Adventures in the Land of Lincoln

Last Thursday night, we packed the James gang in the car and headed off to see Great Gmaw and Great Grandaddy. The trip there was suprisingly eventless. We didn't run into traffic or have any "accidents" in the car. Josiah fell asleep and pretty much stayed asleep all the way there. Taylor fell asleep around 9:00 and woke up about 10 minutes before we pulled into the driveway. He was a little disoriented when he woke up and was happy to see Gmaw and Grandad at 11:30 at night. He, of course, was quickly put into his jammies and headed off to bed. While he was asleep, Brad, Taylor and his Grandma stayed up until about 1:00 in the morning talking. The late night didn't stop Brad from getting up at 7:30 and going for a run. I do have to admit, he is sticking to his goal. So, Becki, you better watch out. Your brother is going to be on your heels in that half marathon in a few months.
That Friday night was where the excitement all started. Apparently, I may have possibly ran over the culver in Brad's grandparents driveway. Oops. I was not aware of this mishap until I was about 10 miles away from the house. You see, Brad's low tire pressure light is a bit of a wolf crier, so to speak. Sometimes, it comes on for no reason. I didn't think anything was wrong. Obviously, something was wrong, because Brad's grandma and I heard a pop. So, I pulled over and she peeked out her door. Guess what? flat tire. So, I head back to the trunk of the car and move things around to see if I can find the four way tool. No luck. I call Brad and he says he doesn't have it, but he and his grandad are on their way. When they get there, Brad pulls out the spare and this new fangled jack that doubles as a lugnut tool. If I would have known that thing was in the trunk, I would have changed the tire myself. Anyone who knows me knows I can't stand to let others do the work for me. I was a wee bit peterbed about this. Sheesh!
Of course, this was after the fact that Brad about had a coniption because his flashers were about out. Little known fact: Brad's car does not handle being on accessory for 20-30 minutes. The battery went dead. So, after a donut spare and a jump start, we all head back to the bonfire that Brad's grandparent's Sunday school class hosted.
So, there's two strikes against us. As we pass a weigh station, Brad tells me "There's the rest of the chilli." I looked at him puzzled and asked what he was talking about. Brad and his grandad had gone over to the bonfire early to help set up and take the chilli. Well, Grandad slowed down a bit too fast once and the chilli went flying all over the driver's side floor. So, half of the chilli was saved and the other half of the chilli was scraped off the floor and dumped out at the weigh station. I really hope some animal didn't lick it up. Especially if it didn't have any hot dogs to go with it.
Okay, so now you're thinking bad things come in threes, right? Not so. The next day Brad and I took the tire to that evil blue store that Mr. Walton owned. His employees inform us that at 8 o'clock, there will be a two hour wait to fix the tire. We didn't mind dropping it off, but it was the drop off that got to us. The lady came out to get the information and then she asks Brad to take the tire out himself and roll it into the garage. Um, hello!! Do you see something wrong with this picture? YOU, missy, are getting paid to do this job. How much do you plan on paying Brad to do your work?? Do your job! This led me to wonder if she would have asked me to take the tire out. Just wondering about a double standard, that's all.
We drop off the tire and go to Will's ballgame. I won't give you the details to that one, but I will tell you that one dad/uncle/male figure of one team member was hilarious. He was pretty much the one man cheer squad for the Little Tigers.
While at the ball game, Brad gets a call that the tire cannot be repaired. Something about a hole in the sidewall. Once again, sorry 'bout that. They say they have a new tire that they can mount. Brad said that would be fine. The game is about over, so Brad heads to Walmart so they can mount the tire. Apparently, those people that wear blue vests that have the lowest price always don't understand the concept that when a car returns to get a tire mounted it does not go back to the end of the line. They told Brad it would be another two hours to mount it on the car. So, being the ever so patient person that he is, Brad pays for the tire and mounts it himself. Once, the tire is on he notices that the center cap is missing. I go back in and inform the mechanic about this. He goes back to the garage and brings back the missing center cap. "Sometimes, I just forget to put those back on," he tells me. There is this thing called quality control, sir. You might want to look into that if you want any customers to come back, because I sure won't!
It's experiences like these that I appreciate the way my dad operates his business at home. There should be a Kenny's Auto and Tire Service in every place that I vacation. So, Dad, please do something about that. Expand, please. Life would be so much easier if I didn't have to enter the walls of a corporate money monger for an auto repair. :o)

The rest of the weekend went fine and I have the pictures to prove it.(Of course, Brad kept saying that I cost him 80 bucks. Hah! Eighty bucks is nothing compared to the 500 dollar engine because of "that clunking noise" or the brand new car because of a test drive in the rain.)

