. It's a stunning two carat engagement band and the wedding bands add another carat or two. That's a huge amount of bling on Terri's left hand! She's very deserving of it for having put up with my brother for at least eight years! Here's a picture of it on Terri's hand just hours after purchase. Sorry for the poor picture quality. That's my fault and not the fault of the jewelry.
You can't tell from this picture, but in addition to the three large diamonds on top (that she says signify her, Mark and Zach), there are channel-set diamonds along the sides of the ring. It's very pretty. As it stands right now they'll get married in a small private ceremony in August and then have a big party for everybody a couple of days later. I'm so glad that I will be able to officially call Terri my sister-in-law, since that's what I've been calling her for a while now!
Earlier this month my family celebrated my dad's 50th anniversary of being a welder. The sign below was courtesy of my nieces, Jessica and Victoria, who are my brother John's daughters. They ran out of time to make "welding" pretty.
Dad started working for Tom Tomberlin (yes, that was really his name) at Tom's Welding Service in Ellinwood when he was a green 18-year-old back in November of 1958, just months before he married my mom. That's where he learned the ins and outs of being an oilfield welder. After 13 years, dad left his job at Tom's and started his own business at my parents' home south of Ellinwood, with my mom as his bookkeeper and business partner, even though to my knowledge she's never welded one bit.
When I was a kid, his business expanded by leaps and bounds from that first shop, which was the size of a two-car garage, to accommodate the surge in drilling for oil in the area. Dad bought some adjacent land and built a bigger shop. He turned the old shop into an office for him to do his paperwork. He hired a professional artist to come and paint lettering on the side of the new shop, so "Larry's Welding Service" could easily be seen from the highway a quarter of a mile away to help guide delivery drivers to the yard. It's been touched-up once, but it's still leading people to the shop. At the height of the '80s oil boom, he employed eight people. And they either built from scratch or renovated several drilling rigs during that time. He was featured in the local newspaper. It seemed there was constant activity in the yard.
My childhood memories include the fact that dad was gone overnight sometimes while doing surface jobs. These jobs meant that he would weld the long pieces of pipe together as the drilling company laid the surface pipe for the oil well. They have to drill enough pipe down into the ground to reach the oil deposit, which is a different distance at each site, depending on the geology of the area. This is an important step in the drilling process and although I never got to accompany him on any of these jobs (I'm sure I asked) I know he is a master at his craft.
Then the oil business fell on hard times. All of the employees left for various other jobs (one of them is a big, successful executive at an auditing firm in Dallas now) including my brothers, because there wasn't enough work to keep them busy. After that dad was on his own and usually had enough jobs from local farmers and the oilfield to keep him busy. He was frequently visited by various friends who kept him company while he worked on something for them or who just stopped by to chew the 
fat. This still goes on, although some of those friends have since passed away. One of the things that's kept his business intact through thick and thin is the integrity he possesses. He's a fair and honest businessman and that's what keeps his customers coming back year after year.
To the left is a picture of my dad taken earlier this month. He's standing
next to one of his lathes. Watching him do lathe work is fascinating because of the precision that's required. I also love the piles of metal shavings lathe work produces (photo at right).
About eight years ago, my brother John lost his job as an engineer of front-end loaders when Great Bend Manufacturing closed its doors. He began working with my dad at that time in the hopes that someday dad will want to retire and John will take over the business. Dad turned 68 years old this year and he is far from retired, although he's talked about it some. He also happily lets John do all of the surface jobs these days. Currently Larry's Welding Service employs three full-time employees (including my dad) and two part-time employees (including my mom). The recent boom in the oilfield industry has kept them extremely busy in the past couple of years.
Occasionally mom and dad take little trips to either come to Wichita or to visit my sister Jenny and her family in Oakley. Sometimes they leave for a couple of weeks and drive to California to visit my mom's aunt, but that big of a trip doesn't happen more than once every two years. The biggest concession he's made toward retirement is taking a daily nap after eating lunch until it's time to go back to work at one o'clock.
