Joy has to be a priority!!

I need to thank Pastor Chuck for that wonderful quote, "Joy has to be a priority". Two weeks ago as he was finishing a sermon series on "Play" he said this and I knew that it would be the title of my next post!
I think there is a period in the life of every "mom" in which she forgets to put a priority on her own joy. We are so busy raising kids and enjoying their "joyful' moments that we tend to put a priority on their happiness. Don't get me wrong.....I have been plenty happy watching my kids enjoy themselves but I often failed to branch out on my own and develop my own "play bucket list".

A "play bucket list" is a list of things that I have always wanted to do for enjoyment. Some of them I have never even mentioned to Sir Bill!! So, here is my list....I figure if I make it public I will actually be held accountable by one of the ten people who actually read this!!!!

1. Learn to shoot a pistol.
2. Drive a combine (or other piece of large farm equipment)!
3. Hike in as many of the US states as I possibly can.
4. Learn how to really play bocce...not just pretend!
5. Camp at least once a year.
6. Fly Fish.
7. Make my own fishing lures.
8. Rock Climb (baby steps at first, people).
9. Become an expert cookie and cupcake baker. I'm pretty close to that already!
10.Climb Trees. At one of those places that actually puts you in a harness!! I'm not stupid.
11. Learn to dance......with Bill. Problem is I don't think this is on his bucket list.
12. Walk in 5ks for charitable events.

Twelve is enough for now. I'll keep adding to my list though...and I'll let you in on a little secret.....I've located a combine!!

Just a note. I know the pictures have nothing to do with my bucket list but I wanted to share some of Christian "the king of joy". He knows how to play and he does it well!

At last the Pity Party is Over!

Hello and please forgive me for my absence. I hadn't planned on being away from the blog all summer but I found myself with no spark to even start a decent blog post. I blame it all on the pity party I was having for myself; the pity party that zapped all of my creative juices. You see I have not had an extended pity party before, maybe one that lasted a day or two, but not one that took up 3 months time!!

So, how and why did this pity party begin? Well first you need to understand that our family is pretty low key. We do our work, help each other out, help others out when they need, and we don't ask for much (if anything) in return. We are pretty predictable and faithful in our work. We do not make a lot of noise, live in a lot of drama or clamour for attention. But this summer we were blindsided, two times, and I found myself wanting some ATTENTION! But, alas, since we are so self sufficient and pretty much backwards at knowing how to attract attention.....we got very little. And this fueled my pity party!!

The first blindside happened with Anna's gymnastic team. I'll spare the long details of this situation but it was a situation that hurt Anna and our family and we had no involvement in the issue or decisions. We were just the innocent (blindsided) ones left behind to pick up the pieces. And watch the others' drama get ALL of the attention. That just ground my gears!! And began my pity party!! I was angry and I had Anna as my anger partner. At least I wasn't going through this myself!! Its nice to have a pity party buddy in times like this! But that didn't last long......Anna asked me shortly after the incident why some people tend to get all of the attention when things like this happen, and we, the Gortners do not. I think I said something sarcastic about learning to become drama queens and Anna replied that if it meant plastering drama all over Facebook it was just a waste of her time.....and that ended it for her!! I, on the other hand, thought long and hard about the Facebook idea!! And though I didn't follow through with that, I still held on tightly to having my pity party!

Our next blindside, and definitely the hardest to handle , was Bethany being diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. This, my friends, has been tough. She had just graduated with a BSN and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the US Army and was ready to start her adult life and this happened. And with this diagnosis a whole host of other issues cropped up. The army has put her on hold while they decide what do with her and her disease (pity party fuel); insurance is refusing to cover the medications (more pity party fuel); and now, she is forced to look for a nursing position eventhough she had one secured with the army (more anger to fuel my pity party)!! Attention!! Hey, we needed some attention here! If there ever was Drama in the Gortner household.....this is it! Does anyone notice us?

