Our Christmas Photo Albumn

John & Whitley at Loveland Ski Basin about 20 min. west of our house.
Me, Val, Hannah and front row is my other sister Amanda
Granny & Grandad enjoy all the grandkids home this Christmas: Kelsey, Tucker & Whitley

CHRIST-mas.....

One has to stop and ponder what month it is when the stores start to pull out their Christmas wares in July. However, the sounds of Christmas still never seem to catch up and ring out until Thanksgiving. Without fail, the last week of November fills our cars, homes and offices with the sound of Christmas.

From the time we were knee high to a grasshopper, the yuletide lyrics and hymns stretched our vocabulary and repertoires. I can remember Whitley's version of anything "evergreen" rolled off her tongue sounding something like this..."kiss-us twee" and how she used to giggle at the animal sounds to the "Manger Song". I can remember missing both of my front teeth singing, you guessed it, "All I Want for Christmas is My 2 Front Teeth". This year I wondered if there was just one song that could possibly capture what our Christmas was like.

A front runner was "Home for the Holidays" as I spent Christmas with my family in Illinois for the first time in almost 15 years or "Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer" as Whitley's Grandma (my mom) endured 2 separate surgeries on Christmas Eve., but as I reflected on all the interesting events while home, I decided a revised edition of "The 12 days of Christmas" would be more fitting. Since we started opening gifts on the 18th.....I thought our song should sound something like this:

On the first day of Christmas (Dec. 18) my true love gave to me a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 2nd day of Christmas my father gave to me, 2 airlines tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 3rd day of Christmas my true love gave to me, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 4th day of Christmas my mom bought for me 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 5th day of Christmas my dad gave his girls 5 minus 1 golden coins!!!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden!

On the 6th day of Christmas my mom gave to me, 6 nail biting hours while she was in surgery, 5 minus 1 golden coins!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 7th day of Christmas my family gave to me 7 times as much as last year, 6 nail biting hours of surgery, 5 minus 1 golden coins!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden!

On the 8th day of Christmas my parents gave to us 8 different gift cards, 7 times as much as last year, 6 nail biting hours of surgery, 5 minus 1 golden coins!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden!

On the 9the day of Christmas the Grinch gave to me, 9 cancelled flights back to Denver. 8 different gift cards, 7 times as much as last year, 6 nail biting hours of surgery, 5 minus 1 golden coins! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 10th day of Christmas the Grinch gave to me, 10 trips to the waste can, 9 cancelled flights back to Denver, 8 different gift cards, 7 times as much as last year, 6 nail biting hours of surgery, 5 minus one golden coins!!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden.

On the 11th day of Christmas my true love gave to Whitley 11 hours of ski lessons, 10 trips to the waste can, 9 cancelled flights, 8 different gift cards, 7 times as much as last year,, 6 nail biting hours of surgery, 5 minus one golden coins!!!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a pair of clogs from Sweden!

On the 12 day of Christmas my true love gave to Whitley, 12 more hours of skiing!!!! 11 hours of ski lessons, 10 trips to the waste can, 9 cancelled flights, 8 different gift cards, 7 times as much as last year, 6 nail bittng hours of surgery, 5 minus one golden coins!!! 4 slices of taco pizza, 3 kisses goodbye, 2 airline tickets and a-pair-of-clo-gs-fr-om-SWEEEEEE-DENNNNNNNNNN!!!!

Now, if none of this makes a bit of sense to you I can explain. I really did get a new pair of 42 cm., custom made clogs from Sweden and I love them! My father and Val purchased 2 airline tix for Whit & I to fly to IL. Actually, the offer was for John too, but "Mr. Postman" initially had volunteered to work Christmas this year to give someone else the day off, and they ended up closing the plant down after all. Yes, he (John) was sad to see us go so I got 3 kisses at the airport on my sendoff to Illinois. As for the 4 slices of taco pizza...they were small slices okay! My favorite pizza is Casey's taco pizza so I love to order up a pie when I get back to the Heartland, just a much as John does when he heads to PA.

Well, the 12 Days of Christmas has that mighty crescendo of "5 golden rings", and the only thing I could think of was the 4, fifty- dollar gold coins that my dad gave to each of his girls (My step mom Val, my sisters Amanda & Hannah & myself)...so the only way to state it correctly was to say 5 minus 1 golden coins!!! (which equals 4, right?)

Okay, this song is not as complicated as the second half of our 12 days of Christmas were. Why I didn't even have enough numbers to mention the two explosive fires w/in two days of each other, in the little rural town I grew up in. The one on Christmas Eve. was equivalent to a 5-alarm fire in the city!!! An old factory that had been converted to a storage shed, which housed antique cars, tractors, boats, motor homes, etc. exploded and could be seen for over 6 miles away! Anyway, not room for that in my song, but I just had to tell ya!

Now the 6th day of Christmas was actually Christmas eve. My mom was admitted to the hospital the day I first came to visit her (which was the 22nd) when we noticed she was turning yellow an jaundiced. On top of things, she had terrible stomach pains. On Christmas eve. they finally performed 2 separate surgeries: 1-they removed 3 gallstones the size of golf balls and her gall bladder and 2- they had to place a stent because a piece had broke off and was stuck in the bile duct and pancreas. It was really sad to see her in such pain. I tried to lighten her spirits and told her Santa must be really slipping because he had mistaken her gallbladder for some naughty person's stocking of coal!

The 7th day of Christmas was really Christmas Day and my did it seem like we got 7 times as much. As we surveyed all our gifts, we counted 8 generous portioned gift cards to 8 of our favorite places;; THANK YOU!!!

The 9th day Whit & I were actually trying to return back to Colorado. Two days and 9 cancelled flights later, we made it......the scenic route via route from Peoria, IL to Dallas/Ft. Worth to Colorado Springs, CO and two hours by car back home; PHEW!!

The 10th day I literally made 1o trips to the waste can as I believe I contracted food poisoning from a pecan-coated chicken salad from TGIF that I purchased on the fly in Dallas. That was the worst meal I had ever had in my life and I don't care to ever go through that again.

The 11th day John took Whitley for the first time skiing. All the years, she did not want to go, but for some reason she was game this year. On this day they played in the snow for about 11 hours and had a great time.

I designated the 12th day of Christmas as today the 29th, as this is John's last day off from a 5-day mini-vacation. They had so much fun, they hit this slopes again, this time, with good friends Grant, and his daughter Isabella (Izzy). Aside from being 10 below in the high country and John dropping his ski on Whitley's nose while she was lying on her back in the snow (OUCH!!), they wiped off the blood, dried off the tears and weathered the cold for 12 hours of fun in a winter wonderland!

