Dude, Where's My Title?

{Resolutions}

2012-01-01T10:02:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Hope everyone stayed safe and brought in the New Year with a bang.

The family and I stayed home. The girls played the Wii a lot and we had cocktail weenies, pizza rolls, sparkling grape juice, and beer (the beer was for the grown folks, of course).

I've been thinking of what I want my resolutions to be this year. I usually don't make many, since they're hard to keep. This year I would like to make some changes.

I resolve to:

1. {Take more photos of everyday life.} I take a lot of portraits of the girls, but not enough photos of events, moments, etc. This year I will.

2. {Lose weight.} Not much weight, just 10 lbs. I would also like to tone up and get back in shape. I'm much too young to feel this damn old.

3. {Spend some one on one time with each of my daughters.} They're growing up SO fast and I want to make sure I know them as individuals.

4: {Work hard to get a degree.} I want to graduate from college. This year I will work to make that goal a reality.

5. {Be happy.} Nuff said.

As you can see, nothing earth-shattering. Important to me, though.

Happy New Year, everyone!

{Brrr}

2011-11-29T21:57:00.000-06:00

It's been a bit chilly the past couple days. We have our heat on {gasp!}. Of course, it only comes on like once a day and once at night. I hate being cold.

Thanksgiving was awesome. All the leftovers are gone now. Actually, they only lasted a few days. I remember as a kid, the turkey lasting FOREVER.

Anyhoo...still have a few things to get for Christmas. The girls and I went to the mall last weekend just to browse. I got lots of ideas for little gifts for them. They already have their laptops for their big gifts, so I'm going to get them some little things to put under the tree.

Andrew had a conference with Sarah's teacher today. Sarah has apparently found out that her teacher is a pushover. We've had to let Sarah know that she is not allowed to act silly at school just because her teacher isn't firmer with her. We let her know that if her teacher is not able to control her in class, we will do it for her. Little terd. :)

Hot chocolate on a cold night: Priceless...

This photo was taken a few years ago while we were still in Michigan. We were at Andrew's mom's boyfriend Dan's house, and Sarah was mesmerized by his instruments. He has his living room filled with guitars and other stuff. She was in love. She loves her some "Dan, Dan, Grammy's Man".

This past weekend we had rain. Yes. Rain. Hard to believe here in San Antonio, but it actually rained all night and a good part of the morning.

I took advantage of the wetness to get some cool shots I usually don't get the opportunity to get.

Good times. Life is good.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:28:00.000-06:00

Ahh...it's 5:25 PM. Dinner eaten, dessert devoured, football watched, nap taken, Christmas tree put up. It's been a great day spent with my family.

Off to enjoy more pie. Have a blessed day, everyone.

Thanksgiving {Blues}

2011-11-23T05:09:00.000-06:00

So, it's 4:53 AM, the eve of Thanksgiving. Why am I up this early, you ask? Cora is on the couch with a fever. Poor kid started feeling crummy last night. I gave her some Children's Nyquil and she conked out on the couch. About 3 AM, I hear her calling my name. I come down to see what's up, and she's crying with a headache and a pretty wicked fever. I get her some water and sit with her a few minutes. I try to go back to sleep, but can't. So, I'm just up surfin' the web and tinkering with the idea of starting the coffee pot a bit early. Gonna be a long day.

Planned Thanksgiving Menu:

Ham (duh)
Mashed pototoes with garlic and sour cream
Rolls
Corn
Cranberry sauce (totally love this stuff)
Stuffing
Green Bean Casserole
Ham Rollups (a holiday must-have)

Pumpkin Pie (Cora is making this, if she's feeling better)
Lemon Bars (Sarah's making these)
Chocolate Chip Cookies

I also plan on making Poinsettias to drink while I cook. (Cranberry juice mixed with champagne)

I love Thanksgiving. I remember my mom being up all night the night before cooking the turkey and other fixins. I remember watching the parade and being all excited to see Santa at the end, because that meant it was almost Christmas.

Things I'm thankful for:

{my job}
{Andrew's job}
{healthy (not counting today) kids}
{living in a country where I can do whatever the heck I want (for the most part)}
{the fact that soldiers continue to keep my country free}
{friends and family}

Anyone else working on Black Friday? This chick is. Luckily it should be a pretty slow and chill day. Although, I'm never surprised at how busy we can be in the department where I work. I work in the Fraud Management Department. We audit new orders for service, and if we find that the customer has a previous balance that they've failed to clear, we contact them to try to resolve the balance while keeping their new service active. As you can imagine, that can be a very tricky task. Luckily, a lot of customers simply forgot they had a leftover balance and really want to resolve it. However, there are some who are not so eager. Let's just say there is never a dull moment. However, I absolutely love my job and am pretty darn good at it, if I do say so myself.

Ok, enough rambling. Gonna go make the coffee pot go.

{Lazy Weekend}

2011-11-20T18:16:00.001-06:00

Not much going on this weekend. It's been muggy and hot. Par for the course for South Texas.

The girls and I did go watch Breaking Dawn Part 1 yesterday. I think it might have been the best one they've made so far. After that, we all went to the store to get most of our Thanksgiving groceries. I love going shopping for holiday stuff. Nothing really out of the ordinary planned for dinner that day, just regular ham, mashed potatoes, yams, corn, rolls, etc. The girls are making Pumpkin pie and Lemon Bars. We're also planning on putting up the Christmas tree after dinner.

Sarah's been watching A Christmas Story a few times the past few days. A bit early for my taste, but you can never see it enough. One of the best holiday movies ever made.

Got myself a laptop Friday. I'll be going to school this semester, so I need a laptop I can do my work away from home and since Andrew uses the desktop for his schoolwork as well, it's had to share. Also, the girls each got an Acer netbook for early Christmas presents. It's their big gifts, so they know not to expect a ton of presents under the tree. They were completely ok with that. They love them! My laptop is awesome for photo editing, so I can play with my pictures and not have to wait for Andrew to get off the desktop. Winning!

Just a quick pic of Cora from a couple weeks ago. She's getting way too old!

Sarah from today. I must say, both my kids are freakin' gorgeous!

How sad is it that it's November 20 and we just turned on the AC? Recent cold front did not last long!

We had planned on a trip to a flea market today, but decided to go out and eat instead. I was not happy that the flea market was charging to park. We had a great lunch at Cheddar's. The order of onion rings is massive, but we managed to conquer it.

Work has been going great. Still lovin' it and still rockin' it. Lots of changes coming up in the next few months, but hopefully everything will work out and be better than before.

Welp, off to chill out for a bit before I finish cleaning my room. The girls are off all week for Thanksgiving break, so I must make a list of chores for them to finish while they're slackin' off of school.

May the force be with you!

A Cold Front...what's that?

2011-10-27T19:29:00.001-05:00

So, apparently a cold front is on its way to south Texas. It's supposed to be in the low 50s in the morning, and only around 60 as a high tomorrow. Maybe some of the allergens that are plaguing me will be killed off. It'll be a nice change of pace to have a bit cooler temp for a few days.

Sarah just got back from a few days at John Knox Ranch. Every year the 5th graders go for a few days and stay in cabins and have a blas outdoors. She has a ton of fun. We really missed her while she was gone.

Cora is at her volleyball game right now. Andrew just texted me a bit ago to say that she served up the Ace for the win! Awesome!!!

{Coolin' Off}

2011-10-05T20:34:00.000-05:00

Texas is FINALLY starting to cool off a bit. Still gets into the high 80s, but nothing like a month ago when EVERY day was 110. It's nice to be able to sleep with the windows open and not have the A/C crankin' all day long.
Things are rollin' along nicely here. School, work, blah blah...Hopin' to get some archery started back up for the Spangler household in the near future. I haven't picked up my bow in 11 months. A big part of it is there's really nowhere to shoot here, and you can only shoot at a blank bale so much. Guess we just kinda lost the love and fun of it. Things are moving in a direction where we might have the opportunity to start shooting again. Hope that happens!

Found out Steve Jobs died today. Was sad to hear; he was a force in the technology that has become our everyday lives.

Went to my first Zumba class on Monday. Cora went with me. Was a lot of fun, and I definitely will be making it a part of my workout routine. Gotta get a good pair of shoes though. Hope to do that this weekend. We changed gyms and are now members of Triton Sports Center. The girls are members too and pretty much have the run of the place. They really like the water slide.

Happy Sunday!

2011-10-02T12:51:00.000-05:00

Been a busy month. Girls back in school, started a new position at work. Cora's playing volleyball this year. She's having a lot of fun and learning a lot of how the game works.
My new job is so much fun! I'm still at Time Warner Cable, but no longer in Billing. I'm in the Fraud Management Department. So much better for me.
Andrew will be starting a new job in the next couple weeks as well. When God closes a door, he definitely opens another one. Really excited for him!

Here's Cora in her first volleyball game.

Dude...

2011-08-22T19:50:00.000-05:00

Yeah, it's been a while. Sorry bout that. The girls just started school again today. Sarah's in 5th grade now and Cora's in 7th. Sarah's going to a new school since we moved this summer. She was a bit nervous this morning, but she's ok now. Cora's playing volleyball this year and had her first team meeting today. I think she's goin to have a lot of fun.

I'm still at Time Warner Cable, but am no longer in Billing as a Customer Service Representative. I'm in the Fraud Management Department as a Collections Analyst. I've been there since August 12, and totally love it. Once I get my profile set up I can start working cases. It's really different than Billing with more responsibiity and freedom. I'm excited.

Photo of The Day

2011-04-09T16:13:00.002-05:00

Just a candid of Cora laying on my bed (destroying my bedspread) talking to me.

Woot!

2011-02-06T21:13:00.001-06:00

Yay Packers!

Super Bowl!

2011-02-06T15:23:00.000-06:00

It's that time of year again. Packers against the Steelers. Guess I'm rootin' for the Packers. Neither one is really my team. Never did like football much, but watching the Super Bowl is fun, especially the commercials. We've got the meat and cheese and the cocktail weenies getting ready for our snackage. Two words: Dos Equis. Yeah.

It's a gorgeous day today. Mid 60s with beautiful sun shining. Hard to believe we had snow on Friday. Go Texas!

Snowpocalypse!

2011-02-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

San Antonio got snow yesterday! It was only maybe a quarter inch, but that and the ice was enough to basically shut the city down. All highways were closed, access roads were treacherous, and schools and businesses were closed. Guess who went to work and was there by 8 AM? Yours Truly. Andrew drove me in. The employee hotline for Time Warner Cable was not updated before I got there, so I wasn't aware we didn't have to report to work until noon. Nice. So, it was just a few of us who braved the weather and showed up for work. Nice and quiet for a few hours.

Having lived in Michigan for 10 years, it's not a big deal to me, but of course most folks don't know how to drive in ice and snow, so Andrew felt better driving me himself. He's the ice and snow expert. Even he was not excited to get out on the roads. The girls enjoyed their first Texas Snow Day. Regrettably, I did not get any photoes of the "Snowpocalypse", but vivid memories will serve!

A New Year!

2011-01-07T21:11:00.000-06:00

Wow! It's been a while! Things are going well here deep in the heart of Texas. Weather has been great. We had a great Christmas and New Year's.

Right now the girls and I are chillin' out watching Star Trek. The new one. Yeah. Good stuff. Such a great show. You should check it out if you haven't seen it.

Andrew's friend is coming in from Germany for the week, so we'll be hanging out with him a bit while he's here. Plus my friend from Houston is in town, so we plan on hanging out.

Work is going well. Same old stuff. Grateful to have a job.

Overall, we're blessed. Hope you are too.

Wow

2010-04-30T06:47:00.002-05:00

Yeah, I know. It's been forever. Sorry 'bout that. We're all doing well and getting ready for a brutal Texas summer. LOVE it!

Just got done with shooting the Texas Shootout in College Station, TX, last weekend. The wind there is always wicked crazy. Still had a great time and handled the wind fairly well compared to last year. Got my usual sunburn, but now it's just a tan. Sweet.

Cora will be going to the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Academy next year. It's a magnet school, and she's very excited to have been accepted. I think it's a great program and she'll really benefit from it. Sarah's excited to finally have the school to herself next year!

I've been tinkering with the idea of getting back into scrapbooking soon. Just a page or two here and there. I miss it. I haven't scrapped a page in almost a year.

I've been working at Time Warner Cable for 7 months now. I really enjoy it most of the time. You get the occasional angry customer, but you take it as it comes. The majority are really nice. I love the fact that they're really flexible with vacation, and I got 2.5 weeks of it this year. Nice. I would love to take a 3 day weekend this summer and go to Corpus Christi to let the girls see the Gulf. We might do that the weekend they get out of school. We shall see.

This Sat the girls and I are walking in the Race For The Cure with Team Time Warner Cable. Should be a good time. I'll post photos when we get back.

Check out my Facebook page to see other photos from recent times. I'll definitely try to update my blog more often.

Have a good weekend, everyone!

Update Coming Today!

2010-01-12T09:03:00.000-06:00

Woot!

Um...wow...

2009-08-24T13:22:00.006-05:00

Did I really NOT post anything for three and a half months? Oops. My bad. Seems like this summer has just flown by. Lots of swimming, Seaworld, work, more swimming, more Seaworld, more work. Oh, and a couple weeks of having two nephews visit thrown in there, too.

Girls got out of school on June 4. Andrew was on a trip to Michigan at the time of their last day. My work schedule changed from days to evenings so that I could be home with them during the day.

The second week of summer was reserved for Girl Scout Day Camp. This was the first time that both girls got to be in a unit. They got thoroughly dirty and were both wiped out at the end of each day. Excellent.

In July, my two nephews, James and Solomon, came down to San Antonio for a two-week visit. They "enjoyed" the heat. Hehhe...both went home with a nice dark tan and lots of memories. I took them to Seaworld while they were here. They also swam more than I think they have their whole lives. They got to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk and ate at Schilo's Deli, which has the best food ever.

Nice, loving brothers.

Sharks at SeaWorld.

My sister got us Annual Passes to SeaWorld, so we've been using those like crazy. I think we've got every week since we got them. That place rocks. I think my favorite thing is the Believe show, which is with the killer whales. Totally love it and could see it three or four times a day.

