Column of Christine

RENT is awesome

2009-10-16T20:45:00.007-05:00

My nephew, Christopher, is in a production of "RENT" at the Pollard Theatre in Guthrie, Oklahoma. Guthrie is the neatest town and although I'm slightly biased, the production of "RENT" is quite superb. Here are some photos that I swiped off the Pollard's Facebook page.

The first one is a promotional photo of the cast. Christopher is on the stairs (halfway up) with his leg up on the railing. He makes a very attractive homeless person, doesn't he?

He's part of the Company (or Ensemble, if you prefer). One of his roles is Squeegie Man. Say it with me "honest living, honest living, honest living"!

Another role is the Waiter in the Life Cafe, which gives him a solo part in one of my favorite songs, "La Vie Boheme," right before halftime (or intermission as most people know it).

But my favorite was his solo in "Seasons of Love" right after halftime. He makes me so proud when he belts like that. Not that I had anything to do with it, but still. It gives me chills. That's him far right. I wanted to pause and rewind and listen to that moment over and over again.

Yes, he's sporting an actual mohawk. I'm looking forward to attending another performance before it closes at the end of the month. The rest of the cast isn't half bad, either. If you're in the neighborhood, you should check it out. Buy tickets here.

Viva La Vie Boheme.

Baby Jake

2009-10-06T21:15:00.001-05:00

Turns out Bella was right that she was having a brother. Jennifer, Steve and Bella welcomed baby Jake into the world on September 11. That also happens to be my dad's birthday, so I think it's a wonderful day for a birthday. He is a sweet little guy. This is a picture of me holding him just a few days after he was born. I look forward to all snuggle time I get with him!

They got hitched

2009-10-04T17:15:00.011-05:00

Oh brother! It’s been a long time since I’ve posted a blog. Lots going on in my life, but I’ll try my best to recap for you.

Mark and Terri’s wedding in Las Vegas went really well. There were a few hiccups (like the wait at the tuxedo rental place and the food not being completely ready when my friend showed up to get it), but overall it was awesome.

Zach took a swim in the tub to get himself all cleaned up so he could go get married, too.

The wedding ceremony itself was short and sweet. The preacher said some really nice words and before too long it was all over. The bride looked stunning. Here she is in the hotel room, ready to go get married.

The groom looked handsome even though he forgot to bring black socks to wear with his tuxedo. That's Mark on the right and his friend, Bo, who served as best man on the left. Bo didn't have black socks either. Yes, Mark was carrying a towel to mop the sweat off his brow. It was pretty hot.

My two-year-old nephew Zach as the tuxedoed ring bearer was pretty cute, especially with the shades. Here Bo is getting his cuff links in place. That's the preacher you see in the background.

Here's a photo of all my nieces and nephews who attended the wedding. Everyone was present except for Tyler and Christopher. Zach's not in the picture either because he was still having professional pictures taken with Mark and Terri.

The photographer took some really nice pictures and I’d post some here but I don’t have my copies of them yet. So stay tuned.

One of the most memorable things about Vegas was, of course, the wedding. But also Zach and I went up in the Eiffel Tower replica at the Paris and watched the water show at the Bellagio from up there. He was a real trooper and walked most of the way over there all by himself. We strolled through Le Boulevard between Bally’s and Paris and he looked so cute walking with his hands in his pockets checking out the ceiling painted sky blue on the “street”. We threw coins in every fountain we passed and lots of people stopped and remarked on just how stinkin’ cute he looked. I couldn’t argue. Here's a self-portrait from the top of the Eiffel Tower. Zach had to help push the button, that's why it's so close.

Once I got home from Vegas it was immediately all work, work, work again. August was really busy for us and we broke records by doing 42 intakes during the month. We’re nearing the end of the research phase of our project and we’ve got just 100 intakes to complete before the end of the year. It’s going by very quickly.