Dad's worked hard and deserves to sit back and relax, but I get the feeling he doesn't know what he'd do with himself if he retired. Plus, I imagine it would be really hard since the business he and my mom built from the ground up is just outside the house. And I suppose 50-year-old habits do die hard.
Much like the importance of getting the surface laid properly to insure the integrity and success of an oil well, dad's built a good foundation of something that will carry on into subsequent generations. The second generation is already in place and I'm very proud of what my parents have accomplished.
For the past two weeks I've been pretty scarce on the blogging scene, but it's all been for a good reason. My new job has kept me plenty busy even though I'm to keep my hours to 40 per week. I've been putting in longer hours toward the beginning of the week (perfectly OK with my new boss, Lori) and then taking some time off on Friday to reward myself. The job is still wonderful and even though it's a little overwhelming at times I think it's going quite well.
Along with starting a new job, I also became the owner of a brand new washer and dryer. Once I had a job secured, I knew that I needed to take some money out of savings to make this big purchase. My 15-year-old washing machine was not agitating anymore and that was agitating me. It means I was doing smaller loads to make sure the clothes came clean. And that's a pain.
Out with the old Whirlpool models...and in with the new Maytag Centennial models.
Notice the clear lid on the washing machine. Also, we had to move the dryer away from the wall because it's a bit deeper than the old one and the door to the laundry area wouldn't close otherwise. But the most amazing thing (I didn't even know this when I purchased them) is that there's a light in the dryer! Now I don't have to search blindly to see if I've gotten everything out.
For some reason, laundry isn't such a chore anymore.
My friend Lori tagged me in her blog, so I give to you my response. Sorry I'm so late to the party!
Here are the rules: - Link to the person who tagged you.
- Post the rules on your blog.
- Write 6 random things about yourself.
- Tag 6-ish people at the end of your post.
- Let each person know he/she has been tagged.
- Let the tagger know when your entry is up.
Six random things about me:1. One of my very best friends is British and lives in Wantage, a village not far from Oxford in jolly old England. Lucy and her husband, Ian, and kids William and Ellen, live 5000 miles away from me, but when we're together every three or four years, we pick right up like we saw each other last week. Lucy and I have been friends since October of 1993. Wow, I guess we just celebrated 15 years of friendship! And we've only physically been in the same place nine different times for various spans. I plan to post a longer blog about our friendship at a later date.2. I just started a new job with Catholic Charities and I love it! I'm a Family Recruitment & Intake Specialist with the Marriage for Keeps program. It's exhausting learning the ins and outs of a new job, but I'm so excited about it and I haven't been excited about my job in a long time.
3. Recently I joined Weight Watchers for the second time. I struggle with my weight all the time and it's time I did something about it. I'm trying to lose at least 40 pounds before I'm 40. I still have almost five months to do it. Keep me in line if you see me about to eat something dripping with calories, but be gentle about it.
4. During my time off between jobs I got some things done around my house. Lots of cleaning and organizing. I'm still working on the computer/sewing room, but it's coming along. I need to get it finished so I can start working on some Christmas sewing projects.5. I am addicted to way too much television. Some shows I watch religiously: Grey's Anatomy, America's Next Top Model, ER, Dancing with the Stars, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives (even though they did the 5-year fast-forward) and The Starter Wife. It's going to be hard to keep up with everything since I've started my new job. I might have to drop a few. Thank goodness for TiVo.6. My parents are coming for a visit this week. I'm looking forward to having the company. Mom comes once a month for painting (September through May) but dad doesn't always come along. This time he's got errands, so he's coming. Luckily with my new flexible schedule, I'll be able to come home earlier since I'm working longer hours Monday and Tuesday. Definitely a bonus!
I'm tagging:HeatherLindaJenniferRobynLoriJill
My mother has always been a picture-taker on the first day of school. She requested I take a photo of myself on my first day of work, so this is a self-portrait snapped this morning at about 8:15 as I arrived for "Within Our Reach" training at Newman University. My first day was great. Bacon for breakfast at the training and I met a lot of the other people I'll be working with on a daily basis. They are all friendly and helpful and much younger than I am.
