Happy Birthday

My mother had started a tradition that once the kids were past their 9th birthday they could travel with gramma. Alex went with her to Kentucky and Mammoth Cave for her first trip, then she and Fox went with gramma to Mackinaw Island, and Fox got to travel with her to a family reunion in up-state New York then to historical sites in Philadelphia. Because of mother's quickly declining health and subsequent passing, Ben and Ethan got gyped on the deal. So I decide to pick up the tradition myself .


This past weekend was Benjamin's birthday so he and I took the train to Chicago and went museum hopping. We left out early Thursday morning from Lapeer, arrived on time to Union Station and walked over to the hotel to get a feel for the hustle and bustle of the city. Along the way we checked out the Model Chicago exhibit. I intended to catch the hotel shuttle out to the Lincoln Park Zoo but was informed they do not shuttle you out that far and was given bus instructions instead. We made our way up to the Magnificent Mile but when we got off for our transfer the weather started to look rather omnimous so we opted not to not get stuck in the rain and instead decided to explore the Mile and have a marvelous meal at Big Bowl. We decided to take some culinary risks on this trip too so Ben tried the Chicken Thai Lettuce Wraps from the kids menu and found them quite tasty. We also had the chicken/veggie potsticker combo, and I did the signature Big Bowl buffet with shrimp, noodles, and tons of fresh veggies. A delicious raspberry lemonade was shared and our desserts were delish: Mochi ice cream (orange) with rice wrap for Ben and the Banana EggRoll with brown sugar and chocolate sauce for me. After that we walked down to the Chicago Children's Museum and explored the Navy Pier which we both agreed would need further adventuring in the summer months. Although most of the exhibits in the Children's Museum are geared for preschool and early elementary students Ben did find several that were intriguing. We met the skyscrapper challenge, built with giant wooden erector-set-type pieces, and did some physics experiments. Caught the #29 Bus back to 9th Street and State then walked the last 2 blocks back to the hotel.

Friday was fabulous and jam packed with good times! We woke to our own internal alarm clocks, grabbed some continental breakfast and took the hotel shuttle over to Shedd's Aquarium. Bought the CityPass which covers your admissions and shows to five attractions around Chicago, well worth the price and ease. Arrived right as it opened to virtually no line, by 10am the line looked like one from a Cedar Point attraction. Took our time purusing the upstairs tanks, watched the Aquatics Show which was a phenomenal production and very interesting. They explained some of the training techniques used with the Beluga Whales and dolphins, very cool. From that show we zipped into the theater for Pole to Pole 4-D which consisted of footage from the Planet Earth production with effects of blowing air and seat rumbling thrown in, eh. By now we were hungry, and Soundings Cafe was just the ticket, the meal was the best: Fish Sliders, with organic apple sauce and fresh carrots sticks for Ben and a 1/2 chicken flourentine panini, spicy oriental vegatable soup and a superb salad of fresh greens for me. After lunch we headed down the Beluga Trail to watch some more training up close, then made way to Wild Reef to spend some time gazing into the huge shark tank.--

A little past one we walked down the way to Adler Planetarium, it was a beautiful, clear, sunny day much better than the cold and overcast yesterday. Journey to the Stars was the feature we watched first, picked to skip the second traditional planetarium show and explore as per Ben's request. Fine by me, and good thing we did because they closed at 4pm and we wouldn't have had much time if we sat through it. Since it was nice we walked back on the Water's Edge Walkway to the Michigan Ave. underpass then up to the hotel.

It was such a clear day I thought we should take advantage of it so we quickly left our museum goodies in the room and hailed a cab over to the SkyDeck on Willis Tower (fomerly Sears Tower). We Fast Passed in because of our handy dandy CityPass and got in line for the elevator wait quite quickly. By the time we hit the deck the sun had set and the city lights were all aglow. Far Out! The new feature "The Ledge" is a total trip and a bit freaky. The wait to get back down was a drag but I struck up a conversation in line with a couple from Saugatauk and a mom with two young kids from outside the city. Finally made it back down by 7pm, hailed another cab and went for some Chicago-style pizza at Lou Malnati's right near the hotel. Mmmmm, yummy. Pool - Sauna - Nighty Nite!

Saturday was Super and So-so. Woke early and hit the pool again, Ben likes to go when there's not a crowd of people. He swan, I had another sauna, then we got dressed and did a light breakfast at Starbucks. Caught the #6 Bus out to the Museum of Science & Industry and ran into the couple from Saugatauk at the stop. We had a fun chat on the way over but got separated once we hit the attraction. Ben wanted to take the U505 Submarine tour so we bought tickets for that and tickets for the Hubble Omnimax movie was already included with our City Pass deal. The Hubble movie was our second favorite thing of the trip (Shedd's was the best). This museum is a bit overwhelming, it is huge and there is a lot to see. I would have prefered to have two days to split things up because after 4 hours or so you're just tired of pushing buttons and reading plaques. The Smart Home was closed which really bummed me out and the food situation completely sucks! Next time I will definately plan on brown bagging it for this venue. The Brain Food Court is very poorly run and the food was cold and nasty. Jumped on the #10 Express back to Michigan Ave. and Balbo, chilled at the hotel for a bit then boogied up the block for some Sushi at Izagaya. It's been a while since I'd had real sushi having only California Rolls from the Meijer deli on occasion so I sort of over bought not realizing how big these things really are. Ben tried a few but got discouraged because he couldn't bite through the seaweed outer shell and his mouth was to small to shove them in whole. He loved the seafood rolls and his salad though. Ended up taking some with us. We were going to do a walking adventure again and investigate the Buckingham Fountain and Hyde Park but it was too bloody cold and windy so back to the hotel it was to watch one of Benny's favorite shows, Wipeout. I must say I got a few good chubbies out of it myself. Went down to the pool later; there were too many people for Ben's taste so he went back up to watch "Over the Hedge" while I got one last sauna in. Organized and packed our belongings then had a sushi snack before lights out.