Well, Someone has been noticing us all summer....... giving me and my family attention all summer. But I was too busy fueling my pity party to accept the attention. Fortunateley, just a couple of Saturdays ago, our pastor spoke on the triumphs of faithfulness. The attributes of pounding the same nail and knowing that God honors that committment to Him even though others might not notice or find our committment worthy of attention. During that sermon, my pity party started to weaken. By the time I left church....it was pretty much nonexistent and I had this overwhelming feeling that Someone was paying attention to ME! Even though there was not a lot of fanfare or drama....I felt the attention!!

I talked about being blindsided twice this summer. Well acutally after church that Saturday...I was blindsided the third time!! Then a few days later...blindsided again...when Anna told me she is happier at gym than she has ever been!! Blindsided for the fifth time just a few days ago. Bethany's doctor's office let us know that they found a way for her medicine to be provided to her!!!

So....I am done wasting my time having pity parties!! They just get in the way of all of the attention that God is sending my way!!

28 Levels of Compatibility

Yesterday I was feeling tired and lazy so I took a little time in the afternoon to veg. Vegging to me means curling up on my bed and watching college softball for the afternoon. After years and years of playing softball I find it soothing just to sit around and take in a few innings every now and again. Odd, I know but at least I was never a smoker!!

While I was enjoying the game on Fox Sports a crazy little commercial came on the tube - one for an online computer dating service. The ONLY one that uses the 28 levels of compatibility to match someone with that perfect person. I had to think about that for a few minutes. Then I called Kind Sir Bill in to ask him. "Hey, are we compatible on 28 levels? Did we try to figure that out before we got married?"

Bill then looked at me like I was a crazy woman and asked me what level we missed on.
ORGANIZATION!
Yes, he thought, that was an important error in judgment on his part!! But, alas, he loves me!

Funny. When I first saw Bill, singing in front of a bunch of people, holding that guitar.....the thought of being compatible on 28 levels never entered my mind. The thought that "this guy is hot" however did!!! Then after dating this hot guy for a few months I just knew this was who God wanted me to be with.
We didn't have any deep discussions about compatibility. No questioning whether he would still love me even if I didn't organize my closets, keep good check book records, love listening to music at all times, take off my shoes in the house, etc.

We may not be compatible on 28 levels but we are in love and we are committed. That is what has mattered for 24 years.

And do you know what? Bill doesn't roll his eyes at me when I get lazy and veg in front of a women's softball game. He cuddles up next to me. And I switch the station over to baseball cause that's the sport my "hottie" likes the best.

My Kids Have Changed Me!

I have done a lot of growing up over the last 22 years. I look back on my life before kids and realize that I was a kid back then, too, even though I was 25 years old!! All three kids have changed me for the better and much of that change has come from each of their unique personalities.
Anna is the youngest and the youngest by 6 years. She has an incredible sense of adventure and is always ready to "get up and go". I have really made an effort over the past few years to embrace this part of Anna's personality. I admit that, by nature, I am a lazy person. I would, more often than not, choose to curl up by the fire or in front of the computer than to romp around outside in 20 degree weather. Anna has changed me and thank goodness she has. As I get older I am grateful that she invites me to share in her adventures. Keeps my mind and body active!!

Christian is the middle child and as I have mentioned before the "free spirit". Christian is so laid back that I don't even think the word "stress" is in his vocabulary. He lives in the moment and enjoys every moment. He's secure in knowing that God has a plan for his life and he is more than happy to enjoy the ride. Chris has shown me how to let go a little bit more with my life....worry less, embrace more. Thanks, Buddy!

Bethany is the oldest. The boss and protector. The second mom. And I don't use those titles in a bad way. She is loved by her siblings and respected by her mom.

She has taught me to embrace knowledge. I admit that I am the type of person, when needing to find an answer, will take the lazy way out and just ask someone else. Beth loves to find information and absorb it; which is rare with young people these days. I am grateful that over the years she has given me the desire to read more and to write more and to share more. She is a smart girl and I want to be a smart girl, too!

Thanks, Bethany, Christian and Anna. You have taught me well.

Show Some Love - Celebrations!!