Late in the month of August I came home one evening to find that someone had broken into my house. The front door was open when I got home and I proceeded back out through the garage while dialing 9-1-1. Two of Wichita’s finest went through the house with guns drawn but no one was still lurking inside. It doesn’t appear that anything was taken and the door was not damaged, but the door jamb where the deadbolt was engaged was broken off when they forced their way into the house. This incident has prompted me to get an alarm system and I’m sleeping better at night. The hammer I sleep with helps, too.

After several weeks of traveling on the weekend or having to work on Saturday I'm happy to report that I've spent this weekend free of commitments. In the past three weeks I've worked two shifts at the Newman University booth at the Kansas State Fair and then I worked another shift at Newman's Party on the Ponderosa last weekend. It was great fun seeing some former professors and staff who were there when I got my degree.

More to come soon. I promise.

Yes, she's older than I am!

2009-08-06T06:00:00.007-05:00

My sister Teresa's birthday is today. She turns 50. When I was in college, Teresa came to stay with me in the dorm while our grandpa was in the hospital. She was married and had two kids by this time. One of my roommates thought she was still in high school. Unfortunately, she's never forgotten that incident and to this day, she tells people she's younger than I am. And sometimes people still believe her. This is my chance to set the record straight. She's older, people. By almost 10 years!

The picture below was taken on her birthday at our family reunion in Branson in 2004. She has a thing for old hats, Birkenstocks (she has the largest collection of them I've ever seen) and Bud Light, so this picture really captures the essence of her.

In the next picture she's offering a Bud Light to Codi, a one-year-old, at the same reunion. Codi got her back this past weekend (he's now six) when we were at a family party and he asked her if she was somebody's grandma! She really is somebody's grandma now (Caden's) but it was still funny. Guess you had to be there.

She has been saying for some time that when she turns 50 she's going to wear a tiara every day. Hey, she's officially a member of the Red Hat Society now, so I guess anything is possible!

Happy birthday, Teresa. I can't wait to see you sitting at a slot machine gambling, drinking a Bud Light and wearing your tiara next week in Vegas!

Four more sleeps

2009-08-05T20:43:00.003-05:00

Many years ago, when my friend Lucy and her family were preparing for a visit to my house from England, they were talking about how long it was before they'd board the airplane and (many, many hours later) arrive in Wichita, America. They refer to me as Chris in America, so that's appropriate. Well, the kids were young. Still toddlers, in fact. So they decided the easiest way for the kids to understand was to count the number of overnight "sleeps" they'd have before getting underway. I have been using that system for myself ever since.

With that in mind, I now tell you that there are only four more sleeps until I leave for Las Vegas. Almost the whole family (only three won't be there) is attending the Las Vegas wedding of my brother Mark and his long-time significant other, Terri. I was excited already on Monday because that's when my parents left (with two of my nieces in tow) on their two-week trip for the wedding. They're swinging out to California for a couple of days before Vegas, then after it's the Grand Canyon, among other things, on the way home. My sister, Jenny, and her family are also driving and they're leaving Friday. There are about 20 of us on the flight to Vegas on Sunday. Odds of sitting beside somebody I know on that flight are pretty good.

So, this will be the ultimate Family Vacation. Yes, I capitalized those words on purpose. Stay tuned for updates and pictures. For now, I think I'll turn in for one of those sleeps.

Milestone day

2009-07-29T21:34:00.004-05:00

Today marks a special milestone in my life. It was 5 years ago today that I was diagnosed with follicular carcinoma of the thyroid. I'll never forget that phone call from the doctor who confirmed what I already knew in my heart to be true. The three other people in my house that day will probably never forget it either.

Cancer is always easier for the patient. At least it was in my case. My family, especially my parents, had a very difficult time coming to grips with the diagnosis. Yes, it was awful, but I always knew that I was going to be just fine. Most people who have thyroid cancer live long, full lives and die from something completely different. I had a doctor tell me that if you had to pick a cancer to have, thyroid cancer was the best choice. I don't remember ever having checked a box on a ballot, but it is what it is.