Final Day was fine but rainy. It was just a slight mist as we sauntered down to Yolk for a birthday breakfast of Strawberry and chocolate chip pancakes for Ben and an Irish Benny for me (Eggs Benedict with corned beef hash and roasted tomato with big potato browns, and fruit for me. Yummo! Checked out of the hotel and rode the shuttle with backpacks and activity bag in tow to the Field Museum (formerly the The Natural History Museum) as the rain began to come down steadier. Kinda sucked to check our stuff there at $2 per item but worth it to not have to lug it around all day. This attraction can be a little confusing and irritating with all the separate prices and tickets for various traveling exhibits. We navigated through 'Gold,' 'Evolution of Earth,' 'Mammals of China,' 'Tibet,' 'Ancient Egypt' (complete with way-cool tomb), 'Hall of Dinosaurs' (an amazingly extensive bone and fossil collection), a Miori meeting house from New Zealand, and more. But honestly by now we were both getting museumed out. The food choices at Field were also a disappointment, there was a McDonalds and a Corner Bakery and they both hosted tremendous lines. The final vote was to collect our bags and hail a cab to Union Station as it was now officially raining cats, dogs, and small ponies. Since last night's experimental meal was so out there Ben was ready for a good ol' fashion chicken sandwich from Mickey D's so I obliged; we ate, checked out the train station street people, grabbed a Yoga Journal and Sudoku book from the news stand then waited until the chaos of boarding began.

Played a game of Garbage, then Ben played his DS while I listened to my iPod, he read his Percy Jackson book, I read Yoga Journal, did Sudoku, he inihilated me in War, then finally crashed out about 9:30pm. We pulled in to the Lapeer depot around 11:30pm, a little late due to a freakin' blizzard! The drive home sucked bad, since they hadn't done ANY plowing at all. I barely could find a two-track on Lake Pleasant to follow and never went over 30 miles an hour the entire way home. But, we made it and were so happy to be snug in our own house and very own beds once again. Ben is a great guy to travel with, he likes planning, setting a schedule and sticking to it, he is organized with his belongings, and has unexpendable energy. He is even getting better about the waiting periods. This will definately be something I remember and cherish. So sad mother missed out on this experience but very blessed to be able to have precious time with my bestest Benny!

Great Show!

Did a little blog bouncing before posting today, every once in a while I peruse the Blogs of Note to see what's out there and believe me there is some stuff that is really out there! It is amazing the variety of things people blog about from food to fashion, human rights to gay rights, creation of art to critiquing of art, wrestling to writing, travel to tatoos, homeschooling to hand made items, it's all out there to read or click the 'x' and leave it for someone else. Viva la difference and how cool is it that we can literally travel the world from our cozy home and see what's going on.

What's going on here in notable North Branch is our Choir Program which was a big hit! Not quite as big a crowd as the December one perhaps because it was Valentine's Day or winter, but it was a great success never-the-less. Below is a picture of the elementary group preparing to sing and under that the final moments of "Dive" where we really 'got down.' I've said it before but I'll say it again, it has been such a blessing to work with these kids, yes, there are those that test your grace but if they keep showing up I'll keep working with them. Many parents and grandparents came up after to give me hugs and encouragement. Everyone is excited to come together again next year and I am as well. I've already started doing music searches and have some selections ordered.

North Branch Elementary After School Chorus - Feb. 2011

After the program I skidattled over to our first LCCC practice for the spring concert (it's always refreshing to get to sing with the big people). Once again we received quite a stuffed envelope with a variety of pieces. The biggest hoot will be our second half which pays homage to musicals past and present with a collection from "The Wizard of Oz" and "Wicked." What fun!

My exciting conference call while initially boosting quickly took the wind from my sails but didn't completely deter me. The call was with a regional manager from CYT (Christian Youth Theatre) to discuss starting a group in our area. What I found out is it's like buying into a francise and it's not cheap. While I believe there is a need for this here I don't think CYT is the umbrella to work under because of all the costs involved and they kept pushing me to be a Flint CYT because it's a 'big city' but I really don't want that connection. Plus my goal is to keep costs for family/students extremely low or without cost at all. So I'm still at the drawing board but haven't given up hope. I will continue to work with groups as I have been and wait for the right time to take it to the next level. It's all good.

Our bags are packed and ready to go...... check in next week to see where we're off to!

Feel Better When ...

Excruciating, Exceptional, Exciting

Last week we had two snow days because of all the snow that arrived, the first day was rather excruciating for the boys and Alex as well because they really did not want to stay home. It was like they were being punished. I can't believe we homeschooled all those years and they adamently did not want to be in regular school and now they hate to be away. They drove me nuts going from screen to screen (tv, computer, video games) at first but then I finally killed all electronics and pulled out some toys that had been tucked away and they got busy being inventive with wooden blocks, lincoln logs, playmobil, and army men. Alex kept busy working on the assignment for her screenwriting class that the instructor asked them to email in by midnight to still receive credit for the day. The second day they jumped right back into their creative endeavors and did not have so much screen time in between bouts of going out and playing in the snow. Fox started out to shovel his running trail but gave up before completion, it was just too much this time. His training has slowed and he's really jonesing for a thaw so he can run regularly instead of just walking it.

At the end of the week I saw a sad post from some high school friends of mine, one of which also worked with my mother at Fraser schools. Their mother had passed away after many years battling COPD. I attended the service on Monday and was touched as I sat in the row behind the family and observed them throughout the proceedings. They have five kids in the family, four girls and the youngest a boy, all have children, and they are a very tight knit group. At one point during the service the family came and circled around the casket, Pastor said a prayer and then asked everyone to show a sign of peace to each other. It was so cute to watch the cousins, their aunts and uncles, and Grandpa intermingle with each other, hug, and joke around. What a blessing they have in each other. As I drove back home afterward a wave of sadness came over me as I realized once again the pain of how my family handled my own mother's passing. We're coming upon the one-year anniversary and although I feel that I worked through many of my emotions, I still feel some anger. The Pastor invited people at the funeral Monday to share a word or thought that described the departed, the first said was "tolerant" and he expounded on that be expaining that Mrs. S excepted everyone without exception, another word was "loving" she loved the Lord and showed that love in all she did, one of the grandchildren said "strong-hearted" and he connected this with a strong faith and conviction to reach out to people. This woman was married for 55 years, raised an amazing family, and touched many people through her personal outreaches. God bless her precious soul.