Anyhoo...summer's over now. Girls went back this morning. Sarah's a third grader and Cora's a big bad 5th grader.

I've also got a new job. I'll be working at Time Warner Cable starting on Sept 15. I'll miss Target and all the people there, but it's time for me to move on to other things.

I'm excited for the future!

Just Rollin' Along

2009-05-06T10:25:00.002-05:00

Well, the Texas weather has hit full force. We were out shooting on Sunday and Andrew really got himself burned. He forgets he's not in Michigan, and the Texas sun really got him. Poor guy is actually purple. Ouch. He'll not make that mistake again any time soon.

Cora had her track meet yesterday. She was in the Running Long Jump. It was a pretty big meet, with about 10 schools participating. She had a really good time. It was fun to watch her enjoy herself. They didn't really teach her proper long jump technique, but none of the kids really did it correctly. Didn't matter though; they all had a great time.

We all went to a local soccer field last week and kicked the ball around a little. Sarah was totally in her element. There were a few young boys there also playing, and they began playing with Andrew and Sarah. They were really good to include Sarah and help her by giving her pointers about playing. They were really great players, so she took their advice to heart. I can't wait to get her into a league this fall.

This is Lisa. We've known her family for a few years, since Lisa began shooting. Andrew is her coach, and we miss them terribly. We saw them a couple weekends ago in College Station for the Texas Shootout, and her mom asked me to shoot her senior portraits. So, we walked around College Station and got a few. Isn't she gorgeous??

Anyhoo...off to go eat lunch with Cora. I'm making it up to her since I'm not able to go on her field trip with her tomorrow...stupid job...

Have a great week!

Untitled

2009-04-16T12:47:00.002-05:00

Nope. No snappy title for today. Not feeling that hot and am just lazing on the couch today before I have to go to work tonight. Luckily it's only 4 hours or so, but do you realize how many folks shop at Target at night? Yeah, I'm grateful people so shopping, or I'd not have a job. Since this is America, I can good-naturedly grumble a tad, right? You betcha.

Cora got her hair cut last night. She was getting tired of being so hot on her neck all the time, so she had it chopped. Very short and cute.

This morning we curled it and she went to school excited because she looked like Alice from Twilight. Sigh. Such a little diva girl. I curled Sarah's hair a bit, too and she went to school happy also.

Our first Easter in TX went well. It was beautiful and hot outside. The girls and I took a trip downtown to HemisFair Park and also mozied on down to the Alamo. We were lucky to be in one of the rooms of the Alamo when the tourguide began telling the story of the battle. Very cool. The girls also found a sprinkler to run through to cool off. Yes, it was that warm outside.

I've been shooting fairly well lately. Made some pretty big changes in my form so have been working on that. Texas Shootout is next weekend. Should be a good time.

Check It Out!

2009-04-11T22:50:00.002-05:00

Simple Sweet is out at Sweet Shoppe Designs. It's a wonderful new E-zine!

Ahhh...

2009-04-03T08:23:00.003-05:00

I love Spring. Ok, I admit it. Texas never really has a winter. I love Spring anyway. The weather gets even warmer and the days are getting longer. I really love Daylight Savings Time. We've been shooting outside for the past few weeks. I forgot how hard it is to shoot in the wind. I think we've got my arrows tuned correctly. Now I just have to figure out my form. Andrew and I are shooting in the Texas Shootout in a few weeks up in College Station. I'm going not to win, but to have a great time shooting outside and getting some great tournament experience. I definitely need more of that.

Andrew is in Paris, TX taking a Community Coach Course, which will basically make him a Level 3 Archery Coach. He says he's learning a ton of really awesome stuff, and he can't wait to get home and make me his guinea pig. Nice. I'm excited to learn some new stuff though. Should be fun.

Our tournament in Louisville was a great time. We got to see a lot of friends from Michigan. Cora shot wonderfully and took the National Title. I had a hard time, however. Completely my fault; I just let my concentration wane for a few seconds. That's all it takes. Learned my lesson, though, and have been working on a lot of things for next year. Some craziness happened to Cora though. There was a girl on her bale who was at her first tournament. On the second practice end, the girl pulled out an arrow and hit Cora in the head with the nock of the arrow. Yeah, it hurt, but Cora let it go. A few ends later, the same girl pulls out another arrow and slashes Cora across the face with the nock. Archery is usually a VERY safe sport, but if someone doesn't know the etiquette, things can get dangerous. Cora was writing on the scorecards and never even saw it coming. It's just one of those things, but I'm sure the girl learned really fast the proper way to pull arrows.

Cora recovered really well, and shot a personal best. We were really proud of how she handled herself. Her maturity and composure is amazing.

She's also going to audition for the school talent show. She's going to sing "This Is Me" by Demi Lavato, and she's going to sing A Capella. Very cool.

Welp, I'm off to get ready for work. Have a great weekend!

Tomorrow

2009-03-11T09:01:00.002-05:00

We leave for Louisville tomorrow afternoon. It's a 16 hour or so drive, so we plan on pushing straight through. Hopefully we'll get there early enough to rest a bit before Practice With The Pros Friday night. At the very least we want to go to the venue and see all our Michigan friends! We are SO excited that we get to see everyone. I anticipate lots of shrieks and hugs.

Cora got her bow yesterday! FINALLY! Thanks Craig! It's a tad heavy for her, but once she shoots it for a bit she'll be fine. We'll go up to the club today and get her ready for 10 yards.

Not much else going on around here. Just wanted to post a quick update.

Later!

Whirlwind Couple Of Weeks

2009-03-09T09:41:00.004-05:00

It's been busy around here the past couple weeks. On February 21-22, Cora shot in the TFAA State Championships in Temple, TX. She not only won her division, she broke the record by 118 poins. Yeah.

February 27-29 we were in College Station, TX for NAA Indoor Nationals. For indoor, the tournament is split up into regions and there are about 13 locations to shoot at. This gives everyone in the county the opportunity to shoot without having to drive too terribly far. After all the locations have shot, the scores are compiled and the master results are produced.

Andrew shot at 6 PM Friday night. His injured shoulder did NOT let him shoot well. The really bad thing was that he didn't have time to rest before he had to shoot his second day at 8 AM Sat morning. Overall he didn't do as well as he wanted. I'm really proud of him for shooting, and more importantly, for finishing. Many people shoot badly the first day and just don't show up the second day. I think that's really pitiful.

Anyhoo...Cora's turn was at 1 PM Saturday. We were SOOOOO proud of her. All we've ever told her was that if she focuses, tries, and shoots her form we're pleased as punch. She did that this weekend. Because she actually shot her form, she got tired pretty fast. See, we've been trying to get her to shoot a more efficient and stronger form for about two months. This was to ensure she was using it consistently and she wouldn't get tired. She has been fighting us on it. FINALLY, the week before the tournament, she starts using her form and shoots a crazy great personal best at league Thursday night. By Saturday, she was tired. So, her score doesn't reflect how well she performed under pressure. She was focused and did her thing. We were VERY proud. She found out firsthand why we wanted her to begin training earlier. She did NOT like gWe don't care if she ever wins anything.etting beat by girls she usually destroys. She has been really resolved to practicing and getting it right.

It was my turn to shoot on Saturday night. I'll admit it. I was nervous. It was difficult to calm down and be relaxed. The first half of my game wasn't that great. The second half was much better because I was relaxed. Still not as good as I've been shooting. I shot again on Sunday at 9 AM. Sunday wasn't as good. Overall, not a terrible outing, and it was MUCH better than last year's debacle. For the most part, I was happy. Luckily, this past week I've found a huge problem with my shot. For some reason, I wasn't getting into a solid anchor point on my face. Once I fixed that, my groups tightend up considerably. I know that was a problem at the tournament. Sigh. At least now it's fixed.

Now we're off to Louisville, KY on March 13-16 for NFAA Indoor Nationals. Yeah, different organization than last weekend's Nationals. We were going for just Cora to shoot, but I've been doing so well that Andrew convinced me to register as well. This is Cora's third year competing at this tournament and she's taken second place the past two years. This year it's hers. She's excited to shoot.
Another bonus of going to this tournament is that we'll get to see a lot of our friends from Michigan. Many people from Flint Bowmen are also coming to shoot, so it'll be a Flint Bowmen reunion! We're all really excited to see everyone.

Phew! As you can see, we've been busy. After this weekend, we're all getting our bows set up for the outdoor season. First outdoor tournament is the Doinker Texas Shootout in College Station. I'll be there.

Blah

2009-02-19T07:46:00.003-06:00

I feel blah today. I'm sleepy, hormonal and just plain tired. Got the girls off to school this morning and am sitting here drinking coffee. We have to shoot tonight, so I think I'll just veg out here for a while. I might go out later and get tournament snacks for Andrew and the girls for their trip this weekend. Cora's shooting the TFAA Indoor State Championships in Temple, TX. It'll be a good practice for Nationals next weekend. I don't get to go since I have to work. Nice.

I want to get Sarah something fun to do while she's at the tournament. Poor kid has to endure two weekends in a row of boring tournaments. She has to amuse herself while we're all shooting. I might buy her High School Musical 3 and a few cool coloring books. She's such a trooper. She deserves some fun stuff to play with.

Speaking of archery: I shot a personal best yesterday. It's been a while since I've done that. Seems like I'm finally in a groove. Hopefully I can keep it up through Nationals. Practice arrows are totally different than tournament arrows, so as long as I keep my brain out of the way and let my body do what it's been trained to do, I'll be fine. I'm excited.

I love this photo. Sarah took it a few weeks ago. I'm a bit out of focus, but she did a great job.

I need more photos of me with my girls. I think maybe we'll have a session soon.

I was telling Andrew last night how utterly gorgeous our girls are. It's amazing how easily people fall in love with them. Not only are they beautiful, but they have wonderful personalities. It's fun to watch them interact with people. Most of the time people forget they're only 9 and 7. A lady at the club said the other day that talking to Cora was like talking to a little adult.

We bought Cora a new riser. It's a new 21 inch riser from Hoyt, and we're hoping it gets here soon. We ordered it two months ago, but since it's a pretty uncommon length (they're usually 23 or 25) it's taken them a bit to make it. We're told it got mailed to the distributor and our dealer should have it soon. Where's our riser, Craig??? :)

Cora's will be black. We still have to get limbs for it, but those won't take long to get in. She's outgrowing her old bow and needs a new one to keep up with her. Poor kid needs a new quiver, too, but that's another story. I can't express how incredibly proud I am of Cora. For her to be so composed and mature while she's training for a long-term goal (Olympics) is amazing. She has road bumps, fights us tooth and nail about practicing. At the end of the day, she decides to make the effort and put the work in. When/if she decides she's done for good, we'll support her. I think she loves the thrill of competition and the satisfaction of mastering something. I want to be like her when I grow up.

Friday

2009-02-13T08:26:00.002-06:00

Yeah, it's Friday. I have the day off, and am just sitting here watching the Today Show and surfing the net. Andrew's in bed sick, and I'm not sure when/if he'll get up. Poor guy. He's been sick a lot since we've been in Texas. He's committed to shooting the National Archery tournament in a couple weeks, and I think maybe the stress of that might be getting to him. I hope he has fun, but I think he's going to be more frustrated than anything. Since he injured his shoulder a couple years ago, he's had a really hard time keeping it strong and it's affecting his shooting. He hates that he can't be as consistent as he used to be. I like that he decided to shoot such a competitive shoot, but I hope he can keep the right perspective. I'm really proud of him for giving it a "shot". Heh...

The weather in Texas has been wonderful. I love the fact that it stays warm here. That's the only thing I hated about Michigan; the 5 long months of winter. I always looked forward to the spring/summer, but it never lasted long enough.

I miss my dad. As we prepare for our tournament, I wish every day that he was here to see us. He'd be tickled pink to watch Cora do so well. I know he's watching, though, and I know he's proud of us all. He would be our biggest groupie and would follow us to all the different shoots. I have a photo of him on my quiver, and I have a few of his favorite songs on my iPod. These things make me feel like he's close and helping me succeed. Let's kick ass, dad.

Work is going ok. Things are slow, and the hours are hard to come by. But at least I have a job, and for the most part, I'm able to find enough hours a week to make it work. Someone always calls in, and someone always needs extra help in their department. I've had a lot of fun working at Starbucks. I love making drinks and talking to the people who come in. We've been told that our drinks taste better than the drinks in a company-operated store. I know why, too. We don't resteam our milk like I've seen other baristas do in other stores. There's a definite difference in taste when milk is resteamed. Yuck. At our store, we use fresh milk for every drink. Yeah, we're hoity-toity at OUR Starbucks. *Giggle*

I was just thinking today about how blessed we are. Everyone's going through some tough times, and who knows when things will improve. I count my blessings every day. My girls are healthy and happy. We're able to spend time together, even if it's mostly at the archery club. The little things are definitely being counted right now. We're lucky.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Wow...

2009-02-10T10:10:00.002-06:00

I SO need to blog more. Seems like I'm hardly on the computer anymore. Nationals are coming up in 2 1/2 weeks, so we've all been training for that. We're also going to Louisville, KY for NFAA Nationals in mid-March. Cora's the only one shooting that one, but we're all going to visit all our friends from Michigan who will also be there. It'll be a nice reunion!

Not much else going on here. Still working. Still hating it. Guess that's par for the course, eh? Tough times around here, so I'm lucky to have a job.

Anyhoo, we're all doing well. Can't ask for much more than that.

We Will Rampage!!!!

2009-01-14T09:14:00.003-06:00

Ok, maybe not. We did go to the Rampage game Friday night, but by the end of the first period, Sarah was feeling horrible. She sat on my lap and put her head on my shoulder for the entire intermission. By the middle of the second period, she was throwing up. Needless to say, we left the game early. They ended up winning 2-1 in OT. GO RAMPAGE! We'll definitely plan on going again. Sarah was sick for the weekend and Monday, but is feeling better now. She's coughing a little, but getting better.