This is a picture of my calendar last March. This is how I keep track of all of the important meetings, events, holidays and so on for our family. No new-fangled electronic devices for me. No daily planners. Just a hang-up calendar that I get for half price after the new year begins!!! Just give me some coordinating stickers for each month and I am a happy camper!!

Many people comment on my calendar. They like the festive look. I admit some have asked when I will grow up and ditch the stickers........never. Just another way for me to keep daily life festive. And that is my tip today for "showing your family a lotta love" - Be Festive!!!

Everyone looks forward to holidays and I am not trying to down play the biggies at all. I want to encourage you to celebrate the little known holiday. You might want to let your family in on the celebrations before hand or just surprise them out of the blue. You may want to do something grand with food or just something simple to celebrate.

What kind of days can be celebrated????? Here are a few examples:

• February 5 Bubble Gum Day
• February 7 Daytona Pole Day
• February 9 Read in the Bathtub Day
• February 15 Susan B. Anthony Day
• February 23 Curling is Cool Day
• February26 Levi Strauss Day
• February 28 Tooth Fairy Day

The possibilities are amazing!! My personal fave - Curling is Cool Day!

You might think that the kiddos would be the only ones interested in such holidays. Not in my family. Kind Sir Bill is always interested in mindless trivia and the more I can fill his brain with little tidbits such as these lesser known holidays the better. You see one day he will be playing some trivia game with a bunch of friends.....the question will be......when is Bubble Gum Day celebrated? Kind Sir Bill will triumph with the answer and do you know why? Because I cared enough to show a little extra love!!!

Show Them Some Love - A Little Bit More Love

I thought for the month of February I would write about how to turn everyday opportunities of love into ones that offer a bit MORE love! And before I go on......yes, that is me in the attractive 1970's snow suit. Don't judge. It keeps me warm. Enough said. For my first February "show them some love" post I would like to talk about Hot Chocolate!! Yes, everyone loves hot chocolate on a cold day.....especially after hitting the sledding hills. See Anna's excited face below? She was thinking, "Hot Chocolate is calling my name!!!". Well, that's pretty close to what she was thinking.

On these cold, cold days we could treat our kids and ourselves to a packet of hot chocolate. After all , there is quite a bit of love in serving this when it is not an everyday treat. But here is where I will tell you how to turn this into an opportunity to show "a whole lotta love". I'll let you in on a little secret about me that was inspired by Mrs. Doubtfire..........

"I can hip-hop..... be-bop.....dance till ya drop, and yo yo, make a wicked cup of cocoa."

And you can make a homemade wicked cup of cocoa, too, in 5 minutes!!!! Believe me.. you can and your family will treasure your efforts!!

Before you think I am some Julia Child and came up with the "lotta love wicked hot cocoa" recipe myself, I will stop you. This recipe is from Paula Deen and I will forever love her for it. And now I will share the love with you........

1 can sweetened condensed milk (low fat for us!)

1/2 cup of unsweetened cocoa ( I use half milk chocolate and half dark chocolate)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon of salt

6 1/2 cups hot water (I get mine from the tea kettle)

In a large saucepan, combine condensed milk, cocoa, vanilla and salt - mix well. Over medium heat slowly stir in water. Heat through, stirring occasionally. Do not boil. Store leftovers up to five days in fridge. And believe me the leftovers are even yummier!!!

Let me know how yours turns out!! Remember, a little love goes a long way and a little more love goes even further!!! Enjoy!

Lessons Learned from Birthday Shopping

Bethany's birthday is on New Years Day. It was a great birthday and having her birthday fall on this holiday has been fun. If not for a birthday celebration we would just be sitting around watching football and eating leftovers and never getting out of our pajamas. OK, we still don't get out of our pajamas.

The problem, however, is shopping for this birthday. I don't like to pick things up during Christmas because, well.......I feel guilty. I would feel like she was just receiving left-over Christmas presents. So, that leaves me with shopping the week after Christmas. Which is fine, unless a major obstacle comes up during that week. And this birthday........it did.

