The Generation Gap

Jeff and I watched a documentary on WWII Sunday night. It was amazing. If any of you have ever watched a movie on this war, or read any books about it, you can begin to imagine what this war was like for our fighting men. It is no wonder that Tom Brokaw named his book "The Greatest Generation." These soldiers, sailors and support personnel were true survivors and some were heros. But war is ugly and can twist men into monsters.

"To find yourself in a situation where your life is of little value is the ultimate in lonliness," wrote one soldier in his memoirs. Marine lives, used as cannon fodder to take or hold a position wasted on the beaches, their blood running freely and mingling with the ocean waves. Feeling the terror of knowing that you are being deployed to a combat area knowing that you most likely won't make it home....saying goodbye to loved ones for one last time before going to their deaths, and knowing it was so.

While this is not the fate awaiting the majority of our fighting men and women today, for some it is still a reality they must face. There are still men and women laying down their lives for us overseas, in the name of the U.S. of A.

We are now in the midst of a new war against "insurgents" and "terrorists." Again our GI's are fighting for freedom and the interests of our country in a foreign land. Let's remember to pray for them while they are preparing to deploy and leave their families for a year or more, while they are in harm's way and when they come home when they are either injured or finishing a tour. They need our support.

Do you know anyone who is serving our country in this war? I'd like to give a shout out to Luke and Chip in Iraq and Jared in Kuwait. Stay strong boys and come home safely!

Movies I recommend on WWII:

Saving Private Ryan
Band of Brothers

Enemy at the Gates
Pearl Harbor

Flags of Our Fathers

Can You Feel What I'm Screamin'?

Sometimes people get upset. "Upset" takes many forms. If you are man or a woman you may recognize some of them.

#1. If Looks Could Kill, You'd Be Dead (this is a venomous dirty look followed by an incredulous look as if to say "Did you just say that to me and think you could get away with it?" complete with hostile body language).

#2. The Hissy Fit (dancing up and down with jibberish coming out: aka I'm too upset to even speak english right now or make any sense. In this situation it's best to flee the room.)

#3. "I'm Fine." (from a woman) (those two dreaded words, every man hates to hear and no woman ever means) I can't help you here men. In this situation, you may want to allow some decompression time before you try and work it out with your spouse or significant other. Experience dictates that you cannot argue with or logically address a hormone surge. Women usually want an apology, followed by a reiteration of why what you did was wrong, and that you're sorry. Then she'll feel loved and will probably forgive you.

#4. "I'm Fine." (from a man) (he probably is ok, or if he's not, he will be once feels respected by you.)

In the great words of my friend Nathan, "Can you feel what I'm screamin'?"

Tumbling Down Life's Path to Self-Discovery

To myself: "Is it just me or do my legs look veinier than usual? Great googly mooglie! They DO look veinier! When did THAT happen?"

Yes, it's true. Beauty DOES fade, and eventually you're left with a rose that has lost it's bloom. I made a discovery tonight. I was in the bathtub (don't worry folks this is rated "G" for general audiences) where I make the majority of my discoveries, and I looked down at the whiteness of my skin covering my legs.

Usually my attention is directed towards a new mole, or another role of fat I have grown that separates me from a direct view of my toes, something else caught my attention. As I looked at the stark whiteness of my thighs and calves, admiring the muscles I had begun to regrow during boot camp, suddenly, something new came into focus, my blue-green leg veins.

Normally my favorite color, I shrank in horror at the sight of it as it coursed freely like the Amazon River on a relief map. I guess they were always there, ...just never so prominently. Visions of unaffordable skin treatments, painful vericose vein surgeries and sweaty compression hosiery danced in my head. What would I do? Could I stem the tide that threatens to sweep the last petals of my beauty away in a veiny existance?

Has anyone else made this discovery? Have your leg veins come into prominence as you have gotten older, or am I alone? What's a girl to do? Veiny and in need of advice. I remain yours truly, Veinhilda.