I'm sick now. Nasty cough, nasty head congestion, feel like crap. Did I get to stay home from work? Nope. I worked Monday and Tuesday, all day, feeling like crap. I totally lost my voice yesterday, but I got through it. Got to do something different at work besides Starbucks, so that was cool. Everyone was freaked out because I didn't have a black shirt on (uniform for Starbucks). I had a red shirt like other Target employees wore. I was SO asleep by 9 last night. Watched American Idol. I always watch the preliminaries, then get bored when the competition starts.

Ok, I think I'll go lay on the couch and sleep. Later!

Friday, Baby!

2009-01-09T14:40:00.003-06:00

It's a wonderfully sunny and warm day here in San Antonio, TX. Man, I love it here. Everyone is freezing their scooby-doobies off in Michigan, and I'm here working on my tan. Nice.

I just got us tickets for a minor league Hockey game tonight. The San Antonio Rampage play the Milwaukee Admirals tonight. The girls and Andrew went to a game a few weeks ago and had a blast, so I thought we'd all go this time. Should be pretty fun. I've never been to a hockey game, so it'll be a new experience.

We had a wonderful and family-filled Christmas. Andrew's mother and sister flew in from Michigan and we all converged in Fort Worth and filled my sister-in-law's house to capacity, especially after her brother and his family go there. Fourteen people jammed into their house. No problem, though. We all had a blast hanging out. We spent a couple days there, then came home with Andrew's mom and sister. They stayed here for a few days. We took them to the Riverwalk and the Alamo. It was the first time we'd seen the Alamo as well. I didn't realize it was right in town. For some reason I thought it was a bit more secluded. We ate lunch at Schilo's Delicatessen. EXCELLENT food! My mother-in-law saw fit to order a plate of cow tongue. Nice. Anyhoo, if you're ever in town, be sure to stop there for a bite.

Andrew, his sister Lara, Sarah, and his mom waiting to cross the street.

The Riverwalk

Yesterday, Sarah and I played hooky and went to the park. This kid is so fun to hang out with. We happened upon a half-decayed deer carcass. "SWEET!!!", she yelled.

Just sent off our entry fees for Indoor Nationals next month. While Cora was practicing today, she shot a personal best, only two points away from her next rank of Master Archer. She was quite excited. I'm excited to see how she does this year. She's grown so much, physically and emotionally. A HUGE confidence booster happened last night when leagues started at the bow shop last night. She's the only kid shooting, and she asked Staten Holmes to be her partner. He was like, "Well, of COURSE I'll be your partner". She shot really well all night and had a blast. For those of you who don't know, Staten just made the US World Team and will be competing in Poland in March, representing the United States. Congrats to Staten!

Ok, enough of my rambling. Gotta go pretend to clean the living room.

Have a wonderful weekend!

The Best Christmas Present...

2008-12-25T17:16:00.001-06:00

a mother can have. Look at those faces...

Merry Christmas, everyone!

I found a great little shop!

2008-12-16T15:18:00.001-06:00

An Etsy Shop, that is! Check it out!

Craft Tea Lady Creations

She's got some really cute hats! I might have to get one for each of my girls!

Ummm...

2008-12-15T14:42:00.002-06:00

Well, I didn't realize it's almost been a month since my last blog post. It seems harder and harder to get online and update. Busy time at work, and of course the management finds it necessary to cut hours. At Christmas? The busiest time of year? Someone please explain that to me. I was alone today from 7:30 AM until 2 PM. I can handle it, but I shouldn't have to. And of course, it was the busiest Monday we've had yet. Nice.

Anyway, I'm home and I smell like coffee. Usually that's not a bad thing, but when you're around it all day, the smell can get to be a bit much.

Not sure what our Christmas dinner will be? I was thinking of going a bit to the wild side and having pizza and finger foods. We can just hang out and watch movies all day. It's been fun Christmas shopping for the girls this year. I found a really cool gift for Andrew yesterday, and it was half off~ I totally got it. Can't say what it is because he might read this! *Giggle*

Anyway, I'll end this with a photo of the girls Thanksgiving weekend in Fort Worth. They got to see Santa with their cousin Isabel. It was her first visit with the guy in red.

Countdown to Turkey Day~

2008-11-18T21:10:00.002-06:00

Wow...I can't believe that Thanksgiving is a little over a week away. The girls have all of next week off of school, and I don't have to work until the evening during the week. I get out of work at 11 PM on Wednesday night, am off Thursday and then go to work at 5 AM on Black Friday. Should be a fun and busy day. No so much looking forward to the 4 AM wake up that day, but hey, I work at Starbucks! I'll be surrounded by LOTS of great coffee to keep me awake.

I just bought Andrew this for an early Christmas present:

Sigh. I may never get him off the computer ever now. I must admit, WOW is fun to play, but Andrew can spend HOURS on there. I'm surprised his leg muscles haven't atrophied. Nerd.

Anyhoo...

Last night I was invited to attend the grand opening of another site of Dickey's Barbecue Pit.

Really good food! They just opened a store right by Target, so the owner comes in and gets his coffee every morning. We got to go in last night and sample the food while the staff practiced running the register and getting the store ready. Thanks for inviting me, Greg!

Welp, I'm off to enjoy my evening.

Night!

Monday, Monday...

2008-11-17T12:00:00.005-06:00

I got a last-minute day off today. Schedule changed at work slightly because one of the ladies quit in another department, and Starbucks has been helping ease the void a bit.

It's finally chilly in Texas. Ok...not crazy chilly, but in the 40s when we wake up and it gets to about 75 in the afternoon. Lovin' it.

Been scrappin' a bit this week. It's been so long since I've felt inspired, and it was great to get a couple pages done that I love.

This page uses elements from "Winter Wishes" by Nikki Beaudreau and Kitty Chen. Available at Oscraps and Shabby Pickle Designs.

This is with "Sweet Orchard", an SSD/Scrap Orchard Collab. Available at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

What's Up?

2008-11-11T18:48:00.003-06:00

So, I'm a terrible blogger. We've been busy here with shooting and working. Both girls got their report cards on Halloween and did very well. Sarah got all A's and Cora got all A's except one B in math. She missed the A by two points. We're very proud of how they've adjusted to moving to a new state. Their treat was a trip to Pizza Hut.

As for me, I'm LOVING the fact that it's November and it's still in the 80's. I forgot how much I missed that about living in the South. I can't believe Thanksgiving will come and go without snow on the ground. Poor Andrew won't know what to do when he's in his shorts and sandals while eating Turkey.

Work is going good. I get almost 40 hours a week, so that helps a lot. I love working at Target/Starbucks! For the most part it's a great company to work for, apart from the usual drama that's bound to occur. It's about to get really busy when Christmas season begins.

Other than that, life is going really good. We've elected a new president. It was really exciting to watch our country elect someone who is young enough and inexperienced enough to actually do a good job. We'll see! I'll definitely be praying for President-Elect Obama, hoping he can turn our country around. I'm excited for our country!

Also, I want to send out a HUGE THANK YOU to anyone who is currently serving or has previously served our country in our military. You ROCK for your dedication to this wonderful nation! THANKS!!!!!

Woah!

2008-10-21T09:44:00.003-05:00

Have I really gone almost a month without posting? Dude. It's still nice and warm here in San Antonio. My poor Michigan family is trudging through highs in the 50s, while we're still swimming almost every night here. *Giggle*

The girls are doing wonderfully in school. Apparently Cora has been a tad boy-crazy and had to be separated from a certain group of them during class. Sigh. Luckily Sarah hasn't quite gotten to that stage yet, but I have a feeling it's coming.

Yesterday Cora and I went to a really cool park near our house that has wonderful nature trails and an awesome walking track. Cora freaked out when she saw this sign:

Poor little sheltered yankee!

It's Been Crazy

2008-09-29T18:10:00.003-05:00

So, I got a job as soon as we got settled here in San Antonio. It's nothing major, but it will help with money. I'm working in Starbucks in Target. I'm an employee of Target, but work in the licensed store of Starbucks. I still get the training that Starbucks employees get. My Target store is a new store that isn't opened yet, so we've been training and also helping out in the store trying to get everything stocked and ready to go. I'm having a really good time learning everything. We've made lots of coffee, drank lots of coffee, and had fun getting to know my fellow workers. It feels good to make money.

It's still hot here. I'm lovin' it! Andrew is missing Fall, though. He keeps expecting to see the leaves change, but not happenin'.

The girls are adjusting well to SA. They love school and have made many friends. I knew it wouldn't take long for them to be ok with moving.

Page Turner Tuesday!

2008-09-16T08:46:00.001-05:00

Ahhhh...

2008-09-11T09:03:00.002-05:00

Finally got internet access set up at our new place yesterday. It's been an adventure, getting settled in. The girls started school on Monday. When I picked them up from school they couldn't stop jabbering about how much fun they had and how many friends they made. I was so relieved to hear them being happy about it. I figured it wouldn't take them long to adjust.

San Antonio is wonderful. I've only seen a small part of it so far, but I really love how I live close to everything. We were hoping to go exploring downtown this weekend, but Hurricane Ike might make that impossible. They're expecting San Antonio to get a lot of wind and rain so we might be stuck inside playing XBox. :)

I'm going job hunting today. I figure since the girls are in school, I can get a job to contribute a little to the family. I'm excited to find a part time job around here. There seems to be a lot to choose from.

We've already gotten our library cards and have been checking out the many branches of the San Antonio library.

Welp, I'd better get moving this morning.

Texas Is Hot

2008-08-28T10:01:00.002-05:00

Yes. I'm sure that is huge news to everyone, but Texas is indeed warmer than Michigan. Go figure.

I'm really enjoying being here though. We're still staying at Andrew's brother's house. They've been really gracious with us and haven't changed the locks on us yet. We move into our apartment on the 5th, so we'll be out of their hair soon enough. Andrew has finished packing up the house and should be on the road later today. Please pray that his truck makes it with the trailer behind it! Our move to Texas is almost complete. It will be SO much nicer when our house in Michigan sells, as two house payments won't be easy. We'll survive though.

I bought the girls' school supplies the other day. I figured that once we get to San Antonio on Friday we'd be busy moving in, and I might not have time to get their supplies. It's always fun buying new stuff for school. Of course, the girls weren't as excited as I was.

I got my hair colored and cut Monday. I went red. Not as red as I wanted, but it's definitely red. The cut is so light. I had so much hair on my head, and needed it lighter for Texas. It was fun changing my look.

One of my close friend's daughters made the Jr. World Archery Team. She gets to travel to Antalya, Turkey in October to competel. Unfortunately, this trip is mostly 100% self-funded, so she'll have to shell out the money herself. Her sister is an alternate, so both girls could potentially be going. Here's an article done about them.

Jessica and Danielle Gibbs

We're all so proud of them. Cora and Sarah are going to have a lemonade stand set up this weekend to try to raise a little bit of money for them. They are wonderful girls and I really hope they're able to get there. They deserve it, since they work so hard. GO GIBBS GIRLS!!!!!

Yee Haw!

2008-08-18T10:06:00.005-05:00

I'm a Texan. We crossed the state line around 5 PM Saturday afternoon. It was a LONG drive from Grand Blanc to Fort Worth, but we finally made it. The girls were pretty bored and bickered most of the way. I was really ready to leave them in Oklahoma.

We stayed Friday night in St. Louis at Andrew's Aunt and Uncle's. They took us to the City Museum. Ed had SO much fun showing the girls all the cool tunnels and caves. Mostly everything was designed from scraps from the city: old conveyer belts, pools, rivets, old printing presses...it was very cool. The girls just enjoyed crawling everywhere. We stayed past midnight, and of course, my girls were the only little kids left in the place that late. Figures.

Saturday morning we left for Fort Worth. We stopped a few times and rested, so it took about 12 hours. I was definitely glad to get here. I met my new niece, Isabel. She's such a sweet baby, and she loves Sarah. Giggles at her every time she sees her. Too cute. It was Tax Free Weekend here in Texas, so yesterday Deanna and I went and got a few things for the girls. Tax here is 8.25%.

Later.

It's Happening

2008-08-14T14:23:00.003-05:00

Welp, we leave for Texas tomorrow. It's been a long and stressful week, which I will elaborate on when I actually get to Texas. Just wanted to let everyone know what's up, and that by Saturday night, I'll be a Texan! Yee Haw!!

Cora was on TV!

2008-07-31T15:30:00.003-05:00

Ok, this was seriously cool. Jason Fielder, a sports reporter from CBS Channel 5 came to the bow club to learn how to shoot and challenge Cora. It was a hoot! You can see the video here:

Video

If that doesn't work, go to WNEM Sports
then click on "Fielder's Choice: Jason tries archery"

That's all the news I have this week. Here's Sarah lazin' around watching "Space Cow" (???)

I'm a Slacker

2008-07-27T08:05:00.004-05:00

Yup, that's me. Been pretty busy around her the past couple weeks. The house is finally for sale. So now we do is wait for it to sell. My house has never been so clean for so long! Maybe I can pretend that my house is always for sale and keep it this clean all the time in Texas? HA!

Yesterday we spent the day in Farmington Hills with Andrew's brother. They were working on our truck to make sure it will be able to tow a trailer full of our crap to Texas. Looks like it will now. We think we're going to buy a 12 foot enclosed trailer and move to Texas that way instead of paying 1400 bucks to rent a UHaul. YES, it costs that much to move from Michigan to Texas. But if you look to move from Texas to Michigan, it's only 400 bucks. Nice, eh? EVERYONE is leaving Michigan, so UHaul loses their trucks on one-way moves. Guess they have to recover their money somehow. So we decided to buy a trailer and then sell it when we get to Texas. Take THAT, UHaul! *giggle*

Cora now has to wear glasses full time. Looks like she inherited her dad's eyesight. Which sucks, because Andrew's eyes are horrible. Maybe since we caught it early it will be better for her. They changed considerably since last year. Last year she was far-sighted and needed glasses only for reading. Now she's near-sighted and needs them all the time. Sigh.

Anyhoo...here she is:

I think she's gorgeous!

Check out this cool website. It's like Locks of Love, but you only need 8 inches instead of 10.

