{just another blog}

It always comes full circle...

Here we are another school year has started....

 

This is the part where I start to get a little sad and wonder where the time has gone.  I am like a broken skipping record like that. Which comparing myself to a record is weird because I highly doubt my kids even know WHAT a record is.

But back to my heart breaking that yet another year has passed....

Each year you can tell that they grow a little more agitated that I want to take a "first day" photograph. but someday...SOMEDAY they will appreciate this right?

Kasey is now a JUNIOR in HIGH SCHOOL. Don't ask me how I am going to feel next year when he is a senior because I am trying really hard to live in denial about that one. Just like this year or even this year  when I sent my baby off to High School. If you look at that post...OM gosh....he looked like a baby compared to now. He had his first game of the fall soccer season... hence the soccer jersey.

  

My Jakey....sigh. He is The sweetest boy. My sweetest boy started 7th grade this year. He was super excited about his teachers this year. I won't say which particular teacher he is glad he DOESN'T have because that would not be nice! Jake not only starts 7th grade but in a few months time Tom and I will be the parents of not one...but TWO teenage boys when Jake turns 13 in December.

 

My baby girl. Hannah started 4th grade this year. She was very disappointed that her BFF Leah won't be in her class but she is determined to have a great year regardless! It seems like I woke up and suddenly she won't shop at Gymboree anymore and we are disagreeing in Macy's about what is appropriate for school. Sigh....I know there was a reason God only blessed me with one daughter.

 

Since I was so upset about my kids growing up, I needed a mental health day. Tom decided he needed one too. While the kids were at school filling their brains with useful information...Tom and I decided we needed to fill our bodies with fresh air.

 

We spent the entire first school day in our boat out on the lake...just the two of us.

It was just the therapy I needed....

Summer is killing my blog.

 I blame it on summer!

We have been having such a great summer! Between boating, and going to the lake with my mom, and boating, and summer camp, and boating, and trips to Grandma Mary's and 2 weddings in a row this month....do you understand why this blog has been slow?

I last left you with news of my new camera. I don't think I need really go into much discussion about how awesome the camera is. So just trust me....it is sweeet!

In July our baby turned 3. She was a good sport with the hat! I know by posting this I am opening my self up to alll kinds of comments....it is OK. I know I THAT PERSON who dotes on her dog because her kids have grown weary of it.

 

July also brought us to awesome days with the J's out on Lake Springfield.

 

We surprised the crap out of Kasey...

 

With a car for him to use... 

 

Now he just has to find a job...but that is another post altogether.

Kasey played 7 on 7 soccer again this summer....he loved it :)

 

Notice he isn't wearing any socks with his shin guards....that is definately another post.

Tom named the boat...the "Midwestern" . He even had letters cut out so he can put it on the boat. He loves that boat.

 

Answer me this will you? If he loves this boat so much why did he talk me into buying another one?

THAT is totally another post!

to be cont......

I am expecting.

Don't go there....I am NOT knocked up.

I am expecting a brown truck to knock on my door tomorrow.

That brown truck is bringing this....

 

A brand new Canon 40D. I have had my Canon 20D for 3 years now (and yes I still own my original Digital Rebel from 2004!!) and while it has been an awesome camera....it is 3 years old. There is a newer model, called the 50D, which is about $300-$400 more than the 40D and the difference between the two wasn't enough for me to shell out the extra cash.I have my eye on a few lenses too but they will have to wait....a few weeks anyway LOL

A lot of people have asked if Canon is better than Nikon. The answer is you have to figure that out for yourself. Personally I have always been a Canon girl. My very first film SLR was a FILM Canon Rebel Ti that Tom bought for me for our anniversary in 2002. When I made the cross over to digital I went with Canon because I had Canon lenses that would work with my digital SLR. I have used (briefly) a Nikon and it just didn't feel right in my hand. It felt awkward and a lot of the features were hidden in the menu and not just an easy button on the outside like my Canon.

So my advice? 

Buy a Canon.

Just kidding!!! Seriously...go with what feels right in your hands. If it feels right in your hands, you are more apt to use it! 

Summer 2009

 This summer has been packed with lots of fun things for us!

Just after school let out Hannah's girl scout troop went on an overnight trip to STL. We took them to the St. Louis Zoo, the Magic House and the finale was going up in the Arch!