Until today dawned, I really didn't know how heavily these past five years have weighed on me. I have felt lighter and more free today than I have in a long time. Maybe it's coincidental, but I don't think so. This morning I treated myself to the venti iced caramel macchiato at Starbucks. Maybe I've been treating myself to them all too often lately since the staff there knew what I wanted the moment I walked in the door.

This afternoon I took some time off of my job (the beauty of a flexible schedule allowed that) and I ran a couple of errands and then met my friends Jennifer, Jill and Melanie to see "The Proposal" at the Warren east. I have had the tickets pictured above for almost two years (notice they expired at the end of 2008) but they still honored them. A very nice lady named Zoe gave us a behind-the-scenes tour of the theatre and then she bought us popcorn and drinks before we went in to watch the movie. We laughed a lot (both during the tour and the movie) and had a really good time. Afterward we went to Cheddar's for a margarita. (Since she's with child, Jennifer booked it across town to grab some bargains at a consignment sale for her unborn baby, which should make his or her arrival sometime in September. We missed you Jenn!)

Today was very life-affirming. The people at my neighborhood Starbucks know me. I have friends who are a lot of fun (many more than just the three who went to the movie with me today). I have a wonderful family who is always there for me. I also have a job that I truly enjoy.

Yes, I am a cancer survivor. That diagnosis five years ago will follow me for the rest of my life. I will be vigilant about being tested because I know that a recurrence can happen many years down the road. But I have the first five years under my belt and right this minute it feels incredibly good to have gotten over that hurdle.

Happy Birthday, Mark!

2009-07-22T21:39:00.003-05:00

Today is my brother Mark's 49th birthday. In honor of this milestone, I'm posting this video of Zach, Mark's son, eating the frosting off of a piece of cake at Caden's 2nd birthday party a couple of weeks ago. I am pretty sure he never ate one bite of the cake itself. Enjoy!

New steps

2009-07-22T21:23:00.004-05:00

I have lived in my house for almost five and a half years. Sometimes it seems like a lifetime ago and at other times it seems like just a few short months. Every time my Dad visits, for the entire time I've lived here, I've heard him complain about the steps leading from my garage into my house. I use the word steps loosely. It really was just one cement step between the floor of the garage and the kitchen. And that last step going up was a real doozy.

Last Friday afternoon my parents came to town for the weekend. Loaded in the back of their pickup on the trip down were my new garage steps. Dad's a welder and last time he was here (I don't even remember when it was it's been so long ago) he measured and muttered and vowed to make me some new steps before he came back again. He's nothing if not true to his word.

Behold, the unveiling of the new steps:

You can see the rejected cement step in the right side of this picture. That step is very heavy and will have to wait for better tools to move it before it can leave the premises.

The new steps are sturdy (since they're all metal, it would be hard to imagine otherwise). I think if, God forbid, a tornado were to rip through my neighborhood, those steps would still be bolted down after the dust settled. There's only one warning I'll impart: don't walk on them without shoes.

It's Wednesday

2009-07-15T21:36:00.004-05:00

Not that Wednesday means anything special. It's just that this particular Wednesday I decided to post a blog. And that will be my goal every Wednesday from this point forward. It's going to be a quick one tonight because I'm tired and I don't feel very well. I learned well after taking a sip of my niece-in-law Rachel's drink last weekend that she was sick. Strep throat. She got it from my niece, Katie. I'm not necessarily saying she made me sick because my brother is also not feeling well and I don't think he drank after Rachel. I'm hoping I feel better after a good night's sleep.

Before I sleep I will post this picture of the dress I bought last week. I'll be wearing this dress in less than a month (about 26 days, to be exact) when my brother gets married in Las Vegas on August 10th. We leave 25 days from today and I'm starting to get really excited. Ta-da:

I don't usually dig sleeveless things, but it's Vegas. In August. I don't think I need to say more. I love the colors. The price was right. It's fully lined, so no slip is needed. It's comfortable and machine washable. So, what do you think...hot pink toenail polish?