Pantene Beautiful Lengths

Dude, It's Hot

2008-07-17T21:39:00.009-05:00

And I love it! I'm SO gettin' psyched for Texas.

Last weekend we traveled to Oklahoma City, OK for JOAD Nationals. Cora was certain she wanted to shoot. The only thing we didn't expect was her getting sick. She had been sick with a virus the week before, but was feeling better. We left on Wed., July 9. She started feeling bad on the way to St. Louis. We stopped there to visit Andrew's aunt and uncle. She woke up on Thursday feeling ok, but as we got close to OKC, she felt crappy again. We went to the archery field to get her checked in and have her take a few practice shots. We could definitely tell she wasn't feeling well, but she shot her practice shots. Then we go to the hotel, and she promptly hurls. Poor kid. No sleep Thursday night. She gets up Friday morning for the start of the tournament and finishes out Day 1. Friday night she gets no sleep again. She actually started crying about 15 minutes before the alarm was set to go off because she knew she needed to get up and shoot. She makes it through the tournament, and even manages to shoot a personal best despite being sick as a dog. We're SO proud of her. She was easily the smallest kid on the field.

The fact that it was in the 90s and HUMID as all get out didn't help. Poor kid. She was SUCH a tough kid. She came in 6th. Keep in mind that all her competitors were 11 and 12 years old. She's 8.

The Flint Bowmen Posse: Bad-asses, the lot of them.

This is Danielle (AKA: NUGGET)

Here's Cora on Sunday morning. She felt GREAT, and of course she didn't have to shoot.

Andrew helps the "Bowmen" tally up their scorecards.

We got home without sickness. Somehow I became hooked on the Twilight series. Excellent book. Not quite as good as Harry Potter, but definitely good enough.

We're winding down our time in Michigan. Within the next couple months, we'll be Texans. At the tournament, we met some of the people from our potential future JOAD club. VERY nice folks. Cora will be in good hands.

"I'm not from Texas, but I got here as fast as I could."

SSD's New Designer!

2008-07-05T21:52:00.002-05:00

Go Libby! Libby made her digi designer debut tonight at Sweet Shoppe Designs! Check out her stuff; it rocks!

Congrats, girlie!!

Check out her store!

No Snappy Title Here...

2008-06-29T21:06:00.004-05:00

Nothing earth-shattering happening around here. Buick Open just got done here in Grand Blanc. It's cool to have a major golf tournament happening a mile from the house. Unfortunately, Tiger isn't here this year since he's having surgery on his knee.

Anyhoo...last weekend we were in Hanover. Andrew was there on business, so the girls and I drove down there to stay with him for a few days. We got there Thursday (6/19). Friday we hung out at the mall for a while, then Andrew came to meet us at Remomo's
for lunch. Pretty good crab cakes.
Here's a photo of the girls saying good morning to Baltimore. (we saw Hairspray a couple days before)

Saturday we drove to DC. It took us a few minutes to figure out how to get to where we wanted to park, but it wasn't too bad. We decided to walk around instead of taking a tourbus. It was a LOT of walking, but we went slow, so it wasn't so bad. First thing we saw was the Roosevelt Memorial.

It was designed really beautifully. The "feel" of being in DC was really unique. Knowing that we're in a place of such historical significance was really cool.

Next was the WWII Memorial. This was really awesome.

After we got done at the WWII Memorial, we walked over to the Washington Monument. This is just spectacular. We could see it from must about anywhere around there. Very cool to see it up close.

Sarah takes a break in the shade of the Washington Monument.

We really had a blast wandering around the Natural Science Museum. Got to see the Hope Diamond, and it seemed like a really popular item, as it was very hard to get to the case to see it. The whole gem exhibit was really interesting. I used to work in a jewelry store, so seeing all these stones was so much fun for me. I love learning about them.

Here's Andrew in the Air and Space Museum next to something from one of the space projects. He helped design some of the programming on it and was pretty proud to see it on display.

Capital Building

I loved the architecture of most of the building around. Very old and just like they were a hundred years ago. Somehow, that makes me feel good. I love when things stay the same even when things around them change dramatically.

After the capital, we walked to George's House.

The White House, of course, was a very popular stop. They were apparently having some sort of party there this night, as there were people dressed up, and my absolute favorite thing was seeing snipers on the roof.

Check it...

This makes me giggle. Man, I love this photo. America rocks.

From the White House, we walked a LONG way to the Vietnam Memorial. I was blown away by this place. I'm not sure how to describe it. Very humbling to be here. To think of all the names on this wall. All these people gave their lives for their country. Wow.

There were many flags, letters, even a jacket that was left there on the wall. I was moved.

Lastly, we saw the Lincoln Memorial. I was blown away by the size of Lincoln's statue. Pictures I've seen didn't prepare me for how big he was. VERY cool.

Of course, we had to do the obligatory photos that everyone does when at the Lincoln Memorial. Sure, they're not original, but fun nonetheless.

We were SO pooped after this. We walked back to the car and drove back to the hotel. Sleep came pretty fast once we got there.

Sunday was reserved for Arlington National Cemetery. Again, we walked, but I truly think walking through this sacred place is the best way to experience it. What an experience for Andrew and me. The girls enjoyed it, but they didn't experience it the way Andrew and I did. Being former military, we were so proud to be here among soldiers and others who earned the right to be laid to rest in such a place.

Andrew and the girls walking up the amphitheater's steps

A Sentinel 'walking the mat'

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

The Changing Of The Guard ceremony was by far the highlight of the day. We saw two changings, and I SO could have stayed there all day. These guys were just so awesome. They are SO bad ass. I was really impressed with how precise they were. Everything was timed perfectly. Sweetness.

Thurgood Marshall's grave:

Audie Murphy, baby!

And of course, Andrew being a very naughty boy:

That's our big weekend in DC. I definitely recommend making a trip if you've never been. I loved every minute of being there. A lot of America's history, right there to see. Granted, some of our history isn't something to be proud of. But most civilizations have that to say about themselves. Our past makes us who we are. Hopefully we're able to learn from our mistakes and make the future better.

Monday we took a last-minute trip to Hershey Park. This was the girls' first trip to an amusement park. I had SO much fun watching them run around having the time of their lives. The 100 buck admission fee was totally worth it.

Good Morning, Baltimore!

2008-06-20T07:30:00.002-05:00

Ok...the girls and I watched Hairspray Wednesday night. Great show.

We're in Hanover right now. The girls and I drove down yesterday. Andrew's here on business, so we thought we'd come for a visit. This weekend we're going to see D.C. I've always wanted to go, and once we're in San Antonio, I probably won't have a chance again. Plus, Andrew has a rental car and free hotel. Woot! Maryland is beautiful. People drive like maniacs though. I've also found that archers are the same everywhere: extremely nice, helpful, and fully willing to talk smack to a complete stranger when it comes to archery. LOVE it! We went to the range where Andrew's been shooting while he's here.

I figure today we'll hit the Arundel Hills mall while Andrew's at work. After the trip down, I'm not up to much driving.

Welp, I'm off to explore the mall. Later!

It's Tuesday!

2008-06-17T08:15:00.003-05:00

And that means it's Page Turner Tuesday (PTT) at We Are Storytellers!
Go check it out!

School's Out!

2008-06-13T14:59:00.003-05:00

The girls got out of school yesterday. I now have a second grader and a fourth grader. Wow. So hard to believe. They're growing too fast! Cora came home crying because she's going to miss her friends. Sarah came home and said "School's out! Yeah!"

Here's Cora receiving her certificate for getting all A/B's all year. I was pretty pleased. Sarah's teacher said she's very strong in math. My little scholars.

They are now running wild around the neighborhood enjoying their first day of freedom. I am fighting a headache. I slept funky on my neck, and now I hurt. And I get to shoot all day tomorrow. That will also hurt. Adversity is my middle name when it comes to this sport. Love...hate...love...hate...wonder which one it will be tomorrow at the tournament? I'll keep ya posted...

L O N G Day

2008-06-07T16:31:00.004-05:00

Sarah's AYSO region began their end-of-season tournaments today. Unfortunately, it was pretty freakin' hot. These poor kids. It's been chilly for so long and they're used to playing when it's cold. They get out there today and have to play in 90 degree heat. It definitely showed. Plus, two players didn't show up for the games, so no one got to sit out like they usually do. They lost their first game, won their second, and lost the third. Their hearts just weren't in the third one. They're glad to be done though. Cora stayed at the bounce house all day having a blast.

I got my tan on today! I sat out there in my tank top and shorts and basked in the sun! I did get a little red on my neck and chest, but nothing too horrible. I was so loving the heat.

Here is Sarah, Jenna and Lizzy watching the game before theirs.

Here's Sarah (with her cool soccer ball tattoo) waiting for the second game to start.

Welp, I'm exhausted. I shall lay my butt on the couch and relax. Have a wonderful weekend!

White and Nerdy...

2008-06-05T15:08:00.002-05:00

The Sweet Shoppe Blog challenged us to take the Nerd Quiz.

Umm...wow.

My Girls are Stars

2008-06-03T07:30:00.013-05:00

Ok, maybe not stars. But they WERE mentioned in the newspaper, and Cora had her picture in there as well. The article about the girls going to an archery assembly at Garner Elementary was in the paper recently.

Garner Students Aim For Success

THE CLIO MESSENGER

Sunday, May 25, 2008

By Amy Mayhew

Contributing writer

CLIO - Like a growing number of schools across Michigan, Garner Elementary School in Clio is taking part in the National Archery in the Schools Program, sponsored through the state Department of Natural Resources.

Statewide, 240 schools representing 55 counties statewide have adopted the program, which introduces target archery to elementary and middle school students as part of the physical education curriculum.

Physical education teacher David Bade said third- and fourth-grade students began the program this month.

"It's a great program," Bade said. Students "are already really enjoying it."

Bade said colleague Gene Hickey deserves much of the credit for getting the program rolling at Garner.

"Gene is the one who started this program at our school," Bade said. "He got us through the meetings, got us through the training, and was instrumental in making it all happen."

Third-grade teacher Margaret Alexander put together an archery assembly for her students and others last week, enlisting the help of two sharp-shooting sisters from Grand Blanc.

Alexander spends a lot of her free time at the Flint Bowmen Archery Club in Grand Blanc Township, where her husband, Mike, currently serves as club president.

He met the sisters there.

Cora Spangler, 8, and her 6-year-old sister, Sarah, were happy to take time out of their busy day at Grand Blanc's Brendel Elementary School to make the trip to Clio and show the students of Garner what shooting is all about.

While the sisters share a passion for archery, their tastes in the sport differ slightly, with Cora preferring straight target shooting, Sarah favoring 3D targets. At the prompting of their father, both sisters began shooting at the age of 4.

After answering questions from students and faculty about everything from safety to equipment to experience, the sisters each shot three arrows at awaiting targets in the gymnasium. Garner students, wowed by the sisters' impressive skills, cheered as they each hit the target and made excellent shots.

Garner students were in for one more treat as Flushing resident Joe Bailey stopped by to share his passion for archery with the young audience. Bailey is one of eight individuals who will make up the U.S. Archery Team that will be competing in the 2008 Paralympic Games in Beijing.

Bailey began competitive archery approximately 18 years ago, two years after surviving a near-fatal truck accident that took his left leg.

Before shooting three solid bull's-eyes at the awaiting target, Bailey encouraged the students to chant "U.S.A."

Bade said experienced archer and volunteer Don Sparks has been greatly involved in helping the young students, as has Steven Gilkes, owner of Ed's Archery in Clio, and his friend and colleague Homer Hosner.

"We've been coming out to help over the last four years for the Fun Days event they have, teaching archery," Gilkes said. "Now they have this new program in the school that we're going to help with, too."

"It's great - it's what I live for," he said. "You know the old saying: Teach your kids how to hunt so you don't have to hunt for your kids."

For more information about the National Archery in the Schools Program, visit the DNR Web site at www.michigan.gov/dnr.

Here's the photo of Cora. One of my mother-in-law's cousins who lives in Clio mailed it to her, and she scanned it in for me. Since I don't live in Clio, I don't get the Clio insert that comes in the Sunday paper.

Pretty neat stuff.

Sunday was Sarah's last regular soccer game. It was a nail biter; her team won 5-4 in the last seconds of the game. I was actually jumping up and down at the end! Tournaments this weekend. GO PINK ROCKETS!!

After the game we headed over to the club. Big surprise, eh? We have a tournament on the 14-15, so we're getting ready for that. It was a beautiful day to shoot. I brought the camera so we could get some shots of form.

Notice I have my iPod on. My mostest favoritest song in the world is playing. Footloose. Yeah. You know the song. If you're like me, you know how hard it is NOT to bust a move when it plays. So, here I am in all my booty-shaking glory while I'm walking to the target to get my arrows. Sometimes, cameras suck. :)

There are many more photos of this event, but I won't bore you with them here. *smirk*

Andrew and Cora built a jewelry box. Yes, that's a laptop sitting on its side with the instructions on the screen. Andrew had to email the company for the instructions.

Only 9 more days until school's out. Everyone's getting antsy. Next week is basically a fun week, as everyone has fun stuff planned. Cora's going to Ziggys and they're having a picnic one day. Sarah's going to Imax to see a movie about bugs (they've been studying about insects lately). I didn't get a picture of "Bob" before I helped Sarah take him to school, but she and I built a cockroach she named Bob. Why she named him Bob, I don't know. She originally wanted to name it "Cora Cockroach". That was quickly vetoed by the the namesake.

I thought Bob looked pretty cool until I get to Sarah's classroom and see this marvel of modern architecture that some "kid" made of a black widow (nope, not an insect). I know the kid had nothing to do with that assembly. It was cool, but not what should have been made for a first grade project. Anyhoo...

I'll end this with a couple of recent layouts I've done. I haven't scrapped much lately; gotta get back in the groove in between packing boxes.

Credits here

Credits here

Happy Tuesday!

Around Town

2008-05-28T14:05:00.011-05:00

Sarah's class had a walking field trip around Grand Blanc today. First we went to Physician's Park to eat lunch.

Mmmm...Lunchables....

A whole gaggle of kids...

After all the kids were rounded up from the playground, we headed over to the Grand Blanc Police Station. The kids were completely fascinated with this place.