I, purchaser of most gifts for the family, came down with the stomach flu. By the time New Years Eve got here, I was able to stand up and walk but I had to enlist my parents to chauffeur me around. I felt like a baby asking my children's grandparents to crate me around but they were also needed because they hold the membership card to the most important store I needed to go to - Costco. And this is where the lesson in life comes in....

Don't Go To Costco on New Years Eve if You Are Recovering From the Stomach Flu!!

All the sample ladies were out in full force on this day and they must receive commission on items sold because they were Relentless!! It just wasn't enough that my poor pitiful almost throwing up self had to deal with the SMELL of the food; I had to listen to every little sample lady's plea to try HER delicacy......Asian salmon, barbecue beef, guacamole, fried dumplings, granola, chocolate cake, so much more and the topper........Three Bean Salad. (I get squeamish even now as I type that one). One thing I learned about these women - they are hard core. I just wanted to scream out, "Leave me alone or there will be a clean up in aisle 4."

Fortunately, that wasn't needed. With Grams and Gramps help we found Bethany's Pyrex and movie, a couple of other things and skedaddled out of there. I think my parents saw that I was turning green and wanted to avoid a scene. Because that would have been more than they signed up for.

The opening picture......the Pyrex. It was very much appreciated.

The End of a Season

Most people mark the end of fall by the calendar - December 20. I however mark the end of fall by the date that all those darn leaves are cleared from the property!! You see, we have about 3 acres with about 20 mature trees and it takes us pretty much a whole month and a half to clear them off! Many of my friends comment on how beautiful our home and property are but are soooo happy they are not the owners of all those leaves that fall each autumn! So when they are finally off of the trees and off of the lawn we have our ceremonious picture taking event. I had to have Grams and Gramps get in on the action. After all they have been raking these leaves for --oh, about a 40 years! (not sure why they wouldn't sit down in the pile though, party poopers!).
Anna and the pup were next to have their picture done. It was a hot fall day. Can't you tell by the 12 inch tongue hanging out of the dog's mouth? She's probably dripping slobber all over those leaves that Anna will jump in later!!!


Even that crazy couple below stopped long enough for a photo-op!

Now this is the only remaining pile in the yard! Yahoo! We will leave this one as a drop zone for Anna's zip line and a place for the pup to lose all of her outdoor toys!!

Now that the lawn is clear - Bring on the Snow!!

This and That

It is Labor Day. All the kiddos are home. All the cupboards are becoming bare. Tomorrow the older two will go back to college and I will be going back to the grocery. It is a pattern. A pattern that I will gladly fall into because I enjoy having them around - even though they eat us out of house and home. Where did that phrase come from anyway? Probably from the mother of college kids.
A very low key day here. I made spaghetti sauce and Bill made salsa. We have an overabundance of garden produce. Go figure. So we are coming up with every imaginable way to use tomatoes and peppers. Bill has become quite the salsa maker. Actually, Bill is a very good cook and could easily take that job away from me if he wanted to. But it is one thing that I do rather well and I like leaving him the jobs that he is especially good at. Like the one below.
Gotta love a man that would take on this responsibility. Bill, I appreciate all the little and BIG jobs that you do so that I don't have to. Thanks, Buddy!

Washington, D.C. in 8 hours!!

Since we were only visiting Bethany for a day and a half, we knew we would only have about 8 hours to visit the sights in D.C. So, you ask, how do you see all of D.C. in 8 hours. Well, you don't, so we planned accordingly. We wanted to visit the memorials at night so we went to those from 7-10p.m. on Wed. night. Glad we did! The memorials at night were stunning. Below the WW II memorial with the Washington monument behind. Anna's favorite was the Lincoln Memorial.

I think the most intriguing memorial for me was the one for the Korean War. You just get a very eerie feeling while standing and observing. We visited others, too, but these will be the pictures that I share.

On Thursday morning we rode the metro again ( love the metro) into D.C. with the plan of doing as many of the national museums as we could. Before we left home I had visited the Smithsonian website and downloaded a copy of the treasure hunt for the movie, Night at the Museum - Battle of the Smithsonian. With this we were able to get a glimpse of three museums within our time frame. We saw many exhibits including Oscar the Grouch, Amelia Earhart's plane , Able the space monkey, General Custer's buckskin jacket, Easter Island Head, Giant Squid and T Rex. Below, a picture of Pharaoh Kahmunrah's pile of treasure found at the Smithsonian.