The training was pretty good, but I'm looking forward to Thursday afternoon when training concludes and I'll be able to sit at my new workspace and log into the system for the first time. I'm trying to decide which pictures I'll display and what pen/pencil holder to take for my desk. I'm sure these are exactly the things Barack Obama was thinking when he toured the White House today with his family.
I got a job! I was offered the position of Family Recruitment Specialist with the Marriage for Keeps program a couple of weeks ago. Marriage for Keeps is a research program under the umbrella of Catholic Charities whose mission is to strengthen the relationships of married couples who have children. The hope is that if the marriage is stronger, the family will be stronger.
I'm really excited about this opportunity to do something totally different from anything I've ever done before. I have taken a pretty substantial pay cut, but I feel so fortunate to have found a job I anticipate I will love in this crazy economy. I will primarily be doing intake of the couples who commit to the 12-week program. It all became very real today when I went for a short orientation and then filled out all the paperwork that new employees have to fill out. I'd forgotten how many things there are to sign. Next week I'll be in training for four days, but after that I'll get keys to the building and start learning how to manage the intake process. For now at least, I'll share an office with Nikki that actually has windows! After 10 years of cubicle living with limited access to windows that faced outside, that's a real bonus in my book.
I got this gift quite a while ago, in fact on my last trip to Ellinwood to see the family. It's another one of the long list of things I've gotten to commemorate my upcoming 40th birthday. To see what else I've gotten, click here and here. It took me a while to figure it out, but I think I've done it. Those who are responsible for the gifts, you will have to correct me if I'm wrong.
Summer vacations when I was a kid were few and far between. My dad is self-employed and getting away was always a bit of a challenge, not to mention that money was sometimes very tight with five kids in the house. But when we did go somewhere, it was usually to Colorado. My dad always drove. Window rolled down. Left arm resting on the door of the car. His arm always got incredibly sunburned on those summer vacations. I believe this story comes from the summer of 1978, but again, someone will have to correct me if that's not right.
I was nine, but since my siblings are so much older than I am, they were all busy with summer jobs. It was to be the last summer my oldest sister, Teresa, would go on a family vacation because she got married the next summer. On the drive out to Colorado, Teresa punched me in the nose for no reason. My mom was quick with the camera (she'd actually remembered it on this trip, usually she forgot the camera) and she snapped a picture of me after the punch, obviously shaken and surprised. And then she got a picture of Teresa after the punch, clearly jubilant and celebratory. I wish I had them to post but I don't. That's how the trip started.
Later on that trip, Teresa and I felt there was some unjust occurrence between our parents and ourselves. I can't even remember why we were mad at them. I do know that it was after a stop at a Sonic or similar drink stand along the way. Our method of annoying them and making them pay for whatever transgressions they'd carried out against us was to eat the lemon wedges out of our drinks. For some reason we thought this would teach them a lesson to never cross us again. We laughed and giggled for a long time in the backseat of that Thunderbird while our faces reacted to the sourness of the lemons.
Good times.
This past Saturday my sister Teresa, niece Katie and I went to Oklahoma City to visit my nephew Christopher and go see "Rocky Horror Show" at the Lyric Theatre. Christopher was the costume master for the show and out of all the variations of the show I've ever seen, these costumes were the best. I even knew some of the cast members, so that always makes it more fun.
Before the show, we went out for lunch with Christopher at Iguana Mexican Grill. Excellent food. We got the queso and it was served in this dish shaped like Oklahoma.
Also, the salsa was to die for. Seriously the tastiest I've ever had. I snapped this picture of Katie and Christopher before we left the restaurant. Aren't they cute?
Aside from a choking incident by the driver (me) on the way back to Wichita that night, the day was fantastic.
