Found in Fishers

Two weekends of fun, but more to come!

I had a couple of really busy weekends. Makes for lots of fun but the dust is piling high in the house because of it. Oh well! Two weeks ago, Mark and I drove to Michigan City for Dara and Charlie's Wedding. Dara was a student in John's youth group when she was in high school. She and her family also lived at the top of the hill near our house. I can't believe that time flew by so fast. She finished high school, college, and is working as  a speech assistant in the Michigan City Public Schools.

 
Since we got to Michigan City about a half hour early we drove past our old house on Oakdale. Right after we moved, the new owner put in some pine trees in front of the house. They have really grown. Almost hide the place. What I miss most about that house is our beach stop. We lived by Stop 31. It was our private part of Lake Michigan. I remember those summers that I would read on the beach while the kids played in the lake. I also remember how ticked they would get at me because I made them wear life jackets. The problem is that you get these tides when you go out that prevent even good swimmers from getting back to shore. Lake Michigan is a rough lake! The sand bars are very deceiving.

Dara was a beautiful bride. We did not stay long. That was the beginning of my cold and I was struggling to talk. Felt kinda crappy. We ended up going to my sister's to spend the night because we just could not do a 3.5 hour drive at that point. Caught up with my folks too as we went to see them that night.

 Just got back last weekend from the annual fall camping trip to Prophetstown State Park in West Lafayette. We go each year and meet my parents and my sister's family. My brother Kevin's family also joined us. I was a bit worried on Saturday when we woke up to some rain. I tried to keep a positive attitude while getting ready for the day. I went to the shower house. OMG. It was so cold. There was no heat and it could not have been more than 45 degrees. I was so cold that I was actually in pain. I am always chilly. This time I was too lazy to go back to the camper where Sarah actually invited me to shower in her camper in the first place. Oh well, lesson learned.

 We took a trip to Walmart waiting for the rain to stop. What would a camping trip be without a trip to Walmart? And since it was raining we also grabbed lunch at Dog N Suds. Gotta love that Texas Burger! When we arrived back at camp the rain had stopped and the sun was peaking out. Yippie. It was a good fall day that was enjoyed by all our little Trick or Treaters who enjoyed getting candy from the campers a week before Halloween. Later that afternoon I helped Sarah make some Voyager Stew on the campfire. It was awesome. It was also nice to visit with my brother and his family. Check out my little nephew as a panda.

One last story. When my parents and Sarah and her family went camping two weeks ago, Pat ran out of propane and their heat was off during the night. They were so cold they woke up and left very early. My dad had a good time Friday night teasing Pat. He had to eat crow on Sunday when during the night he knocked on our camper asking for Pat's spare tank as he ran out of propane. Oops. Caw, caw!

Next weekend, off to St. Louis!

Oink Oink!

Everyday I pick up the newspaper or hear on the local news about H1N1. I am not sure what to think. Is it mostly media hype of is this something we better pay close attention to? Is this the year of the H1N1 stories?

With an incredible amount of information at our fingertips, it is hard to sort through the stories. I say this because the media likes to latch on to a story and cover it over and over again. For example, what I call the year of the shark. Each year many Americans are bit by sharks. About two years ago we heard about every incident. Those same incidents that would have not been covered in previous years. I wonder if there were really more shark bites that year or just more attention? And after that summer, no more shark stories.

That begs the question of getting an H1N1 vaccination. Some folks are worried about the vaccine not being tested long enough. Some worry that it is indeed media hype. I guess I have a concern about the number of seemingly healthy young people who are getting sick. Those folks between 19 and 24. I am not sure I want my kids to take that chance. They need to seek out the vaccine.

Health Departments around the national are trying to offer the vaccine but I keep hearing about shortages. The word from the Indiana Department of Health is that those exposed will get it and the swing of illness is expected to last 2 years. 

I remember when I was a kid, we got vaccines during school. We all got in line for a measles shot. The children stood in a long line and moved through the gymnasium. As we got to the nurse, she held what looked like an air gun to our arm and with a poof of air, we received the vaccine. Times have changed. Hope we get our share of vaccines soon.

