My Girls are Stars

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

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

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!

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

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...

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

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

PLEASE JOIN

I'm SO proud...

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

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

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!

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?

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

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!

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???

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

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

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!

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...

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!

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!!