Back in the swing of things.

Today is the first day back to school. Just the thought of it brings to my mind a montage of recollections, from when I was a kid myself to the present, when I’m a parent…

First day of school is:

Sadness that the season of ‘lazing about with no routine’ is past.
Newness of unsullied notebooks and textbooks.
Exhilaration of swapping summer adventures.
Relief at not having to search for meaningful summer activates for another year.
Crispness of brown paper book covers with names written on top in neat copperplate.
Remembering not to speed in school zones.
Bleary-eyed kids peeking from the windows of school buses.
Smell of chalk (now dry erase), new shoes, lunch boxes, and glue.
Fatigue from having driven all over town for the obscure items of the school supply list.
A pouting child standing in front of you, with minutes to spare for the school bus to arrive, because the lunch bag that was all the rage last year has become tacky and childish this year.
Feel of new school clothes – just a tad longer and bigger than necessary to allow for growth spurts – against your skin.
Fear that children will come home, each with a new supplementary supply list from individual teachers.
Nervousness at who will be assigned as your new classmates.
Anxiety of all the projects that will require umpteen trips to the craft stores, most of them at the very last minute possible.
Hope that your best friend will be in your group this year, too.
Sight of hundreds of happy, shiny, scrubbed faces lined up in the auditorium.
Misgivings that not only will your arch nemesis be in your class, but that she will be your lab partner for the year.
Excitement at finding out who will be your homeroom teacher.
Phone calls to and from to firm up carpool plans.
Prayers that the mean old math teacher won’t be assigned your class.
Secret enthusiasm about what new things you’ll get to learn.
Fighting the crowds at Walmart the afternoon before.

Back to school we go !




Our almost 17year old driving to her first day as a Junior.





Our 10 year old getting some play time in before school,and working up an apatite.




Here's to a great school year and nothing but growth and success !

Little League

We found an opportunity for our 9 year old to play
Little League baseball this year.Do to him leaving for the
entire summer, it was hard to find a league that started
early enough for him to get some good ball time in.

This is him # 11 warming up his arm with his buddy.
For there first game that was at the end of April.




Coach was rotating them all over to see who would fit well in what position.

Our 9 year old likes to play first base. This game he had to try out being a catcher. I know... he looks so darn cute in all the safety gear (OK, that is Mom commet for sure)For never playing this position before, he did great! He may be just a little small for the safety gear to fit quite right. Who knows... I have a funny feeling he will be back at first base sooner then he thinks.





The first at bat for our 9 year old was exciting (at least for me).He hit the second pitch. Nailed it to second base and was out at first. Now just for the record I am that Mom that was YELLING HUSSEL... DIG DIG DIG.... FASTER FASTER FASTER!
It was a good play.



We lost 13 to 8.

On the ride home I told my 9 year old that he did a great job. I also gave him a few pointers of my own. He quietly listened, then responded with... I could do allot better if you would just be a little more quite. Boy oh boy my son has allot to learn.


Current stats...
Sat 05/08/2010 Cardinals VS Red Sox W 13 8
Wed 05/05/2010 Cardinals VS Athletics W 21 20
Tue 04/27/2010 Cardinals VS White Sox L 7 14

2 wins, 1 loss and 0 tie

My Day Off

I recently had a day off so took an opportunity to take a day trip to Saint Louis. For those of you who don't know, Saint Louis is only about a two and half hour drive from our front door.

My 29 year old had a trade show that he was working, so I went to see him and a few old friends that I have in the industry. Then, I decided to take the rest of the day for me.

I can't tell you how many times I have been to this city. Each time I find something new to learn about and the history is just fabulous. So I parked my jeep and walked around the down town area. It was a beautiful day of 78 degrees and I wanted to take in some fresh air and enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

I walked down to the river and near the arch… Enjoying all the people and the sites.

Here are some facts that I picked up... Did you know this about the Saint Louis Arch~

• The Arch is the tallest national monument in the United States at 630 feet; it is the city's best known landmark and a popular tourist attraction.
• Construction began February 12, 1963 and the last section of the Arch was put into place on October 28, 1965.
• The Arch is a structure known as a catenary curve, the shape a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends, and considered the most structurally-sound arch shape. The span of the Arch legs at ground level is 630 feet, the same as its height.
• Each year, approximately a million visitors ride the trams to the top of the Arch. The trams have been in operation for over 30 years, traveling a total of 250,000 miles and carrying over 25 million passengers.
• The Arch weighs 17,246 tons. Nine hundred tons of stainless steel was used to build the Arch, more than any other project in history.