Mode of transportation

2009-05-25T21:36:00.007-05:00

Can you believe I'm posting a blog?!? I cannot fathom it myself. I won't even apologize (again!) for my lack of posts. I'm just going to get on with it.

I have a new mode of transportation, a knee walker. Here I am using it to roll down the hallway at work.

Almost three weeks ago I had surgery on my foot to repair something that was causing me great amounts of pain. One of the bones in my foot was extra-long and it was causing a hammer toe (crazy ass toe or CAT, for short). The toe itself did hurt, but the majority of my pain was on the bottom of my foot where the extra long bone was pressing and doing damage to the soft tissue there. My option for a permanent solution was surgery. The doc I went to was not optimistic that any other treatments would offer any real relief. And since he's been around, like, forever, I chose to believe him. Since Vegas is looming on the horizon in August (more on that in another post) I thought it best to get it done ASAP. That way I'm healed up enough to walk 'til I drop while I'm there. Anyway, I digress. The doctor opened up the top of my toe/foot and sawed off the offending bone. Really. I could hear the saw during surgery since they did a block at my ankle. They also had to shoot me up with local anesthesia because I could still feel when he started to make the incision. I drifted in and out during the entire 45 minute operation. He reattached the sawed-off bone to the adjacent bone with a screw (that will stay in my foot) then he straightened out the CAT and put a pin in to keep it straight while it heals.

Behold:

I'm going to see the doctor tomorrow for removal of the stitches. I'm hopeful that he'll also remove the pin. People who look at it (and maybe you, too) think it hurts. It really doesn't. The stitches are driving me mad, but other than that, it doesn't hurt. The pin sometimes gets bumped on stuff and moved off of center. Since I'm a little OCD (OK, a lot), I've taken to turning it back until it's straight up again. And it really does not hurt. Nobody believes me. Notice my nice pedicure (courtesy of my best pals, Christina and Heather--it was a birthday gift). You can't really tell, but the toe with the pin is the only one that isn't painted. The nurse who checked me in for surgery asked which toe it was and I pointed to my foot and said, "The unpainted one." They all thought that was pretty funny. I just thought it was practical.

I removed all the bandages (mostly) today and was going to take a picture before stitch removal, but that toe looks like a renegade Li'l Smoky that lost a bar fight and had to get stitched up. So I'll wait and take before and after pictures tomorrow at the doctor's office.

I have to admit that zooming from the parking lot to work in the morning is one of my favorite times of the day. I can go faster on the knee walker than I can with my own two feet. But I don't go too fast because I don't want to fall off. It has brakes, but they're more for slowing down than actually stopping quickly.

50 years have come and gone

2009-03-28T19:09:00.016-05:00

Ugh. I'm a terrible blogger! I've had the best of intentions over the past month (or more) to get an updated post on here. While there is no real legitimate excuse, I will say that once I come home from work (usually not before 7 o'clock most nights) I don't feel like sitting in front of the computer trying to compose blog postings. Or being witty. Maybe I'm not witty to begin with, but I do try! I'll try to update you on the past month's goings on, witty or not.

On March 12th my parents, Larry and Sherrie, celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. Such a wonderful milestone and I am in complete awe. It will probably take me at least 50 years to find a husband, so it is very remarkable to me. My dad said it best, though. He said that you just get up everyday and do what you need to do and one day you wake up and it's been 50 years. The point I think he was trying to make is that it didn't seem like 50 years. And time sure does fly. I feel it flying by everyday.

The happy couple on March 12, 1959, outside of St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Great Bend, Kansas. Their wedding was only attended by a dozen people.

The happy couple on March 14, 2009, inside St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ellinwood, Kansas, next to the baptismal font. It was the only picture I took that day of just the two of them.