A wonderful trip for us, even though it was very quick. We are hoping Bethany gets sent back to the area for a longer commitment. We are now pros at riding the metro and look forward to seeing everything in D.C. in the future.

Visiting Our Bethany! Silver Spring, Maryland

Bethany's ROTC adventures took her to the far west (Ft. Lewis, Washington) and the far east (Washington, D.C.) this summer. Since we didn't get to talk to her for three whole weeks while she was at Ft. Lewis, you all know that I HAD to go and visit her while she was working at Walter Reed Hospital in D.C. Soooo, I managed to pack up Sir Bill and Bethy's lil sis and we made a whirlwind 2 day trip to the east!! (Mamas should not have to go three whole weeks without even a tiny phone call from their offspring!!).
The army put Bethany up at a very nice hotel in Silver Springs, Maryland. Once we arrived Beth grabbed Sir Bill to go and workout at the fitness club (fanatics) and Anna and I swam in the lovely pool. After a good workout - we were off to eat at the Lebanese Taverna. Bethany is all about trying different ethnic food. Below she and Bill dive in to the appetizer. Our meals were awesome and we each got to taste a variety. Anna was a bit unsure about what was on her plate. She was a trooper and said that her sandwich was the best.

Ah, but look. Joy comes to Anna's heart when we walk out of the restaurant and spot this.
This lovely sign with even more loveliness inside the shop. Cupcakes. Awesome Cupcakes. Made with awesome real butter. The icing on top was so incredible it made me cry! My favorite - chocolate cupcake with vanilla/strawberry icing! They even gave military discounts!! Cake Love, please open up shop in Ohio!! It should probably be northern Ohio so I am not too tempted. But still, please.

Look at Anna below. She is acting as if "real butter" doesn't matter to her. But it does. And it matters even more to her father!!

Silver Springs was a great area. Very crowded but easy to get around by foot. We also visited another restaurant - which by the way - needs to move to Ohio, too. Eggspectations. Wonderful.

The rest of our trip was spent riding the metro and touring D.C. Another post to come.........

Day Trip - Dayton, Ohio - Riverscape

Our final destination was to Riverscape part of Dayton's metro park system. Riverscape is right along the river and is home to this spray fountain!
Anna enjoyed herself and lucky us - she had the fountain to herself!! I imagine during the early afternoon hours this place is packed. It has a wonderful view of the river and the landscaping is awesome!!

Out on the river are a number of water jets that send shooting water across the river. The central geyser sends water shooting about 200' in the air! Very impressive and fun to watch. Paddle boats and bikes are available for rent here. They also offer laser light shows at various time throughout the warmer months. Also, the Dayton Dragons minor league baseball team plays very close to this park!! So, I know we'll be heading back up in the future!

This was a great one day vacation!! Three different places all in one day! We came home tired but enjoyed every single minute of our time in Dayton!

Day Trip - Dayton, Ohio - Boonshoft Museum of Discovery

After an enjoyable morning at Cox Arboretum we had planned to visit the metro park Riverscape. It was still cloudy and chilly (not enjoyable weather for running through water fountains!!). So, we decided to find this museum in Dayton that many other homeschoolers have told me about. Boonshoft Museum of Discovery is another Dayton gem!! I am very sad that we had not taken advantage of it when my kids were younger. Many great things are found inside including a reduced fee admission price if you belong to the Cincinnati Zoo! Yahoo!!

There is so much to do here that I couldn't explain it all. Anna spent a good half an hour at the color wall. This screen was amazing. Since I am not techno savvy the best I can tell you is that Anna's movements were recorded and then changed into various color combinations and placed on the big screen!! She had the whole room to herself and used the opportunity to do many gymnastics skills and watch them back on the color wall. Below is a press handstand and above is a press handstand (in red) split into four with added color!! Let me tell you the price of admission was worth the fun we had at the color screen! It took back handsprings and front walkovers to a whole new level!!!