All silliness and chorusing aside, I was reminded by a kind man from Dallas who empathized with our traveling woes on Christmas day, when he said, "But despite all the delays, changes and frustrations, Christmas still happened today, didn't it?"

Without an answer required, I sighed and recounted all our blessings, all the memories made and the peace of knowing that hope began with the birth of a little boy, born in a manger, named Jesus." Yes, not even a blizzard or King Herod could stop Christmas!

We hope that your holidays were special in some way; be it in a hospital bed, or in an airport terminal or in your homes and places of worship; MERRY CHRISTMAS to each of you!

Home Impovements Phase 2 almost a "wrap!"

Top Picture: This is the loft and temporarily our bedroom while the master bedroom is gutted and repaired. The wall behind the bed used to have a 60 in. big screen tv in it that we sold.

Picture #2:This picture is also the temp. m. bedroom. The wood door in the corner is what you walk into to get to the new laundry room. When the master bedroom is complete, the loft will become a home office.

This is the far end of the new laundry room. This whole room used to be storage, but as you can see from the Rubbermaid containers, this was all the space that I needed for stowing things.

This is about center of the room. I asked John to custom build these shelves to fit 4 laundry baskets so that clothes could be separated by color. With a family of three and the invention of front loaders, I only do four loads every 2 weeks!

This is right as you walk in the laundry room. I use this side to stow my sewing machine and craft supplies for scrapbooking etc.

On the long wall, I've asked John to build me a doll rod system that you can slide on rolls of gift wrap and ribbon. Then I can just pull it off and wrap at the counter!

As you can see I need a finish coat of paint and hardware for the cabinets still.

These days wrapping up constructions projects feels as good as wrapping Christmas presents. We pasted a picture that started with the kitchen in an older post here on our blog. Phase 2 was to build a laundry upstairs across from the master bedroom. Well, that is now almost complete! I have to put a final coat of paint on cabinets and John will install the knobs and handles on them after that. I also ordered a wallpaper border that has little wahboards and irons on it to run across the backsplash. Then a few throw rugs will make the space real homey! John found some bases that go under the washer and dryer that will raise the height and add an additional drawer underneath for storage and then it's a "wrap"!

Now that the hole in the wall is patched, where the bigscreen tv used to be, we moved our bedroom into the loft temporarily. This now clears out the master bedroom so phase three of construction can begin. This is redoing the master bath and master closet as well as piant and flooring for the m. bedroom itself. This area was the hardest hit from last winter from an ice dam that migrated into the house. Once the ice dam migrated far enought in, the heat from the house started melting it and it literally started to "rain: in between walls and through the ceiling. It will be nice to get all that moldedy stuff out and replaced!

Well, that's the construction update for now. Stay tuned for details in the upcoming months. the goal is have upstair done by spring and the kitchen done by summer!

Snow, Sniffles & Surprises

In Colorado, we call this kind of snow "powder". It's the kind of snow you get when it is really, really cold and yet it still manages to snow. It's the kind of snow that crunches beneath your tires and falls from the tree tops like glitter when the wind blows. It's the kind of snow that ski resorts and skiers love!!

We didn't fare too badly at the house...just under a foot of the fluffy stuff. However, above 1oK ft. they measured the snow in feet, not inches. Some places received over 5 ft. in 48 hrs.! Now John & Whitley can finally hit the slopes. They practiced on a few hills in the neighborhood last night so she could get the feel of things before they tackle the big runs.

With the cold weather ususally comes the sniffles. Actually, it's probably worse than that but I couldn't think of another word that began with "S". This morning I thought it might be strep and I suppose that would have worked but, that would have been really bad news. Shivers is another word I could have used as I have been running a fever all day and get the shakes if chilled. This is not the weekend to get sick as I am just three nights away from my last exam. It is really hard to think about Mendelian Genetics and ribonucleic acid when I'd rather be curled up under the covers trying to sleep this thing off. Please say a prayer for me that I get through these next few days.

I wanted to end on a positive note with a "surprise". It is probably in some ways better now than later to be sick but atleast I will be well for our trip back home to Illinois. My Dad purchased airlines tickets for Whitley & I to come home for Christmas!!!! This will be the first time in almost 14 years that I have been home on Christmas Day. It has been even longer since my sisters and I have been together as well, so we are all excited. Part of how the years got away from us is that John works at the Post Office and you are not allowed to schedule leave in December, for obvious reasons. Although he has had Christmas Day off over the years, he usually has to work the following day. The Denver Bulk Mail Center does run 24/7/365 so this year decided he would volunteer to work it and take his turn working Christmas Day. The good thing is that Whit & I will be home late Christmas Day to join back up with him and then he has the next couple of days off to spend with us!! It really is a surprise that we are going as I really had not planned on it!

Well, this might be my last blog for awhile, and possibly this year. There is lots to do between now and Christmas. Our new laundry room should be done this week and things back in order by the weekend. The next phase is to move our bedroom to the loft and start demo-ing the master bath and master closet. John wants to take a little break and than go back at it after New Years. It will be nice when it is all done and the dust is settled, literally!

Until then, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!

SAMUELS TRIVIA

Soon and very soon, you should be getting your Christmas Card in the mail from us. This year, we did things a little different. Instead of the usual chain letter, we decided to make things a little light hearted and not bore you with all the details of 2007. We decided to do a little trivia about our family to see how well you know us. If you haven't got the letter yet, don't cheat....wait to look at the answers after you challenged yourself. If you have it in front of you, well, here's the results.

Starting from the top, the first answer is B
Next answer is Whitley
C, they all broke their left wrist
B, I've played them all but the guitar I received when I was 5
D, please bring ear plugs when visiting
B, We were married April 15, 1995
D, they are lime green
B, He is assembling a German officer's wardrobe presently
A, Did you peek at the front of your card?
B, They are CO,UT,NE, AZ, NV,IA,IL,IN,OH,PA,MO
B, It's a lot of work, so we like to enjoy the fruit of our labors for awhile!
T, no cords to chop here!
T, so you can see how big our girl is getting!
C,like mother like daughter!

SO HOW DID YOU DO?????

14-10 answers right: You are one smart sugar cookie!
9-5 answers right: Not bad, but you better put us on speed-dial and stay in touch more often!
4-0 answers right: We must both be overdue for a visit; hope to see from you in 2008!!!!