This is my nephew Christopher, who sang a beautiful solo of "The Prayer" during mass, and my brother, Mark. Side note: Christopher is in Mexico right now and before he left on Thursday he sent me a text message that said: "Leaving for Mexico today. Enjoy the blizzard!"

My mom with my cousins Mary and Laura (not sisters, but cousins to each other as well) and Mary's daughter Cassidy.

A self-portrait of me and Zach when we were walking around taking pictures and visiting with people.

Anissa and Katie getting ready to kiss Terri on the cheeks. They all color-coordinated quite nicely, huh?

Paul and Ben (facing camera) talking to my dad. Both of them worked for my dad's business in the late '70s/early '80s, back when the oil boom was going on.

My sister Teresa (second from left) with three of her friends: Lori, Janice and Joanie.

A picture of my whole family in either 1980 or 1981. Front row: my brother-in-law Kenny, Teresa, me and Mark. Back row: Jenny, mom, dad and John.

My whole family in March 2009. We've grown a little. Front row: Jeffrey, Anissa, Katie, Tyler, Mark, Zach, Rachel, Caden and Andrew. Middle row: Jenny, John, Jessica, mom, dad, Terri, Teresa and Kenny. Back row: Fred, Victoria, Kyle, me and Christopher.

Here's to my parents and 50 more years of marriage. Hey, they're young, it could happen!

Lucy's turning 40

2009-02-09T20:47:00.007-06:00

What a lazy blogger I've become. Sorry about that. I have great intentions but consider sleeping and going to work more of a priority than blogging. That's just how it is.

Today, though, I've got something on my mind. Or I should say someone. Five thousand miles away in a small English village called Wantage in the county of Oxfordshire, my friend Lucy is turning 40 years old. I hope she's still sleeping right now as it's 3 a.m. where she lives, but I find myself imagining how she'll celebrate this milestone. Judging from the birthdays I've witnessed in their home, she'll receive cards (probably homemade, which we all know are the best) from her two kids, William and Ellen. I suspect she'll receive an appropriately sappy card from her husband, Ian. Maybe they'll have a special tea (evening meal) at the end of the day. Or there might be a special family party on the weekend with her mum, sister, brothers, sisters-in-law, nephew and niece.

Mostly I'm wishing I could transport myself across the pond and be there for just a small slice of her day. Maybe just to have morning tea with her and a good chat, as she would call it. Or better yet, chatting over a glass of wine in the evening. Not that we'd stop at just one glass. Here's a picture of us before we dug into our strawberries and cream at Wimbledon in 2003.

A little history...
I met Lucy over 15 years ago when I was on a business trip to Holland and England. It was the first time I'd ever been out of the United States and I was petrified. I was to be gone for six weeks and it seemed like an eternity to be away from home. The first week I spent in Amsterdam at a trade show. The next week I was in York, England, with a co-worker, but then it was time for her to go back home. I was left alone in jolly old England for four more weeks learning a computer system from people who didn't want to teach it to me and driving on the wrong side of the road in a rented car. After driving around the city wall in York multiple times the first day with the car, I finally figured out how to drive between work and my temporary flat with no detours.

I remember needing my sunglasses only about three times during that four weeks. Lucy was literally one of the only bright spots of the whole trip. She was the only person who asked how I was while I was on my own in England. She would stop in the office where they had me set up and ask if I needed anything and would inevitably end up staying to talk a bit each time.

Lucy asked me to attend a bonfire night celebration with her and her family in their small hometown of Boston Spa while I was there. It was held on a Saturday night and the invitation included dinner with her family and then taking in a fireworks show. That's how they celebrate the plot to blow up Parliament...by shooting off fireworks. I had such a good time that night and felt very much at home among her family and friends, even though I was the token American in the bunch. We're very similar people, Lucy and I, and out of the whole world we met by chance. But I've always felt it was divine intervention.

I have wonderful friends right here in Wichita and all over this country, but Lucy and I have a special bond. We've been friends for 15 years, but have physically been in the same place only nine times. And each time we're together it's like we've never been apart. We pick right back up where we left off. It's easier now with e-mail and the internet, but even before that we wrote letters the old-fashioned way. I still have every piece of mail she's ever sent me.