They even got to check out a cell. Judging from the smiling faces, they fail to see the gravity of the situation.

After the police station, we walked over to the post office. This is Sandy. She's been at the Post Office for 20 years.

Last but not least, we marched over to Ziggy's, a local ice cream shop. It was surprisingly quite easy to get 24 kids an ice cream cone without much crying and screaming. Nice.

Vanilla girl...

It was a great day. Nice to hang out with my favorite 6 year old. She seemed happy to hang out with me, too. Next week, I get to do it with Cora.

750

2008-05-27T10:08:00.003-05:00

That's how much money we made at our yard sale this past weekend. It was a BEAUTIFUL weekend for hanging out with family and selling a bunch of junk. We had fun. Andrew and I are both a bit sunburned and tired, but had a great weekend.

We also went to the drive-in Sunday night and saw Indiana Jones. Sarah fell asleep about 10 minutes into it. She had a hard weekend; she threw up a few times Sat night. I think the sun, sugar, and trampoline contributed to her downfall.

Here are a couple photos from our weekend. The first couple are my nephew James eating a 'gutbuster'. This is a bratwurst stuffed with shredded cheddar cheese, wrapped in bacon, wrapped in batter then deep-fried. Then it's topped with mustard and sauerkraut. The bun is pretty much worthless, but good nonetheless. Don't think about how BAD this treat is for you; just eat it.

Then there's Cora. She found my clown costume in the yard sale and decided that it would help her and Solomon sell lemonade.

Yard Sale This Weekend!

2008-05-20T09:02:00.007-05:00

Yay! (not). I guess it's not too bad. We've got a BUNCH of stuff to sell. It's supposed to be a gorgeous weekend, so I'm excited about being outside in the WARMNESS!

Sarah and I saw Prince Caspian yesterday. We really enjoyed it, but it wasn't quite as good as the first movie. There were a couple times when Sarah asked if it was almost over. She didn't do that with the first one.

The girls only have a few weeks left of school. I can tell they're ready to be done. Once we get to Texas they'll have a shorter summer since schools down there start much earlier than they do here. They'll be ready to get back to school by then, anyway. I know they're a bit anxious about starting a new school, but they're both so outgoing that I'm sure they'll have no problems making friends and settling in. At least that's what I'm praying for. I've moved more than my fair share of times and I know how hard it can be.

The girls were asked to do a short archery demonstration tomorrow at an elementary school. The school just began an Archery in the Schools program, and they want Cora and Sarah to get them excited about archery. I think it'll be SO fun to watch them speak to these kids. What's funny is that 4th grade is the age they're starting these kids in the program, and Cora is 8 and Sarah is 6. Should be a fun experience for the girls. They LOVE to show off.

Got to see my nephew play a baseball game last night. I had a blast cheering for him. He even got to pitch a little bit and got two strikeouts. Plus he got a hit. I was very excited for him. He seems to love it and is very focused out there. It was awesome, considering there were a few daisy-pickers on the team. This age is so fun to watch.

Sarah has another soccer game on Thursday. Saturday's game was a nail-biter. It ended up being tied at 4. Sarah was a total wall on defense. She was aggressive and knew where to be. She's such a little thing, but she gets right in there no matter how much bigger the other girls are. That's my girl!!

GO PINK ROCKETS!!

Review of Indiana Jones 4

2008-05-19T08:05:00.003-05:00

Indiana Jones: Smart, Sleek, Familiar

Early in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull — which had its tumultuous world premiere today at the Cannes Film Festival — our hero (Harrison Ford) and his sometime pal Mac (Ray Winstone) come up against a convoy of tough Russians. "This ain't gonna be easy," Mac says, and Indy replies, "Not as easy as it used to be."

The old-guy jokes are as true for director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas as for the star. It's 27 years since Raiders of the Lost Ark started the Jones boy on his adventures, 19 years since the most recent Indy movie, The Last Crusade, and 30 years this month since Lucas and Spielberg sat on a Hawaiian beach and made a handshake deal for an action film that one would produce and the other direct. They'd be stupid to ignore the toll that time takes on moviemakers and movie stars. All were in their 30s when they made Raiders. Now Spielberg, Lucas and Ford are, respectively, 61, 64 and 65. And don't forget two other crucial collaborators, composer John Williams and editor Michael Kahn, who have given all the Indy films their cheerfully martial sound and cut-to-the-bone fury.

There are scenes in the new movie that seem like stretching exercises at a retirement home; there are garrulous stretches, and even the title seems a few words too long. But once it gets going, Crystal Skull delivers smart, robust, familiar entertainment. Ford looks just fine, his chest skin tanned to a rich Corinthian leather; he's still lithe on his feet, and can deliver a wisecrack as sharp as a whipcrack. Karen Allen, 56, who was Indy's saucy love Marion Ravenwood in Raiders, still has that glittering smile and vestiges of her old elfin swagger. They needn't break a sweat keeping up with the (relative) kids: 39-year-old Cate Blanchett, the movie's villainess, and Shia LaBeouf, who plays the young lead Mutt Williams, and who may be tapped to continue the series after Ford's retirement — at least that's what Lucas hinted a few days ago here in Cannes.

Crystal Skull is intended, and works effectively, as instant nostalgia — a class reunion of the old gang who in the '80s reinvigorated the classic action film with such expertise and brio. So don't expect the freshness of the what-one-man-can-do plot in Iron Man, or the oneiric visuals of Speed Racer. Spielberg and Lucas, and screenwriters David Koepp and Jeff Nathanson, are looking not forward but back, to the first three films. They know that moviegoers would be disappointed not to see the talismans of Indys past reappear here. Shall we itemize?

1. The Paramount logo dissolves into some kind of mountain. Every Indy films opens this way, from one monument to another. (As Veronica Geng wrote in a review of the first movie, "Spielberg" is German for "play mountain.") In Raiders the logo became a mountain in South America; in Temple of Doom, a bas-relief on a Chinese gong; in The Last Crusade a big boulder in Utah. This time, suggesting more modest aspirations, or maybe kiddingly deflecting the audience's gargantuan expectations, it's a weeny prairie dog hill, from which a critter emerges just before being nearly run over by speeding cars. We're in Nevada, near Area 51, and it's 1957, a time of rock 'n' roll (Elvis's "Hound Dog" on the soundtrack), fear of the Soviets (and why not? they've just penetrated a U.S. military base), fear of The Bomb (hey, what's that mushroom cloud on the horizon?) and mass sightings of UFOs (coming right up).

2. International conspiracies. Nazis in the first and third Indys, Indian Thugees in the second. But it wouldn't be the '50s without Commies, in the chic person of Irina Spalko (played by Blanchett with the severe demeanor of Cyd Charisse's Ninotchka in the 1957 MGM musical Silk Stockings and the black bob Charisse sports in The Band Wagon). Rather than the simple matter of conquering the West militarily, Irina is part of a Soviet plot to cloud our minds by getting access to some secret technology that is concealed either in an Area 51 warehouse or in the remotest jungle mountains of Peru. "We will change you, Mr. Jones, all of you, from the inside," she proclaims. "We will turn you into us." Ewww, creepy. Glad that didn't happen.

3. The Fedora, the bullwhip... the snakes! We see the hat just before we see Indy; brown headwear is still in style in 1957. As for Indy's bullwhip, it's still faster and deadlier than a bad guy's gun. In the opening Area 51 scene, he uses it to disarm about a quillion Russkies, and to swing in Errol Flynn style from one warehoused beam to another. (Mutt will later show the same swinging derring-do on Peruvian jungle vines.) As for the snakes, there's just one, but indy is readier to die in quicksand than to use it as a lifeline. The nifty new predators are South American red ants, which Spielberg and Lucas may have remembered from the 1954 movie The Naked Jungle, and which can swarm over a man by the millions and drag him into their formicary for a nice fat meal.

4. A cool car chase. A lot of the elements in Crystal Skull may feel like mandatory reprises of the old tropes, but the high-speed two-vehicle fight between Indy's team and Irina's goons is up there with the Raiders jeep sequence, more complex and sophisticated in its engineering of physical action. (In the post-film press conference this afternoon, Spielberg said, "I believe in practical magic, not digital magic," and in "real stunts with real people.") If there's a scene that film students will be poring over, decades from now, this is the one.

5. Family revelations. Spielberg movies are often about the separation and reconstituting of a family, and the last two Indy films are no exception. In Last Crusade we met Indy's father (Sean Connery) and learned that Indy's real name was Henry Jones, Jr. Indeed, "Junior" was Dad's apparently derogatory form of address for his son. That gag is repeated here, since — as everyone who's paid the slightest attention to pre-release scuttlebutt knows — Mutt is Indy's son by Marion. (Why is he called Mutt? Presumably because, as we learned at the end of The Last Crusade, Indiana was the name of the Jones family dog; Mutt's just extending the breed.) He enters on a motorcycle, in the leather-jacket regalia Marlon Brando sported in The Wild One, and soon displays some of the athletic skills he must have inherited from his absent dad. Whether the smooth-visaged LaBeouf can grow into Ford's craggy machismo — or even whether he can top the teen Indys that have been played by River Phoenix (in The Last Crusade) and Sean Patrick Flannery (in the TV series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles) — is a question later Indy installments will have to answer.

6. Archaeology! Recall that our hero's day job is as a professor of archaeology. On vacations he goes out, makes trouble and saves the world. Or does he? Indy's job, basically, is plundering indigenous cultures for treasure, in capers that will cost hundreds of lives and add exactly nothing to the lore of civilization. (And, in three of the four movies, he comes home empty-handed.) But heck, it's an adventure movie; leave all ethnic scruples home. Scholars of antiquity will be pleased to know that Crystal Skull — with its runic inscriptions, vanished languages, hidden caves and dreadful secrets — is the archaeolog-iest Indy film yet. In fact, the movie is a little plot-heavy around the middle. It seems more determined to tell a complicated story than to use a story as the excuse for a convulsive. nonstop thrill ride.

7. Start with a big bang, end with terrifying mysticism. The creation of these movies always has this method: start with the opening and climactic sequences — in Raiders' case, the South American cave with the rolling rock and the opening of the Ark with the melting skulls — and work inward. (Or as Spielberg says on the new Last Crusade DVD: "How do we fill in the middle?") Here, the bang couldn't be bigger. The 12 min. opener takes Indy into Area 51, where he escapes into what seems to be an ideal Levittown ... except that the people are mannequins, a nuclear bomb is about to be detonated, and Indy has exactly one minute to find a safe place to hide. (That place is one of the film's smartest inspirations.) As for the ending, well, we're not giving everything away. Let's just say that Indy and Marion could be The X Files' Mulder and Scully on assignment in Peru.

We'll see how David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson cope with middle age in their X Files movie later this summer. They may suffer from the occasional creaking joints of Crystal Skull. (And, truth to tell, there was more applause here at the beginning of the screening than at the end.) But they'd be hard-pressed to inhabit the sleek, satisfying adventure that three septuagenarians and their pals dreamed up here. There's a moment in the film where Mutt sees Indy negotiate some really cool bit of action, and the kid can't help mouth a "Wow." That's the right response to this inevitable summer blockbuster. Lucas, Spielberg and Ford ain't the Over the Hill Gang yet.

(taken from time.com)

Yeah. I'm pretty excited to see this. I love Indy! I'm glad it's getting good reviews.

Ok...that's all I got for right now. *giggle*

Friday Randomness...

2008-05-16T13:58:00.003-05:00

Beautiful day today. Unfortunately, we haven't seen many gorgeous days yet. It's currently 68 degrees.

The girls and I had dental appointments this morning. No cavities for anyone! Woo hoo!! Sarah wasn't too thrilled about having a flouride treatment done, but we coaxed her into getting it done. Cora has to go in next week for them to put sealants on again. They had time to do it today, but Cora wasn't havin' that. She wasn't prepared for such things and was not wanting to go with the flow. That's ok.

Found this photo today. It was taken in January at Andrew's mom's birthday party. They are SO related...

Andrew and Sarah...a little nutty???

I'm taking the girls to see Prince Caspian tonight. It looks pretty good.

Today's my mom's 54th birthday. Happy birthday, mom!

Join The Donor Registry

2008-05-15T12:42:00.002-05:00

Now through May 19 you can join the Bone Marrow Registry free (as long as funding lasts).

PLEASE JOIN

I'm SO proud...

2008-05-09T09:00:00.006-05:00

Last night Sarah had a musical performance at school. The first and second graders sang a few spanish songs they've been learning. Sarah was extremely excited about the whole thing. She's usually a big 'ol tomboy, but for this she wanted new shoes and a new dress. Done.

She got home from school yesterday barely able to keep still. She wanted to get her dress on immediately, but I convinced her to at least wait until she ate dinner so that she wouldn't get any food on it. Once she was done eating, she put her dress, tights and shoes on. We then painted her nails. Pink polish, of course. And then she asked me something I never thought she'd ever ask. "Mom, can you curl my hair, please?" Wow. Heck yeah I'll curl your hair. We got the curling irons out and dolled her all up. She couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror.

Here she is all dressed up:

At the performance:

Someone's bored listening to the 2nd graders finish
their song:

Singing about fish:

This morning we had "Muffins With Mom" at their school. We had muffins, donuts, juice and coffee. I had a really good time hanging out with my girls. They enjoy dragging me around showing me all the details of their school.

Ok...I think I'm out of inane drivel for today. Must go pack a bit more. Later!

'Possum

2008-05-08T07:20:00.001-05:00

This little guy was under my car this morning. The girls were beside themselves! They've never seen a live opossum before. Now, if I can get him to get out from under there before I have to leave...

Nature Walk

2008-05-07T15:59:00.007-05:00

I got to enjoy a beautiful spring day on Monday and went along a nature trail close to home.

Caught a glimpse of these little guys, then realized they were all over the tree.

Here's the egg sac they came out of:

Other random photos from the day:

Happy National Scrapbooking Day!

2008-05-03T17:24:00.007-05:00

Woo hoo! Unfortunately, I haven't been participating much anywhere. All the servers are bogged down, and most sites are crawling. So, I'll wait until later to check stuff out. I did manage to download a few kits at the Sweet Shoppe and scrap a few layouts.