Yesterday the Altar Society at my church had their biggest fundraiser of the year, Quilt Bingo. There were 20 quilts that people won (not me) by playing bingo. I never get any good bingo cards. Ever. But there was also this beautiful queen size quilt in blues, yellows and neutrals that was given away in a raffle. This year I only bought $5 in tickets because of the whole jobless thing and I won the raffle quilt! I couldn't believe it. I was helping to sell bingo cards and was outside in the hallway at my station when they called my name. I got several high-fives on my way through the room.
I think this means my luck is changing for the better. A job is just around the corner, I can feel it.
Of shoes on West River Boulevard, that is. Usually I only see one shoe which makes me wonder what happened to the other. But this time it was a pair. And that was weird enough for me to stop and take a picture.
This week I went to the recycling center all by myself! Inspired by my friend Jennifer, I purchased some plastic containers several weeks ago and started my own recycling program. All it cost was the money for the containers and my gas down to the Pro Kansas Miller Recycling Center in south Wichita, which only has to be done every month or so. This is a picture of me in the car waiting in line with my stuff in the back seat.
Once inside, it didn't take long to distribute my recyclables into the various bins. Here's a shot of other people doing the same thing.
It's a busy place on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, since that's the only time during the week that it's open. It's also open on Saturdays from 9 to 3, and I would imagine it's a lot more crowded then. It doesn't cost much to get started, but the feeling of knowing that I'd done something good for the environment this week was priceless.
I spend a lot of time in my house during these unemployed days. Don't get me wrong. I love my house and being in it does not make me unhappy. But I needed to get away from these walls for a couple of days and look at something different. A trip to Ellinwood to see my family seemed in order. I needed a family fix. And boy, did I get one!
My first order of business upon arriving was to attend the cake and ice cream party for my niece Katie's 19th birthday. Even though she got a promise ring from her boyfriend, Frank, they both assured us that marriage is a long way down the road for them. Like after they've graduated from college (they're both freshmen) and have jobs. I hope they do wait so my brother-in-law Kenny won't have a coronary. She's still his little girl and he's not ready to watch her walk down that aisle just yet. Me either. Teresa (her mom) made her a red velvet cake, but some people preferred the store-bought decorated white cake. In this picture her big brother Andrew is messing with her.
The next day I spent some time with Terri and Zach when they stopped by my mom and dad's house. Then I went with my parents to the St. Joseph's parish picnic. It's not really a picnic, but a catered affair. We dined on fried chicken (one of my dad's all-time favorites), mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, green beens and bread. The catering was done by a place in Hudson, Kansas, called the Wheatland Cafe. They do a very good job. I sat with my cousin Jason, his wife Heather and their two kids, Ethan and Madisyn (pictured at right). After the meal when the kids were outside playing games, I got sidelined into a couple of games of pitch with the older folks.
My card-playing pals: Joy, Karen, Lorene, Gilbert who didn't play, Rachel and Paul.
I'm sad to report that last Thursday (yes, I'm a week late posting this) when I hosted book club at my house, the razzleberry pie that Tara brought ended up on the floor. It looked absolutely divine, but my kitchen filled with people and the pie ended up sliding onto the floor. The razzleberry color actually makes the carpet look better, I think. As you can see from this picture, Tara's shoe was also a casualty and Suzanne looked on with shock as they waited for my reaction. I laughed hysterically because I really do hate that carpet. And Tara's shoes? Well, she threw them in the trash because she said they were uncomfortable anyway.
One of the highlights of the night for me was receiving flowers from Bonnie. They are a beautiful
purple color, which fits in nicely with my colorful house. I enjoyed them here for a couple of days and then took them with me to my parents house so my mom and I could enjoy them there. Dad tolerates but doesn't really enjoy flowers.
We all liked the book "My Antonia" by Willa Cather. And some of us even loved it. I especially loved the detailed descriptions of the Nebraska countryside and identified with the small-town aspects of the book.