Here's a picture of William, Ellen, Lucy and Ian on a trip to the Kansas Cosmosphere in Hutchinson when they last visited in 2005. A trip to the Cosmosphere and taking this picture have both become tradition when they visit. They're very good sports to pose for me like this!

To the left is a picture Lucy sent me last week of the kids with the snowman they made. They actually had a snow day and didn't have to attend school, which is a rare event for them.

I feel very fortunate to be able to call Lucy my friend. I'm terrible at getting things in the mail early enough for her to actually have them on Christmas or birthdays (something she's very good at) but this post will have to act as my card to her.

Here's to our friendship, I cherish it every day. Live long, my friend. And live well. May we see each other again soon. I wish it with all my heart.

Very special quilts

2009-01-19T14:40:00.008-06:00

This quilt was made for me by my great-grandma Jones (she was my mom's grandma). Mom can't remember whether she made it for me when I was a baby or for my dolls, but she made it for me either way. On my last trip to Ellinwood, a little over a week ago, my mom gave me this quilt to bring back to my house. She had come across it looking for something else and isn't that always how it works. I love this quilt. It's a very simple pattern with regular squares, but the colors are beautiful and my favorite part are the stitches. Here's a closer look at it.

You can't tell very well from this picture, either, but the stitches are what my mom called "chicken feet" stitches. I've seen other things that grandma Jones did and she used these stitches a lot. This quilt now has a place of honor on the quilt rack in my bedroom, along with the Sunbonnet Sue quilt my grandma Holl (my mom's mother and grandma Jones's daughter) made for me.

Someday I'll post pictures of the quilts I've made. Hopefully they'll be as special to those I've made them for as these are to me.

Three months and counting

2009-01-03T14:35:00.001-06:00

Well, it's officially 2009. For those of us born in the magical year of 1969 it's time to turn 40 years old. My birthday is three months from yesterday (it's April 2) and I'm dreading it a little bit. It's not like it's ruling my life or anything, but it's a milestone. And with milestones come reflection. I've been reflective these past couple of days.

As my devoted blog readers know, I've been getting little gifts from my family (although everyone denies it) since April of last year. See this blog, this blog and this blog for more information on the gifts I've gotten. The past couple of months, the birthday fairies have left more things for me. I will share those now.

In November while at my mom and dad's house, I received a bag of Happy Birthday Hershey's Kisses. The significance of the Kisses goes back a long way. When I was a kid, my grandpa (dad's dad) would bring me Hershey Kisses anytime I was sick. He said they were medicine and they'd help me feel better soon. He was a chocoholic and loved Kisses. He never brought a whole bag or anything, but five or six at a time, maybe everyday that I was home from school. I remember it most when I was sick for a week with the chicken pox when I was a freshman in high school. The fact that I got this bag of Kisses in November may have been planned, but the significance of it was not lost on me. My grandpa died in November of 1988 and it was the first death in the family that I was old enough to remember (my mom's dad died when I was two). Grandpa's death left a huge hole in our family and I still miss him 20 years later. Right before the funeral, my sisters and I put some Kisses under the pillow in his coffin. When I pay my respects at the cemetery, I don't take flowers for grandpa's grave, I take Hershey Kisses. I line them up on the headstone and I know that somewhere he's laughing and slapping his knee like he always did when he was alive.

The next gift arrived (coincidentally) right after my sister Teresa was at my house in late November. I got a bag with three pair of underwear (the granny-panty kind although they're pretty colors) and some Poise pads. The note says "For those times when laughing may cause you to wee your knickers...Always be prepared!" This is going to be embarrassing and I'm not sure why, but I'm going to share the story anyway.

