Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Guess What Time of Year it Is?

Did you guess soccer???

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Then you would be right

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The High School team is getting ready for another amazing season.

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Trivia question....What is Megan's favorite color?

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 This weekend the team is off to Washington for a weekend tournament.

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 Megan has also added coaching to her "to do list". Her first game is tonight.

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Did you guess Neon Orange? Then you would be right.

Thursday, July 04, 2013

Small Town 4th of July Parade

I love the 4th of July, especially in a small town.  Our small town doesn't do a parade, we do the big fireworks show.

So we headed off to the next town over to watch theirs.

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Here is our towns Mayor Dan.  Jasons wants to be invited over his house for dinner.  That way he can tell his friends, "I can't hang our right now I am having dinner with the Mayor."  Dan also goes to our church and his daughter cuts my hair.  Small towns.

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 Here comes my kid.  He's the little one in the snipper suit.  He is supposed to be hunting the monster in front of him.  He voleenters his time at our local family fun center.  Every year they do a really good haunted house.  My son is one of the actors.

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 A close up.

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After the parade, we are going to head up to the river.  Back home to enjoy a wonderful bbq, then up the the college stadium for some fun with friends, live music and one of the best firework shows I have seen.

Happy 4th of July.

Sunday, June 30, 2013

My Kids and a Camera

A few months ago, we headed off to California to throw a 50th wedding anniversary for my parents.  I have some pictures to share of that, but the party is not the subject of this post.  The subject is:  what happens when you ask your kids to take pictures of the party for me.

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 This is only one example.

I have pictures of my butt has I bend over.  Me chasing the youngest down to get my camera back.  My Mom poising for pictures then yelling at them, then finally her hand in front of her face.  I have about 50 of these pictures.

The problem, there are not a lot of pictures of the actual party.  Oh well.....these make me giggle.

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Summer Vacation

Jason and I wrapped up our school year last week.  However, Megan is finishing up this week.  The big disadvantage of doing school online, is that they don't follow our districts schedule.  She started school almost 2 weeks later then the public school and gets out 2 weeks later.  So, soccer summer workouts started this week and she is in finals. 

To make matters worse.  They are starting practice to leave for a tournament this weekend.  Megan needs to complete her finals and a couple of small projects a day early so she can go.  Her coach is completely understanding and working with her on this.  It's tough.

A couple more days and this family will be completely on vacation.  I can't wait.

Tuesday, June 04, 2013

Teenage Girls

This is what you get when you ask, "are you excited?"

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We where in San Francisco getting ready to buy tickets for Alcatraz.  Megan and Abbey met for the first time the day before.  Abbey is the daughter of my brothers good friend Jenn.  You would think they had been friends forever.

We also had to laugh, at how sheltered my kids are.   It took us 1/2 hour to get across the Bay Bridge.  The kids where horrified when I said we made good time.  Megan was ready to give up California freeways and go back to our mountain highways.  She did like that weird is normal in San Francisco, and it did make us think about her close friend who would have been right at home here.

I have lots more to post about our trip, but I have to find that memory card first.


Monday, June 03, 2013

Color Update

When all else fails, check out the templates and go with that.

Not sure I like the green but that's what it's going to be for a little while at least.

Ughhhhh!!!!

I sat down at the computer a few hours (yes I said hours) ago to make some changes and updates here.   As of right now, all I updated is the picture on the side bar of the kids.  I have been working on updating my slide show.  For some reason, it just isn't going to work.  Oh well.

What are we up to today.  Finishing up the last week of school.  There really isn't that much left to do.  However, Jason woke up with a nasty cold and is having a hard time focusing.  I really don't want to do it either.

Anyway, I am going to go back to obsessing over the slide show and maybe doing some more changes.  Also, I have have pictures to share from a Sacramento trip we took last March.  I have to find where I put them first.

Sunday, June 02, 2013

No News

When I think about this blog, I am reminded of the country song "No News" by Lonestar.

She could telephone, 
tell a friend 
Tell a lie about where she's been  
Send a pigeon,
send a fax  
Write it on a post-it pad 
Send a signal up in smoke 
Tap it out in Morse code 
I'd prefer a bad excuse to
no news
  
I haven't written because we just haven't had anything going on.  Yeah right............
   