Habakkuk 3:2&3

vs. 2~ "Lord, I have heard of your fame; I stand in awe of your deeds, O Lord. Renew them in our day, in our time make them known; in wrath remember mercy......,

vs.3~ His glory covered the heavens and his praise filled the earth. His splendor was like the sunrise." (NIV)

Talent Show

This past Monday we enjoyed an evening full of talent by the kids at Whitley's school. The MC's were two boys from school who were very entertaining. There were vocalists, dancers, stand up comics, a three man band, karate demonstrations, and instrumental duets and solos. Our very own Whitley did a harp solo. You could have heard a pin drop in the room as every ear listend to her solo; she really made us proud! John & I nearly were sick being nervous for her, so we were relieved that it went so well. The other two girls in her class each did a vocal solo and they too, were great! It is so wonderful to see all the gifts and talents that God has blessed people with! And how thankful we were to have eyes and ears to behold it all!

PHOTOS: VERY TOP-Keauna, Whitley & Madison (three peas in a pod). These are the only three girls in the 5th grade. MIDDLE PICTURE:Whitley & Madison back stage warming up and tuning. BOTTOM PICTURE: Whit and her harp!

Home Improvements

Sometimes things at 79 Pine seem all to similar to Tim Allen's sitcom. Home improvement projects seem to be going on in almost every room of the house. It all started with the microwave dying and now, we have the kitchen under construction and the laundry room now moving upstairs. What I'm not sure of is, what all is in that new heart medication John is taking. He no longer likes the taste of beer and has been very ambitious when it comes to house projects. I know ladies, you're asking, "Where I can I buy this stuff?", but trust me, you do not want your hubby's blood pressure to go there. And so it is, we have just finished phase one of the kitchen, which was replacing all the appliances in stainless steel. Phase two, is to move the washer & dryer out of the kitchen pantry area and move it upstairs to a storage room just off the loft. The thought is that the laundry room will now be by the master bedroom. I was never much of a pack rach so the storage room offers plenty of space to become a laundry room. I have been watching Craiglist for some old kitchen cabinets to come available and then we will throw a laminate counter top over that. John will build some shelves to make what storage containers I do have, easier to pull in and out. When the laundry room is done, then we will move the home office out of the basement and put it in the loft. The loft offers beautiful natural light throughout the day. This will then free up the basement to be a rec room/guest room for all our visitors.

The next phase will be to come back to the kitchen, remove the fridge from the wall that it is on and make that area desk/laptop work area. The fridge will be built in seamlessly to the wall where the laundry room once was, and the other half of the laundry room will be a pantry with floor to ceiling shelves. We have a knob over the peninsula that will be ripped out and two pendant lights will go there. We also plan to tile behind the stove as we had a lot of drywall damage from last years icedam. Also, because all the walls have a faux finish and one wall will get ripped out, I wouldn't be able to replicate the retrofitted wall to match the others, hence the tile!

After that is all done, we will go back and gut our bathroom that has tons of damage from last years storm. We thought while we were at it, we would also redo our master closet so we gain an extra 10 ft. wall in our bedroom...hopefully for a king sized bed some day! We will achieve this by making the closet a walk-in closet and taking about a foot out of the bedroom. We will also gain room in the bathroom to have a double vanity, which will be nice. I guess there are silver linings to when things break or go wrong. I'm thankful for a very talented husband who can makes all the projects very obtainable and affordable.

Anyway, that's the plan.....somewhere between school and everything else. It will be nice when it is done. I already love the changes in the kitchen; it feels warm and cozy like a den! I LOVE having an icemaker that works, black stove burners (my last were white and were a pain to clean), a timer/beeper on the stove that I can actually hear (my hearing is really bad), and a sink that no longer turns black or orange with my cast iron skillet and spaghetti sauce. It is also big enough for a drip/dry rack. I'm excited for a desk area for my laptopn and storage for the big phone book, etc. I also have been very limited on storage and so I know I'm going to love having a pantry!!!!

Anyway, here's a photo of phase one complete in the kitchen!

20/20 VISION???

Well, November will probably seem like a "blur" when it all said and done with. Whitley is officially 11 years old and her Mom is officially old enough to stop celebrating. These days my eyes seem to tire. Maybe it's from hours of studying and maybe it's because I'm now pushing 40. If I remember correctly, that seems to be about the time that John started wearing "cheaters".

The days go so fast and never a dull moment to spare. I am learning so much in school. We have went from Chemistry to Organic Chemistry to BioChemistry and now to Bioenergetics, which in lay terms relates to Cellular Respiration and Photosynthesis. But it is much more than knowing that bodies need sugar,carbs,lipids and protein or that plant's have cholorphyll and photosynthesize. I'm learning about the things I can;t see with my naked eyes. In cellular respiration, I've learned that a 6 carbon sugar goes through 10 enzymes to split in to two, three carbon sugars called pyruvates. If there is oxygen present, they enter the mitochondria and undergo reactions with 8 more enzymes in the Kreb's cycle which produces NADH & FADH2 which carry proteins to the ETS (Electron Transport System). There the NAD loses the H+ and they diffuse across a concentration gradient. They eventually fall through the ATP synthase system because of Oxygen's electronegativity and then become H20 and ATP! ATP is ENERGY,and that is what we need to live!! Learning about plants was a little easier. They use our by-products CO2 & H2o to give us C6H12O6 and 6O2. In the choloroplasts, they have a thykaloid and in its membranes are quantasomes P680 and P700 to create light reactions. They are like little solar panels. The go throught the Calvin Cycle which is alot like the Electron transport system to produce NAPHP which produces glucose in the dark reactions. The two are opposites, but there is a link between then two. We can't live without plants, but they can love without us! That is pretty humbling to me!

Well, that's all I have to share for this week. We are winding down the semester so things are getting really busy: big projects are due in all classes. The last of regular lecture and lab exams are within the next week and then I start prepare for finals! I can actually see light at the end of the tunnel. I may need to readjust how much to take on next semester so I'm not so negative and Disney doesn't offer me a lead part for "GRUMPY! In case they didn't know, I 'm auditioning for the guy named "DOC"...the one with GLASSES!!!!

Doot-doo-doo-deeEEHHH!!! (trumpet blast)

Here ye, here ye! Behold thy new crowned Queen! Queen Whitley!!! The queen shall hereby reign from this day, Wednesday the 7th, in the month of November, for the year of thy almighty God,2007. She shall reign with fairness and justice for both men and women. She shall bestow kidness and mercy to the poor, so long as she is queen...., which is atleast for today, as she was crowned Queen of her School for "Renaissance Days!" It was a happy day for all. They had stew, kaiser rolls, sausages as their meal. There was also jousting, story telling and much more! What a great week for Whitley!

What's balck and white and read all over?

Depends on who you ask. Some say it's zebra that tripped over a bucket of red paint! Others say it's a newspaper. And of you asked Whitley, the answer would be...A BOOK!!!!

