The Reunion

A Day with the Son/Sun

Eli is a lot of things

athletic

funny

nice

good company

He's a McGuire

but he's also a Heusinkveld

I took him to the annual Heusinkveld Reunion

I always hated these as a kid

old people

most of them I didn't know

telling stories

most of them about people I didn't know

Eli at 11 years old was the youngest "Heusinkveld"

The Heusinkvelds are proud of their Dutch heritage

Proud and thankful that many many years ago

one family decided to immigrate to the USA

Every Heusinkveld in America is related

we have a book to prove it

I loved the day

Eli endured it

We talked baseball, ate chicken, and celebrated

our Heusinkveld connection

I will continue to expose the kids

to these "old people"

once in awhile

because even though they are old

and have different last names

they share a history

WhaT In TArnaTioN?!

A puddle and kids

in 

Speedos

"What in Tarnation?!"

I grew up on 

"What in Tarnation?!"

It was always used as an expletive

or a euphemism

for an expletive

When I hid the beer in the grill

(I was only 18)

"What in Tarnation?!"

When, as a college graduate

I quit the 9-5 job

with benefits

at Northwest Mortgage

to Waitress

at Chi Chi's 

"What in Tarnation?!"

When I joined the Peace Corps

"What in Tarnation?!"

The origin of "What in Tarnation?!"

A term used by those south of the Mason-Dixon line. 

Used to describe suprising or shocking situations 

(similiar usage as "what the f**k")

Such inventions as

 “heck,” 

“drat,” 

“darn,”

 “gosh,”

 “jiminy,”

 “gee-whiz”

 and “goldarn” 

were all devised to disguise exclamations 

that would have been considered 

shocking in polite society.

Today we could add

"frick"

"frickken"

to that list.

Any Others?

SQUASH BLOSSOM FARM

SQUASH BLOSSOM FARM

Click on the link above and watch a little video I put together

An Excellent Adventure

Very Cool People

Music

Gardens

Handmade Brick Hearth

Fresh baked Bread

Chickens

Eggs

Cows

Milk

calves

Art

An Artist

A Musician

A store so we can buy the cool stuff

Get Inspired

Two People took a dream and ran with it

You've gotta see what they are creating

Susan and Roger

My MeMOrY SuCKs

My Memory Sucks

That's why I take so many pictures
Because honestly
If I don't have a picture of it
It pretty much didn't happen
At least as far as my memory of the event is concerned

Here's a Dad Video taping his daughter
An amazing dancer
That memory will live on

My daughter is my memory
in many ways
She remembers dates
like nobodies business
She remembers where we sat
what we saw
what year it was

I wish she could remember to
pick up her bathroom
(that's probably not really a memory issue)

Life is about experiences
It's nice to remember them

Life is about little kids turning into big kids
It's nice to remember them being little

I depend on my camera
to capture what my mind
can't seem to do anymore

Remember
It's all we have
take a picture
draw a picture
write a picture
create a memory

StYLiZe YoUR CoNDITioN

You might as well look good

When you've got a medical condition

You try to make the best of it

You try to give it some style

I have an obvious medical condition

I wear corrective lenses

I decided about 15 years ago

That if I was going to wear glasses

I was going to wear art

So with that in mind

I vowed to change out the frames

every two years

Keep changing

Whaa laa!!

Medical Condition With Style

The challenge was

Buying the lenses

Where to go

I want 

'inspired eye wear'

I found my new store

Eye Q

funky

fun

fashionable

Subway level

If you find Carroll's Corn

Your just a skip away from

EyeQ

My neice wears an ankle brace 

with style

My neighbor wears a wig 

with style

When I broke my arm

Sling . . . with style

Need support walking?

Cane . . . with style

Alopecia?