I was not able to participate in the processional or go to the luncheon because I needed to get back in time for our choir 'tech rehearsal' which although was a little harried went fairly well overall. A couple boys from the high school came over to help me get the sound issues worked out and this time we actually have a real monitor on stage which made a world of difference. My sound man dad also showed up after the kids were done to make some last minute tweaks in mic placement and settings. Although six weeks was not a lot of time to pull this one together I think it will be a good time and I'm really looking forward to presenting it publicly next Monday.
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Lately I haven't been taking a lot of sub jobs but I have been working on my editing stuff. This afternoon I have a conference call with an organization based out of San Diego, which could lead to a huge opportunity. Since I believe this to be a God-driven endeavor I know he has already gone ahead to make the way for all that needs to happen....and there is a lot that is going to need to happen. When everything comes together it will greatly expand my musical/dramatic/artful outreaches to children not only in my town but to all the neighboring communities. If you are a prayer warrior I ask you to lift this up as He directs cause even though His yoke is easy and His burdens light I will be dealing with some situations far beyond my normal realm which will require great favor so please, I'll need all the spiritual uplifting I can get. Updates will be forthcoming.

The featured mandala for this post is called 'New Promise' - don't we all need one.

Didn't See It Comin'

So last Monday I get over to the middle school for choir practice like I always do and the door to the room we use was locked so I peeked into the room next door and motioned the teacher to open the door again as I've done many times before. She meets me with "how's Fox doing?" "Fine, I guess why," I responded with slight bewilderment. "The kids told me he got in a fight today," she says, "the only reason I know is because they used it as an example for one of their vocabulary words, malicious." Needless to say I was shocked, the principal came down shortly after and had a word with me before we got rehearsal going. Apparently there was a kid who had been verbally harassing Fox during lunch for several weeks. During lunch that day the kid finally pushed it too far and basically made the comment "oh, what are you gonna do punch me? C'mon punch me." The kid got what he asked for, Fox gave him one to the gut and one to the face and took a firm 'ready stance' as used in martial arts. The kid immediately backed down. A little later in the day the kid came up from behind and initiated a sneak attack assault on Fox in the 7th grade hallway as he made his way to band, another kid quickly got a teacher who broke them up before it escalated. Both boys got a 2-day suspension, one in-school and one at home.

My reaction to this whole incident was rather mixed. Fox explained to me that he went through the gamut of responses over the weeks, at first he ignored him, sometimes he fired insults back, and even went to the 'dude, what's your problem, what'd I ever do to you' mode. He opted not to take it to school officials so wouldn't be labeled a tattler or have anyone think he couldn't handle his own battles. Although getting physical wasn't exactly initiated by him I do respect that he wasn't afraid to stand up for himself and did do his best to turn the other cheek and not get into it with this relatively friendless kid. The principal was dissapointed that Fox didn't bring it to someone's attention sooner. The thing that gets me is the whole suspension thing in general, you did something wrong so you .... get a day off of school!?!? I'd rather they gave both boys a bucket and a sponge and made them wipe down lockers, (goodness knows nobody else does) or have them empty garbages, write a paper on how to handle conflict, something other than not having school. Well, one thing's for sure, kids will think twice before messin' with Fox and he will instill greater consideration before taking matters into his own hands. Since the incident the kid hasn't said a word to him during lunches.

Saturday was the perfect sledding weather so Rob and I headed out together, dropped one car off to get new tires and loaded in the van over to the watertower hill with the younger boys and a buddy of Ethan's. The boys had a great time; Rob and I even took a few runs ourselves although we kept tipping over plus I went down a few times solo. I certainly got my exercise in that day climbing back up the hill. Fox was at Birmingham Groves High School with the Forensics team to observe so he could get ideas for his competition piece. He is pretty set on sales but wants to come up with something that can be fun and interesting.

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Ethan is doing really well with his guitar lessons, I love listening to him practice and Ben has quite memory for music (and other random facts), many times he'll run through his stuff on the piano without even having his music book out. My friend's son (and the boys' buddy) has been coming over on the bus after school one day a week and the boys have been trying to 'jam' a little bit. The friend takes guitar with Ethan, loves playing the drum set, and can really rock. They are now starting to work on chords as well as picking songs plus Ethan has ventured onto making up his own melodies which is such a blessing to hear. Ben makes things up on the piano often times as well.

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Alex has also been receiving top marks in her guitar class. She's loving all her classes and is actually working ahead on assignments for Screenwriting; her classmates were really impressed with her story ideas and the instructor has been very encouraging. Today she took the first step in getting things in place for the college she wants to attended in the Fall. I'm not going to let the cat out of the bag yet since she still has a process to go through but I am beyond excited that she is taking the initiative. PTL! Breakthrough in the employment department as well, after talking to her manager about working at two different locations she is now on the schedule more days and longer shifts!

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Sunday I went with Ethan down to the Open House at FlipSpot in Orion Twp. It is a great facility and I am so happy for Coach Shawn and his new business adventure. We're going to do drop-ins at open gym for awhile until the weather breaks and soccer/baseball/track season is done. I must be getting wiser because I know not to add something to the schedule at this point. Shawn was very understanding and workable. Ethan is excited to get back into gymnastics and we were there for over an hour as he did roundoff-backhandsprings, pit drops, high bar swings, some ring work, and got kooky in the bounce house. He would've stayed longer if he wasn't so sore from all his sledding acrobatics the day before. We had a nice mother-son lunch together and then headed back home.

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Getting ready to hunker down for the big snow storm that's supposed to be coming....hope everyone has an enjoyable February.

Checked It Out

My two younger boys are totally enthralled with the Mythbusters television series. They record it and watch it almost daily. Lately they've even taken to trying out some of the experiments they do on the show, they safer ones that don't require hi-tech equipment or gun powder, thank you very much. Today Ethan had Rob help him modify one of their Nerf guns to make it shoot farther. First he checked with me if I didn't mind him taking one apart, "you know, ma, we've got plenty of them and really don't need another one" was his sales pitch. I gave the ok and he explained to dad what to do which basically entailed taking out a couple parts. They put it all back together and man oh man did it work! Those bullets now go I'd estimate four times farther than before the modification.....oh joy.

The photo below is to show that mandalas can be found anywhere and to lead into our next check out....

For the past few years since the boys are getting older I thought it would be cool to take them to the annual Auto Show but because of time or money it never happened, well the other day while checking email what before my wandering eyes did appear? a message on my homeschool co-op group offering free tickets. Woot! [yes, I still keep a toe in the homeschool world] So I made a quick phone call and snapped them up. Friday I pulled the boys early from school (because educational opportunities don't just happen in the building from 8am-4pm) and we headed down for Family Day. It was overwhelming all the cars that were there, I hadn't been to the show in maybe 20 years but it was still awesome. Ben and Ethan ran around and pushed every button they saw, jumped in any car that was open, and played every game they could stand to wait in line for. Fox had a little bit more subdued approach but thought it was quite intriguing nonetheless. He spent a lot of time checking out the all-electric, part electric, and natural gas vehicles. Plus there was one high, high, high end luxury car he drooled over for a spell, you know the one that for price says 'inquire for information' but really should have said 'in your dreams'. The Prius Swagger Wagon was also ogled over for some time by all the boys. It's a stretch limo van with all the bells and whistled, big screen, computer, etc. The Smart car exhibit hooked our attention for quite awhile and I was really digging the eBike. The latest thing seemed to be hooking your iPod, iPad, Blackberry, etc into your car, bike, whatever and then being able to access info and apps to the car. I'm not there yet, we still drive cars from the '90s.