She has always loved to read and this year she was awarded for being the top reader in her class. She received a medal and certificate. School has been tough on both she and her parents so it was nice to celebrate something positive for a change. We are so thankful for a child that has her eyesight to appreciate this particular way of learning.

Whit's 11!!!!

The only request was for an ice cream cake, and still, she made out like a bandit! Awake at 6 am, she waited for her exhausted mother to crawl out of bed a little after 9. John took the day off of work to get in on the festivities as well. We decided not to torture her any longer by making her wait until after breakfast to open her gifts. The way her hands quickly worked in circles tearing open the gift wrap reminded me of Roadrunner's rotating cartoon feet. Even though we started with some items that she "needed", her enthusiasm did not wane...Beep-Beep! She opened 2 new pair of uniform pants for school, and three uniform shirts, all wrapped individually, in 65.9 seconds. Then we graduated up to the fun stuff: these cute corn-on-the-cob holders that are a little "weiner dog" in halves. The head is on one side and the tail on the other. One of Whitley's favorite foods is sweet corn on the cob, and she had asked me to make it for her b-day dinner tonight, so I couldn;t resist the little holders when I saw them! Anyway, back to the gifts....she got a new pair of skis/boots/bindings and new ski goggles!!! This is because all 5th graders ski free and get a season pass this year, so we decided to invest in the gear! Next, she got an animal book that has awesome pictures and facts about all the species known to man! She had her head in the book a great deal today; I still think she might be a zoologist.... many birthdays from now. Last, she had wanted this fleece embroidered jacket from the Outdoor Lab she attended in September. She thought she was not getting it, but I placed the order on line and the teacher hid it for me so I could use it as a birthday gift. Hence, she was totally surprised when she opened it today.

After gifts, John made a big breakfast: eggs,toast, turkey bacon, juice and pomegranate. It was very tasty. I did dishes while everyone got around. Then we headed to a place called "FAT CITY" to go play some indoor putt-putt golf. This was Whitley's chosen activity. They were going to go skiing, but her ski pass never came by mail.

We came home and John started on dinner and I went to pick up her friend Katelynn, for a sleepover. We all ate dinner and then had Whitley's request: a chocolate ice cream cake! YUM!!

The girls are downstairs playing as I download the pictures from today and post this blog. And so it is, another birthday has past and another year has begun. Number 11 has been celebrated in grand style. Hard to believe we will have a teenager in the house in 2 more years. Where does the time go?

A Visit to Kendall Elyse's House!

Whitley-IPOD NANO Kendall-Pink Butterfly

The two little girls in blue and the white pony are friends of Kendall and her family. The Jumbo plumber is Kendall's brother Cameron and the Transformer is her other brother Taylor. Whit & Kendall are in the background.

A close up of Kendall's brother Cameron. And of course, when he turns around...there's a "plumber's crack"!!!

We had a great time with Kendall & her family; such gracious people!!! Her Mom, Kim, put on a fabulous spaghetti/lettuce/garlic bread dinner. The kids had a blast trick-or-treating the hood. Kim & I stayed home and passed out candy bars and caught up gabbing.

We plan to spend Thanksgiving with them at Kim's Mom & Dad's place, and Sean's parents will be there as well. It will be the first time we've met Sean's parents. Our next event after that, will be for New Years! We are so thankful that our families are so close!

Anyway, after the women folk did their get-to-gether planning, the kids arrived back with the dads. Sean made some expressos with a little Bailey's and Cream in it, and served it up with a slice of pumpkin cheesecake. UMMMM.....what a perfect way to end October. Now that's what I call starting the holidays off right!!!

FUN FALL MEMORIES

Halloween 2005-Candy Corn Girl

Halloween 2004 - Tin Min and Scarecrow

Halloween 2002- Mad Chef and Spaghetti Girl

This year carving pumkins-2007

What Kind of Apple?

What kind of apple is Whitley going to go in costume as this year for Trick or Treat??? Any guesses?

A Granny Smith?

No, try again.

A Fuji?

Uh-uh.

A carmel apple?

Nope, but I made some for her 5th grade class fall party; YUMMMM!!!!

Give?

How about an APPLE IPOD NANO WITH VIDEO????

YES!! How did you guess?!?!?!?

After 10 years of making her costumes I could not resist. The idea is uniquely my own and I've yet to see anyone duplicate it. Being a "tween" she really liked the idea; not too babyish is key.

It's an amazing what a mom-in-college might think of when given a hot glue gun and a exactoknife!

Well tonight we did the test run with the outfit, carved pumpkins, made "Dirt & Worm" cups and caramel apples for her class party. It was another full day. It is a busy time of year, with her birthday just 3 days away as well! I'll get a few photos off to you and catch up after she turns 11!

Trials and Tribulations

Trail and tribulations....we all go through them from time to time. Over the past week our family has three has faced some challenges together. For starts, John's blood pressure decided to enter another biosphere as it reached 211/148 Sunday evening. Like most men, he refused to go to the hospital. His irrate wife insisted that he see his doctor the following day. Lucky for him, and her, he was still breathing the next morning and he went in to be checked. She (the doctor) wanted to admit him as well as his BP was still 190/138. She started him on some medication and now after seven days it coming within normal limits.

Whitley has been struggling with her new school. We are trying to decided if the move there is a good thing or not. The first grading period ends on Wednesday and there are three more grading periods to go. It is too soon to tell. Let's just day that we have seen a few "gooseeggs" on some daily assignments and they weren't laid by a duck, or our dog (Goosebumps). She is ramping up for trick-or-treating (probably her last year). I'll surprise you with her costume on our next post. We are going to see our foster daughter on the 31st and have dinner with Kendall Elyse and her family. As for the grades, it feels like an awful trick, but maybe with some hardwork, the treats will come.

My laptop crashed on Friday...the net loader went out. I had not done a back up in awhile and therefore, a lot of school projects were on there. So, it is sitting at a computer medic's office having my data extracted (68 pg. psychology report and 18 page biology experiment were of great importance) . After we retrieve that, John will try and rebuild the thing!

Well, today is Monday and a new week. It's amazing what a day or two can make. Most likely, happier days and blogs are ahead.

What Girls Do For Fun These Days

This is Whitley's friend Marika

Here's Whitley

And the two photo- journalist-editor-publishers!!!

