101 posts tagged “friends”

We had a Variety Show at church last night to kick off confirmation which Cody begins this year.  Lily & 4 of her best friends sang "Come to Jesus".  Unfortunately, its really hard to hear them but Lily does the 2nd solo.

 

Ray & I were also 1 of 4 couples asked to play the "Not-so-Newlywed Game".  We didn't tell the kids about it so it was a surprise and Cody quickly turned the camera on video.  Unfortunately, he never stopped it so the file is too big to share.  I love the "Newlywed Game".  We played it on our honeymoon in Jamaica and lost in a 1st place tie-breaker.  Ray was not excited about playing it again but I had high hopes that we would do well.  I sure wasn't prepared for the difficult questions they asked!

First, they ushered the wives away and asked the men questions.  In blue are the answers Ray gave and mine are in red.

1. Who says "I Love You" more? Husband. (Whatever)!!  Wife.  It's actually probably quite similar.
2. If you had to describe your family as a TV show, would it be "The Cosby's", "Seventh Heaven", "Survivor", "The Simpsons", or "The Osbournes"?  The Cosby's.  I was the last to answer this and everyone before me said "The Cosby's" so I should've just gone wtih that.  However, I thought it was between "Seventh Heaven" and "Survivor".  I chose the latter.
3. If you were going to describe your wife as an animal, which animal would she be?  Unicorn (because I used to collect them).  A bird because I sing.  And unicorns aren't real animals!!  Duh! 
4. When was the last time you and your wife were out past midnight together?  New Year's.  Dang.  It had been so long I couldn't think of anything.  I finally just said the lake because we're often up until at least midnight.  New Year's WAS a long time ago!

So at the end of the first round, we were the only team with 0 points.  I couldn't believe it!  They ushered out the men and the wives got our questions.

1. If you're husband could quit his current job and get one doing whatever he wanted, what would it be?  In my head, I thought football player (too old), be his own boss, or hunt/fish.  I chose fish.  Play football.
2. What % of the housework will your husband say he does?  Again, difficult because we have a cleaning lady so she probably does close to 1/2 of the housework.  I said 25%.  30%--so close!
3. Use one word to describe your husband while he's sleeping.  All the other wives said loud or quiet.  Well, Ray's not a big snorer but he has a hard time sleeping and the covers get much messier when he's home than when he's not (get your head out of the gutter).  I said restless knowing he'd never get that one.  Restless!  Hallelujah, we were on the board with 10 pts.
4. What would your husband say is his biggest strength?  What would you say is really his greatest strength?  Obviously, this was hard because he has many strengths.  Ultimately, my answer for both was that he can fix anything.  I could also have easily said great husband, dad, or that he's very funny.  Good dad.

So, we took last but it was so much fun.  I just can't tell you how adorable Ray was up there.  At church, he's often quiet and more in the shadows while I'm the visible person.  I loved that everyone got to see the hilarious side of him that I first fell in love with.  Even though he dreaded doing it, he'll be reaping the rewards!

Things I Dislike:

• I miss Blu.  How can I not when looking at that picture of him sleeping so peacefully under Lily's blanket?  I also miss his soft fur.  Rascal's is curly and kind of wiry.
• This cold, blustery, autumn-feeling weather!  We haven't hit 60 today!
• My shoulders are starting to give me grief again.  I went to the chiropractor last week and am getting a massage on Fri.
• Lake season ending.

Things I Like:

• My schedule getting much (maybe too much) busier this week.
• Football season.  NFL gets going with regular games this weekend (Go Steelers) and Cody is at his 1st practice tonight (Go Black)!
• Lunch with Deb
• I'm on the advisory committee for a new program at our church.  It has to be self-sustaining and we just got a 5-digit donation today!!  That more than doubled our whole budget!  PTL
• My new $20 jeans.
• Lily's new outfit that she looks so adorable in.
  

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• Listening to Lily sing "Dinah won't ya blow?  Dinah won't ya blow?  Dinah won't ya blow your hooooorn"? around the house after learning it in school.  The girl has great pitch!

 

Don't worry.  I'm not pregnant.  I am, however, counting down until lake season returns.  It's always so sad to close up the cabin for the winter when it seems we were just opening it for summer.