Hope you enjoyed my longest blog ever. Good night!

Guess who's walking!

Friday flop turned into a Saturday celebration. After a day of Gladfest, we came home and the boys took a bit of a nap. When Taylor got up, Brad took him to the store to get supplies for chocolate chip cookies. I stayed home.

I thought it would be a good time to see if I could get Josiah to take more than one step and fall down. I didn't expect much(but was hoping he would get moving). I held up his favorite toy, and lo and behold, he decided to walk!!! Yeah! He did a pretty good job. I called Brad on his cell phone and just said "Five steps." It took him a minute to figure out what I was talking about. When he got home, he got out our camera and did some video taping of the newest adventure of the littlest James gang member.



Here it is, our one step wonder no longer:

Watch out, here he comes!

Friday Flop

I'm usually a big fan of Fridays. The weekend is only eight hours away, I can wear jeans to work, it's a pretty casual day. I'm not a big fan of being pulled over because I failed to come to a complete stop.

*****Warning: This may cause conflict among my readers that are employed to protect and serve. For that I apologize, but you don't patrol the Kearney streets at 6 am so you are forgiven.****

Let me set the scene for you. It is 6 o'clock in the morning. The streets are bare. I'm driving the one block down my street before I come to a four way stop. Let me remind you that NO ONE is on the street. Not a car, not a pedestrian. Possibly, a tumbleweed. It was windy this morning, you know. I put my foot on the break,press down, look both ways, and proceed to turn left. Before I have a chance to go 500 feet, I see flashing lights in my rearview mirror. I'm thinking, oh, great, what now? My tags are up to date, there was no possibility I was speeding, because I stopped. What does he think I did?

So, a portly police officer comes up to my window and informs me that I failed to come to a COMPLETE stop. (So, the fact is I stopped, right. He said I just didn't make a complete stop.) Then, he asked my why I failed to make a complete stop.

(Okay, so if you know me, mornings and I don't get along well. In fact, I try to avoid talking to people before 10 am because I am quite frankly not the most chipper person to talk to in the morning. Especially, when the sun is not out, yet.) I hold back everything I can, and politely say, "I thought I did." He says, "Okay," in a sing song voice and asks for my license and registration. (On a side note, which I think is hilarious. His walkie comes on and he has to say the random numbers of whatever code it is. I am practically in the police station parking lot. Why couldn't he just go inside and tell them?)

So, I sit and wait as he goes back to his car and runs my information. This seems to take forever, so I clean out my glove box, rearrange my lunchbag, check my phone for messages, write a 3 page letter to a long lost friend. Kidding. I didn't have THAT much time. After an eternity, he comes back and spouts off his spiel on why I got the ticket, I have no other violations, and the whole thing is on video. I was not aware that the Kearney police department had enough money to install cameras in their cars. Of course, there aren't that many squad cars, anyway.

Here comes the best part: the officer asks me how old I am. Did you not just run my license? Did you not just write down my birthdate on the citation? Do you have a short term memory? AGGGH. Its six o'clock in the morning! Do you not know that I do not like to think and answer questions when the sun is not up and I have only been awake for 30 minutes???? Of course, I have to think about this for a second, because all of my questions I just wrote are running through my head. He then asks my to sign the ticket which I can't see because its dark. I have to ask him to hold his light up so I can see the X to sign. Then, he says his closing formalities and tells me to have a good day. Are you kidding me? You just stopped me and gave me a ticket because I failed to make a COMPLETE stop. I stopped! Do you want me to put flares out next time?? I don't even remember what I told him. Maybe, "you, too" or "okay." Once again, it was early!

So, I drive to work with no other complications except for when I get into the parking lot. I don't have an assigned space, but I like to park in the same place everyday. When I get in the parking lot, I see that one of my student's parents has decided to pull into "my" space and wait for my arrival so she can drop off her son. At this point, I'm mumbling not very nice things about that under my breath as I collect my things and go inside. Once inside, I get a call from one of the teachers who informs me he is taking the day off. So, there is two of us, 36 students, and 4 meetings with parents all jam packed into one day. Three thirty could not come any sooner!

Friday is looking a lot like Monday. Here's hoping yours was better!