Discipline

Our bootcamp homework is to define the word "discipline." We are currently pounding through "Discipline Week." First there was "P.T. Week" (physical training), then "Motivation Week" and now, the big "D."

It's rough. Let me tell yah. I'm hunched over my keyboard this morning, willing my fingers to type...because they are the only parts of my body that can move. It's not quite that bad, but, I'm tired and I worked hard today. I'm still very much out of shape. I compare myself to others in the class and I can see I still have so far to go. One step at a time right?

So "discipline"! The first word that comes to mind when I think of discipline is "correction." By that definition "self-discipline" would equal "self-correction." That's what Dr. Drill is always telling us to do, "Correct yourselves!" he'll yell. He's decided to dub me, "Squatting Schoonover!" And not for a good reason. I still have a hard time squatting down to 90 degrees and holding it for the alloted time. Practice makes perfect. I guess I'll just have to discipline myself.

Discipline: to condition oneself or someone to adopt a particular pattern of behavior. To self-disciple is to train yourself. I like what Wikipedia says: "Self-disciple refers to the training that one gives one's self to accomplish a certain task or to adopt a particular pattern of behaviour, even though one would really rather be doing something else. Thus, self-discipline is the assertion of willpower over more base desires, and is usually understood to be a synonym of 'self control'. Self-discipline is to some extent a substitute for motivation, when one uses reason to determine a best course of action that opposes one's desires."

In what areas of your life are you striving to attain discipline? For me it's study habits, physical fitness and eating habits, and a clean house and tidy yard.

Am I thin yet?

You know when you were a little kid, travelling in the car with your parents, going somewhere, (you may or may not remember where) and you were getting frustrated by the journey? You wanted to ask, "Are we there yet?"

I have made little progress so far in my weight loss journey, although I've only been at it for two weeks. I need to make a more concerted effort! My starting weight was 193 lbs. and my current weight is about 188-189lbs. At the end of this week, I decided through a general class encouragement from Dr. Drill to increase my effort, cutting back on more things in my diet (no simple sugars, no soft drinks, no fried food), increasing my exercise by a minimum of three hours a week (doing an hour of cardio on my off days except for Sunday), and generally putting more effort into this. As I thought about working smarter AND harder, I scrutinized my diet. One thing I have been using is a sugar substitute, but I'm about to drop that too from my regimen.

I'm going to cut Splenda out of my diet. I read about some really bad side effects that can happen to 70% of the women who consume it: (from a post from Dr. Drill on our team chat on his website. A link to his site appears in my blog, on the right side, under "Just for Fun")

"What About Splenda (sucralose)? This is from FIRST, “A Magazine For Women On The Go”In an article titled:“Tired All the Time?”June 26, 2006, pp 25-26.ANDA book:Splenda: Is it Safe or Not? By Janet Starr Hull, Ph.D., Pickle Press, 2005

"Sucralose can cause one to suffer from sluggishness, fatigue, make legs feel like lead weights, mood swings, severe cramps (female), intense pain, painful bowel movements, bloating, dizziness, confusion, and more. Seven (7) out of ten (10) American women consume sucralose daily.“The artificial sweetener sucralose (Splenda) is made by binding three chlorineatoms to a molecule of sugar. The problem: Chlorine reacts with organic material to create chlorination by-products (CBPs) that can trigger chronic symptoms like fatigue, headaches and brain fog, as well as reproductive and immune problems.”“Sucralose is found in nearly 4,000 food, beverage and health-care products,including diet drinks, ice cream, protein bars, vitamins and toothpaste.” It is alsofound in gum, over-the-counter drugs, and salad dressings.