I didn't take a lot of photos over the weekend, but here are a few.

 

Jace's northern pike

 

 

So, Monday morning, Ray gave in and said we could take Blu home with us even though he didn't think it was a good idea.  The kids were ecstatic.  We spent all morning winterizing and cleaning the cabin.  Minutes before we were going to leave, I ran over to Dawn's cabin to use their bathroom since ours were no longer available.  Blu & Rascal had been over there for awhile playing with Dawn's pommeranian.  While I was in the bathroom, I heard what sounded like high-pitched screams but they were very faint.  When I came back outside, Cody was crying and Dawn's son was bawling with his head buried in her chest.  I asked what happened and they said Blu was tearing him up.  At first, I thought they meant Dawn's son!  I didn't see where he seemed to be injured and then they explained that Blu got mad at Dawn's dog, grabbed him by the neck, and was shaking him like dogs do to their toys.  Dawn's mom had been holding the dog's leash and finally managed to get him in her arms when Blu tried to grab him again.  That's about the time Ray came sprinting over and was ready to kick Blu in the ribs when he ran off.  The only people who missed it were Lily and me and I'm sure glad!  Dawn's parents kept saying that it wasn't Blu's fault and that Bailey had egged him on but I don't think that made anyone feel better.

After that, I didn't know what to do.  Ray checked Bailey over and he seemed uninjured.  I'm thinking all that hair saved him.  We loaded up and had Blu in the car.  Rascal looked distressed and Blu was bouncing all over the place in the car.  Obviously, I was having some serious doubts about taking Blu home now.  I was very grateful when Cody said he didn't want Blu to come with us.  That's all I needed to hear.  Lily was sobbing but it was the right decision.  Rascal seems to have a respect for Blu and doesn't antagonize him but Bailey was the 3rd little dog he'd gone after.  Those were all yappy dogs but we couldn't take the chance that Rascal would tick Blu off.  So much to my parents' dismay, we unloaded Blu and he got back in the truck with them.  I think he just needs to be a ranch dog and hopefully his neutering on the 10th will help mellow him out.  He's such a pussycat when it comes to people but he sure has issues with other dogs!  Needless to say, it was another solemn ride home.  I'd actually been praying that God would send me some kind of sign as to whether Blu was supposed to be with us or not.  I think he sent a lightening bolt. 

We're having a great time so far at the lake.  It's so nice having Blu here without worrying about his well-being.  He's a bit like a newborn.  We tried getting him to sleep in the house last night.  He paced up and down the hallway and then it got quiet so I went to peek.  He was up on the couch staring longingly out the window.  You see, his girlfriend is just a few cabins away and his appt. to get snipped isn't until Sept. 10.  I brought him into our room but he wouldn't lie down.  He ended up crawling on the bed which really wasn't a good idea since I'm still on the fence about whether I'm allergic to him or not.  He even got up in between Ray & I and Ray was petting him.  I think Ray has a soft spot for Blu because Rascal is absolutely not allowed to sleep between us.  Blu wouldn't stop licking Ray so I finally gave up and decided to put him out on the leash at 12:45 am.

We all slept really well after that.  When we awoke in the morning, there was a collar attached to a leash but no dog in the collar.  Guess he had a good night after all ;)  My mom would really like us to take him home.  Honestly, I'd really like to but this morning I thought my lungs were feeling tight but then it quit.  I went to town and bought some dog spray that is supposed to alleviate allergies from pet dander.  We did that with our old dog, Bandit, when we first got him but eventually stopped using it and I was fine.  Mom thought we could take him and if we found out I couldn't handle him, we'd have to find him a home.  I also started Claritin on Thursday so that's probably keeping my nose from running. 

Today, all Blu wants to do is sleep.  I've been trying to have him burn some energy so he'll be tired tonight but he's not interested.  It probably doesn't help that it's 98 degrees outside.

My BFF from h.s., Dawn, is back here this weekend and she brought her 11 yo son.  Cody's been having a great time with him and didn't even go fishing.  The only problem is they have a golf cart and just drive it all over the place.  At first, I reluctantly allowed Cody to ride along and drive some.  Then, I saw his friend driving in what I consider an unsafe manner.  So, we put a stop to that.  Poor Cody was forced to ride his bike while one friend drove a golf cart and the other a full-sized ATV without a helmet (don't even get me started on that).  I finally gave in and said he could ride only in the golf cart and just around our cabins.  If I saw anymore unsafe driving that would be it for the weekend.  I hate always feeling like the overprotective mother but what do you do?