Dare 2 B You using Misty Cato's Chatty.

Life is Beautiful using Kristin Cronin-Barrow's "Fresh Cut"

Friends Forever using "Hey Girlfriend", an SSD Collaboration Kit.

Love You using Love You Forever, an SSD Collaboration kit benefiting Alex's Lemonade Stand.

Everything can be found at Sweet Shoppe Designs. I'd provide links, but SSD is pretty slow at the moment.

I got to shoot yesterday! I only shot about 30 arrows, but it didn't hurt too badly to pull and use the muscles in my neck. I took today off though, so I don't overdo it. It felt SO good to shoot again.

Well, I'm off to enjoy the evening.

A Post on Thursday?

2008-05-01T08:10:00.004-05:00

Yuppers!!

Girls are off to school. I'm sitting here drinking coffee. Guess I can do a little housework today. I'm feeling better; not quite as tired, but I expect around 1 PM I'll crash.

I actually went to the bow club yesterday. I took Cora to shoot for a while. It had been almost two weeks since I'd been there. That's the longest I've EVER gone not being there. It was good to be back. I'm hoping to put my bow together this weekend and see if I can fling a few shots. I really miss shooting! Next tournament is June 14-15, and I definitely plan on kicking ass there. *giggle*
(or at least hitting the target all 144 times).

After we were done at the club, I took the girls to the park for a few last-minute romps on the playground. The sun was setting, so I got some shots of the girls.

Not the best technically, but I LOVE her expression!

I freaking adore this shot.

Supposed to rain today. Sarah has soccer practice, but if it's rainin', I ain't gettin' out there! It's been chilly the past few days. The trees are finally budding though, so that's a good sign!

Total Thyroidectomy

2008-04-30T07:29:00.003-05:00

Yup. They yanked the sucker out. I went to Ann Arbor to the University of Michigan Medical Center to have my worthless thyroid ripped out of my throat. One word: OUCH.
I woke up from the anesthesia wondering what the hell did I get myself into. I couldn't speak, I couldn't swallow. My throat hurt SO freaking bad. Luckily, once I woke up a bit more and was able to take a few sips of water, everything felt a bit better. They wanted me to take a Motrin. Umm...yeah. Have you SEEN the size of Motrin at a hospital? I didn't think there was any way that I would be able to take that pill. Once I got to my room (I spent the night), the nurse crushed the pill up for me and put it in some applesauce. Very good idea.

Anyway, I spent the night in the hospital. Great nurses. Not much sleep, but who ever sleeps in the hospital? I came home Friday morning. The hour-long car ride was NOT good for my stomach, and I really thought I was going to be sick when I got home. That would have sucked big time. Once the nausea passed, I went to bed. Since then I've been laying around most of the time. I was warned I would be TIRED, since the thyroid controls metabolism and energy levels. I'm taking synthetic hormone, but it takes a while to take effect. I'm doing much better and trying not to overdo it. Andrew went to Maryland on business yesterday, so I'm here to fend for myself while he's away. Can you say Couch Potato? :) I'm on Motrin around the clock to keep swelling and pain down, plus a calcium supplement for a couple weeks.

Besides my medical drama, not much has been going on. It's a bit chilly this week. Sarah's soccer games started weekend before last. She's really excited to get out there and play.

National Scrapbooking Day is this Saturday, May 3! Sweet Shoppe Designs will be having a day of awesome activities and great new products. Plus, there are new Sugarbabes and Designers to announce! See you there!

Hump Day Again!

2008-04-16T12:16:00.003-05:00

It's warm, but windy. I'll take that! The sun is shining and it's a beautiful day.

Andrew was cleaning out our shed the other day and found my "metal box". It has a lot of old documents and other things from my dad's family. Stuff in there I didn't realize we had. A lot of it is singed around the edges because some of this stuff went through our house fire in 1992. I found my dad's dog tags from the navy. I also have my great grandfather's metal social security card. Lots of marriage certificates and other precious things. I spent hours going through it all. I found a website about my dad's ship, the U.S.S Bayfield.

We had a bit of excitement over the weekend at our house. Cora brought home a praying mantis egg case Friday afternoon. She was to "babysit" it over the weekend. She woke up Saturday morning to at least 250 baby praying mantises all over the container. She was ecstatic!

Unfortunately, praying mantises aren't meant to be kept together for any length of time; they started eating each other. I gave them some ham to eat, but that didn't stop them from chomping on their brothers and sisters. Luckily there were some left by Monday morning when I took Cora to school. Her class took the mantises to the woods and released them that morning. They WERE pretty cool!

Last night started the new season of Deadliest Catch on Discovery. Andrew and I love that show. We think we know our stuff about crabbing, and really enjoy watching.

Welp, I guess I'm off of here. Enjoy the spring!

Spring???

2008-04-09T08:02:00.004-05:00

Well, we had a few gorgeous days of spring. Now it's windy and chilly. Guess I should be patient; spring and summer WILL come eventually.

First thing, I want to give MAJOR props to my friend Lori Cieslinski. She's an Olympic hopeful, and made it to the third Selection Shoot in May for the sport of Archery. The first shoot was held in September, and she made the top 16 cut. Last week she made the top 8 cut! The last shoot is in May, and the top two women will be selected to represent the US in Beijing, China this year. She was a bit under the weather and still came out and fought hard to secure her spot in the third selection shoot. We're ALL so proud of her! GO LORI!!!

Image taken by Mel and Julie Nichols

I'm feeling much better this week. There were a few days where I was feeling horrible. Luckily it didn't last long. Alka Seltzer is da bomb! It tastes like crap, but sure works!

Well, not much else to ramble on about today. Happy Wednesday!

I'm Sick

2008-04-02T08:48:00.004-05:00

It started last night. I'm stuffy, congested and just plain miserable. Not sure if the weather changes have done it or what. Monday was warmish but rainy. Yesterday was rainy and cold, today is supposed to be warmish and sunny. When I say warmish, I mean high 40s low 50s. That's warm to me at this point. I'm so desperate for spring to arrive that I'll take what I can get.

Well, it's official. We're moving to Texas. Andrew's been transferred to San Antonio and he'll be working with the same company. There's no set-in-stone timeframe, but ASAP is what we're going for. We've been working like mad to get our house in order to sell. It's amazing how much crap we've accumulated over the years. It's amazing how much of this crap is stuff we just don't use, and probably never will. Actually having to pack it and move it has changed our perspective on it, and we've gotten a LOT of stuff for a yard sale. Andrew has a TON of miscellaneous computer stuff that he's been holding on to for years. He's finally letting most of it go. My office has a FLOOR! Who woulda thunk it?? Heh...Now we just have to wait for yard sale season to begin! Whatever we don't sell, we'll donate to Goodwill. I'm sure THEY need 25 power supplies for computers...sigh...

The girls had different reactions to the news that we're moving. To Cora, it's the end of the world. How could she POSSIBLY make new friends???? Sarah, on the other hand, is pretty laid back about it. Neither one has ever had to move, so the experience is frightening for them. Andrew's a bit freaked out about it as well, as he's never lived anywhere but Michigan. But for me, however, it's no big deal. I've done this many times before. Sure, it's a hassle. Sure, it's a huge project. But it'll get done. I'm excited. I think that the others will like San Antonio once they get down there and settle in. It was 94 degrees there yesterday! THAT'S what I'm looking forward to! HEAT!!!

Before I go, here are a few layouts I did with Fresh Pages Co's April Kit.

It's Been A While

2008-03-19T09:01:00.003-05:00

So. The past few weeks have been so busy. I shot in Nationals over at Michigan State University. I shot the worst I've ever shot. Talk about a confidence crusher. However, we found out that my nice new uber-expensive limbs I've had for three months are twisted. That's the reason I've been shooting so badly the past few months. Unfortunately, my mental game has been destroyed by this, as I've been thinking I'm the reason for the crappy scores. I wasn't able to shoot in Kentucky this past weekend because my bow is hosed. Andrew shot instead, and I think he had a good time.

Cora. This kid shot like there was no tomorrow! I can't even begin to describe the pride I felt in this little dynamo. She took second, and fought for it every step of the way. She blew her personal best scores out of the water and shot more Xs than ever. It was truly beautiful to watch. She finally turned a corner, and now realizes what focus will do for her. We got so many compliments on her maturity and concentration, not to mention her form. I really think she's a changed girl in an archery aspect. We'll see what the outdoor season brings for her.

Here's a link to the results for this weekend.

Here she is shooting to one of her competitors (and good friend), Jena.

I am SO ready for spring to get here. We threw some older limbs on my bow, and I'm shooting those until my limbs get sent back to me. It's amazing how straight limbs will get the arrow in the center. Who woulda thunk it?

Welp, I'm outta here...gotta be productive.

It's Spring Break, Yo!

2008-02-27T07:58:00.002-06:00

And I have NO plans! Woot! That's exactly how I like it. My big hot plan today is to get my kitchen clean. Then I might scrap a bit. My scrappin' mojo has been on spring break as well, and it's not in any hurry to return.

Not much else going on...getting ready for this weekend. I'm getting pretty excited. I think Cora is too, but she's not sayin' much about it. I'm pretty sure she's getting herself ready in her own way. That kid is amazing. To be only 8 and able to handle the pressure of shooting against kids 4 years older than she is...and hold her own...simply amazes me. I'm extremely proud of her. She's bad ass!!!

Anyhoo...I found a really sweet Etsy website. It's owned by my sister-in-law, Jessica. She makes beautiful jewelry. Check it...

New Vintage Etsy Shop

This is my fave...

Great stuff, Jess!!

Well, apparently, the stove isn't going to clean itself, despite my fervent wish for it to do so. Gotta go!!

Interesting Week...

2008-02-22T08:03:00.002-06:00

So like, I gave blood on Monday. Usually a pretty uneventful activity. I was at school where they were having a blood drive. I try to give blood when I am able.

I get in there and they check my blood pressure. It's 100/62. A bit low, even for me, but since they say it's normal, I don't think any more of it. I give blood, eat my cookies and drink my juice. I'm fine. My mother-in-law and my two girls are there waiting for me. They're on the third floor and I'm on the first floor. I get done in the donation room and proceed to walk up three flights of stairs. When I get to the third floor, I immediately realize that was NOT a good idea. I was going to pass out. Luckily I sat down before I did. That's the worst feeling ever. I couldn't see or hear, and I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. Luckily I was ok after a few minutes, and my mother-in-law was there with me. The rest of the day I felt like a truck had hit me. That was definitely NOT cool. Next time, I'll know NEVER to walk up stairs like that after giving blood, especially when my blood pressure's that low to begin with. Live and learn...

I had two exams this week, both in Ecology. One was the lecture exam and the other was the lab exam. Ecology is full of "statistics", and having to calculate statistics. The lab exam was on calculating statistics. I think I did pretty well. The lecture exam...well...with a little luck I did ok.
I also had a quiz in Genetics, which wasn't horrible. Genetics is a very interesting class. Very cool how these puzzles can be solved with math and logic. Unfortunately, math and logic are NOT my strongsuits. I'm learning a lot, though.

To top it off for this week, I have a midterm in my online class due Sunday.

Next weekend is the first of two National archery tournaments that Cora and I are shooting in.
If anyone would like to send Cora some pre-tournament shout outs, she'd be thrilled. Her email is prettyshooter at gmail dot com.

Welp, I'm off here to do dishes. Yuck.

Yee Haw! It's Friday!

2008-02-15T10:01:00.002-06:00

And the girls are home. It's "President's Weekend" and they're out of school today and Monday. Whoopee! :) Too bad they're cooped up in the house. It's just been too cold. I'm SO ready for Spring! The school district has already used up the allocated 5 Snow Days this year. Not sure what they're going to do if they need to take any more days off.

We're getting digital cable installed today. It's a bout 10 bucks a month cheaper than the cable we have now, so it didn't make sense to keep the old service. Not sure what we'll do with 200 extra channels, but I guess we'll muddle through! :)

If anyone wants to volunteer to take my Ecology exam for me, I'd happily let them. It's on Monday, so you better get a move on studying! :) I think this weekend I'm going to hole myself up at the library and get my studying done. It's really hard to concentrate at home, especially when there are 200 extra channels coming to entertain my mentally-limp brain!! :)
My Genetics class is really interesting, but the teacher is NOT, so it's hard to pay attention when you're fighting sleep.

Welp, not much else going on around here...so I guess I'll get some laundry done and try to study a bit.

Have a great weekend!!

The Day After

2008-02-04T07:40:00.000-06:00

Phew. I made it through the tournament. I ended up in second place after a not-so-stellar performance on the second half of the game. My mojo left me, and decided not to return. Besides that, I shot ok.

Andrew shot in his first big tournament. Poor guy was a ball of nerves. I'm pretty proud of him for getting out there and doing it, though. He got first place!!!! Go Andrew!

Cora shot Friday night, and took third. She shot about 40 points below her average, but still had fun. There was about 9 girls in her division, so she had to fight. It was awesome! She's in the Bowman class, which is all recurve girls 12 years old and under. Cora's 8, and the youngest competitor by a couple of years. I'm extremely proud of her for going out there and competing against 12 year olds! How spunky is that??!

Anyway...here are pictures, before Leslie lynches me...

Jerry Fouts, Jim Beasley, Jeff What's-His-Name, Andrew, Ted Lemanski

Me, Lori Cieslinski, Diane Johnston, Ava McDowell (my bale-mates)

Little Bad-Ass at work...

Can you spot Cora? Hint: She's the smallest one in the building!

Me and Andrew with our medals.

We had a blast. You'll never find a community of nicer people than the archery community.

Big Weekend Coming

2008-01-31T07:40:00.000-06:00

This weekend is the SAM State Shoot. Yeah, ok...not such a big deal to the average person. But to an archery geek like me, this is the first big tournament of the indoor season.
Since Cora is in JOAD, she'll shoot Friday night. Then Andrew and I are going to shoot on Saturday and Sunday. It's a good time, and a chance to see a lot of people we don't get to see on a regular basis. The archery community is wonderful. People are always willing to help someone out if there are equipment issues, even if they're the competition.