Alex's new employment quest hasn't been going as hoped but she did get a new opportunity. Over the past couple months she's been "farmed out" to other Burger King's and has been called and begged to work closing at the Orion store many times. She recently talked to the manager about transferring since she's only been scheduled one day a week in Lapeer. The manager said they'd love to have her and to talk to the district person about a transfer. It's not exactly the ideal situation but you've got to work with what you've got and if it means they'll give her more hours she felt it was worth the drive....and they'll work with her school schedule. Nice.
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Fox brought home his paperwork to prepare for getting scheduled for classes next year at the high school....yes, it's that time already. He'll be doing Geometry, AP Prep English, and AP History we already know and for electives he's talking about doing Intro Business, Forensics and/or Speech for sure and he's not sure what else. He also signed up to do Forensics this year and will probably work on a Sales presentation or a Persuasive speech. I had a brief phone conversation with the coach and I like where he's coming from so far, hopefully this will be a good experience for my oldest son.

Finished Amy Yasbeck's book this week, With Love & Laughter John Ritter. Excellent, I highly recommend it especially because you know this person from all his work on television (plus her's also) and to get an idea of the man he was 'behind the scenes' is really cool. Amy has a very relaxed and humorous writing style that brings you along for the ride. It is commendable that she took her tragedy and turned it into a positive by bringing forward awareness on aortic annerysms (which is what caused John's death as well as his father Tex's). I am still in my multi-title mode so the side bar has morphed to a Reading List instead of Now Reading...
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Found a cool website to share for those adults who like a break from their grown-up-ness. Click Here for some coloring pages to help you de-stress. Blessings everyone and don't forget to bundle up!

Back to Life

This morning I was finally back in regular church service and was just in the congregation. A couple services I missed because of prior commitments and then I was also back in teaching the kids so it felt really good to just be there to worship and receive the message. I have been attending this church for so long the people are really like family to me, which really hit me hard this morning when I realized how much I missed them. Perhaps because we have common beliefs, perhaps because in reality I see them more than my regular family, but either way they really mean a lot to me. The lady I sit next to in my 'regular spot' is a woman that is a pillar of the church, everyone calls her gramma and I am no exception. When things were really out of hand at home and I wasn't around for a time she called and checked in on me just to make sure I was still hanging in and keeping the faith; that meant the world to me. The women there are like sisters and aunts to me, they've seen me through good times and bad and I never felt judged or condemed by them no matter what I confessed was going on. The P&W leaders as well as the pastors and have been supportive and encouraging as I work to follow God's call and lead the children in musical and dramatic endeavors. I never would have had the courage or motivation if it weren't for them, not to mention all the parents that loving let their children participate. We had a wonderful time of praise and worship this morning and God's presence was there very strongly. I had been going through a battle of the mind this week and during one song I just released it all to the Lord because I know it is not healthy or neccesary to carry those mental burdens around. When pastor got up to begin he started with a really strong Word saying that you can no longer be concerned with things of the past, what happened to you in the past, what someone did to you in the past, you must release and move forward into the destiny that God has set forth for you putting all your focus there and toward the future. Amen. When I left I felt so relieved and confirmed because I had already made that determination in my mind during worship, even before he spoke it. So what if someone didn't want you to have something, so what if someone didn't understand you or misinterpreted your motives, so what if you never got an apology when you felt you deserved one. If it is not blessed by God then I don't want it anyway. If it is tainted in anyway then it isn't worth it to have. The bottom line is even though there are things in the world and in people that I haven't gotten I know without a doubt God has given me much, I have all that I need through His riches and glory.

Bouquet Mandala, a digital creation by Sue O'Kieffe

Alexandra has now attended all her classes at least once and is really excited about this semester, most of all Intro to Screenwriting. She says it is going to be fun but also a lot of work. Keyboard class is a little challenging only because it is late in the day after having 3 other classes and her energy starts to wane. Her current motivation is to find new employment and she has applied at several places; she went from working 5 days a week to only getting 1 scheduled day and then thankfully picking up other people's shifts. She needs more than one shift a week, that won't even cover her gas expenses. I commend her for the effort and have also given her a heads up when I see signs for new hiring going on. Thankfully she has been blessed with another new/used vehicle which makes things much easier. It makes me laugh when she just calls me to fill me in on things even though she could have waited to tell me later, but that's good and I'm glad she wants to keep me in the loop and values my thoughts. I've become more aware of how I present my opinions to her as well. We've come a long way, baby!

I finally was able to attend an LCCC Board Meeting and will soon be a new VP focusing mainly on PR which is pretty cool. My section leader noticed an article in our school news about my work with the school choirs and gave me kudos at the meeting which was very kind. I'm looking forward to getting to know our director more to and possibly working on other projects in the future. Another exciting development is my buddy from GTC has forged out on his own and opened a gym in Orion Twp. called FlipShop The open house will be over the next two weekends so if you live in the area please pass the word and check out the facilities (they're offering homeschool classes too). Ethan is interested in joining a tumbling class and I may investigate employment opportunities there as well, we'll see.

Check out this video from a story done by CNN about Buddhist monks creating a sand mandala, pretty incredible in my humble opinion......nobody sneeze!

Another Year of Possibilities

Hard to believe the new year has begun. All the boys are back in school this week but Alex's classes don't start until next Monday. Our Christmas was probably the least stressful I've had in many, many years and we even started what we hope will be a new tradition for Christmas Eve. I finally finished Marlo Thomas' book which was absolutely fabulous. I knew she did extensive work with St. Jude's but I never knew her father Danny founded it. I'm now in the middle of several readings: Amy Yasbeck's book With Love & Laughter, John Ritter, Joyce Meyer's Battlefield of the Mind for Kids (research), The Four Agreements, and I finally bought myself a copy of Meditations from the Mat so I can highlight and make notes.