When I played alone as a girl, I played with Barbies. When I played inside, with other kids, we played house, school, store and board games. In the winter, our outside games consisted of building three room snow forts, snowball fights and even setting up someones discarded tree after Christmas and re-decorating it with items we found lying around. In the summer, we played hide and seek, started a game of baseball, pitcher and catcher if there was just two of us, rode bikes, had foot races, fished, swam in the strip mines or a creek and the list could on and on. We were gone from early morning, popped in for lunch when the noon whistle blew and home before dark. We combed every inch of our little midwestern town and somehow managed to live and circumvent serious injuries. Sure, I crashed into a 50 year old oak tree learning to ride my bike, got zapped by an electric fence, thrown from a horse and rolled a 4-wheeler, one incident of which I got grounded for. And yes, there were scraped knees too many times to count, bruises from who knows where, rusty nails in the feet and a splinter to be pulled from my finger...but somehow, I survived. And you know what? It was great fun....some of the best memories I have today.

But today, the parks are empty and if they are attended, an adult is present. Nobody walks home from school, especially at age 6! Your Dad is vacationing with his other kids, your mom is on a business trip and your teacher has suspended you for telling a boy he looks like Zac Efferon. Now, go to your room, and do your homework, before you really get it!

In other places, like LA, kids sleep in bath tubs to avoid stray bullets flying from gang crossfire. But the actual threat to kids is perhaps less important than the perception of danger. There were almost 36 million American children between the ages of 5 and 14 in the US in 1991, and only 519 of them were murdered. The mortality rate has dropped steadily for decades since we started immunizing to less than 50% of the 1950 figures. This is because influenza killed more children than all the child predators and drive by shooting in history. However, the fear of crime is almost a separate phenomenon from the real danger it poses. Today, fear is to be feared.

It subtle, but it's there. Architecture, for example, used to have porches on the front. Houses orientated themselves to community and kids playing in the streets. Today, we have privacy fences and back patio with yards where kids play alone or with a friend whose mother may drive them over. More glaring signs are are security systems, some on your house and some on your kids! Video cameras, NEIGHBORHOOD WATCH signs, kids texting on cells to their parents to let them know they are okay.

No one can blame parents for being protective of their children or wanting to keep them safe, but I never thought I, or we, would be this hyperprotective. Disease still kills more kids than stalkers.

Of course there are the Polly Klaas's, the Jon Benet's. But why is this only in America? Why do kids stil run up and doen the market street of Panama? And walk home at 7 from school in Canada? Who killed the innocent age of childhood in America?

Perhaps, we all did.

************************************************************************************

The above statements above are revised from some work I've done in my Human Growth and Development class. I am touched by the importance of childhood play and am determined to start taking a few more risks in life with my child to see that she is able to make the memories I had and learn the "street smart" skills that comes with a few bumps and spills.

Whitley had a great weekend. It snowed again, about 7 inches here at the house. She had a blast playing in the snow! She also had a friend over this weekend and they used my digital camera palying "modeling" and running a "magazine" all weekend. They took their pictures and then went to the phot editor on the computer and really added some sophisticated touches to their work. I noticed their pictures captured lots of emotion and feelings that they felt kids could relate to. They even had a section in their magazine that dealt with "Depression". Hmmmm. I was really proud of their diverse work, their resourcefulness and their creativity. It's interesting to see them use the tools and electronic toys of today, to play!

Enjoy and once in awhile, even if you're 50.....GO PLAY!!!!!

MONEY, MONET

I mentioned a post or two ago, that our old digital camera konked out on us this week. We replaced it with another Kodak, very inexpensive , 5 megapixel, straight forward little camera. I have been playing around with the various settings for the last two days and decided to use the macro setting. I picked up a fresh Autumn Boquet of flowers from the local grocery to use as my "still-life". The little camera is savvy enough ,that the art of shooting flowers seems effortless. Here is the first photo I took. It's evidence that the "hardware" is smarter than the "meatware". Man has technology improved and expanded over the years! For very little money, I feel like a Monet!

Soup & Snow

We knew it was getting close. The furnace had kicked in a time or two. The sweaters have been brought to the front of the closet and we had two squalls of snow that didn;t add up to anything. But this morning, when I awoke, I found the first measureable snow, sicking to the ground, while still falling overhead.

So it is, October 14, 2007 marks the first new school at the Samuel's house. Hmmm..what sounds good for dinner? I think I'll bring out an old favorite: Cheezy Ham, Potatoe and Veggie Soup.

Dinner's at 5 anyone????

Catching Up

Well, it' s been a little nutty for the past few weeks. I made it through mid-term finals and I am really pleased with my grades; it was worth all the hours of studying. Aside from a letter grade, I have really learned alot about the world around me. I am more in awe of God's creation than ever before: from the unique properties of water, to ionic bonding, to a cell. I am so amazed!

Whitley is coming along in her school work. Her new school has really challenged her but she is rising to the occassion. Her renal ultrasound is scheduled for Nov.1 and we expect to have a good report on her kidneys! She started harp lessons last week for the first time. Her teacher is so talented and Whitley responds well to her. A whole lot of the lesson was about form and fingering techniques; I hope Whit sticks with this! I'm going to attach a few pictures of her practicing here at home.

John is still licking his wounds from that roof project on our house and is still not quite back to himself yet. He has been dinking around on the internet and has been assembling all the equipment for he and Whitley to go skiing this winter. All 5th graders in the state of Colorado ski free. It is really a great marketing tool to ensure the next generation of skiers. The opened a new resort area just 12 miles west of us last winter called Echo Mountain. A years pass for John was super affordable. Not only is it close, but it has lighted runs at night with music, so they can always get a run or two in after school for a little exercise. We have had one squall of snow here at the house that didn't amount to much, but we are expecting and acculmalative amount tonight. Looks like it won't be long before father and daughter are hitting the slopes. I told them I would try over Christmas break; this should be interesting!

We replaced a lot of things this week: the over the stove microwave, the refridgerator and our digital camera. We're taking it in stride and I'm just pretending that my birthday came three weeks early. We decided to go with stainless steel appliances for a change, so half my kitchen is in that now. We had really good luck finding some decent deals out there at this time of year. We bought our fridge from the Sears scratch and dent sale. We got 50% off a brand new s.steel side by side w/ indoor icemaker because it had a dent on each side. Lucky for us, the fridge butts up to a wall on the left and the counter on the right and so it looks flawless. The product comes with the full manfr. warranty so we were pretty excited with our find. We are pleased with the microwave and increased the wattage. It's kinda scary how fast it cooks things. As for the camera, the old one was only a two magapixel, so it had seen better days and we got our money out of it. These things happen from time to time.

Well, I hope this blog finds all of you well. Here's a crazy thought: only 73 days until Christmas!! Where did 2007 go?????

Harping about Dollars and Sense

Do you remember when you brought your band/orchestra instrument home for the first time? Oh how those clarinets "squeaked"! And what about that ring aroung your upper lip from the mouthpiece? Or the gurgle that accumulated from hot air and spit in the body of your brass instrument? And how about that drum set that magically ended up in your garage or basement one day when you got home from school? Hmmmm..who could have moved it???? Your Mom? Your Dad?????