It's cold. Yesterday it was -12 with the wind chill when I drove the girls to the bus stop. There were kids actually standing out in the wind waiting on the bus. Poor kids! Must have been miserable. Luckily the bus came early, or I would have offered to let them sit in the car with us.

Not much else going on around here. Lots of laundry to do. Guess I'll get to it.

Later!

Cards For Soldiers

2008-01-24T09:48:00.001-06:00

Check out this blog!

They're collecting handmade cards for soldiers to use to write home. Very cool idea!

Cards For Soldiers

It would rock if this idea could spread so that more soldiers could have cards to write home in!

What a Beautiful Wednesday!

2008-01-23T07:49:00.000-06:00

Well, it WOULD be beautiful if it weren't butt-tickling cold outside! C'mon spring!! I can't wait for the Groundhog to NOT see his shadow, and spring can get a move on! Ugh. I'm really tired of wading through 4 inches of snow to get to my car, so I can scrape 4 inches of snow OFF my car to start it!

Ok...enough whining.

Heath Ledger died yesterday. I was pretty shocked to hear that. I love his movies, and I thought he was a pretty down-to-earth guy.

Wow...not much going on lately...shooting...school...more shooting...etc...pretty mundane. Nationals are coming up, so I'm getting pretty excited for that! If anyone lives in Louisville, KY, we'll be at the Kentucky Convention Center on March 15-16...check it out...an archery tournament is a really cool experience. I'm pretty sure there will be some Olympians there too... I digress...

I leave you with a couple layouts I've done recently.

Have a wonderful rest of your week!

Yup...It's Friday!!

2008-01-11T08:14:00.000-06:00

Woo hoo!! No school for me today, so I'm going to get my dishes done and go shoot! Nationals are only about 7 weeks away. It'll sneak up on me before I know it. I'm excited, but also nervous. I want to do well, and I know the only thing that can prevent that is if my brain gets in my way. The mental aspect of the game is a HUGE part, and it's something I struggle with occasionally. It's funny the stuff that pops into your head when you're aiming at the target!

Anyhoo...here are a couple PAPER layouts I did with Fresh Pages Co.'s January Kit.

Lots of fun to get my hands dirty and pick up photo split backs off the floor! I had to take photos of the layouts because the nice new scanner I have isn't supported under Linux. Nice.

Welp, I'm off to be semi-productive!

Later taters!

It Done Come A Heat Wave!!

2008-01-09T08:28:00.000-06:00

Ok...so my last post was titled "Sweet Niblets, It's Cold!"

HA! The last few days have been glorious!! Monday had a high of 60, which shattered the previous record. It's been cloudy and rainy, but not COLD! It's been wonderful. The snow is gone, but it's slushy. Yeah, I know it's coming again, but I can enjoy it while it's here, right? Heck yeah!

School started for me on Monday. I'm taking Ecology, Genetics, Stress Management, and Personal Health. The Stress Management and Personal Health classes are online, and hopefully will be relatively easy. The Ecology and Genetics, not so much. They're going to be interesting, but not easy.

Let's see...what else? Archery leagues started on Monday at the club. There's something going on every weeknight up there now. Not easy to find time to shoot, unless I go during the day. I'll definitely have to find some time to get up there. I shoot leagues on Monday and Wednesday, so that's some time there. Leagues are so much fun; it's mainly a bunch of people laughing and hanging out, with a bit of shooting thrown in. I look forward to it every year. Tonight I'll be up there without husband or kids in tow. Andrew's shooting tomorrow night, so he'll stay home with the kids.

Ok...enough drivel for one day. Must go get ready for class. Have a wonderful Hump Day!

Sweet Niblets, It's COLD!!!!

2008-01-03T07:40:00.000-06:00

Dude, it's friggin' cold here! Yeah, it's Michigan, but it's cold for Michigan! It was -2 F this morning when I woke the girls up for school. I was kinda wondering if they were going to call off school so the kids didn't have to wait at the bus stop in this weather. Alas, they did not, which meant I had to go out in this weather. It was worth it, as my house is empty and SILENT!! Now, I just have to clean it.

School starts next week for Andrew and me. We'll get to hang out at school together on Tuesdays! How fun! Heheh... I'm looking forward to a better semester than the last.

So, what goodies did everyone get for Christmas? I got an iPod Shuffle. This little thing is so cute, and it's wonderful for listening to while I'm shooting.

I LOVE it! I need to find some smaller ear buds though, as these are too big for my ears. I'm thinking of getting Cora an MP3 player for tournaments as well...she'd love something to listen to, when she's not socializing.

Welp, I'm off to clean. Woot!

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Happy New Year's Eve!!

2007-12-31T09:47:00.000-06:00

I've seen that in Australia and other parts of the world, it's already 2008. Wow. It astounds me that it's already 2008. I was thinking the other day that I have two daughters who were born in two different centuries (1999 and 2001). How cool is that??

We don't have much planned for tonight, just cocktail weenies, kid-wine and tv. The girls have to go back to school on the 2nd, so not much partying for us. We've had a great, lazy week off. I think they're ready to get back, and I'm ready for them to get back as well! :)

I'm planning on beginning a Photo-A-Day project starting tomorrow. Hopefully I can keep up with it. I've started a blog for it at http://spanglerphoto.blogspot.com/.
Should be fun! Go ahead and begin one, too!

Let's see...nothing much else going on. Our local archery shoots have begun. I shot this weekend, but did not do as well as I wanted to. I think it was a combination of things, but the first shoot of the season is always something to get used to. I had fun anyway, and afterward we went to a place called Uno.
It was a great place and we had a blast hanging out with friends who love to shoot as much as we do.

Anyhoo...Hope everyone has a wonderful and safe NYE, and see you in 2008!!!!

I Just Made A Complete Fool Of Myself...

2007-12-27T12:31:00.000-06:00

Luckily no one saw. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth. I was listening to my new iPod Shuffle. "Footloose" by Kenny Loggins started playing. I stayed in the bathroom for about 10 minutes listening to it over and over. I danced all over my bathroom. That song makes me happy. Dontcha just love a song that will make you move your feet? That's one of the only songs that I just HAVE to dance to...no matter where I am. Sure, I can look like an idiot while I'm the only one dancing. I don't care. When you hear a song that makes you happy, go with it!

They Scrapped

2007-12-23T13:19:00.001-06:00

The girls wanted to scrapbook today. So, I got out a bunch of old photos, some scrapbook supplies, and let them go to town. The fun part was watching them sort through the photos.

The girls giggled as they got to certain photos. They asked a lot of questions about what they were seeing. They had a blast checking out some pictures that were taken when they were babies. They thought that was a hoot!

They of course wanted to scrap every photo. I finally had to tell them to pick photos that THEY wanted to remember and scrap those. That seemed to help them decide for and against certain photos. Sarah especially loved our activity. She got to a photo of my dad and showed it to me. She asked "Can I scrap this? I want to make this a memory." I told her "absolutely."

Say Thanks

2007-12-23T12:58:00.001-06:00

Don't forget to say "Thanks" this holiday season!

Say Thanks

Where Have I Been??

2007-12-19T19:04:00.000-06:00

Apparently I've been living under a rock, but I just heard of Trans-Siberian Orchestra. WOW, they're awesome!!!

Check them out here.

The End Of The Semester...

2007-12-18T07:55:00.000-06:00

I took my last final yesterday morning at 7:45 AM. Yes, I said 7:45 AM. As in before 8 AM. Why?????? I hate exams that are held that early. I'm not even fully awake until about 9. Anyway...I'm glad it's over. Now I'm off until January 7.

Something struck me as funny and interesting the other day. We were at the bow club, of course. Saturday was the Kids League Banquet, which we have at the conclusion of the league. All the kids get their trophies for participating. After it was over and all the tables were being put away, the "regulars" (the kids who are there with their family all the time) took it upon themselves to play basketball on the range. The range is a pretty big space, so they had a lot of room to run around and make lots of noise. What struck me as funny was watching them run around the range like it was their home. And it is to these kids. We're there all the time, and anyone who's a regular there treats these kids like their own. Our club is a big family. I love that. Not a bad place for my kids to grow up, if you ask me. With the older kids of the club, instead of them being out doing goodness knows what on Friday night, they're up at the club. Shooting. With their parents. I'm talking 16 and 17 year olds. What could be better??

I thank God for the club. It's given me a sense of belonging. Of family. And of contentment. I know where my kids are. They've got a whole gaggle of "parents" looking out for them as well.

Anyhoo...

Here's a few photos from the past year.

One last thing...during this time of year I really think about my dad and miss him alot. There's a song that totally makes me think of him. I love this song. It's called "Last Date" by Floyd Cramer. You can hear it here.
What's the song that brings back memories for you??

Merry Christmas!

This is Beautiful

2007-12-12T13:31:00.000-06:00

An Inspiration

2007-12-10T14:08:00.000-06:00

FIRST read the story below, then click on the video link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4B-r8KJhlE

[From Sports Illustrated, By Rick Reilly] I try to be a good father. Give my kids mulligans. Work nights to pay For their text messaging. Take them to swimsuit shoots.

But compared with Dick Hoyt, I suck.

Eighty-five times he's pushed his disabled son, Rick, 26.2 miles in Marathons. Eight times he's not only pushed him 26.2 miles in a Wheelchair but also towed him 2.4 miles in a dinghy while swimming and Pedaled him 112 miles in a seat on the handlebars--all in the same day.

Dick's also pulled him cross-country skiing, taken him on his back Mountain climbing and once hauled him across the U.S. On a bike. Makes Taking your son bowling look a little lame, right?

And what has Rick done for his father? Not much--except save his life. This love story began in Winchester , Mass. , 43 years ago, when Rick Was strangled by the umbilical cord during birth, leaving him Brain-damaged and unable to control his limbs.

"He'll be a vegetable the rest of his life;'' Dick says doctors told him And his wife, Judy, when Rick was nine months old. ``Put him in an Institution.''

But the Hoyts weren't buying it. They noticed the way Rick's eyes Followed them around the room. When Rick was 11 they took him to the Engineering department at Tufts University and asked if there was Anything to help the boy communicate. ``No way,'' Dick says he was told. ``There's nothing going on in his brain.''

"Tell him a joke,'' Dick countered. They did. Rick laughed. Turns out a Lot was going on in his brain. Rigged up with a computer that allowed Him to control the cursor by touching a switch with the side of his Head, Rick was finally able to communicate. First words? ``Go Bruins!'' And after a high school classmate was paralyzed in an accident and the School organized a charity run for him, Rick pecked out, ``Dad, I want To do that.''

Yeah, right. How was Dick, a self-described ``porker'' who never ran More than a mile at a time, going to push his son five miles? Still, he Tried. ``Then it was me who was handicapped,'' Dick says. ``I was sore For two weeks.''

That day changed Rick's life. ``Dad,'' he typed, ``when we were running, It felt like I wasn't disabled anymore!''

And that sentence changed Dick's life. He became obsessed with giving Rick that feeling as often as he could. He got into such hard-belly Shape that he and Rick were ready to try the 1979 Boston Marathon.

``No way,'' Dick was told by a race official. The Hoyts weren't quite a Single runner, and they weren't quite a wheelchair competitor. For a few Years Dick and Rick just joined the massive field and ran anyway, then They found a way to get into the race Officially: In 1983 they ran another marathon so fast they made the Qualifying time for Boston the following year.

Then somebody said, ``Hey, Dick, why not a triathlon?''

How's a guy who never learned to swim and hadn't ridden a bike since he Was six going to haul his 110-pound kid through a triathlon? Still, Dick Tried.

Now they've done 212 triathlons, including four grueling 15-hour Ironmans in Hawaii . It must be a buzzkill to be a 25-year-old stud Getting passed by an old guy towing a grown man in a dinghy, don't you Think?

Hey, Dick, why not see how you'd do on your own? ``No way,'' he says. Dick does it purely for ``the awesome feeling'' he gets seeing Rick with A cantaloupe smile as they run, swim and ride together.

This year, at ages 65 and 43, Dick and Rick finished their 24th Boston Marathon, in 5,083rd place out of more than 20,000 starters. Their best Time? Two hours, 40 minutes in 1992--only 35 minutes off the world Record, which, in case you don't keep track of these things, happens to Be held by a guy who was not pushing another man in a wheelchair at the Time.

``No question about it,'' Rick types. ``My dad is the Father of the Century.''

And Dick got something else out of all this too. Two years ago he had a Mild heart attack during a race. Doctors found that one of his arteries Was 95% clogged. ``If you hadn't been in such great shape,'' One doctor told him, ``you probably would've died 15 years ago.'' So, in a way, Dick and Rick saved each other's life.

Rick, who has his own apartment (he gets home care) and works in Boston, and Dick, retired from the military and living in Holland, Mass. , always find ways to be together. They give speeches around the country and compete in some backbreaking race every weekend, including this Father's Day.

That night, Rick will buy his dad dinner, but the thing he really wants to give him is a gift he can never buy.

``The thing I'd most like,'' Rick types, ``is that my dad sit in the chair and I push him once.''

Wow. This story just brings tears to my eyes. The love he has for his son. What a wonderful story of love. I thank God when he brings stories like this to everyone. Maybe people (including myself) will try to be a better person.

A Little Sad Today

2007-11-29T14:55:00.001-06:00

One of the oldest members of our archery club died on Tuesday night of Lung Cancer. Harold Richmond was a wonderful, sweet man. I had a soft spot for him because he really reminded me of my dad. When I found out about his death, I cried. Really cried. I didn't know him outside of the club, and only knew him for less than two years, but he really touched my heart by his presence and his willingness to share his knowledge and awesome hunting stories with me. I'm crying as I write this, but I know he's in a better place now. I'll just miss him.

Yay! It's Monday!! (not)

2007-11-26T11:28:00.001-06:00

Wow, I'm tired. I hate the Monday after a holiday weekend. My house is a wreck, there's laundry to be folded everywhere, dishes to be done, and for some reason, the housekeeper fairy is still on holiday. Hmmm...guess I have to get it done myself. Luckily, I just got all my homework done a few minutes ago, and when I get home I'll start working.