Consumer use of sucralose has grown annually by 10%.70% of those who consume sucralose (Splenda) will have a sensitivity to it anddevelop symptoms. If one is experiencing symptoms from consuming sucralose (Splenda), thesolution is to stop taking it and to “Flush Your System” as follows:“Supplementing daily [for 2 months] with 600 mg of the amino acid N-acetyl-lcysteine(NAC) boosts the body’s production of glutathione, according to a study in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. This antioxidant(glutathione) flushed CBPs from the body.” I purchase N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) in the product Complete Glutathione From Nutri-West: 800-443-3333. If these symptoms are caused by sucralose (Splenda) sensitivity, elimination from the diet for a minimum of 2 weeks should start to improve symptoms:Unexplained Tiredness, Brain Fog, Nausea, Joint Pain, Cramps/Bloating, Diarrhea, Headaches, Dizziness, Mood Swings, and Depression."

Does it make you want to quit your sugar substitute? I know I am. For further reading on all the artificial sweetners, visit Fitness Mantra.

What is common to man....

I Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

I speak for myself. I am tempted to do all kinds of things everyday. Somethings I automatically recognize and resist, others I habitually fall prey to...like the temptation to gossip. Oh my word! There is nothing so tempting as a juicy bit of news! But when do we cross the line between sharing news and trading gossip?

Wikipedia says,

"Gossip consists of casual or idle talk between friends. While officially value neutral, the term often specifically refers to talk of scandal, slander, or schadenfreude relating to known associates of the participants, and discussed in an underhand or clandestine manner. Compare backbiting.

While gossip forms one of the oldest and (still) the most common means of spreading and sharing facts and views, it also has a reputation for the introduction of errors and other variations into the information thus transmitted. The term also carries implications that the news so transmitted (usually) has a personal or trivial nature. Compare conversation."

When I am angry about something someone has done to me, or I am having a bad day, there is nothing so satisfying as channeling it into gossiping about someone that has annoyed me. This is a HUGE temptation for me. While I may not initiate a conversation like this, I enjoy becoming involved it it. I revel in evil!!!!! AND IT'S WRONG! I will admit it.

Beyond the question of why it's so fun, I should ask myself, why do I continue to do it? Is it foolish to admit I struggle with this sin on a blog? :0

Girlfren' Time

Yes. I intentionally misspelled "girlfriend." I'm in serious need of time with my girls! They are all scattered to the four winds! I have not cultivated a gaggle of girlfriends yet that I regularly meet with and I think it's high time I did.

I'm talking about a group of girls I can laugh with, cry with, watch chick flicks with, talk with, and yes...bake with. I am in serious need of something low fat and chocolaty right now (low fat because I'm trying to lose weight, and chocolate because...well duh!) and I have no one to do that with! Any quick fix recipes to share, send'em to me. I'm desparate!

Most of my friends are busy too or travelling. This is one of the things I abhor about adulthood. You are so busy as an adult that you don't have time for fun. At least I don't.

I suppose I did this to myself, but I want time for fellowship! This is time, I haven't taken before...until now. I'm just waking up to the fact that I need to carve time out of my schedule to relax and recooperate. I've told myself before that unless I take that time, I'll never be any good to anyone including myself. What's that about taking your own advice?

The Tyranny of Necessity

There are just certain things you need in life to survive. For some people it's their cell phone, others choose a more practical approach...you know the basics...food, clothing, shelter, water...the stuff you need to exist.

I love this game...

If you were castaway on a tropical island (think LOST, without the Others) and you could only bring 10 things...what would you bring? Post your list. These are THINGS, not people. Justify your list or don't, it's up to you. Make your list before you check the comments section. It's more fun that way! No peeking!

A Good Day, A Good Husband

It's been so long since I have felt I have had a "good day" of note, that I just think I have to remark about yesterday, Sunday, Sept. 16th. Yesterday I went to church where Pastor talked about the fact that when we're on the right track in the Christian life, we're going to face opposition (from Satan), so we should take heart and not be discouraged. I needed that encouragement.