The summer between my freshman and sophomore years in college, my sister Jenny and I went on a trip. We flew to Boston and spent several days with a high school friend of Jenny's who lived on an army base with her family in Natick, Massachusetts. We toured that area and then hopped on the Amtrak and went down to New York for a couple of days. New York was interesting for us, but that will have to be in another post sometime. The Poise pads and underwear are related to our time after NYC.

After those two days and nights in New York, we boarded the Amtrak again and went south to Washington, D.C. Neither one of us had been to the area before and only had one full day to see what we wanted to see. So we started bright and early that August morning and walked from one side of our map to the other. We went from the Capitol building down along the reflecting pools to the Washington Monument and then continued to the Lincoln Memorial and right across the bridge and into Arlington National Cemetery. As we were walking around the base of the Monument, Jenny was pondering her map then she said, "It says the Washington Monument is supposed to be here, but I don't see it." She was really disappointed. I looked at her, thinking she was joking, but she wasn't. I told her to look up. She argued with me about whether or not it was the actual Washington Monument. She finally (grudgingly) agreed that it could be. Later in the day, we bought some drinks in souvenir cups and they had pictures of all the D.C. landmarks. What do you know, the Washington Monument was on it! I razzed her about this all day. I couldn't believe she didn't know what it was. After we watched the changing of the guard at the tomb of the unknown soldier in Arlington National Cemetery, we filled our souvenir cups with water from one of the spigots that are typically in cemeteries for the purpose of putting water in the flowers mourners bring. We had to jump a fence, but we got our water. More laughter ensued because by this time we'd walked all the way across our map and we were tired, sweaty and punchy. Then we discovered the subway system in Washington, D.C. Tired and weary, we boarded the train and started making our way back to our hotel. We ended the evening by eating Chinese food at a restaurant across the street from our hotel. It had definitely been a long day. When we got back to our room, we called our parents to let them know we were all right and had survived touring the area. I was talking to my mom, telling her about our conversation at the base of the Washington Monument and I was laughing so hard I could barely talk. Tears were streaming down my face when I suddenly realized I hadn't gone to the bathroom all day. And by then it was too late. I threw the phone at Jenny and made haste to the bathroom, but it really was too late. The laughter had been the last straw. Now Jenny was laughing so hard she couldn't talk, but managed to relate the story to mom, who was confused at all the chaos and laughter. After the trauma of the wetting incident and exhausted from the day's sightseeing, I laid down to sleep. Apparently (this is according to Jenny) I was snoring so loudly that she had to move closer to the television to hear it. But I'm not sure I believe that. After all, she didn't even know what the Washington Monument looked like!

Christmas came and went

2008-12-30T21:33:00.018-06:00

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.

Mid-December update

2008-12-14T13:18:00.010-06:00

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!

Thanksgiving news

2008-12-04T20:59:00.006-06:00

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!

50 years of welding

2008-11-28T16:47:00.000-06:00

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.

Out with the old

2008-11-23T11:12:00.007-06:00

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.

I've been tagged!

2008-11-17T13:25:00.002-06:00

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:
Heather
Linda
Jennifer
Robyn
Lori
Jill

This one's for you, Mom

2008-11-10T18:03:00.004-06:00

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.

It's official, I've filled out all the forms

2008-11-07T21:10:00.004-06:00

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.

Book club at the Arboretum

2008-10-29T14:42:00.011-05:00

A couple of weeks ago (I'm a slow blogger) my book club met at the Bartlett Arboretum. Robin, one of our members, is the proprietress of the Arb and graciously hosts the October meeting so we can enjoy the surroundings. It is such a relaxing, not to mention beautiful, place. Here are some of my favorite snaps from the day.

Suzanne and Tara, two of my carpool buddies.

Suzanne prepares to take pictures of herself while twirling.

My twirling self-portrait.

The group discusses the book "Twilight" and the brand new Spirit Stick Book Club blog.

Lemon hat

2008-10-26T19:16:00.008-05:00

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.

Whirlwind OKC trip

2008-10-21T14:05:00.003-05:00

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.