Well, John & I have been spared all the above, but unfortunatley our wallet has not. Whitley has decided to take up playing the HARP! It was a really tough decision, but the pieces came together and we felt lead to give her this wonderful opportunity!

Since the instrument is somewhat rare, we'll give you a little education on the harp. For starts, she will begin on a 26 string "Ravenna". The harp is about 5 ft. tall. It has a very beautiful voice. Standing harps can vary between 19 to 36 strings. They are usually made of cherry, rosewood or maple. The style of the harp is unique to a specific style like Celtic, Folk, Traditional,etc. The particular harp that Whitley will start on, retails for about $2,500.00 (used), but we can rent it for the first 6 months. After that, we can apply the 6 months rental to the purchase price is she is excelling and we wish to purchase it.

So here's what I want to know, "How did David, a poor shepard boy in the Bible, afford his harp???? I'm not quite sure, but here's our plan.

If she is still playing by high school, we can look at the Pedal Harp which runs between $11,000-$55,000.00!!!! I know, we choked too.....however, the demand for harpists is so great that there is a high probability that she could get a full ride to college on a music scholarship...which in turn would save us about $100K in college tuition. Now, with that being said, it seems like it might be worth the investment.

For now, she will start on Mondays after school with a private instructor just a few miles west of her school. She is required to practice 30 minutes a day 5-7 days a week, and we'll just have to see what happens from there!

She is really, excited. She said tonight that when she gets good enough, she wants us to have people over for a formal dinner and she will play dinner music with her harp! Now there's an idea!! Maybe we'll just start charging at the door! Or do you think maybe, just maybe....



she might end up herding mutton??????

SHE'S HOME!!!!!!

Above- this is a picture of "Castle Rock" (no,not the suburb).
This is located outside of Conifer, CO at the camp Whitley attended.

This is a picture Whitley took with a disposable camera on

one of her nature hikes.

These are some kids from Whit's school. She is fourth from the right with

the tan hat on.

This was her home away from home..the Columbine Cabin that

she stayed in for the week!

__________________________________________________________

Well she did it! She made the trip full circle and had a blast! She has been talking non-stop since I picked her up at 2 pm today. Of course right away we had to have her disposable camera developed so we could see where she stayed; these pictures are hot off the press!!!!

As we've pieced together all the action, we can tell you a little of how her day went.

Wake up call was at 6:15 am. Then they went to the Mess Hall and did their daily dance to

a song called "Doot Doot". Then there was time for a morning prayer (interesting for a public school?!?). Next was breakfast.

Each day was filled with hikes, activities, lectures, special visitors,etc. She was very excited that she got to see a great horned owl, a red-tailed hawk, a barn owl and a python! Anything having to do with animals, zoology is right up her alley!

One particular hike was called an "Initiative Hike". It was a three hour hike with many challenges that required teamwork and problem solving. One thing that she said was especially scary was called a "trust fall", where you fall Nestea Plunge style and your team must catch you. She assured me that the adults were strategicaly placed at the end of the chain to catch her "melon". Your melon Whitley???? "I mean my head!", she laughed. Maybe that's why they didn't let the kids call home all week. Can you imagine if the kids called home on the first day and told us about the "trust fall"....that would have wrinkled a few feathers!

After breakfast, they tidied up their rooms. She said that her cabin tied for the neatest cabin and they won a ribbon.

They also had these leather name tags around their necks and they strung beads on the string that they received for merit/good behavior. There were a couple incidents that made us feel especially honored to be her Mom & Dad. I tell you more about that later.

Anyway, all day there were labs and classes. She did archery, photography and astronomy. They breaked for lunch and had some quiet time afterwords to journal.

Later in the afternoon, more classes.

The evenings included dances, games, skits and good ol camp fun. Lights were out at 10:45pm.......PSSSST! and you could earn another bead if you were quiet and went right to sleep.

As I mentioned earlier, there were a couple events where Whitley really shined. One incident she told us about was when she gave up her box of Fruit Loops for a box of plain Cheerios to a kid who loved Fruit Loops, but who was always last in line and kept getting the "crummy cereals" each day.

Another occasion was when this one boy, whom kids teased constantly went to sit down at the table with all the other boys. The minute he sat down, all the boys got up and left him sitting alone. Whitley said he started to cry. She went over to comfort him and told him he could sit at her table. She said the boy did not eat for two whole days after that, even though she conituned to invite him to sit with her each day. Finally on the third day, he warmed up to her and they became good friends. She said that he has some facial deformity that makes him look like a "giraffe" on the outside, but she said he is the most beautiful person on the inside. I couldn't help but cry when she told me the story. I told Whitley that her Heavenly Father must be very pleased with her actions that she did in secret. In her childlike words she said, "My counselor didn't see me be nice to this boy to give me a bead for my necklace, but GOD saw what I did in secret and someday will give me a jewel for my crown!" Agghh...from the mouths of babes! Heaven will be the day when she's really HOME!

Packing Up!

Well another week has whizzed by. The days are getting shorter and cooler. We have had a terriffic amount of wildlife in the yard lately: swift foxes, red foxes, skunks, robins, mtn. blue birds, magpies, cottontails, elk, white tailed deer, mule deer, owls, bats and the like. A startling surprise was last week, when a mother black bear was letting her cub wander out a bit from the den. My neighbor Hilda, was the first to spot her. She was thankful that she wasn't in between Momma and her cub before figuring out that the little black ball of fur was a bear instead of a dog. Yes, the signs of fall are here, the Aspen trees are on the cusp of changing and the animals are packing up for the long winter!

John finished the roof of the house with some new energy conserving insulation. He replaced the damaged roof from last years horriffic winter and thought he'd add a few layers of insulation while he was at it. Just like the animals are packing on layers to keep warm, well... so are we!!!

Whitley dear, packed up the last of her things for her week long mountain expedition that starts early Monday morning. I'm really curious to see how she is going to re-pack all this stuff before coming home. Her one and only suitcase contained: a sleeping bag, reg. size pillow, snow pants/ski coat, hooded sweat shirt, long johns, 4 shirts, 3 prs. of pants, undergarments, snow boots, tennis shoes, 4 pr. thick wool/hiking socks, a camera, notebook, 4 pencils, deck of cards, toothbrush/toothpaste,shampoo,brush,sunscreen, chapstick, lotion, sunglasses, 2 ski hats and 2 pr. gloves! Anyway, she is really excited as she found out that she is in the Columbine Cabin and gets to do three activities that she signed up for: archery, photograhy and hiking. She is nervous how she is going to keep up physically from 6:15 am to 10:45 pm....as she's a little like her Mom..., and likes her sleep! Anyway, it should be a great time for her and hopefully she'll have some beat pictures to post after her adventure.