Just some thing I found interesting...
Also, here are just a two of the many snap shots that I captured of the arch.






My next stop, was to a nearby coffee shop to grab a delightful beverage.
Almost on every street you will find some type of neat art work.
This next snap shot happen to be right out front of the coffee shop I stoped at. Kind of neat I thought.



While enjoying the fresh air and a great cup of coffee, I took a stroll over to a place I just knew I was going to get in trouble at. I thought to myself, this can’t be bad idea. I am alone, I really have know schedule, I would like to be home by dinner time, and it is only 1:00 so how bad could it be?

As most of you know, I love the game of baseball. It truly is a passion of mine. I have a goal to see each and every major league baseball stadium up close (At a game would be ideal). Today was that day.(I mean, I have seen it many times from a distance, just not up close)I walked and walked. I was feeling a bit bad that I was alone doing this, but heck if the rest of the family wanted to see it we could come back. Right? Like I would be the one to say know way we are never going back....

Then there it was... Right in front of me...The home of the Saint Louis Cardinals.

Busch Stadium












A few facts about Busch Stadium~

• Groundbreaking - January 17th, 2004
• Grass Installed - March 15, 2006
• Inaugural Game - April 10, 2006
• Opponent - Milwaukee Brewers
• Ceremonial First Pitches - Chris Carpenter and Albert Pujols, to Bob Gibson and Willie McGee
• First Pitch - 3:14p.m., ball, Mark Mulder to Brady Clark
• Cardinals Hit - David Eckstein, 2nd inning, 04/10/06
• Cardinals HR - Albert Pujols, 3rd inning, 04/10/06


All in all I did not get in any trouble, I even stayed out of the major shops that day. I guess that will be my ticket to get to go back…. Unless I get a chance to go see I game (Maybe this summer).

It was a great day. I enjoyed every minute of it. I hope one day you get to enjoy the magic of Saint Louis. It is a great city!

The Conclusion

OK, It has been some time since my last post.
SORRY...Life has been kind of nuts.

I wanted to jump right back in with the conclusion of the Pinewood Derby.

The boys were back in the garage the next morning. They had the body of the car all cut out and the sanding was complete. They weighed it, and they decided that it was time to add some weight.

There are many ways that you can add weight to your car. Some just glue coins to the top of of the car or glue the bar weights to the bottom of the car.Others melt some lead and put it into the center of the car. I was hoping we would go with the gluing the weights on.

Oh know that would be too easy.




I think they just wanted to play with fire of course that is just my opinion.

Once the melted lead (fishing weights)foamed into the solid mold, it was time for the next step.

Painting.




The boys went with a red truculent color and a sliver grill also a # 2 for his racing number. Once the paint dried they added all the details and installed the axles and wheels.





Looking sharp and fast... READY FOR THE RACE.

The weight in was at 8:AM. The emotion were running high.

Pinewood Derby Car Dimensions

The overall length of the car shall not exceed 7 inches.
The overall width of the car shall not exceed 2 ¾ inches.
The car must have 1 ¾” clearance between the wheels.
The car must have 3/8” clearance underneath the body so it does not rub on the track.

Derby Car Weight
The car weight shall not exceed 5.0 ounces.


We all held our breath while the official put the car on the race scale and then into the box to check all the dimensions.

WE PASSED !!! We all exhaled with ease.

We received our race # and were put on the table ready for the race to start.



As you can see their are allot of unique race cars on the table.
As the boys walked around the table looking and admiring the other cars. They were already talking about what they could do differently for next year.


It was finally time for the first heat.



All the Scouts lined up. On your makes, get set, GO !
The cars came down quickly. I over head my 29 year old say to another Dad " We are to heavy in the middle" of the car. Then I head my 9 year old say to his buddy "my Dad put to much weigh in the middle of the car"!