Yesterday morning I stopped for a grande iced caramel macchiato at Starbucks and much to my surprise and delight, they had just whipped up a sample tray of the pumpkin spice frappuccino. They serve their samples in these super-cute tiny cups with a super-cute tiny straw. The frappuccino was underwhelming, but I felt like I won the lottery for just a couple of minutes.
I may have forgotten to mention in my first 40th birthday post that as I get these gifts I'm to tell the story behind them. If I get them in a group (like the rooster magnet I got while vacationing in Montana), I have to tell the story right there. But this latest gift was left on my porch in a gift bag last week. I found it shortly after my sister, Jenny, had been here for an overnight stay. Coincidence? I don't think so. But nobody's taking credit yet. If you have no idea what I'm talking about but want to know, click here.
Anyway, here's a picture of the gift and then the story of the horse. The note taped to the package said, "Hi Ho, Hi Ho, it's off to Ned's we go!"
Growing up, I spent a lot of time at my aunt Ruthie and uncle Ed's house. Their kids were more my age than my own siblings. Scott, Mike and Danny were my most frequent playmates as a child. Scott is two and a half years older than I am, Mike is almost a year older, Danny is a couple of years younger, and Jason was born about a month before my tenth birthday. When Ruthie didn't have us doing chores (she was the master of the Chore List, especially on Saturday mornings), we were playing "Jacques Cousteau" or "school" or "church" (I was never the priest) or "house" (I was always the mom). Some of my favorite memories include being at their farm, which at the time was where their grandparents, Susie and Pete, and uncle Paul lived.
On the farm, they had a horse named Tonka and he didn't look anything like the horse pictured above. He was light-colored and was a pretty mild-mannered and tame horse, but he had his moments. I loved riding him because it was different and exciting to be on horseback. Once when I rode him, Mike saddled him up for me. He didn't get the saddle cinched tightly enough around Tonka's belly. We got as far as the driveway (which isn't that far from the barn) when the saddle slid sideways. And so did I. Once I fell off (I clung to the saddle horn for a long time before I finally gave up and landed on the ground), I looked back and all three of the boys were standing behind me doubled over in laughter. I was not happy. After they quit their guffawing, they finally cinched it up tight enough and I went on my ride.
Another time, the boys and I had just returned from a week of summer church camp and I was out at their house after a brief visit at home with my own family. I wanted to ride Tonka, as I did every time I went to the farm. Someone finally saddled him up for me and I got on to ride. As luck would have it, Tonka hadn't been ridden in several weeks. He was ready to run and no amount of coaxing with the reins convinced him to slow down. I was bounced around in the saddle and terrified of falling off when he finally slowed down and allowed me to have him stop. By that time I was over a mile away at the nearest neighbor's house. That would be where Ned and his parents lived. Ned was the scary neighbor who embodied all the stereotypes of a hillbilly. Once I got Tonka stopped, I got off and stood for a moment weighing my options. I decided to hold the reins and walk him back to the farm.
I'm sure I rode him again after that, but I don't remember. I probably haven't been on a horse since I last rode Tonka. I'll have to ask what eventually happened to him, I don't recall if he was sold or given away. It's rare that I visit the farm when I go back home. Every once in a while I get the urge to ride a horse again, but then my childhood memories come to the surface and I change my mind.
This past Saturday my niece Katie and her boyfriend Frank came for a visit. They drove in from Emporia where they're both freshmen this fall. They were in need of a "get away from Emporia" weekend and apparently didn't want to head to Ellinwood, so they showed up on my doorstep. They didn't even bring toothbrushes, the spontaneous knuckleheads! We headed over to Heather and Justin's for dinner. Heather's cheesy potatoes, bacon-laced green beans and pork loin were a big hit with the dorm crowd. And me, too. I brought dessert and Gage enjoyed the blue frosting teeth he got from eating the cake.
After we ate, we played a game of Cranium, girls against boys. The boys were defeated handily by the girls, but you'll have to see Heather's blog for photos of the defeat.