Boonshoft works hard at making learning fun. Below, Bill is explaining some sort of water pressure thingy. Bill is good at explaining stuff!! He reads all of the printed materials at all of the museums so he is up to snuff on much more than I am!!

They also have a wildlife of Ohio exhibit which was quite informative. Zoo Keepers come out a various times during the day to offer animal shows. The otters are too cute to miss!!
After Boonshoft the weather turned hot and sunny and even though it was getting close to rush hour we decided to take Anna downtown to the river! Next post, Riverscape.

Day Trip - Dayton, Ohio - Part One- Cox Arboretum

A few weeks ago we took a little road trip up to Dayton, Ohio. There is so much to do in Dayton but on this particular day we decided to concentrate on Cox Arboretum and Riverscape. Unfortunately, the day started out a bit cloudy and chilly; but, fortunately, we were able to change our plans a little and include one more indoor stop - The Boonshoft Museum of Discovery! I'll concentrate on the Cox Arboretum for this post. Wow, what a beautiful place!! About 3 - 4 miles of walking trails intermixed between amazing landscaping. Beautiful flowers, mature trees and little ponds were around every corner. Above, Bill and Anna are chasing each other through a shrubbery maze. The edible garden area is a must see. Both older and younger members of any family would enjoy a picnic here.

Cox Arboretum also is the home of a small butterfly house. We spent a good 20 - 25 minutes inside finding many caterpillars, butterflies and moths. Volunteers were available to answer our questions.

I believe the house is open during the summer months and closes right after Labor Day. Anna enjoyed her time here. I think she would say that her most favorite thing was the border collie, Zip, who guards the ponds and keeps the geese away!! Very enjoyable trip!!

Next stop, Boonshoft!!

A Fun Morning!

Last week Nicky (Christian's girlfriend) came over to spend the morning with Anna. They went to the fabric store and came back home to sew pillows!! And watch SpongeBob. And eat lunch together.

They had a great time together!! We love this girl and enjoy having her around as much as we can.

Thanks Nicky for planning this activity!! Anna had a great time and made a great memory!

Raising a Boy!

See this young man? Every time he comes into a room I just want to hug him!! Makes me proud to be his mama!!

God has taught me a lot about myself while raising this boy. Number 1: I am better equipped at raising a boy than I am at raising a girl!

Let me explain. I love my girls. I feel I am a great mom to my girls. But in certain ways I have failed them. You see - I am a Tomboy!! Yes, I admit it. I have no fondness for girly-girl stuff. Actually, I think I am impaired in some way. I can't even force myself toward these traits. Fortunately, my oldest daughter has inherited some girlishness from her grandmothers/aunts and can pass it along to her younger sister!

Bringing up my boy, however, has been easy. And refreshing!! Simple is always better. Some examples: my boy does not need a whole lot of clothing options. Tshirts and jeans are fine no matter what the occasion. And I never heard him complain about wearing the same clothes on Wednesday that he wore on Monday!! He didn't care if someone else noticed this, too! Girls, however, seem to have a problem with this.

Another example: soap! My boy is fine with bar soap or even shower soap that is the all in one variety. Hair and body wash combined - so simple. Girls on the other hand have shampoo, conditioner, body wash, a different lotion for everyday and a variety of applicators for each item. This just is overwhelming at times!!

My last example for today is - my boy never needed highlights, a $40 haircut, straightening or curling of the hair to feel attractive or creative. The good old hair clippers have been fine for all of his needs. At the beginning of the summer - he sported a mohawk. Easy, just shave the sides leave hair on top. After that he decided to be bald - easy- just shave the whole head. Now he is stylin it up on the chin! Easy - just shave off what you don't want - keep what you do! So simple and I love the results!

I'll wrap this post up by saying, "Thank You, my son." Thank you for keeping life simple and encouraging me in my strengths!!

And "thank you" for never buying me lotions or fancy soaps or jewelry for my birthdays. I have always loved each and every Starbucks gift card that you have ever given me. So simple. Melts my heart!!