Don't ask me about resolutions because I don't make them. Each beginning of the year does prompt a resurge in heathly habits, kickin' up the yoga practice, I'm recording some Total Body Sculpt with Gilad to work in as well, and Pastor has called for a 21 day fast which I am participating in as well although I'm planning to go 30. I'm taking this one in stages, first no meat, then Daniel fast (fruits and veggies only), and at the end I'll do three days of juice/broth only.

My new interest lately is Mandalas, there are literally millions of them from various cultures. Over the course of 2011 I hope to increase my personal creation time through coloring mandalas, developing new collages, and writing; like creatively - not for work.

Fox's continued interest is running, he's becoming borderline obssessive about it. Even when we got the first snow he went out there and spent the afternoon shoveling his path in the back of the property so he could run, then later that day he went back out and ran. He tries to get out there everyday, even in the snow after school today he went out there. He's up to three and a half miles. When track season starts he's gonna be killin' in the mile run. He's also doing weights and calestenics but not daily. If he's not running he's usually playing some type of computer game. All the boys love their Wii and DS games but we're finally finding some semblence of balance. They know that in the morning they have to be dressed, have eaten, and gotten all their school stuff ready before they even think about sitting and playing a game or watching tv. It would be nice to downgrade all screen time in general over the next year (games, computer and television)....we'll see, it could happen.

Off we go again: 12 months, 52 weeks, 365 days, a clean slate, a new palete, endless possibilities.....so let's go color our world!

Namaste. Peace. Shalom. Godspeed.

Don We Now...

I didn't really mess with photos on my last post but here is a snap of the first concert of the season, the Lapeer County Community Chorus at Hunter's Creek Church. Then there's Ben (the shorty) playing the bell set and Fox with his Euphonium. Ben is quite diligent in his practicing and never has to be reminded to do it, which I love. He also goes beyond what they are working on during rehearsals and tries to figure out parts on his own, many times calling me in to play duets with him. Since we didn't rent the bell set he just practices on the piano and I think it's a good thing. Fox's run with band is coming to a close but he'll finish out this year. He did what I asked and tried it for middle school, it's not his thing and I'm ok with that, next year it will open up his schedule for more electives.

The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind of final preparations and performances. Although it was a bit crazy at times the Lord knew what he was doing in blessing me with these projects because it has really helped keep me going instead of wallowing around in grief. I know my mother would have appreciated and supported these endeavors and hope she's been looking over me through it all. Although our final dress/tech rehearsal for Star of Wonder left me wondering if this was truly going to minister. The annointing hit when the time finally came and the kids did a fantastic job, the shepherds rocked the house, actors delivered their lines well, the "wee" kings were too cute, and the vocal soloist touched my heart. One of our elders told me later he thought it was probably the best children's program the church had done. Glory to God! We even had a special moment at the end of the program, the second from the last song "Constellation Celebration" the kids come off the platform and dance around the aisles and when they came back up to the front a brother of one of girls danced up on stage with the rest of the cast. I was familiar with this boy and had him with us on Wednesday nights on a few occasions, he has some mental challenges but really comes alive when we work on music. Sister was concerned and tried to make him leave the stage but I intervened told her it was ok and invited him onto the risers with the group. He sang the final song "Look Up" (which he knew from being in with us) with the his face beaming and the biggest smile you've ever seen. It was truly precious and just that little moment made it all seem so worthwhile.

There were some other personal 'mini' miracles that happened surrounding my actors but I'll refrain from sharing them since they're personal, but as I started to get feedback and testimonies afterward it gave me a new understanding of why we were given this assignment. Pastor has also asked us back to do a couple selections from the program at the Christmas Eve service which was a bit of a surprise and a little last minute, but hey...I'm game.
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The school programs had a bit of a wrench thrown in due to snow days on Monday and Tuesday so we lost our 'dress' rehearsal for choir and two days of practice for the 4th grade skit. Then when we went to set the skit on the stage we had to change everything around because of miking issues. The kids did great and went with the revamp gracefully. I had to leave Mrs. Martin to finish things out because on top of everything else I was also running my daughter around because she totalled her car on an icy hill after the first snow fell. But it all worked out in the end, didn't they make for a cute cast!?

Friday night we went down to Rochester to drop off the band fruit at my in-laws and caught the light show on the way back. This is really a cool concept draping all the buildings and they've even added more down some side streets and further north of town.

Yesterday was the holiday choir program with the North Branch Schools. I had about 130 chairs set out initially and we had to pull out and set up another 100+ chairs there were so many people that came! I was floored. Unfortunately because of the trimester change, other commitments and some teenage blow-off the middle school and upper elementary group were not at their full capacity but they did well none-the-less. The NBE After School Chorus brought it full force and sang with all their hearts. Technical challenges aside it was wonderful. Afterward I had some positive feedback from several parents and grandparents plus had a father/son team with sound experience come up and offer to help me work out some kinks for the next program. What a blessing that will be. In all the excitment I didn't even take a picture even though I had the camera in my pocket the whole time. I emailed a few moms and hopefully they can send me some snaps.

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Well, even though this batch of musical activities has concluded I've already begun receiving the download for my next assignments....a choir pops concert on Valentine's Day, coordinating VBS (found one I'm really excited about), working the creative arts camp at Paint Creek Center for the Arts (already talked to the director about some theme ideas), and a future ministry of "Praise Rocks!: A Children's Musical Giving God the Glory" - hopefully put together in a Saturday Kid's Praise Club format. But for now I just need to get busy wrapping.

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I'll leave with a quote from Bill Rancic (I love the Bill & Guilliana show).

"Everything will work out alright in the end; and if it's not alright, then it's not the end."

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Have a blessed Christmas everyone!

Damn December

I've lived in Michigan all my life and I have never come to like winter. It's flippin' cold but thankfully there isn't much snow and I can only hope there won't be. Praying for a mild winter all around. The boys however are estatic about the white stuff and immediatly went out to try and make snow balls. But I guess I shouldn't complain, Rob is spending the week in Manitoba, Canada on a training and service call.....the shop is way out in the middle of nowhere he said, and its good the guys from the shop have been chauffering him around otherwise he'd be totally lost.

Last weekend I participated in my first concerts with the Lapeer County Community Chorus, the Friday night performance at Hunter's Creek Church had a decent turnout and went well but the Sunday afternoon concert at Trinity United Methodist Church rocked the house! It was packed to the gills, they had people in the choir loft and brought in more chairs to the sanctuary. Everyone sounded great; voices, brass, and our amazing accompanist. I have the utmost respect for our director Garth Starr, I'm really learning (and 'borrowing') a lot from him.