Anthony's girlfriend, Kagan, graduated.
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 It was a beautiful ceremony.  Yes, I cried during it and Anthony made fun of me. 

I have more updates and pictures coming soon.  I promise.

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Nothing to Say

That can't be right.  I always have something to say.  

Our church has been struggling for the last couple of years with getting good solid youth programs up and off the ground.  It's not that we aren't trying.  And there is a lot of theory's about why they are working.  The kids have been telling us what they want for the last couple of years.  It's just trying to find something that not only the kids like but something that is OK with the church.

I think we have finally done it. Last year a fellow parish member mentioned to me a program called "Teen Life".  I mentioned it to our youth minister last year but there really wasn't an interest. The program is very expensive.  This year we got a new youth minister, but unfortunately we lost most of our high school youth.  My daughter was the only one interested.

She scheduled a meeting with Shannon (new youth minister) and discussed how much she really wanted an active high school youth group.  I then mentioned "Teen Life" again.  Shannon looked into it (it was her husband who talked to me about it to begin with).  Long story short.  If we pull all the 4 church's in the area together, suddenly the program is a little bit more affordable.  Plus, Shannon added the middle school and the young adults to the group. 

This Sunday is our kick off.  The kids seem very open minded about it and us parents who are involved are very excited.  I am super excited to be a part of this and a "Core Team" member.  I will be working with Shannon and the high school kids.  One of the things we are doing, is bringing these kids back to the Bible.  I know that sounds crazy to you non-Catholics.  But one of our biggest non-truths is that Catholics are not allowed to read the Bible.  So not true. 

Also, both Shannon and I have gone to Catholic schools.  We are finding ourselves reading the "Teen Life" material and saying, "I didn't know that."  I am so glad that my kids will be a part of this and that I am going through it as well.  Steve and I are finding that we are closer to our faith then we have ever been  before.  I am in no way dropping to my knees screaming Alleluia at the grocery store (not at these prices), but there is something good and positive going on in my life right now.

If you and your church is looking for a good, uplifting Catholic youth program. Check out Teen Life.  I think you will like what you see.

I guess I was wrong....................I did have something to say.

Friday, January 04, 2013

Christmas Fest

Our church held their 1st annual International Christmas Fest the weekend before Christmas.  The idea was to stop by our Church for a hot meal and a free concert by the band Forgiven.  All of this was free to anyone who came.

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My only regret, was that I was in the kitchen most of the night and didn't get a picture of the band.  Which is a real bummer because they are the reason this got started.  Forgiven is a non denominational worship band in our area.  All the members come from different churches.  We where lucky enough to have Forgiven at Augustfest this past year. Three of the members: Janet, Ed and KC belong to our church and we are very lucky to have them.  If you are in Eastern Oregon and can listen to them play, you won't be sorry.

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 The picture above is right before the crazy rush we had.  We also had a Christmas program done by the CCD and youth groups.  By the time the show started there was not an empty spot in the gym.  The guess is about 500 people served over the course of the weekend.  I like what one church member said, "It is nice to have something to do where money isn't a concern."

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Jason reading his part.

Megan was the narrator.
 
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There are my two little starts.  Doesn't she look good in glasses.

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The servers:  Anthony and best friend Hayden.  Kesha, who has not allowed me to take her picture for the last 7 years.  And Angela, who I often joke that I want to be her when I grow up.  She makes throwing a dinner for 500 people look easy.

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Some of the youth group kids, including Megan.  They are running the crafts table.

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 Jason, running one of the international tables. The idea behind the weekend was to see the different Christmas traditions of  other countries.  I wanted to do a Portugal table but was in the kitchen all night and couldn't pull it off.  As it turned out, we had so many people and the gym was just to small to see all the international tables.

The ladies guild also set up a display of nativity scenes.


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It was a difficult weekend to pull this off.  But I will say, I am so glad that my family was a part of this.  Yes, I was tired and a little stressed about getting things done for my own Christmas day.  But doing something for others is really what Christmas is all about.  Plus, every time I do something like this, I walk away feeling like I have gotten to know someone I didn't know before.

You know the weekend was a success when you have bought out every can of spaghetti sauce in this town.