I have felt discouraged of late...doing a lot of questioning and soul searching, too much working and studying and not finding time for refreshment, joy and wonder. Admittedly, I'm not finished questioning, but it was good to be encouraged not to give up fighting the good fight, living as a Christian.

After the service we did the usual chit chat with friends. My friends Katya and Greg are getting ready to have a baby in just a few short days. It is so wonderful to see how God is blessing them with this little life. (The miracle of life ladies and gentlemen!) They will be first time parents, and as I talked with Katya and she shared some of her thoughts about getting ready to be a mom, I realized, we can't possibly anticipate everything that will happen when a new change comes into our lives. We can try and plan, but until we are in the thick of it, we don't know what will happen or how we will react. It was neat to see the metaphor that God is with us always, exemplified in the uncertainty of parenthood. Someday I hope to share in that mystery.

Jeff and I said our goodbyes and then we went to Panera and had a yummy lunch (Jeff surprised me). We were on our way to Barnes and Noble where I was to meet up with a classmate/friend Christi and come up with some objectives for our geography unit project on Maps and Mapping for 2nd graders when we pulled into Airport Square Mall for lunch. (Incidentally, if anyone has any pointers for this unit, I'd appreciate it! I also have to come up with an independent social studies handycraft to do with Elementary-aged kids, I'll take suggestions :) )

Well, the lesson and objective planning took a little longer than we thought it would...Jeff was a super trooper, so patient and kind. He did some independent reading, bought a book and hung loose until we were ready to all go to dinner together. Christi's boyfriend Ben met the three of us at UNO's. Jeff and I shared our dinners with eachother. I love it when we do that. Other people's food always tastes better to me :) It's a bonus when your spouse shares with you. We had good food and fellowship and then went our separate ways.

I wrapped up some laundry etc., played with the cat and went to bed so I could get up for boot camp this morning. I told you all this so I could also share how fun it was to be with my husband yesterday and to be with friends, and have the opportunity to eat out two times in one day! Wow! That was a treat.

Usually my days are a blur...one day running into the next, in fact, the only way I ever remember what I did over the weekend is to write it down. My brain is overloaded right now. Can you tell? Anyway...a good day. When is the last time you had one? What did you do? What made it "good"? Share with us, will yah?

When Things Change

Do you embrace or resist change? When you sense the changing of the guard, the turning of the tide or the changing of the seasons do you cringe or welcome it with open arms? Do you feel anxious or excited? I say...it depends on the circumstances of the change. I am not yet strong enough to not allow myself to be emotionally swayed by circumstances. I'm better than I was when I was younger than my 30 years, but I have not "arrived" and am still a work in progress.

If I anticipate the change bringing good results, then I generally welcome it with open arms, even if the process that brings the change about is expected to be difficult. If I think shifting circumstances are the harbinger of doom, I may wail... ;)

"Change" means different things to people. Just the sound of the word itself can inspire goosebumps or ripples of delight. Something unknown is coming...something unpredictable and often times out of our control...

Think about the following lists of circumstances bringing change and how you feel when you read them:

You're about to become a parent

You can't fit into your pants anymore

Moving away from your best friend

Change of job

Death of a loved one

Divorce

Completing an addition on your first home

Being promoted at work

Starting church with a new congregation

Going back to school after several years out of the classroom


There are sudden changes, and gradual ones, which we notice and mark by subtle or sudden encounters... Like when you look at the kids in your church who are going off to college this fall and remember when you taught them in Sunday School or had them in youth group... Or when you remember the anniversary of the Sept. 11th attacks and remark that you've been married for six years (married July 28, 2001) and think about how the world won't ever be the same.

Good things and bad things come with change. God uses change in our lives. This brings me to the question, how come bad things happen to good people? I just heard about a lady today that worked where I work years ago, and she's dieing of liver cancer. It's a painful death. I wonder why God allows some people to die quickly and others more slowly and painfully. I wonder what changes are being wrought in the families of countless friends and families that I will never know about.