It was really hard to force myself to get to school this morning. I really wanted to just sit home in my jammies and veg out. Unfortunately, that's what I did all weekend. Man, I ate SO freaking much this weekend.

Only a couple more weeks of classes, then it's final time. Nope, not looking forward to finals. I'll be glad when they're over though. I think my Pre-Calc final will be at 7:45 AM. Yes, I said AM. I won't wake up until it's almost over. Geez...nothing like sleeping through a final. Although, maybe sleeping through it will be an improvement? heheh...

Anyhoo...guess I'm goin' to get my butt home and get my house clean. If I don't return in two days, someone send a search party.

Toodles!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2007-11-24T11:25:00.000-06:00

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday, and is at this moment feeling nauseous from all the calories they consumed the past few days. I know I am! I don't even want to begin to count all the calories that passed my lips this weekend. I figure that it's a holiday, and that's what it's for. Spending time with family, joking around, and eating yummy food.

Cora and Shiloh

Solomon and the Ritz

Sarah and Uncle David

Rick sawin' on the turkey

Thursday we spent at my sister-in-law's house. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, ham rollups, assorted pies and of course, potato candy.
It was wonderful to spend time with family. Seems that with everyone's busy lives, it's harder and harder to get together with everyone.
The girls spent the night at their cousins' house Thursday night, and Andrew and I came home and watched tv until 2 in the morning.
Later in the afternoon yesterday, he and I went bowling. It had been years since either of us had bowled. It was a blast! I actually beat Andrew two games out of four! That's never happened before.

Then we went to his mom's house to hang out with family again. I was good until about 10:30, when I crashed and burned and totally fell asleep. I woke up around midnight when Andrew was getting ready to leave. The kids had a lot of fun playing with cousins, and getting to know their new cousin, Shiloh.

Not sure what we're going to do today. Prolly just hang out at home and head on up to the club to shoot later.

Things I'm thankful for:

That my girls are healthy and strong.
That Andrew and I are happy together.
That we have a wonderful extended family that is there any time we need them.
That, for the most part, I am at peace.

The Lord has blessed us.

How To Make Potato Candy

2007-11-14T10:27:00.000-06:00

Ok...I figured I'd just post how to make potato candy.

It's pretty easy, actually.

First, boil some potatoes like you would if making mashed potatoes (peel them first). Once they're boiled, mash them up really well. Then, start adding confectioners sugar and mix it well. The mixture will become soupy. Keep adding sugar and mixing until eventually the mixture will turn harder and become a dough (it can take a while, and make sure you have enough sugar; it might take a lot of sugar, depending the amount of potatoes you use). Once it becomes a dough, spread it out on some wax paper ( spread some flour or PAM over the wax paper first to prevent sticking). Once it's spread out, spread peanut butter over the top. Then roll it up into a log and chill. Then you can cut into 1/2 inch pieces. As you can see, it's FULL of calories, but it's SO yummy!

Let me know if you try it! I love this stuff!

Dreams CAN come true!!!

2007-11-14T07:24:00.000-06:00

Woot! So like, I was planning on buying a new set of limbs for my bow with my Hall of Fame money. In my last post I posted a photo of the ones I would LOVE to have, but were just too far out of my price range. Well, Andrew called around yesterday just checking prices, and he found one shop that was selling the brand new 900 CX limbs for about half of what they usually will sell for. This shop is not experienced in recurve archery, and I'm SURE got the price wrong. However, we locked them into this price with a deposit, and I'll now be the proud owner of these brand spanking newly-released limbs. I'm pretty excited.

I'll have the blue ones since my bow is blue.

Anyhoo...I can't believe that Thanksgiving is next week. The only thing I have planned to make right now is Potato Candy. I can only make it once a year because it's so rich; FULL of carbs! :) But OH SO GOOD. Yes, it's made out of potatoes. If anyone wants the recipe, just lemme know. My mom used to make it for Thanksgiving, so it makes me feel good to make it as well. Brings back nice memories of warm kitchens, parades on TV, all-night cooking, and family being together. I should scrap that.

I Have A Cold

2007-11-09T07:46:00.001-06:00

Yup. A cold. It started on Tuesday, and I wasn't able to take anything for it until yesterday because of a medical test I was having done. I'm miserable.

I have many things to do today and not enough energy to do them with. Andrew will be coming home from hunting tomorrow. I'll be glad to see him. Ain't it amazing, I really do miss him! :) His hunting trip experience hasn't turned out how he wanted it, and he's not having a good time. Long, sordid story.

Anyway...I'm sittin' here drinking my coffee, trying to get enough gumption to go out and get new tires for the car. I had a flat coming out of school on Tuesday, so there's a donut on there now. Fun stuff.

I actually started Christmas shopping! GASP! Target had a bunch of clothes on clearance, so I got some cute stuff for the girls. They actually WANT clothes for Christmas. I'm surely happy about that, since I hate buying toys for them to leave all over their room. Cora wants art supplies and a backpack for her to put her webkinz in. She has a clydesdale named Sugar. Sarah has a pig named Alexandra. These webkinz are the cutest things.

I can't believe it's almost Thanksgiving. Andrew's sister and her family are coming in from Colorado, as well as his aunt and uncle from St. Louis. Should make for a raucous holiday! I'm thankful for his family, as mine is spread all over the U.S.

Lookie what I want for Christmas:

What the heck are they, you ask? Limbs for my bow. These are the latest technology to come out of Hoyt. Nice, pretty, expensive limbs. Will I actually GET them? Highly doubtful. However, a girl can dream, right? You know you're an archery geek when you want limbs for Christmas instead of all the other girlie stuff most women want. The limbs I have now are fine, but I'll definitely want better limbs for next year's outdoor season.

Welp, I'm off of here. DayQuil is calling!

Belated Hall of Fame Win

2007-11-07T10:24:00.000-06:00

So, I'm sure everyone has heard about the Hall of Fame drama in the scrappin' world. Well, two ladies were disqualified as winners because there were questions about whether the entrants took all the photos on their entries or not. Creating Keepsakes decided to offer those two spots to two Honorable Mentions. I was selected. I guess that means that I would have been a Hall of Famer back in March if the contest had gone as it was supposed to.

I have mixed/bittersweet feelings about being offered the title. Am I excited? Yes. Did I debate accepting? Yes. It's 7 months into the Hall of Fame year, so I've missed out on that time. Who's to say I would have gained anything by having that time. We may never know. It would have been fun to be a part of the week-long hoopla that happens every year at Hall of Fame Call time. Twenty Five anonymous posts stating they won HOF. Oh well. I'm a big girl and can handle that I didn't get to do it. I was still a part of it, even if as just a spectator.

And, I got to know 49 WONDERFUL ladies who are the Honorable Mentions. These ladies are true class acts, and I'm truly grateful I was able to rub elbows with some of the best in the industry. I've made lasting friendships that will be there long after this year is over. Love you ladies!!!

At this point, I'm happy. Do I need the validation that comes from this? Maybe, sometimes. Anyone who entered was looking for some level of validation. I love scrapbooking. I love showing my layouts to others. I love hearing if people like my work. I would still scrapbook even if I never showed these layouts to anyone other than my family. I guess accepting this title, even after 7 months, just kinda makes me feel good. Nothing wrong with that. Regardless of whether I become "famous" because of this (highly doubtful), or just ride the wave of obscurity until the next class of HOFers comes in, I'm happy. I accepted the title for reasons that are my own. I'm content to live with that. Life is good.

Whatever

2007-10-24T07:35:00.000-05:00

I can't think of anything better to title my post with. Whatever seems to be how I feel at the moment.

Not much going on today. I have a dentist appointment this morning. That should be fun like a barrel of crackheaded monkeys!

The leaves are changing so fast here in Michigan. A lot of the leaves have fallen already. I'm going to try to get out and get some photos of the trees today after my appt.

Well, since I can't think of anything else to talk about this morning, I'll post some layouts and some photos of Sarah.

One of Cora shooting. She's so bad ass!

Now onto the layouts:

Have a wonderful day, everyone!!

I'm About All Studied Out...

2007-10-11T11:55:00.000-05:00

I have an exam in about an hour. Am I studying for it? Nope. I'm so sick of looking at textbooks. I'm sick of reading about Photosynthesis and the Calvin Cycle.

So, I'm sitting here blogging. A much more productive use for me time! :)

It's cold today! We'll be lucky if it hits 50 degrees today. Last weekend we got sunburned with record highs, and now it's C O L D. Grrrrr...gotta love Michigan.

Hmmm...what's been going on lately with the Spanglers? Let's see...Cora joined the Chess Club at school, and is loving learning how to play. The coach thinks she's got real talent, so we'll see if she keeps it up. She's practicing for a tournament in November. That should be interesting. All I keep thinking about is the movie Searching For Bobby Fischer, where the little boy is a chess prodigy. Love that movie. I might rent it this weekend for Cora and Sarah to watch. I think they'd both like it.

What's everyone reading right now? I'm reading Black and Blue by Anna Quindlin. Apparently it's an Oprah's Book Club pick, but I started reading it before I found that out. It's a good read, something I can get through without too much brain power. I like books where I can read leisurely in between studying.

It's almost Christmas season. Now I get to think about what I want to get the girls for Christmas. Cora no longer believes in Santa. She loves the idea that she's now in on the secret with the adults, and Sarah is still "in the dark" about the whole thing. I told her that is she ruins it for Sarah, then no presents for her! :)

I think Sarah will get a Webkinz from Santa. Still thinking about what to get Cora. I don't really want to buy a bunch of "stuff" for the girls. I'd rather them get a few things and then focus on the real meaning of Christmas. Yeah, I know it's hard for kids to understand that, but it doesn't hurt to try. I don't want them to get all wrapped up in the commercialism of the season. I stopped buying all kinds of candy for Easter since that stuff has nothing to do with Easter whatsoever.

What else can I ramble about? One more year until the 2008 Summer Olympics!! I'm really hoping I can find some coverage of the Archery events. Since it's not a huge draw for spectators, it might prove difficult. Hopefully my Father-in-law's satellite provider will have some broadcasts. Speaking of the Olympics, I'm really disappointed in the news about Marion Jones. I remember watching her and thinking that she was just awesome. I took it for granted that she had some integrity and did it all on her own. I'm really bummed that she cheated to win those medals. Could she have won without the use of steroids? Maybe. But we'll never know. Loser.

Anyway...guess I'm off here to pretend like I'm studying.

Have a great day!

Happy Birthday, Dad

2007-10-10T07:20:00.000-05:00

I miss you terribly.

Lawrence Eugene Reese
October 10, 1942 - August 17, 2005

It's Been A While...

2007-10-09T21:53:00.001-05:00

Since I've updated my poor, neglected blog. School has kept me crazy busy. Who whoulda thunk that taking Physics and Pre-Calculus would be a wee bit hard?? HA! Holy crap it's very overwhelming. I'm trudging through, and with some luck I'll make it through both classes (plus my Biology class) with a grade good enough not to have to retake them! :)

It's been HOT here the past week. I mean, it's October, for goodness sake! I got a sunburn at Sarah's soccer game last weekend! I've loved the weather though. Today was the last of the nice weather. Tomorrow starts the rain and cool weather. Guess it IS autumn, right?

Anyway...

I leave you with a photo of Cora and Andrew. This was taken at the Fall Classic, the last big outdoor archery tournament of the year.

Woot Woot!

2007-09-28T07:26:00.000-05:00

It's Friday! No school for me today, but my house is a disaster area. Guess I oughta clean it, eh? First I'm gonna go shoot my bow for a while. We just got it set up for shooting indoor, since the outdoor season is over.

The Archery Olympic Trials start today!!! I have a friend who is there trying to make a go of it. GO LORI!!!! I can't wait to follow it. They'll have a photographer there today taking photos, and if I see her in one, I'll post it. I'm extremely geeked for her. It's not gonna be easy, but she's got the cojones to do it!

How DO You Cure A Broken Heart?

2007-09-20T21:14:00.001-05:00

Poor Cora. She's suffering from her first broken heart. Yes. She's only 8. However, she's had a boyfriend since the middle of last school year, and now this boy is "seeing" someone else. Poor Cora is distraught. Sure, she's only 8, and it's not really a huge deal. But it is to her. She's been in the bed crying about it. I was in there talking to her, trying to help her to understand that it's ok to be upset about things like this. To her, it's the end of the world and there are NO other cute boys in the ENTIRE school (according to her). I told her that time will change how she feels, and that all she can do is just let him go. If only we adults could use that advice in our own lives sometimes. I guess there's actually nothing I can DO for her except hold her while she cries, and listen while she talks. I pray that I'm able to do that when she's older.

Family Fun Festival

2007-09-14T07:45:00.000-05:00

Last night the fair was in town. It's the first year Grand Blanc has had a festival, and we had a blast!

Cora is finally tall enough to ride most of the rides, and she took every advantage of this! I bought the girls the unlimited ride bracelets. Cora absolutely loved the "Music Express"; she rode that thing about 30 times. Sarah was all about the bumper cars, even though she had to ride with her soccer buddy (who was tall enough to reach the pedal). Cora rode the spider about a million times, Sarah went down the big slide about as many times.

Just watching them have so much fun made me enjoy myself too. I didn't bring my camera because I didn't expect to stay that long. It was a beautiful day, and being in the carnival atmosphere brought back a lot of memories of my dad, who used to work with various carnivals in his later years. He loved it.

Last weekend was Sarah's first soccer game. She played wonderfully, and even scored a goal!

My girls are getting so grown up! What a blast to watch them develop into young ladies. I thank God every day for the blessings he's given me in my family.

Question: What was your favorite movie of the summer? I think mine has to be Harry Potter and The Order of The Phoenix, but a close second was Knocked Up. I laughed SO hard watching this movie!!

I think I've caught a cold. I have had allergies for a couple weeks now, but I feel worse today. Congestion, soreness, and a killer headache. I think I'm gonna go lay on the couch and veg today. No classes today, so I can wait until tomorrow to do the homework. Bah.