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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!!

The Day After

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

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

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!

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!!

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!!

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!!!!

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!!

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...

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

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

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

Say Thanks

Where Have I Been??

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...

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

An Inspiration

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

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.