**On a side note, I do appreciate my readers who are police officers or spouses of police officers. Your job is tough and I pray for your safety. Thanks for keeping the streets and my children safe!**

Football Frenzy

Yep, it is that time of year again. The time of year again when Brad loses all functioning possible until the football games are over. You could tell him the house was on fire and aliens are in our kitchen, but if its not on a commercial and the football games are on, then there is no hope. And quite frankly, it is not just him that does this in his family. Let me take you back a few years to a time when we were newlywed and I had my first encounter with Brad's family and a Chiefs game.
It was a Sunday(duh!) also known as laundry day at that time. We had packed our car full of laundry and headed to Brad's parents house. The game was just getting underway and all of the sudden, people start jumping up off the couch, hollering and what not. I on the other hand am sitting at the end of the couch folding socks and underwear. I may have been startled a bit, I assume, because I had no idea what was going on.(And to be honest, I wasn't really watching the game. I wasn't a big football fan, then). Apparently, it is a VERY big deal when the Chiefs score and the James' family sees it all. All the rest of that game day, I would watch Brad and laugh to myself. You see, he likes to not only tell you the penalty, but also show the hand signals for the penalty. He can't sit still,seriously. He had to get up and walk back and forth or jump off the couch and yell "holding" or "first down" while signaling. It was hilarious(and still is).

As the years went by, I have come to learn a few things from the James family:

1. Do not let Brad hold anything while watching a Chiefs game. Whether good or bad, it will undoubtedly get chucked somewhere and it will not be a good thing. (FYI: Just asked Brad to put down the penguin toy after he kicked his legs and yelled "OOOH." Apparently, it was a good "OOOH).
2. His mom is the loudest Chiefs fan I know. I mean that in the nicest way possible. She will definitely be louder and angrier than any of the guys I know that watch a Chiefs game. Which is odd, since she grew up in Oklahoma and they don't even have an NFL team. Guess it was all that rooting for the Sooners that did it.
3. No matter how angry the James family gets at their beloved Chiefs, they will come back next Sunday and torture themselves another 4 quarters the next week. I remember one of Brad's sisters yelling and carrying on because Dante Hall couldn't get a kick off return. She took off her number 82 jersey and asked anyone if they wanted it, because she definitely did not want it anymore. I'm pretty sure she still has it in her closet. Another time, someone got the NFL preview magazine that had Priest Holmes on the cover and asked if they could throw it away. (That magazine is still around--even if it is in a room that no one uses that often anymore).

So, if you want some cheap entertainment, just be a fly on the wall when the James family watches a Chiefs game. And yes, over the years I have become a Chiefs fan. I have a couple of jerseys to prove it. (Brad's coaching right now, by the way. I think that is my favorite about this time of year. He actually thinks the players can hear him when he talks to the giant electric box known as the TV. Does he know that they can't hear him??).
My boys are even Chiefs fans. When I was pregnant and watching Chiefs games, they would kick when the Chiefs scored. Okay, maybe they were startled by the excitement, but they still knew how to root for the red and gold.
And if you think Sunday is exciting at my house, you should try coming over on a Saturday. Did I mention Brad was an OU fan, too??

A Conversation into the Future

Mommy, today is Patriot's Day. At school, we colored flags and talked about why our country is important.(Pause) Mommy, why did my teacher cry today?

She's sad. She probably remembers why we have Patriot's Day.

Why?

About 10 years ago, some not very nice people from another country and a different religion thought it would be okay to crash a plane into the tallest building in the United States.

What was the tallest building?

The Twin Towers. I'll have to find a picture to show you, because they didn't build them again.

Why did the people think it was okay to do that?

They thought that their god wanted them to kill everyone so they could over run the country.

Does my god want me to kill everyone?

No, God wants you to love your neighbor and turn the other cheek, even though it's hard sometimes.

Mommy, I still don't understand why my teacher was crying.

When the plan crashed into the building, a lot of people died and a lot of people got hurt. The television showed footage of it all day long and into the night. The policeman and firefighters had to go into the buildings and try to find everybody.

Did they find everybody?

No, buddy, they didn't. Some people are still looking for their families.

Is my teacher still looking for someone?

I don't think so. I think she is just sad because she remembers what she saw that day and is happy to be living in the United States.

I gave her hug.

That's nice of you.

She gave me a sticker. Wanna see?

After we get home, bud, I'm driving.