The fishing was slow today but they did catch 4 nice walleyes and Jace got a 20 inch northern pike.  Jace is infatuated with pike so that made for big excitement to him.

Yesterday morning, I went to Wal-Mart for a little shopping.  I left and did my thing coming home after lunch.  I brought my 2 sacks in and sent them on the table to put away later.  When I finally got around to unpacking them, I thought there wasn't all that much but didn't ponder it more.  Then in the evening when it was time for the kids to brush their teeth, I realized I was missing their new toothbrushes, toothpaste, underwear for Lily, flossers, and a package of sliced apples.  Basically, I was missing 1/2 my purchases!  I called the store and spent 20 minutes on hold waiting to talk with different people while they searched.  In the end, they couldn't find anything.  I was so ticked off and dug the receipt out of the garbage can so I could check exactly what I was missing. 

This morning, I headed back, receipt in hand, ready to do battle.  Ray was sure I was out $30 but the clerk had set the sacks on top of the rack for me so I thought the store should be responsible.  If Wal-Mart didn't still have the merchandise then whomever came through that line next must've ended up with an extra bag.  I walked through the doors and instantly saw the woman who had checked me out.  I was going to walk by and head straight to customer service when she said, "Heather, I set your bag back at Customer Service for you".  Hallelujah!  I'm not sure why they couldn't find it last night when it was right there but I am just so thankful to have my stuff without a confrontation (I'm not good at those).  It totally made my day.

While I'm on the subject of Wally World, I don't think I've ever shared the story of my classmate, whose the daughter of my parents' good friends, and how she married Rob Walton.  Rob Walton is the eldest son of the Sam Walton and chairman of Wal-Mart.  In 2007, he was #24 on Forbes list of billionaires.  Yes, he's old enough to be her father and it's so bizarre that a little farm girl from rural Montana ended up with someone like him.  She was a standout basketball player and moved to Phoenix after graduating from college to be a sports trainer for some high profile teams.  That's where they met.

My parents attended their wedding reception in Sidney.  The wedding was in the Carribbean.  Two summers ago, they showed up at our lake cabin so we got to meet him.  They were actually there visiting one of her college roommates who also has a cabin in our area.  They fly into Sidney in their private jet.  The couple recently made a large donation to her alma matter.  Article & Photo

Things I Dislike:

• Grocery shopping
• The wind......enough already!
• Boredom
• Projects that need done around the house that I don't have the desire to do.

Things I Like:

• Being able to go out for lunch with friends whenever I want
• Getting some new jeans and a hoodie.  I've been looking for a hoodie for quite sometime because I'm cold a lot.  I finally found a plain black one instead of one that would make me look like a teenager.
• 3 days until a long weekend and seeing Blu again!
• My new purse

Things I'm Unsure of:

• Having 3 kids in school full time.  It's not going quite as great as I'd imagined.  I was bored and lonely yesterday and today.  I'm hopeful that things will improve when all the other school / church activities get going in September.

After touring downtown Rochester, we went back to Melissa's house for kabobs.

I learned that Melissa has a habit of organizing her M&M's by color and then in rows by the rainbow in Roy G Biv order (aren't you glad I shared that).  In turn, she had to organize her kabobs much the same way.  They definitely were pretty! I've never had such a wonderful variety of foods for kabobs.  There was chicken, 2 types of sausage, steak, ham, onions, green peppers, pineapple, tomatoes, and hot peppers.  Brian did a great job cooking them, too. Jared & Jace eating Bailey & Lily chose to eat in a pretty corner of their yard Many of you have seen the interesting position Melissa's cat gets into but it was a treat to see it in person.