The zoo...

 

At the Magic House....

 

The famous static ball!!!

 

(Really bad lighting on this one, so black and white it goes!)

 

They had this whole exhibit dedicated to Washington DC. This was the oval office!

On the top steps below the Arch!

 

 

 

We went on vacation to the Lake of the Ozarks and spent the rest of the week in Perryville. What made this trip so neat was that Tom got his boat finished in time for us to take it.  

Everyone had a great time tubing...

 

 

and swimming....

 

and pretending to race against my Mom and Step-Dad in their boat (we went way faster!)....

 

 

And going.....

 

Parasailing...Yes that is Kasey and our nephew Justin up there...

 

and spending lots of time in MawMaw's hot tub at the lake house!

I was on this vacation...I took the pics and this is one of the only pics that exist on this trip...and I took it myself!!!

 

I took our point and shoot camera with me on this trip instead of my SLR. Overall the camera did a good job, but I don't have ANT decent fire work pics on the 4th of July becuase the camera doesn't do low light situations very well. But overall, it was nice to have a small camera handy!

The summer is not over yet and we still have a lot planned!

Next week we are going to see the new Harry Potter movie (probably with the Jaderholms). We are getting a Spfld. Lake sticker for our boat so look for us on the water ........during the week.

Jake and Hannah will each spend a week at Camp, then they will both head off for a week in Ohio with Grandma Mary. Kasey is looking forward to the break with out Jake and Hannah. I think he is wanting his BFF-cousin Justin to come for the week Jake and Hannah are gone.

Plus we still have several weekend trips to Perryville planned.

Whew!!!

This has been a really great summer so far!

Apparently while I was at work today....

Barbie and Ken won king and queen at prom!!

 

Congrats Barbie and Ken!

It's ALIVE....IT'S ALIVE....

If you were at my house tonight you would have heard the sound of an engine running.

Not just ANY engine...but a BOAT engine.

It was a little touch and go over the past few days on if the engine would run. From what I understand after listening him explain it, the power was getting to the coil but the coil wasn't putting enough power out to make a spark. After many trips to the computer (where his mercruiser manual was located) and back out to the boat and back to the computer and back to the boat. A tip to the auto parts store, then another trip to a different store and THEN today yet another trip to the boat place.

Then finally tonight at 6:10 pm.....

 

 

 

 

The original decals were long gone, so Tom makes some up at work.

 

It looks like the good light is shining down on the engine....it is ALIVE...it STARTED and it runs beautifully!!

All this equals...

 

 

One very happy husband.

Now the next test......is she sea worthy?

Stay tuned!

What a way to start summer vacation.

Hannah broke her shoulder/arm. She jumped off the swing at the playground and landed on her shoulder. It wasn't broken enough to need a cast, but it is broken enough to be immoblized. She really has been a trooper and she really hasn't complained too much.  She has had it on for 2 weeks and only one more week to go.

Her only complaint this far?

Not having slings in several different colors to match her outfits.

We never do things the easy way.

Last fall Tom decided we needed a boat. He sold all of his R/C stuff and bought an old but "solid" boat.  It was a "steal" at only $700. He bought it off Ebay...you know the only place to shop when you are Tom. Well E-bay and Craigslist. The boat was located a few hours away and on one of his days off, he went to get it.

He brought it home, and took it for its maiden voyage on Lake Springfield. Something wasn't right. I don't remember the technical terms he used, but basically it wasn't running right.

He brought it home, and checked the oil. It was the color and consistancy of chocolate milk.

I know, you are asking yourself the same damn thing I asked him.

"Is that a BAD thing?"

Apparently yes. When your oil looks like chocolate milk it means you have water in your engine.

Guess that "steal" wasn't really a steal after all... at least on our end anyway.

OK so Tom had a new plan. He wanted to pull the engine out of the boat, go over every piece with detail and find out how/why water got in the engine. This is like Christmas to Tom. HE LOVES nothing more than to take something apart and put it back together.

Sounds daunting right? I asked.."Babe, how the hell are you going to accomplish that?"

He has a friend (he always has a friend) that is going to hook his tractor bucket up to the engine, lift it out and set it in Toms truck.