My Special Person

Friday was "Special Person Day" at St. Anne's School in Lansing. I was that person for my nephew Liam. I arrived the night before hoping to surprise him but we had to tell him earlier because he was making a card in school. Additionally, he knew my folks were on a camping trip and were not going to go and we wanted him to know that someone was attending.

I got to experience student drop-off. Pat warned me it would be ugly. I went early enough that I was able to get in and out quickly. After dropping Liam off at school I decided to go back to his house for an hour and wait for the classroom visit with a cup of coffee on a comfy chair rather than the in the school library. I did get back early enough to buy Liam a book at the book fair. He is really in to Legos and StarWars. They had a DK book about Legos StarWars. They only had the preview copy so I bought the book and heard it was delivered today.

I arrived in Liam's classroom to visit him and meet his teacher. He was very excited. It was really neat to see him in the classroom with such enthusiasm. He showed me his desk. He was very proud of it and it was actually clean, unlike his room. The class had a small program for the guests. They recited some nursery rhymes and sang some songs. Liam and a couple of his classmates read a poem to the group. He presented me with a card and then showed me around his classroom. He also introduced me to his teacher. He proclaimed to her how I traveled 3 hours to get there and that I was the boss of principals. Interesting, wonder what she was thinking. Very nice lady. She does have her hands full with 30 students, mostly boys!

 After the class visit we went to mass together. During the sermon the priest was asking the kids about the book of Genesis. Liam had his hand raised high for the answer and was called on. He got the answer right. I did whisper the answer in his ear but he was so excited to raise his hand in front of a packed church. Following the mass, we went to lunch at McDonalds before I drove home.

It was an awesome day. I really enjoyed seeing Liam in school. It was worth the drive. Also made me a bit sad that I live far from him but I know I will be seeing him again soon.

Rare pear stick found in Fishers

One of our new trees died after just a couple of months and the HOA won't replace it. After looking at a nicely bordered area of dirt all summer, Flora announced that she was going to buy a new tree and plant it. "It'll be a $100 or so, so just be prepared."

Now when someone mentions a tree, I think of something fairly sturdy. Even the trees the HOA put in have some substance to them. "I bought a pear tree!" announces our resident woodsqueen. WRONG! Flora bought a pear stick. But don't take my word for it; see for yourself:

     

That's Flora and our new pear stick at left, and Flora with a real tree on the right. "It looked bigger in the store!" Bigger than what, dear? "Well...it was on a pallet so it was sitting up off the ground." Okay, and if I stand on the same pallet do I look like a Michael Jordan? And the $100...give or take...I was expecting Flora to spend. Pear sticks sell for just $7 on sale at Home Depot. It's cheaper to buy sticks than eat at McDonald's. I love America!
 

October already?

The last time I checked, it was August. What the heck! I can't believe how fast the weather has changed and how quickly it has already started to get darker and darker each day. Boy, do I hate shorter daylight. Had a great dinner last night with my friend Debbie. She stayed the night in order to go to a conference in Indy. We caught up on the old Highland neighborhood news and tried to solve the world's problems. It is also nice to have someone to share teenager "war stories" with.

Over the weekend, I went with some band friends to Centerville, Ohio. We watched the Royal Command and Guard perform in the Bands of America competition. It was pretty clear -- at least to me -- how the politics of BOA affects the "regulars" and the bands that are not. It was still fun; we did some tailgating and lots of laughs.

Sunday called for a major Jammy Day. I just love Jammy Days. I was productive doing some deep napping...er, cleaning...of the bathrooms and the kitchen floor. I got the  laundry done including sheets and towels. But I also got to lay around on the couch watching my Sunday fav "Moving Up" on TLC, as well as catch a movie. I think it was around 3 before I got in the shower and got out of my PJs. These kinds of days are just the best! Makes going back to long work hours during the week worth it.