WOLVES IN SHEEP'S CLOTHING

Well, this weekend started off fairly good until Whit ran to me, in a panic. Breathlessly, she explained to me that a member of an online game site was pestering her for her name and age. She told us that the online character first appeared as a game member who was lost in the woods. He kept saying, "Help! Would someone please help me find my way out of the woods?" Being kindhearted, Whitley started chatting with the person on how to get out of the woods, but the minute she did, his demeanor changed. She said he revealed that he was 27 from the UK and he wanted to know her name age. Next thing we knew, 26 viruses/add-ware/spyware/porn and the like started embedding itself into my harddrive and CRASH it went!!! I'm not sure who was ready to faint first, me or Whit. I had 2 weeks worth of homework on this computer and then some. I maintained composure and we applauded her for her internet safety and for coming to get us. However, we were sad to see that someone had preyed on a child's good intentions to help a person in distress. Luckily, this was a computer scenario and not someone on the road on her way home from school or in the mall. She had a true life lesson in discernement and understanding what it means to be a a "wolf in sheep's clothing". Computers and hard drives are replaceable, but are kids are not. Just one more reason to keep reinforcing internet safety and safety in general with our kids!

An Interesting Concept in MATH

This is fascinating. Be sure to go all the way to the end.

1 x 8 + 1 = 9
12 x 8 + 2 = 98
123 x 8 + 3 = 987
1234 x 8 + 4 = 9876
12345 x 8 + 5 = 98765
123456 x 8 + 6 = 987654
1234567 x 8 + 7 = 9876543
12345678 x 8 + 8 = 98765432
123456789 x 8 + 9 = 987654321

1 x 9 + 2 = 11
12 x 9 + 3 = 111
123 x 9 + 4 = 1111
1234 x 9 + 5 = 11111
12345 x 9 + 6 = 111111
123456 x 9 + 7 = 1111111
1234567 x 9 + 8 = 11111111
12345678 x 9 + 9 = 111111111
123456789 x 9 +10= 1111111111

9 x 9 + 7 = 88
98 x 9 + 6 = 888
987 x 9 + 5 = 8888
9876 x 9 + 4 = 88888
98765 x 9 + 3 = 888888
987654 x 9 + 2 = 8888888
9876543 x 9 + 1 = 88888888
98765432 x 9 + 0 = 888888888

Brilliant, isn't it?

And look at this symmetry:
1 x 1 = 1
11 x 11 = 121
111 x 111 = 1232
11111 x 1111 = 123432
111111 x 11111 = 12345432
1111111 x 111111 = 1234565432
11111111 x 1111111 = 123456765432
111111111 x 11111111 = 12345678765432
1111111111 x 111111111=12345678987654321

Now, take a look at this..101%

From a strictly mathematical viewpoint:What Equals 100%?

What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?

Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%?

We have all been in situations where someone wants you to GIVE OVER100%.

How about ACHIEVING 101%?

What equals 100% in life?

Here's a little mathematical formula that might help answer these questions:

If:A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Is represented as:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.

Then: H-A-R-D-W-O-R- K

would translate as 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%

And:K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E

11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%

But:A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E

1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%THEN,

look how far the love of God will take you:

L-O-V-E-O-F-G-O-D

12+15+22+5+15+6+7+15+4 = 101%

Therefore, one can conclude with mathematical certainty that:

While Hard Work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there,

It's the Love of God that will put you over the top!


"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me!" -Phillipians 4:13

Whitley's First Day of School

Well, yesterday was Whit's first day of school. She came home really excited and threw out lots of interesting comments that gave us a little insight to her day. Here are a few:

"The hot lunch meal was great, but the milk was sour."

"My teacher is nice, but serious."

"It rained during PE today, so we stayed inside and I taught everyone how to make orgami frogs. Then we had frog races."

"There will only be three girls in the class this year...Madison, Kianah and ME!"

"Will you fill out the field trip permission slip and give me $6?"

"Good news Mom & Dad...NO HOMEWORK!"

FRIDAY

I've come to love this word again! Being a stay-at-home mom all these years made the days, weeks and months blur all into one. Now, I'm beginning to learn what hard work is really about, becaue my brain is really " f-r-i-e-d" on this particular "d-a-y". Do you think think that is where the word came from? From the body/brain being FRI(ed). I'd look up the origin of the word, but it's my day off ...right?

I'm also beginning to learn that "weekend" may not necessarily include doing what I want from Friday afternoon to Sunday evening. At this point in my life, it means I can take Friday evening off and do something other than study... and maybe an hour or two off on Saturday or Sunday. Albeit a break, it is definately it not a 55 hour pass to goof around!

Whitley is probably the happiest that it is Friday. She has been a patient soul this week...bored out of her mind is probably a better descriptive, now that all her friends and her mother of all people, are back in school. She is ready to do soemthing "fun" tonight and is actually wanting to go back to school! Her official school start is on Tuesday.

There is another person in our house whom which Friday has a particularly contrasting meaning to. You guessed it, that would be John. You see, Wednesday and Thursdays are his days off. His "Friday" actually is on a "Tuesday". This means his "Monday" really starts on "Friday"! Confused?????

Aggghhh...don't worry about it...

it's Friday, take the weekend off and have some fun!!!!

I'm thinking of a HOMOPHONE that begins with the letter "F"

Hmmmm.....is it four/for?
Nope.
Is it fare/fair?
Nadda.
Ummm...is it flour/flower?
Nilch!
Give up?????

The Homophone for the day is FLEW/FLU. Can you guess which one is applicable to our house?

You got it....F-L-U......THE FLU!!!!! It started with Whitley and tonight I am starting to feel that little lump swelling in my throat coupled with an upset tummy and the ache in my neck. We are dosing ourselves with EMERGEN-C and Airborne and are keeping the symptoms in a minor key, but they exist, unfortunately.

There is a silver lining to all this. Atleast Whitley is going through this the week before her school starts and atleast I am done with class for the week and have the long Labor Day weekend to get through the worst part.

As for John...., let's just pray that he is unscathed as his work weeks starts on Friday, he has a big project starting on the 4th of Sept. and he has next to no vacation time remaining for the year.

So how did the first week of school go?