I should explain a little about how we met.  It all started in 1999 when we all joined an online group of expecting mothers with due dates in February 2000.  Nine of us who felt especially close to each other decided to make our own private board to be more personal.  We are located in Vermont, New Hampshire, Pennyslvania, Maryland, Kentucky, Arkansas, Missouri, Minnesota, & North Dakota.  The 4 who live in the NE started getting together every summer and I decided it would be fun to surprise them once.  So, in 2004 when they were meeting in New Hampshire, I contacted the hostess to let her know that I was secretly coming.  Then, I let the other gals know my plan to see if any of them wanted to show up, too.  Would you believe all 9 of us made it?!  It was really fun to see the looks on the faces of the 3 who knew nothing about it when we walked in.  We decided we would try and do a group reunion every 2 years.  In 2006, the reunion was held in Kentucky and 6 of us were there.  Unfortunately, with travel prices as they are only 3 of us could make it this time (Le-Ann is from Arkansas).  I was kind of bummed because it was the one time my family was able to join me.

Out of the 9 of us, 4 of the Feb 2000 babies are boys and 5 are girls.  All 4 of the boys have names that start with J.  Here's the 3 that were at the Minnesota reunion:  Jace, Jared, & Joey.  We were just missing Josiah.

And then there's the moms:  Le-Ann, myself, and Melissa.

Our best Charlie's Angels impression.

Mello (Melissa) has also posted several photos on her blog.  It wasn't decided where we'll meet in 2010 but the rotation puts it somewhere back east.  I'm secretly hoping that java janie might want to host as we've never been to Washington DC.

After we were all exhausted from the Mall of America, we drove to Rochester to Mello's house.  We had a yummy supper of appetizers and pizza and watched the Olympics.  Melissa & her husband are wine connoisseurs and brew their own.  I'm not a wine fan so Ray had to drink mine hence the double fisted drinking.

Le-Ann and her 8 yr old son, Jared, came to Rochester with us while her husband and other 2 sons stayed in Minneapolis.

Melissa thought she should try out Lily's hair piece from Club Libby Lu.  Isn't it a great look for her?

At the MOA, Cody had a hat airbrushed with his name on it.

Melissa & her daughter, Bailey

Melissa's husband, Brian, decided to join our family

Cody wanted to try out their treadmill and was running on it when Jace decided he should try it.  Cody had our permission but we wouldn't have let Jace as he's a bit clutsy.  He finds the injury embarrassing so came up with the story that he was injured while bull fighting.

Sunday morning, Melissa made us this magnificent breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, and fresh fruit.  Then, we went to visit a local winery.

 

 

I loved the old barn

To reward the kids for going to the winery, we took them go-karting

Cody & Joey

Our entire group

Next, Melissa took us on a tour of downtown Rochester which is pretty neat. 

There's a Barnes & Noble store located in a renovated theater

Reflections

 

I think I'll conclude today's post there as it's already getting long.

Saturday, Le-Ann and I met up with Mello at Nickelodeon Universe in the Mall of America.

It was neat to find some mini bumper cars that all the kids could drive.

All the kids were boys except for Lily and Mello's 10 yr old daughter, Bailey.  Bailey was the perfect big sister.

Mello's son, Joey, is in the green shirt on this ride.  This picture was taken at the beginning.  Once the ride got going, Lily did not have such a happy face.

Lily was pretty excited when she saw that Dora the Explorer was at the mall.

 

The kids' favorite ride was the Log Chute.

 

One of Lily's rewards for completing her potty training was a makeover and ear piercing at Club Libby Lu.  It was pretty hard for mom not to cry.  Here she is getting her hair done.

Nails getting painted

Makeup

I bought the cheapest makeover package which was $25.  It included a hairstyle, makeup, nails painting, a sash, a backpack, and picking out 5 trinkets which she's doing here.  She ended up with lots more makeup and some jewelry.

 

After the makeover, it was time to get her ears pierced.  There was a birthday party of 7 and 8 yr old girls watching and commenting on how brave she was at age 5.  I was a little worried they were going to scare her.  However, she was completely stoic and didn't even flinch when they did the piercing.

The complete look!  She sure turned a lot of head at the mall :)

I sure had her wear the right color dress that day!

We met up with my friend, Le-Ann, and her family from Arkansas at the Ichiban Japanese Steakhouse. 

The famous flaming onion

Le-Ann's family

Juggling & cracking eggs in the air

 

Yes, that is an upside down bowl of fried rice

It was already getting late after supper but we took a short dip in the hotel pool before heading to bed.