Now I'm in the final throws of the Star of Wonder program which will be ministered next Wednesday and we're finalizing things for our Holiday Program at North Branch Schools. My elementary group has been a delight, the Ruth Fox group has gotten through a lot in a very little time and the middle schoolers are starting to perk up to things as well.

In addition to that Ethan's teacher asked me about helping the class with a holiday skit so I found a cute Reader's Theater script that we ammended a bit to accomodate the whole class and I've been in three times so far to work with them. The 4th graders will be putting on a program next Friday and that's where we'll present "A Crazy Mixed-Up Christmas Tale." The kids have really been getting into it and are coming up with some great ideas for costumes and props. Some have even ventured into using silly Elf voices and Mrs. Claus is just too cute.

Not sure if I had mentioned it before but the Praise & Worship Choir I'm directing at church made the jump from practice room to platform last month. It's a small group at the moment but I'm anticipating more people adding in soon now that they've seen what it really entails during services. Most of my members are on the older side but I'm very proud of them for pushing beyond their comfort zone and am honored to be working with them in this capacity. Make a joyful noise for the Lord, all ye lands!


Comic from Stuff No One Told Me (but I learned anyway).

So, I hope people are getting that my first post of the month title has been a take-off on a Broadway play title. Get it? Damn Yankees, No No Nanette, Oklahoma.....? Oh, whatever. Gotta think of a good theme for next year, any suggestions?

Not So Bloggy

Haven't been feeling very bloggy this month at all, not that there hasn't been things going on; quite the contrary, there's been plenty. Ben and Ethan have been into writing letters lately (however I'm still trying to get them to understand how to address them properly), recently after a disappointing candy experience Ben actually sat down a wrote a letter to the Spangler Candy Co. that makes Dum Dum suckers to express his disappointment in the lack of chewy chocolaty center to his lollipop. Low and behold he received a sizable box in the mail with not just a sucker but a whole bag of them with a nice response explaining that sometimes things get through quality control at the end and the beginning of the runs and the suckers don't get filled properly. Needless to say Ben was beyond excited and promptly sat down to write a thank you letter to the company for their attention to customer satisfaction.

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Ethan's latest shot in the arm was being accepted to the Safety Patrol! He works during the 4th grade recess to make sure everyone stays safe on the playground. The first day he had a few of his peers giving him grief but the teachers and principal backed him up and dealt with the defenders and it hasn't happened since. I'm very proud of him for getting all the paperwork filled out and turned in on time and for taking his responsibilities seriously. Anyone considered has to have good grades and no disciplinary infractions.

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Had several substitute jobs over the past few weeks and have now been in every building at least once. One thing that I have observed as consistent in any building or grade is that the productivity significantly decreases after lunch and each hour after until final bell. My remembrance of school was that most kids were pretty concerned about their grade and giving a good performance but the overall attitude lately is pretty noncommittal, they don't really care if they get an A, an E, or even finish the work. I'm still trying to understand how they handle the learning "impaired" in the upper grades, mainstreaming them into the regular classroom makes for an extremely disjointed day. I also recently learned that our teachers, principals, nor administration have any say in the curriculum the district uses, it's all state mandated. Yuck! Takes all the creativity out of being a teacher....plus one size does not fit all, compared to the educational strides being made in China we're moving toward the demeanor of a third world nation. Sad. Ethan and I had a discussion about homeschooling again. I'm torn. There are things I like and dislike about public and home school. I wish I could take the best pieces of both to make a well-rounded experience for the boys. Fox will be making the move to high school next year will probably duel enroll the whole way through with the goal of obtaining a business associates along with his high school diploma, plus he'll take advantage of the ed-tech program as well.

Last weekend the kids learned how to make ravioli from scratch with my Dad. It was quite the process but with all the helping hands we got quite a few made just a few hours. They tasted great but I'm thankful for frozen ravioli, cuz it's a lot of work to make it like they did in the old country. We went out in the afternoon to see the Megamind movie which was cute; evil becomes good and good becomes evil.

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Alex got registered for the Winter semester at Mott. She was a bit shocked when I supported her taking non-core classes but I'm glad to have her in something that will be more interesting. She got lucky and has the majority of her classes on Monday and Wednesday out at the Flint campus which is where most of the music and theater classes are and will taking Intro Acting, Intro Screenwriting, a Beginning Guitar class, and Keyboard I (piano with the teacher we used to go to for private lessons). Then she's got Ethics one night at Lapeer with the same prof she had for Intro Philosophy.

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Ethan has been doing well with his guitar lessons and I've been working on getting my string fingers back also, working through my classical guitar book. It takes a while to get those callouses back, but they fade surprisingly fast. Soon Alex, E and I will be able to work on some selections together. I also purchased some painting supplies and am looking forward to some cathartic creating. Plus I've been given an assignment by the counselor to "write it out" and purge all the feelings about mother's illness, death, and family. This is something that's been in my mind to do but I haven't put it into action yet. She wants me to get cracking on it tout suite so we can analyze and emulsify. I may not be doing much else over the next few weeks.

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The concert for the Lapeer County Community Chorus is next week already; then Star of Wonder program shortly after that (I'll begin painting shirts tomorrow) and finally the NB Schools program. Choice Time Choir has been challenging time wise because they cancel it for assemblies sometimes without notice. I only get them for a half hour a week as it is! Thankfully they're a great bunch and pick up songs very quickly. Next year however I think we'll morph to an after school practice with the upper elementary and the middle school together....

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Looking forward to Turkey Day with the out-laws. Rob will be heading off to Manitoba shortly afterward and the rest of us will hold down the fort and wait for the snow to fall.

No No November

Feeling obligated to update but not really inspired; it's been an odd week with much going on yet nothing at all. Sports have finally concluded for the fall season with a final make-up soccer game Tuesday (man, it gets cold when that sun goes down). Halloween was decent, we just went around up in North Branch, the first time we've done that in many years since we used to go to mom's house in Grosse Pointe for the last five. Rob and I worked the Haunted House, he in the parking lot and I taking tickets and psyching people out at the door before they entered. There were about 175 people that came through which was their biggest night of the month. I was interested to learn he runs it as a fundraiser for athletic, community, and church groups; those who come volunteer get to take a decent portion of the night's proceeds. Nice.