What do I know now, that I didn't know five or ten years ago? What have you learned about your own response to change? At the risk of sounding like I'm inviting you to attend a High School class reunion...How have you changed?

Congrats to Eric

I want to "extend the right hand of fellowship" to my friend Eric the "Ridge Dog" of fitness for completing his personal trainer certification! YAY Eric!! This trophy is in your honor, but you can't take it with you. It's "symbolic."

So everyone else doesn't feel left out, I have some things to share! Eric sent me some cool links to check out. The articles these links lead to deal with the importance of sleep as it relates to weight loss.

http://womenshealth.about.com/library/weekly/aa121702a.htm

http://www.thedietchannel.com/Weight-Loss-and-Sleep.htm

http://www.webmd.com/solutions/sc/link-sleep-weight-loss/sleep-to-get-thin

Check them out all you people who are struggling to lose weight! I know I am.

The stuff of life

Dieting: Now that I am officially dieting, I have to be super aware of everything I eat. I have to write everything down and be all self-aware and stuff. Sheesh. :) This is another exercise in planning. If I plan out several meal/menu combinations that I enjoy and assign them point values, it will take most of the work away from the task of dieting. In the great words of Bruce Willis, "Yippee Kai Yay..."

Projects: I've started decorating my amo can. I've been spray painting and sanding and spray painting it under Jeff's supervision. He's the spray-paint-experienced, artsy person out of the two of us. I still have to add two more colors of spray paint (I'm going for the pink and gray camoflage scheme) and superglue some bedazzled butterflies, maybe stencil on some butterflies too, we'll see. I wrote my last name in black permanent marker on my canteen to personalize it. I'm sore and tired, but dealing. I still have a lesson plan to write for tomorrow night. Yowser.

Tomorrow is Marathon Wednesday. I get up around 4 a.m. and go to bed after 10:30 p.m. What was I thinking again? Oh well! Something must be done to stem the tide of fatness, in this case, it's doing bootcamp AND continuing my education. The question is, will I still have enough energy to do it ALL?

As a Christian, Is it Ever OK to Complain?

As a Christian, is it ever OK to complain? Help me out here people. I just had a bad experience at a restaurant (that will remain nameless, but whose name rhymes with "Crapplebees") and I want to complain so badly. Ordinarily I cringe to complain at restaurants or to send something back because #1 I'm afraid they'll spit in my food and then feed it to me with a smile, or #2. Once I've had a bad experience, why would I ever go back? or #3. I don't want to ruin my "Christian witness."

Here's my beef. I just started a new diet and exercise program. I don't go out to eat too often at a mid-level restaurant, and when I do spend money ($10.99) I would like the food and service to be good. I ordered a Weight-Watchers meal at a local restaurant and it came to the table with the veggies drenched in butter. I have ordered this selection before and the veggies came sans butter or with way less butter.

I mentioned this to the waitress, and asked if she could bring me veggies without butter on them intimating I wasn't expecting butter laden vegetables. She said she would check. She came back shortly thereafter without new veggies and told me that she couldn't do anything about it, no apology. I waited expectantly for her to offer a substitution or to offer to take something off my bill but there was nothing. I just paid $10.99 for tap water with lemon, a piece of fish and some rice pilaf. Dang.

It's a fact of life that if people know that you are a Christian and then you make a public display of affliction, you are misrepresenting Christ. Do I have to put up with bad service indefinitely, and turn the other cheek for all eternity, or is there a right way to deal with this situation? What would you do?

Boot Camp Kick Off

It is humbling to see just how far out of shape I have allowed myself to become. Today was the first day of boot camp. I woke up at 4 a.m. (too early) and left the house around 4:15 a.m. to get there on time (I think I'll try leaving at 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday). Eager beaver that I was, I got there before EVERYONE, even Dr. Drill so I sat in my car in the dark and pretended I was on a stake out, watching a delivery truck pull into the shopping mall in front of me, a couple of early morning joggers, and the gradual increase in traffic as people started their morning commutes.