Glad you asked! It was about as crazy as the weather most you have been experiencing! It went kinda like this:

9 am - I arrive at school and head to the bookstore to purchase a lab manual that they have been out of for three weeks.
9:15- arrive in front of Bio classroom door for 9:30 class
9:35-ask a "prof" walking by if I had the wrong class or if there has been a change of schedule as the door is still locked and no other students have arrived. Was advised to go to admissions and "see what the problem is"
9:45-stand in a line, at the Admissions Office, that is from here to Kansas with other confused newbies, like me!
10:05-a nice lady, with not so nice painted on eyebrows says, "May I help you?"
I tell her my problem. She tells me the class met at 7:30 am and the lab was at 9:30. I tell her if that was the case, why wasn't anyone in the lab room?
9:35-she does some more looking on the computer and says, "Oh, the class has been dropped." I state that I need this class and she says we can try another class but at a different time, but she thinks the class is full.
9:45-Amen! One opening left which is now taken by me. There is one catch though....,it's Honors Biology. Agghhh...am I smart enough for that? Looks like I'm going to have to be!
9:50-I fill out the required paperwork and make the schedule change.
9:55- I call my neighbor to see if Whitley can cross the yard to her house (she was at home) as I am now going to be a the school for a total of 5 hrs., instead of what should have been 55 minutes. (Thank you Carole!!!)
10:00-I go get a Starbucks; it's going to be a looonnggg day! I decide to start reading through the new lab manual.
11:00-Go to new class, meet Dr. Kaye, who goes through the syllabus for 2 hrs and lectures on the class objectives and requirements.
1:00pm-Walk one door over to the lab, listen to lab rules, sign a piece of paper saying we will not drop the microscopes or shake test tubes with volatile chemicals that will have isothermic reactions in our lab partner's face.
1:30-SURPRISE! A 20 questions essay test just to see "where we're at with our bio-knowledge"..... Hmmmm..this is like going through an old trunk in the attic....my knowledge is 22 years old, lying dormant somewhere in my longterm memory, if at all, collecting dust and moth holes!
1:35- 90% of the class turns in their papers completely blank and is gone in 5 minutes. I attempt to answer every problem so the "prof" can at least be entertained by someone's answers! I left one problem blank that said, "Decipher this gentic strand: UCG UGG CU GUU UG". My mind went blank....UGG...what is that??? Should I amuse him and tell him that UGGs are pricey, but comfortable suede and wool lined boots?!?!? I opted to pass on the humor and leave the answer blank. Good news is, no penalty for wrong answers and extra credit for the right answers; PHEW!!!
2:05-head home and hit the books!

The next day at school I drive down for my PSYCH 235 class. I get ther on time and find my class. A girl walks in and says, "I have good news and bad news. The bad news I am not the teacher for this class; she is absent due to a sudden death in the family. The good news is, here is your syllabus and your first assignment; you're dismissed for the day!"

So, my 3 hr. class was three minutes today. I quickly called John at work as he was due to leave for the day to head home and stay with Whitley. I caught him in time and he decided to stay at work so he wouldn't have to burn half a vacation day.

Well, that's what it's been like so far, but I think I'll be on track, full throttle..., next week!

1st Day of School...,

...for Jamie, that is! Whitley said, "After all these years, it's my turn to take pictures of you on your first day of school!" And so it is, her photographic talents for all to see!!!!

Twas the Night Before School......,

just off of Lookout Mtn. Road,
the Samuels were preparing for a new college load....
that the Mother of the house would soon be carrying,
right along with her duties of Motherhood and marrying.

Her books were packed in her bag with care,
along with pens, highlighters and two pencils to spare.
Biology, Pharmacology and a good dose of Math,
create a bit of excitement as she rises to the task.

Why in the world should all this fuss be?
Because that is what's required to study anesthesiology!
A career that is demanding and pay that is fair,
for a job that is three hours boredom and five minutes of sheer terror!

So many years to go and so much to learn,
No doubt there will be struggles on an occassional turn.
But tomorrow is the beginning; a time to start,
so please wish me well from the bottom of your hearts!

The FREE Desk....

....was better than we hoped for! It is two pieces: the desk and a vertical hutch. Everything shuts and tucks away nicely as there are two doors on thetop that close, a lid that lifts up and closes the desk portion and a drawer on the bottom. John mounted a task light under the first shelf so she could see better while she works at her desk...a nice touch!!!

(ps-I loaded the top pic twice and can't figure out how to get it off.... I could tricked you all to think you're seeing double!!!)

New Bedroom picture

Well here is Whitley's bedroom makeover and her doing what most girls like to do...talk on the phone!

New Bedroom for our "Pre-teen" Daughter

The desk was better than we expected. It does not look like we will have to repaint it after all. We found the perfect spot for it after rearranging and deep cleaning Whitley's bedroom. We told her she could get new comforters on one condition..it matched her exisiting wall color (lime green). She did well and under budget I might add as the desk was free and the bedding was on sale and an additional 20% off coupon was allowed to be used. Her last bedding did not last long as it faded terribly with the first washing and left uneven spots all over. We also discovered, the hard way, that satin comforters do not stay on the bed at all and usually ended up sliding on to the floor in the middle of the night, leaving Whitley freezing and feeling around for her bedding, half coherent, in the wee hours of the morning. Anyway, happy kid;happy parents and vice versa!

We have a few things left to find to complete her room: a desk chair, a lamp, spray painting a mirror's frame to silver and maybe, a new rug! I am back on Craigslist scouring for a chair. I saw one that might work if the lady hasn't sold it yet for $5. Looks like another day of happy hunting for bargains after I work and help out at the school one last time for the week!

Rocky Mountain Ramblings......

seemed like a good name for our blogspot. The "Rocky Mountain" part is obvious and the "Rambling" part is even more sensible...that is, if you've ever met a "Grant" before; we just come by gabbing honestly! Even taking my husband's name when I got married could not disguise this seemingly inherited genetic trait.

Well, the main reason for this site is that Jamie will be heading back to the halls of academia on Monday, and she's just not sure how/when she would be able to maintain communication the way she was used to.....hence, our new blogspot seemed to fit the bill.

This week has been really busy. We have been busy at Whitley's new school that she is enrolled in this year. As you may know, they are building a new school that sits on 16 beautiful mountian acres next to Open Space called, Elk Meadow. Unfortunatley, there has been a few snafus with permits,weather and thus the kids are forced to head back to their "old school" for the first two months of the school year. It will be crowded for a time, but well worth the wait upon completion of the new facility!

We are headed in to Denver tonight to pick up a desk and hutch in the old Capitol Hill area. We got the desk for free off of Craiglist (like an online garage sale). It needs a leg refurbished and a fresh coat of paint but handy man John is sure to make the leg good as new and Whitley will have fun sanding and painting as she still has another week and a half before she heads off to school.

We hope you enjoy our Ramblings from time to time and photos here and there after I learn how to load them on to here.