You remember in the movie "Miss Congeniality" that her talent is making music with glasses filled to different levels with water? Well, I've never seen anyone do that in person until Saturday night. When Justin started making music with Heather's wine glass, stuff almost came out my nose. He gave Katie, Frank and I a lesson and let us all have a turn making the glass sing. Katie and Frank were good at it right away, but it took me some time to get it right. Don't try it with a cheap wine glass, it has to actually be crystal in order for it to work. Everybody else probably already knew this. I did not. Something else I can add to my resume.
Thanks for the good food, good wine and good times.
Last Wednesday, my friend Kathleen and I worked a three-hour evening shift at the Kansas State Fair in the Newman University booth. Before we worked at the booth, we met her mom and a couple of her mom's fellow Red Hat friends at the beer garden inside the fairgrounds. Her mom had been at the fair all day with the Red Hats since it was their special day at the fair. One of the activities was a cow chip throwing contest which Kathleen's mom, Lovella, won by wide margin. Here she is with her winner's ribbon and the winning cow chip.
Lovella says she's bronzing the cow chip, and as she said this Kathleen's dad did a big eye roll. It was quite enjoyable to meet Kathleen's folks along with Lovella's friends Thelma and Louise. I kid. Louise was only her middle name, her first name was actually Georgia. But I preferred calling her Louise for some strange reason. We (all but Thelma) made our way over to the Cottonwood building, where some of us dined on delicious chicken and noodles. The cow chip came with us, but Lovella kept it in the plastic bag while we ate.
It's been a busy week and a half around here. Sorry for the lack of posts. There's really no excuse, just didn't feel much like posting. But this one's for you, Teresa.
The weekend after Labor Day, I had some family visitors. Caden and his mom and dad (Rachel and Andrew) came to stay at my house Saturday night. They brought their two dogs, Copper and Zeke. Zeke is a new addition to the family. He's a puppy who's at least part lab that someone found. He's been abused and has the evidence of that on his head. When Andrew brought him home, Rachel couldn't say no to him staying. Caden got to try out some of the toys I recently bought at a garage sale, including a green tractor that a little boy removed all the stickers from. But that's probably good, because Caden's dad and grandpa only have red tractors.
Caden had scrambled eggs, toast and peaches for breakfast. He's an incredibly good eater. And he does love him some milk.
After a night in a strange house, he was ready to load up the dogs and go home. Here's a picture of Zeke, the newest addition to the family. Could you say no to this face? I didn't think so.
I hope they come back again soon. It seems they were only here for a few minutes and then they were gone again. Don't tell Copper I didn't post any pictures of him this time. He doesn't want anybody to think he likes Zeke, but I saw them playing in my backyard when he thought no one was looking.
Just in case you were wondering, I didn't win one of the poinsettias that were on the tables. Also, I'd completed my hours when this luncheon was over, so I didn't have to go back to work that Friday afternoon.
He walked all around the house in one of my dad's boots until he lost interest and focused on the platter of cookies and goodies my sister Teresa brought. Dig the Santa suit!
And he helped grandma eat some of her birthday cake. Or more specifically the frosting on her birthday cake.
Lynette, John, Jenny and Mark tear into their presents.
When Zach opened his presents he wanted to play with them immediately. He looked at or played with each thing before he moved on to open the next present. Especially the books. Notice how he's using Jessica's legs as a book rest while she continues opening her gifts. The whole living room is filled with people and chaos, yet Zach is looking at his book.
Some of the chaos at the other end of the room included Christopher and Frank (sitting on the floor), Teresa, Katie, Kyle, Victoria and Jeffrey. You can also see Anissa's head on the right side of the picture.
After things calmed down a bit, Christopher and Victoria worked on a teapot puzzle that Teresa got from Jenny. Teresa said: "I don't do fuzzles. I mean puzzles." We all agree she should do puzzles instead of sending out forwarded email messages.
Mark and Jeffrey enjoyed looking at one of Zach's new books. Mark had to work the morning of Christmas Eve and he comes over right after getting out of his truck, that's why he has on his work jeans.