Next comes taking the engine apart. Do you know how many parts an engine has?

A lot, that's how many.

To make a long story short, the engine has finally been put back together... despite spending way too much money on a very old boat, and despite every tool Tom owns has been stolen...tonight, they put it back in the boat.

That guy on the tractor is Dave he was in charge of lowering and Tom was in charge of alignment. I really wanted shots of the engine in the air, but yeah...the couldn't wait for me to get there and they started with out me.

Every part of that engine was at one time spread out and organized on our garage floor.

EVERY SINGLE PIECE.

EVERY SINGLE PIECE has been looked over and checked out to see how water could have gotten in the engine.

Turns out, there wasn't much wrong with that engine.

The water most likely came from the exhaust shutters being broken.  I don't quite know what they are or what they do, but I do know they are not part of the engine. 

Don't think this has a happy ending just yet....he still has to hook every thing up and put on the lower unit (or to us lay-people the thing that the propeller turns on). Then he will take it for another spin on Lake Springfield. Cross your fingers.

With the money we initially spent on buying the boat, plus the money we spent re-doing the engine, we could have had a nicer, newer boat. But that my friends is not the Dale way. Because according to Tom, the easy way isn't as fun.

TV Commentary.

Ok so let me just put this out there:

I LIKE WATCHING REALITY TV.

Or trash TV as Tom calls it.

More specifically I LOVE watching the Housewives on Bravo.

It started with Orange County, then New York, then Atlanta and now I heart New Jersey.

I probably heart New Jersy more right now because I think Teresa Guidice  and her "bubbies" are feakin hilarious!

The season finale was awesome.

What will I watch now that it is over?

I have been gone, but I didn't go anywhere.

Ummm hi!

Yes, it has been awile.

No, I didn't forget I have a blog.

I have had a million blog entries started....in my head you know, but never found the time to put it to web. Then one week turns into two, and so it goes.

We last left off with Tom recouping from surgery. He is doing quite well and he was released from his Dr. He is now RUNNING which, according to his surgeon, is pretty unheard of at this stage in the game. But Tom has an awesome attitude and the will to be back to "normal". GO TOM!

We also left off with my van blowing a spark plug. You remember that right? Well it happened, it was loud, it was scary, and I didn't trust my van any longer.

Was it a random thing? YES TOTALLY RANDOM.
Could it happen again? No, but yes.

This fear comes from my wheel coming off at 65mph once and I never trusted that car the same way again. So call it PTSD..or call it crazy I didn't trust my van anymore.

This is me trying to tell you I got a new car.

A 2009 dodge Caravan. I know...don't swoon all at once!

This is THE actual van in my driveway. We got a really great deal and got some pretty neat upgrades.

We got the van juuuust in time to visit Tom's Mom for Mothers Day. We could never buy her any gift better then giving her the gift of us. She declared it "The Best Mothers Day EVER". Now she was either telling the truth or she was being sarcastic. You decide. I like to think she was really really happy.

We all got dressed up and went to church with her....

 

We went to the lake for Memorial Day. no pictures. I didn't bring the camera. My mom bought a house near the lake that has an in-ground pool. To say the pool needed work was an understatement. We spent the weekend cleaning out the pool with Michelle's family. We did have a day at the lake on the boat so not all was lost.

We decided to go again the following weekend because we wanted more fun. We got more than we bargained for when we came back to find our garage had been robbed.

If they wanted to hurt my husband, they knew right where to get him. He said kicking him in the balls would have been better than this.

Every tool he owned was GONE.

Wait I take that back, he did find a wrench and a screwdriver on the floor. So they didn't render him totally helpless. Let's all hope that every bolt he will ever unscrew is a 3/16th size and every screw a phillips!!

We have been dealing with insurance and let me tell you, we got screwed when we got robbed and now the insurance company is getting a piece of our ass too. Yeah I know that was vulgar. But that is pretty much how this process feels.

Those are the highlights of the past 2 months. You can fill in the gaps with the kids arguing, having sleepovers with friends, me crying over the fact they my son will be a junior next year, lots of commentaries that would have made good blog entries if I had remembered to write them down, and just a bunch of life in general.

In the near future I hope to change the header of this ol' blog, especially since I am coming up on my 3 year blogivesary!

Until then, see ya!