9/11/01 Sitting in my child psychology class preparing to take my first test. Dr. Owens asks for prayer requests like he does at the start of every class period. One guy says "we need to pray for those people in New York." The class is early and I have no idea what is going on. After class, I walk over to the education building at William Jewell and see the hallways are lined with TVs. The footage of the first and second plane is playing and newscasters are making their speculations. Education classes are cancelled. I go back to my dorm and watch the TV until I can't watch anymore.

9/11/09 Helping high school students who think they never had a chance to graduate learn how to find the arc length and central angle of a circle. An everday occurance, but still as important as that moment when "the world stopped turning."

Labor of love

Only a couple of weeks into the school year and I am relieved with a three day weekend. Isn't it funny how labor day isn't really a labor day at all? (Well, unless you are in labor, but we'll get to that later.) The weekend was jam packed with things to do in the form of fairs, fishing, and relaxing.

Saturday, the James Gang went to SantaCaliGon Days. We basically followed Taylor from ride to ride until we ran out of tickets. He checked out the tires and under the hood on the cars that went around in a circle. I think he didn't get his ticket's worth on the bumblebees. The ride went around maybe two times and then it was over. BOO! Josiah rode with him on the carousel(Baby Siah's first time on a carnival ride.) The big excitement was riding the dinosaur roller coaster. Taylor barely made the height cut off. The sign said to beware of rapid changes in direction. Yeah, right. How rapid can a kiddie coaster be?

After all the rides, we went on a search for some new OU shirts for the boys. We were unsuccessful and I was tired of shopping(which doesn't take much for me. You see, I'm okay if I shop and get what I am in search for, but if I have to shop and come up empty handed I feel like I've wasted my whole day. It's very irritating to me.)



The next day we went to celebrate Nana's birthday. HER birthday was actually on Labor Day. (Ha, had you readers guessing there for a few minutes didn't I? No news here, but it's always fun to keep the readers on their toes.) We packed up our boys and headed to Polo to a private lake to go fishing and have a picnic, but in reverse order. Taylor and I caught a fish with my very first fishing pole I ever had. Still works. Brad even caught a fish. And when I say Brad caught a fish, he was actually patient enough to sit in a lawn chair for about 1 hour and wait for a bite on his line. He did have a little bit of help, though. My dad had brought along a fishing pole stand. All Brad had to do was cast out the line, prop up the pole, and lounge in the chair with his Coke until a fish decided it was hungry enough to eat the worm. I think I had more fun watching Brad go outside of his comfort zone than I did fishing. I'm thinking up new ways to get him to go camping everyday. No hotels, no cell phones, no computers, just the great outdoors. He may not like it, but he's going to try it!

My dad had the big story of the day. He actually caught the big one. This fish jumped out of the water several times and fought my dad all the way to the bank. Everyone at the lake practically came out of the woodwork to see what was on the other end of Dad's line. It was a huge catfish. We don't know how much it weighed because it broke my Dad's scale. According to Mike, it weighed more than a gallon of paint. The final estimate was eight pounds. The fish was huge, folks!

So, after a day of fishing, my parents followed us up to our house and my dad and I cleaned fish. Yes, folks, you read it right : the girl that cannot stand the sight of blood, vomit, or needles cleaned 5 fish that day. This is nothing new, though. I've cleaned trout since I was about 4 years old. I did learn that cleaning perch is nothing like cleaning trout, though. Perch are bony and tough skinned. It wasn't as easy at it looked.

After the carnival and fishing, it was time to just relax at home on Labor Day. Well for me and the two little ones, anyway. Brad thought he needed to go see a guy movie with his dad. More power to ya. I'll stay home and let the kiddos nap and maybe do some laundry.

Finally, we ended our weekend with a dinner from Arby's on the rarely used deck. Our weekend is complete. The only question is, what's on the plans for next weekend? Who knows? When do we ever plan ahead?

Monkey See, Monkey Do

You may have noticed I did a little changing up with the blog page. First, I'd like to thank Beth for changing her blog and motivating me to make a few changes of my own. She was right, the banner idea is a good theory, but takes FOREVER to perfect. Thanks for the website in the corner of your page.

Second, I'd like to thank a certain little monkey of my own who inspired the new look. His name is Taylor. He has been in the habit of jumping on our bed lately and singing "Five little monkeys jumping on the bed . . ." I thought the new blog would be perfect for my gang of monkeys. I mean after all, I do have to buy a big bunch of bananas every time I go to the grocery store.

Enjoy the new look and I won't say a word if you are monkeying around at work.