Also dealt with a stomach flu which had me down for a few days, the worst of it only lasted 24 hours but it takes several days until you're on solid ground again. Ben stayed home yesterday with it. I did manage to eek in a sub job at the high school on Wednesday for one of the science teachers, Intro Macrobiology classes and an Environmental Science class. Went well, pretty mellow with only one extremely immature bunch right after lunch. Go figure. This is the same group from the nightmare English classes I had last year.


Alex's financial aid finally got straightened out and logged on her account so Fall is now paid for in full and she is released to register for the Winter semester. She is finally getting a clue that she should have thought things out better during her senior year and has been flip flopping in what she really wants to do. Everything she's been bringing up now are things I'd mentioned to her before but she didn't want to deal with it. During our chats I explained that part of the whole college experience is testing out different things to find out what you want to do, and not knowing exactly what your total focus should but is not unusual and it is certainly not to late to get on the right track. Since she registered at the final hour for Fall classes at Mott she got the bottom of the barrel choices and has really been dreading it. For winter she is going to take more art and creative based classes which hopefully will spark her enthusiasm again. But of course you're never going to love every class you're required to take. Serious topics of late include transferring to U of M Flint for next year, she had already been accepted but didn't pursue it fully originally since she kept a primary focus on Grand Valley. She's also mentioned cosmotology school but although I haven't completely condemed it I gently tried to tell her I didn't think it would be satisfying to her long term. Getting back into some music or writing classes will make a world of difference in her outlook as well as being involved in a dramatic production somewhere. If the class schedule works out she's talked about auditioning for 'Mousetrap' at the Pix, that would be cool.


Haven't taken many pictures of late but here's a blast from the past picture. This is me with the Farrah hair, oh yeah '80s baby, and my little brother, with a colleague of my dad's checking out some crazy aparatus in the electronics lab at Henry Ford Community College.

Finally I'll leave with a 3 Things Meme

3 things I love: the smell of lilacs, walking the dog, my kids/hubby

3 things I loathe: doing dishes, doing laundry, stupidity

3 places I'd like to visit: Europe, Australia, South America

3 places I wouldn't want to be: the Middle East, jail, hell

3 items I wish I had: an awesome laptop, blackberry, better stereo

3 accomplishments I strive for: inner peace, income that more than meets our needs, caring & responsible kids

Occasions to celebrate

Friday was my birthday, it was a good day, the boys gave me their homemade cards which are always a treat, I got some items for my van, a steering wheel cover and cup/stuff caddie. Dad and the boys even worked together to make a box for the caddie to sit on so it was up higher and easier to reach between the two front seats. I subbed in the upper elementary for a 5th grade teacher, it was crazy hat day. I had my Choice Time Choir practice and we are plugging away on our North Pole Rock & Roll Medley. I've been joking with my kids forever saying that I'm 29 whenever they ask how old I am. They're still a bit confused. This year I told Ben I was 39, and he exclaims "aha! then you're going to be 40!" "No, no you heard me wrong I said 35." Disbelief continues. Below is Benny and I with the cake he baked and did most of the decorating on, although the other kids had a little input as well. To keep the gag running they put 31 on my cake although I'll never tell the true number!


Friday evening I attended a wedding for a young adult couple from our church. They've known each other for several years and kept God in high esteem during their courtship, they even had to "break up" for a time while he attended The Honor Academy where your focus is purely on God and mission work and you're not allowed to be involved in any other relationships. As soon as he was released from his program there he asked her to marry him. It was so cute; when the pastor asked if anyone objected to this marriage all the groomsmen pulled out tiny sword daggers and pointed them at the crowd to keep 'em quiet. Of course we all bust out laughing. They had the best ceremonial walk-out I've seen to date, instead of the traditional music they used "Everybody Dance Now" and boogied down the aisle as did their wedding party of eight couples! The reception was a blast as well with much dancing and comraderie. I haven't laughed so much or so hard in a long time. It was a wonderful night and I pray their union to be forever blessed.

Saturday morning I headed up to Caro with Fox and Ethan for a huge cross-country meet; the last of the season. We got lucky during the high school and junior high race as the sky remained blue and the air clear. However the elementary runners were not so fortunate, just moments after the gun went off it began to rain but they all kept on like little troopers.

Coach Jason, with, what's that a smile? and his hard working junior team. Coach's son was there later to run the elementary race with Ethan also. Fox ended the season with his best 2 mile time ever a 12:42 and Ethan did great for his second ever 2 mile run. He set a goal to finish as close to 18 minutes as he could and killed that goal with an official finish of 15:35!

Here comes Ethan around the final soggy turn and heading into the home stretch. Although Ethan didn't offically medal in the race, Coach was very proud of all the kids and gave each a medal for a great effort. Fox although having his personal best time was just outside the top 20 for this race. Like I said it's a big one and these guys (and girls) can run!
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One proud runner!

Sunday I attended church by myself as the kids stayed to clean house with dad and make a cake to have later when the rest of the Partons came over for a family portrait session with a professional photographer friend of mine who lives convieniently "around the corner." It was another good message and I am so grateful to have such a fabulous church family. We're not perfect, we're all works in progress but since I first started going there nearly eight years ago I've really gotten to know them, love them, appreciate them, and count on them in ways I hadn't realized until recently. My heart is continuing to heal since loosing mother and all that transpired during the final ordeal. I'm not feeling so angry and truely wish that my aunts, brother, sister-in-law and the like would have true peace in their hearts, health in their bodies, and joy in their lives. I know my future is ahead of me and there really isn't much reason to keep looking back for we all know what that brought unto Lot's wife! She looked back and lost her future. Amen. I'm coming to a better place with my teenager as well. She's making an effort to step up and take care of business; I'm loosening the reins and trying to accept her for who she is and not for who I think she should be. She's a good person, a talented young lady and a beautiful spirit. We've had some good chats over that last few days and I'm hopeful for what she's got on the horizon.

The cousins Parton looking sharp for some family portraits

on a gorgeous fall day!

I'm confident the professional's shots

will be much more appealing than our snapshots!