Hat . . . with style

Drink Coffee?

mug. . . with style

We don't get to choose our

conditions in life

But we can choose how to wear them

Wear your condition with style

SAy iT In DiXiE CuPS . . . ThE NuNS DiD

I know what it says, but I don't get it

STAYING IN THE FIRE

I like that I don't get it

Because it makes me think

I now am spending time

Thinking, wondering, hypothesizing

I went out of my way

To take the picture

I took a detour home

To show my daughter

We spent time talking about what it might mean

These four simple words

spelled out in dixie cups

shoved into the links 

on a chain link fence

A fence owned by Nuns

The nuns of Assissi Heights

That brought a smile to our faces right there

Nuns

Shoving hundreds of cups

Into a chain link fence

Spelling out a phrase

To share with

The masses

In our imaginations

The nuns were wearing habits

In reality . . . . Not

The nuns are lucky to have a chain link fence

I wish I had one

Not to fence anything in or out

I just think its a great canvas

 for words

What words would you put

on your chain link fence today?

Never Leave Home Without A Sharpie

Never leave home without a Sharpie

Oh sure it's fun to watch the game

But for the under 16 crowd

Its all about balls and autographs

We go to a lot of local ball games

We host a Honker's player

So of course that is a draw

We not only know the player's names

But we have one sleeping in a bed in our house

He's 21

So chances are he'll even drink our beer

At the ball park . . . .
We all have our idea of what we want from the outing
I want a Honker Red Beer and Sunflower Seeds
My husband will have the same
My son wants his glove, a sharpie, and permission
to hang out by the bull pen
waiting for fly balls
and if they don't come
he's hoping a friendly ball player
will toss a ball his way
My daughter wants to bring a friend

It's a ball game, but it's not complete
 Without the details of
What we have created of the event
Then it becomes a tradition

And
traditions hold
meaning
memories
and a history

ThE ChAlleNGe diDn'T StOp 'Em

Somethings deserve another look

Somethings make you smile

As I was driving down the street today

I passed these two fun loving dudes

going in the opposite direction

on a tandem bike

the guy in front had his feet up

they looked like they were having so much fun

I did a U-turn and drove down the street ahead of them

so I could get out of my car and take their picture

It is a quiet Sunday Morning

I yelled as they approached

"Can I Take Your Picture?"

"Sure"

so I clicked away

"Thanks Guys!"

"No, Thank you"

Upon further inspection of the shots I took

I realized this was truly a special ride

The second rider

in the bike helmet

is blind

and he's the power guy

pedaling

The front guy 

Is the eyes

 The brakes

The GPS

I love positive people

I love people who take an obstacle 

as a challenge

as an opportunity

Who says a blind guy can't ride a bike?

Not these two guys

If you know these men

Let me know who they are

I'd like to know more about their story

What obstacle/challenge have you turned

into an opportunity?

SpIT WaDS

I walked into the room and the spit wads started flying

I woke up

peace

made my bed

crisp white sheets

sunny morning light

quiet

I love this time of day

until . . . . 

I walked downstairs

and into the lives of my family

and then it started

SPIT WADS.......

"Mom . . . 

"You said you'd make pancakes for breakfast"

"I need help with my homework"

"I need to study my states and capitols"

"Where is my ball uniform"

"Do you know where my cap is"

"My sweater needs ironing" 

I don't mind helping with the needs of my children

But when those needs are presented to me

One after the other from both sides of the room

SPIT WADS

Splat

Boom

Whack

Aghhhh. . . . . please stop!!!

*Note - I am not a single parent

My husband was reading 

Drinking a cup of coffee

On the couch

ESPN on the TV

With no demands being made on him

How come?

He's a willing participant

Shelter from spitballs that's what I crave 

on mornings like these

often my 'spit wad shelter' is 

Dunn Brothers - North

all by myself

I love the coffee

I love the crowds of people

 the hustle and bustle

 the "peace"

It's peaceful because although

it's full of conversation and laughter and meetings

I am not responsible for any of it

I can choose to tune in or tune out at will

Where do you find shelter 

from the spit wads?