The car took second in that heat. Not bad, but they both new that was the best they were going to do all day. As they continued to race heat after heat we watched biting our nails, hoping we would just make it to the next heat. We lasted five heats. Then we were disqualified.



This is our 9 year above (on the left) and one of his buddies after the event was over. Tehy are still smiling, so I think they had a good time !

We did not place this year. However, from the sounds of it we do have a master plan for next years car to take #1.




All in all the Scouts and the Dads had a great time and they look forward to the competition next year.

Pine Wood Derby Project Weekend

In early January my husband & son received a car kit for the Pine Wood Derby.

This will be the second race that our son entered.The first year was fun, he did not win a race but he had the best painted car in the race (Thanks to his uncle Tommy, and the paint booth in his body shop).

This year is going to be a bit different... Let's just say my husband does not have the same passion for motor vehicles of any sort working or not. This is just something that I think is in my family's blood. For my husband not so much. This does not make us love him any less, it just means when it comes to projects like this he seems to struggles a bit more...

He will tell you different, but this gift "I CAN DO ALL WITH KNOW WRONG" must have came from his father...(JUST JOKING, IT IS JUST A GUY THING) !



So my fabulous husband was feeling the pressure...
He polled some colleagues together at work, and some others and gathered ideas for how to build a fast car out of a block of wood.

My son added pressure by saying, "Nathan, can we really do this?"






They started Friday night and worked off and on into this evening. They sanded. And sanded. And sanded. Cut a little here and cut to much their. I heard a voice from the garage "Umm time to go buy a second block just in case". They primed. And primed and primed. And primed. They weighed, drilled more holes, sanded and primed again and again. Two of the three post office locations will be used to weigh the car-in-progress... I just pray that the scales are not off even by one to three-tenths of an ounce.





You see, this is BIG and the rules are out of control!
You have better odds in becoming the next President of the United States.


Race day is January 30Th, 2010, I'm not sure if they can do this...

They will be buffing and buffing the axles with jeweler's rouge until they shine like new money.

They will help set up the race track the night before the race; they will try out the car. I will pray it will be fast, Really fast!

By the 29Th the wheels will be off one last time and buffed again. This time they will be sprayed the axles with silicon and then applied graphite.


As for tonight, they have placed the dremal and the drill on the charges and turned off the body shops lights. My husband said to our son it was time to rest so we can have a fresh look tomorrow.

The next thing I knew ...




Enough said.

I will update you on the progress. I'm sure with all this effort something good will come from it.

Appearance

I was reading an article the other day on a of Reality TV star that spent $30,000 on way to much plastic surgery(my option of course).

It got me thinking in so many different directions. We will go with just one of them thoughts today...

I don't like evening about my appearance but I can change that very easy.... All I have to do is jump on the tread mill a few more times and that will take care of them issues in know time...So in lieu of going out and changing my appearance, I decided that I would go ahead and take advantage of a FREE face lift.

ON MY BLOG THAT IS ....

What do you think ?
Be HONEST I can handle it.

I am still working on it, I will fine tune as I learn more.

Have a great rest of your weekend.

Extraordinary Woman

To an Extraordinary mother, person, wife and a friend.
Today we celebrate her birthday
Which is number fifty-nine.

Hard to believe the years fly by,
This life we dig and delve.
She is so extraordinary...

She is a fabulous wife (right Ralph?)
and raised two great kids.
She even opened her heart an added a few more.
She manages so much more,
She's incredible, no doubt.

She keeps us all together.
Remarkable, in retrospect,
Our thanks? We've said a few.

Now that the kids are grown
with kids all of our own,
We really appreciate with clarity
All the wonders mom has sown.

Some how we all get along,
In fact, we do just fine.

It seems as if the whole thing
Came down to faith in the Lord.

Since "I" have known her
she has always believed !

She is always right here, supporting each if us,
In every way she can.

Her time, her heart, her courage.
Inspiration? She's a thrill.

She taught us how to cook some and knit too,
And function - always strong.
She counseled on the good life,
and taught us right from wrong.

She all about so many things,
Like unconditional love.

On your birthday, mom,
Our love we do avow.
You're just the best in every way,
Forever, then and now.



Love,
Your Family