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Sunday evening I went to the first meeting of the year for the North Branch Finish Line Swine with Benjamin. He's been buggin' me to raise a pig for several years. We've had many animals on the property including bunnies, chickens, sheep, mini-horses, pot-bellied pig, big horses, ducks, cats, and dogs but never a true swine! There is always a lot of business to cover at the first gathering, selecting officers (Ben is going to be a club photographer), discussing fundraisers, and explaining the educational forum for the year. For 2010/11 the club is going to work with The Heiffer Project and donate two pigs to the project, for the educational focus at each meeting a group of club members will give a presentation on the swine industry in a particular country such as how they're raised, used, which breeds, diseases that are a concern, income generated, specialty dishes, etc. Ben was a little overwhelmed with all the info but I'm excited. This is a long established club with good leaders and I'm looking forward to learning more myself. Over the weekend Rob and I will be volunteering at a local Haunted House for the club to earn money for its fund. Should be a screaming good time!

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Monday I had my first productive practice with the Middle School Singers and another fabulous go with the North Branch Elementary Chorus that have started working on their third selection for the holiday program. Rejoice!

Ongoing Tests

Wow, I can't believe it's been almost ten days since I've blogged no wonder I've been in withdrawls. Life has been a series of ongoing tests of intelligence, faith, grace, endurance, and general wherewithall. The boys have been heavy duty into MEAP testing the last couple weeks but say it hasn't been much of a problem for them at all. Rob has been facing some employment shifts but I'm thankful for it although we don't exactly know how everything will pan out just yet. Below is a picture of Ethan making his best rockin'-it-out face during practice time. He is being tested by muddling through the rigors of daily practice and the tedium of beginner lessons.

Benjamin has been enjoying soccer overall but finds some of the situations challenging to deal with and sometimes wants to drop it all. One thing I am determined to instill in my boys is following through on their commitments. When the going gets tough (or isn't what you thought it would be) the tough DON'T get going, they stick with it, and make it work, hopefully improving along the way. Oh, hum, and I guess I was just preaching to myself in that statement. Below is Ben taking a moment during his quarter out of play to visit with the fans.

The 40 days fast at our church ended Saturday and I did finish back on the 2Timothy trail however I've been doing alot of bible bouncing as I prepare lessons for Wednesday with the kids. I have been so impressed with the transitions God has been bringing on our family that I am continuing to fast. This week I've asked the boys to join with me as we believe for the right new job situation to make itself present, so all of us are foregoing watching television all week. It's made for some quiet mornings. I certainly can do with a little less SpongeBob! Below is a snap of some girls from the 4-5 year old class kicking up their heels to "Constellation Celebration."

Fox continues to test himself in the athletic arena coming in 25th at the Reese Invitational last weekend with a time of 13:40. This is a huge meet and the pressure was on, these guys are in great shape and push the competition to new heights. Medals were given out to the top 30 finishers. Tuesday he was at Swan Lake for regionals, he came in top 20 with his best time yet, 13:11 - Yowza! We've had some conversation recently about how to get more kids involved in cross-country, currently he is the only 8th grader running for his school and many kids on the high school team are seniors so he is concerned about what kind of team they'll have next year when he hits high school. I suggested he write an article for his school news and the district paper about his experience the last couple years and maybe it will inspire some people. He is of the impression that not many people really want to exert or challenge themselves. Sad, but in many cases true.

I have been spending much time in my office chair working to complete an editing project that has gone on far to long, the end is near but my butt is loosing its roundness from all this sitting; to compensate I've been getting out a couple times a week and walking with the dog. Jake comes with me when I take Ben to soccer practice and we boogie around Dryden, Sundays I usually get out and walk for a couple hours on the dirt roads by my house. The teenager thing is still a constant challenge to me and I'm praying to get past my unrelenting irritation over her choices and behavior. Somehow I have to find a way to show the love no matter what.

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I'll end with a Friday Fill-In since I haven't done one in forever!

Happy Autumn Days to everyone.

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1. My favorite month is October because all the colors are bright and it's my birthday!

2. Fall days are filled with a fresh breeze.

3. I love the smell of fresh cut grass and campfires.

4. Hot cinnamon rolls is what I like to have as a breakfast treat.

5. The hobby I enjoy most is painting on canvas with acrylics (when I get the chance).

6. Oh me, oh my.

7. As for the weekend, Friday night I'm looking forward to a wedding for two young adults from our church, Saturday I'll be taking Fox & Ethan to Caro for a cross country meet while Rob accompanies Ben to his soccer game, and Sunday is church, family portraits, and our first meeting with the North Branch Finish Line Swine 4H Club!

One More

... race. Saturday the whole family (minus girl child) went up to Cass City for the cross country meet. They held a K-8 run so Ethan and Ben both ran along with big brother. I was so proud of all of them for their gallant efforts. Benjamin kept pace with coach's son and made his 2 mile in 16:36 (unofficial time) which is fantastic for his first time ever running. Ethan after a very full week persevered and did not give up ending with a 19:26 (again unofficial), Fox however had all motors running and came through the shoot 9th place receiving his best time to date for a 2 mile, 14:11. Sah-weeeet!

Ben on the course.
Ethan coming into the finish.

... rocket!

Sunday we traveled en masse again up to North Branch so the boys could shoot off some rockets up at the baseball/soccer fields. This is something they like to do from time to time when we can spend some mad money on engines and the like. The newest rocket had three great launches, the old gray mare, which hypothetically wasn't going to go as high/far went just the opposite getting such gust it landed over the fence in the propane yard and busted. I'll have to put more rockets and materials on the Christmas list!

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... ride.

After the launch the little guys and I went for a walk with the dog around town and rousted some friends to come up to the park with us while Fox and Rob ran a few errands. Their buddy had a some scooters so they brought them out and had fun at the new skate park next to the playground. Ben was a little hesitant but E went for it and had a pretty good wipe out off the big hill, however it didn't slow him down for long.

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... rehearsal.

Yesterday I had an "informational meeting" for the Middle School Singers after school. Six kids showed up but two more were on the list as well but went to cheer practice instead this week. The announcement was made rather late last week so I'm hoping we'll have a few more add in. We did a little singing but mostly talked about possible song selections for the two programs. This will be my most challenging bunch fo shizzle, they are very 'energetic' bunch and it will take a heaping portion of grace to keep them focused. From there I headed over to the elementary for my first time together with an amazing group of nearly 40 kids! Hallelujah! Some students forgot to get a note to stay after but I still had their permission slips and I know a few classes got the notice late so more will probably come. I'm giving both these groups open add-in until the end of the month to accommodate sports commitments. But all in all we're off to a great start, we warmed up with the 'Joy' song that many knew from last year, introduced 'Sing Together' but the round attempt was a train wreck as anticipated (we'll get there) and we learned our first song for the Christmas program, "Look Up!".