Road Trip to Oxford:Part 3 - Bagels!

So this will be the last post regarding our Oxford trip and this might be the most enlightening post yet. If you get a chance to visit Miami University or even if you think you'll never visit there, ever, you have to get yourself to the Bagel and Deli Shop sometime during your life here on earth!! The Bagel Shop (as I lovingly refer to it) is located uptown and serves the most awesome, mouth watering bagel sandwiches in the world!! Well, at least in my world.
Now I am sure that many of you are skeptical thinking that you have had good toasted bagel sandwiches at other establishments. But these are not toasted, my friend. They are steamed and believe me after eating one of these beautiful steamed creations you will be thinking about them for the rest of your life. The Bagel Shop has an enormous menu of sandwich concoctions. I seem to always order my own combination - onion bagel with turkey, swiss cheese, banana peppers, onions, tomatoes, and honey mustard! Makes my mouth water! Also, the Miami Bagel - blueberry bagel with cream cheese and cinnamon sugar- is one that everyone needs to try. Because it is a Miami tradition.

Since there is not much seating at the Bagel Shop you probably will want to get your bagels to go. My suggestion is to take them to the little park in the square. Enjoy them. Then let the kiddos burn off some calories while running through the fountains.

Road Trip to Oxford:Part Two - Treasure!

Treasure! We collected and observed a lot of great stuff on our creek walk. Below are a number of the fossils that we collected: brachiopods, bryozoa and horn coral. I was the expert finder of horn coral!! Too bad I can't make money off of these! Anna and Bill were the experts at finding the live animals. Leave it to me to find "the dead and fossilized ones". Here is a little newt in Anna's hand.

This one is a little crayfish. Bill has the talent of picking up just the right rocks with these little guys underneath. Anna held one but this is a pic of a bigger one in the water. Anna wouldn't hold the big ones.

Finally, our toad friend. Actually, we had many toad friends for the day. Anna named each one. I think this is Hoppy. Maybe its not Hoppy. They all looked quite a bit alike. We also saw many snakes and one deer. I'd say we loaded up on treasure during this adventure!!

Road Trip to Oxford, Ohio: Part One

On Wednesday we decided to take a little jaunt up to Oxford, Ohio. We go up about 3-4 times a year to visit my old stomping grounds, Miami U. Go Redhawks!!! But for this trip we had a different adventure in store for us. Creeking at Pfeffer Park! Before I go any further, check out the muscles on this girl. Mercy!We had a lot of fun exploring. Some parts were deep enough for Anna to throw in her tube and relax. She was able to relax after we forced her to tolerate the four inch fish which swam within. Mercy.

She had a great time once she conquered her fear of what awaited her in the deep, deep water(about three and half feet!!!).

Most of our time at the park was spent looking for wildlife, fossils and enjoying the great outdoors. Next post - part two with all of our treasures.

Kind Sir has an Ouchie!!

On July 2 I had to drive Kind Sir here. They had to do major surgery on an old football injury. Actually, that is not true. Bill never played football. Actually, they had to do major surgery on an old baseball injury. Actually, that is partially true. Since he has thrown so many pitches over the years to Number One Son and his teammates seems like Bill had a little somethin' goin on with his elbow.

But now I'll share the number one reason Kind Sir had to have surgery on his elbow.
On Father's Day the whole family took a trip to the Beach Waterpark. We had a wonderful day to enjoy sun, water and relaxation. And while I was busy relaxing my bottom in one of those relaxing tubular rides, Kind Sir and the older two yahoos went to show off their athletic talents at the gymnastics rings which were suspended over the swimming pool.

The rings were not kind to Bill. Bill, who does twenty chin ups a day and is in better shape than any 51 year old man that I know, was taken out by the rings at the waterpark. And, now, he is sporting stitches, half cast and bandage. And, sadly, will not be able to do his beloved chin ups for a long, long time.

Please pray for Bill. Rehab is going to take a while on this one and yesterday I caught him with a sad, sad look on his face while glancing over at the chin up bar - he hates to miss his workouts.