When I saw Dr. Drill pull into the parking lot, I followed him into the building. I felt like such a brown noser. Oh well. I helped bring a bag in and set stuff up. Bonus was, I didn't have to wait in line to get my blood pressure taken!

Today was an "administrative day" so we didn't work out as hard as I thought we were going to. A gradual ease-in is good for my nerves I suppose. We are using this week to take base line measurements on our size and capabilities so this morning we did crunches, squats and push ups to see how many we could do in two minute increments. All in all I did 100 crunches, 25 girly-push-ups on my knees, and 73 squats. On Wednesday, we'll be running around a track, so that should be fun :). Ooorah!

My friend Jynell is my squad leader. She has really been showing me the ropes, much to my relief and delight. She's a powerhouse, no-holds-barred, tough cookie. I hope I do her proud! She lent me her old, fingerless, work out gloves this morning because I neglected to purchase a pair. Thanks girl! I hope they bring me good juju :) (Jynell lost 30 lbs. doing weight watchers and Drill's boot camp. This is her 3rd or 4th session. She's my boot camp hero. Go girl!

I'm really enjoying all the repetitive echoing we do of our drill instructor and the counting etc. We do it as a team and I'm finding I really enjoy the enthusiasm and energy it creates. Dr. Drill talks about discipline and setting goals for ourselves and he talks about how we will be monitored. He also talks about the changes in our bodies we can expect to see in 10 weeks and the inches we will lose. It's pretty exciting. He expects us to give 110% when we're there and THAT is good to hear. I like to be encouraged and pushed that way. And I love being around disciplined people! I'm even hoping that some of my friends will want to join if they admire the results and changes in my life.

Mood: positive, expectant, good

Things I'm learning about myself: There is ALWAYS room for growth. I lack spiritual, emotional and physical discipline. I am working on these areas of my life.

I will commit to: counting points with my Weight Watchers guide book, and writing down what I put into my body (both food and drink). Successfully completing boot camp. Going to Sunday School and Bible Study (when it starts), spending time in prayer each day with God and reading from my Bible. I need to journal/blog as often as possible about my experiences so that I don't forget the journey, when I reach the destination. I will work to be cognisant of my emotions and how my behavior influences others.

People I met in boot camp: Dr. Drill, Beth, Kim (co-leaders with Drill), Jynell my squad leader, Raquel (the girl who is next to me on my left), Andy the man who helped me set up the exercise mats this morning (a duty I gladly did because I was way early today).

Current weight: 193 lbs
Height: 5'10''
Goal weight: I'm not sure what's healthy for my height and frame, but I'll say 160 lbs. with muscle.

I weighed 167 lbs when I got married. I would love to be a size 8-10. Right now I'm a 14. Diggidy Dang. Time to get disciplined. Oohrah!

One of the things Dr. Drill has us do is care for and maintain our amo box. It's a munitions box that we are supposed to personalize and bring with us to class each day. Jeff took me to WalMart this weekend to get some stuff to decorate it with and I thought I already knew what I wanted to do when I got there, and then I didn't so we went home without any decorations.

This whole boot camp experience is opening up windows in my life for me and causing me to be "introspective" as Jeff put it so eloquently. Our amo boxes are to be a "reflection of [us]". What am I all about? What is a good reflection of who I am inside? (What would Mulan say? WWMS)

As an adult, I am learning about my own lack of knowledge in spiritual things, lack of discipline in my eating habits and exercise habits, and my inability to be decisive and take charge of my own destiny. That part has changed since I started school, and began this boot camp program. I am hoping that through the discipline of this boot camp, I will become disciplined in my own life.

Just because I was up three hours earlier than I normally am, I had more time to myself, I played with my cat, and didn't feel as rushed as I typically do in the morning getting out of bed late and then throwing myself together to get to work on time. I had to prepare the night before for boot camp, check my gear, lay out my clothes etc. It felt good to do something like this for myself, for ME! Oh my word! How fabulous! Here's looking forward to what the next 10 weeks may bring!

My Poor Posture

I recently, or semi-recently wrote about comments someone made to ME about my lack of good posture. (This person even asked if I had a history of Scoliosis (spelling?). No, I just huntch. Dang.

I admit my head rests in front of my rounded shoulders and that I have TERRIBLE posture. I slouch all day at work in my office chair, and I don't work out. Hence, I have no muscles developed to help support even moderately good posture.

Like the middle aged man who sucks in his protruding beer belly when the pretty girl walks by, I straighten to impress, and only to impress. I'll admit, it does look better when I sit up straight. Posture is an asset. Everything you have on your body looks better when you can show it/them off by sitting up straight! When a person sits up straight it says positive things about him or her.

A person with excellent posture looks like they have it together. They appear self-confident, ready and in possession of self-control. Slouchers like me just look lazy and like they don't care if someone gives them a papercut and pours lemon juice on it.

Check out this article I found on posture: http://www.nashvillescene.com/Stories/Columns/2005/04/07/Making_a_stand_for_good_posture/index.shtml

It rocks!

Flat Stanley Has an Itinerary

Thank you to those of you who volunteered to host Stanley. He will be on his way shortly to visit his first host family!

I thank you from the bottom of my heart! :)

Flat Stanley

Oh my word! I have a fun assignment for one of my classes this semester. Has anyone ever heard of Flat Stanley? It's a classroom pen pal program designed to teach kids about geography, climate and the environment.

I'm looking for a couple of people to mail my Stanley to. Over the next few weeks I'll need to pass him around via the US mail to people who will volunteer to write in Stanley's journal from his perspective about his adventures, the geography, the climate etc. I'll need participants to write three journal entries each for Stanley as you take him places and take pictures of him at different places as he goes on adventures with you. In his journal you include details about his travels and paste your pictures into the journal in designated places.

Ideally, Stanley will be adopted by some teacher friends who will introduce him to your students, however, he can go to friends too! My sister has volunteered to be one person. Any takers to be the second person?

You just need to write in his journal and take some pictures and send him on his way. It's a committment to write three journal entries, take some pictures and you can include post cards if you like. Anything that will fit nicely in the envelope. The first person will get Stanley from me and then send him on in a pre-paid, self-addressed, stamped envelope to my next friend, who will then send him back to me along with his journal.

Let me know if you have experience with Flat Stanley or if you would like him to visit you!

Thanks!

The Dawn of a New Season

It's the beginning of September and I just LOVE the fall. I've already seen my first wagonfull of pumpkins, can you believe it?! I just want to go find some leaves and rake them into a gigantic pile and jump in them and roll around! I also feel this tremendous urge to bake something...and eat chilli. Go figure!

The kiddies are back to school Sept. 4th, and that means making adjustments for school bus traffic in my morning commute. Mental note to self...must leave 10 minutes early for work from now on. So let's think positively! What do I have to look forward to this fall...

Two new classes at Eastern on Wed. nights...
Daylight savings time (lose an hour of sleep, argh....)
Fall festivals galore on the weekends... (WooHoo!)
A reunion with friends from back home at the end of September (friends I haven't seen together in years!)
Homecoming at Houghton in October (if we go)
Thanksgiving with friends (sometime this fall hopefully)
My niece's 2nd birthday celebration
Jeff's 31st birthday (Oct. 22nd for those who want to wish him a Happy Birthday)
and Bootcamp starts on Sept. 10th and I am excited. (Oohrah!)
Thanksgiving at Uncle Tom and Aunt Jenny's (dad, say you're coming!)

Anyone want to invite me over for a bondfire?
What is the fall bringing into your lives?