Beautiful Lengths

BEFORE.....

AFTER....
Well - It's not done the best... I spent the whole day at work and then went to football for 2 hours but you get the idea.

I cut off 8 1/2 inches of hair and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. www.beautifullengths.com They accept 8 inches instead of Locks of Love 10 inches. I may have had a minor heart attack if I had lost another 2 inches! Anyway - I donated my hair once before when my grandfather passed away. He had cancer. This time, I am donating my hair in honor of Lorie. She is the pianist for our worship team and has been battling Brain Cancer.

Air Force Week

Sorry it has been so long since our last post - Things got pretty crazy around here as soon as the kids got back. The boys were selected for a team for football. They are officially both "Warriors." It wasn't really a surprise since Chad is the assistant coach for the team and this will be my 3rd year as a team mom.



This past weekend was the Offutt Air Force Base Air Show. It is typically a big local event and there is a lot to do. This year however, it was a nationally publicized event. Only 3 cities around the U.S. were chosen to host an Air Show for National Air Force Week. One was on the East Coast, one was on the West Coast and the final location was Bellevue, Nebraska.

Needless to say, the Air show was even bigger and better than usual. We watched demonstrations and toured planes for about 4 hours. It was hot but for the most part an overall enjoyable day.
This is one of the planes that did a demonstration. It is amazing how big this plane is, yet it was the quietest plane in the air!

The finale was the Thunderbirds. We were all awe-struck. I just can not imagine my children waking up one day asking to do stunts in a plane going over 300 miles an hour.

We spent the end of the weekend fixing the rest of our deck. Sadly, two children, a teenager with down syndrome and a little girl (about 3 years old) from about 2 blocks away wandered out of their home and went missing for awhile on Saturday while we were at the Air Show. (The family of the two girls walks the neighborhood frequently.) While they were wandering they came across our neighbor's pool with the gate unlocked. Unfortunately the little girl fell into the pool and the other girl was unable to get help. Instead she wandered to a nearby parking lot where the police eventually found her. When medical officials finally located the 3 year old, she was floating in the pool and was unable to be revived.

It makes my heart drop to think that it could have just as easily been our pool. How tragic for the family and for the neighborhood. I just can not imagine returning home to find that this had occurred at our house. The people who lived at the home with the pool were at the Air Show as well.

Well - Now that I have bored you with our local news... I just cut over 8 inches off my hair today. I am hoping to post some pictures later this week. Let's just say, that it is the shortest I can ever recall my hair being!

Football

THE BOYS ARE BACK!!!!

We are super happy to have the boys back in Nebraska with us. They had a good summer, but it is definitely time to get back into a routine. They have spent a lot of time "relaxing" this summer and now they are paying the price at football.

Chris has two years experience behind him already. He knew what to expect and was excited to get on the field. If he didn't have a little brother joining the action this year, he would probably be moving up the "A" team. That team is the one that travels and competes. We think 10 is a little young to become so competitive. We want the kids to enjoy the sport and then worry about competing in Jr. High and High School. It is a serious compliment though to have the coach of the A team really wanting Christopher to move up. That coach has spent lots of time trailing Chris during the conditioning activities.

Here's a quick picture of Chris avoiding a tackle...

Then there is my little man. Isn't he sooooo cute? I just love them being so little in those big ol' pads and helmet! He has been quite a trooper... His first day of practice was with 104 degree heat index. YIKES! But the biggest trauma of the night was his sock pinching his toes. He didn't have any trouble tackling or being tackled. He just cared that his clothing wasn't fitting right.

He has made quite a few gains in the past two days. I am impressed how well he is doing for having no prior experience. He is working to earn the nickname "Taz." Then we will have TAZ and TOM TOM.
Let me just say - I love being a mom - even if I am only the "step-mom." I love my boys. I love football and wrestling and all the craziness of being busy every night. It just feels right! Chad and I thrive on the success and happiness of the kids. Their smiles are so contagious, and seeing them feel proud of themselves is great. I watched Shawn go from a timid little man (I know = Shocking.... yes he was absolutely silent prior to the first night of practice!!!) to a determined young man who wants to play football with his dad and his brother. Chris has stepped into the leader role. Even when he fights with his brother, he is still watching him during the drills, telling him "good job" and encouraging him to keep going. He will likely be a captain this year for the team. It's amazing how quickly they grow, but with each new age comes new and excited adventures (for both the kids and the parents).

Promos and Weddings

Chad was inducted into the "Top 5." This is essentially the top 5% of the military personnel. He is now considered a Senior NCO (Person in command). He will sew on his new stripe hopefully in November or December, but he took a new job on Monday based on the fact that he will be a Master Sgt.

I was really excited to be able to attend a Military Ceremony (and doesn't my hubby look so handsome in his Blue's?) I guess I was just super excited to show my support and for Chad to know how proud I am of his accomplishments.

The NCO induction ceremony was on Thursday last week. Friday I got to see Mamma Mia with my good friend Jill. We went to the late show, and then Chad and I got the crazy idea that since it was cooler outside we should stain the deck when we got home. Keep in mind that we left the theater at 12:30 a.m. - I believe we finished the deck (or at least the first half) at 2:30 in the morning. I can definitely say it has been awhile since we have seen that time of day!

Needless to say - We slept in on Saturday! We then left for Des Moines. My friends Leah and Brian got married.

* A little side note -

I met Brian at daycare when we were maybe 6 months old, and we attended our first birthday party together (for Chris Finnegan).

Leah and I met during my second year at NIACC. We became close friends and eventually roommates for 2 years. I love my Leah Lou! Sadly, we don't get to see each other often.

It was great to see them tie the knot after dating for 7 years!

On a final note - I thought this picture was beautiful. We took it on our vacation this summer, but I still am amazed at the beauty of a sunset and a sunrise. Rainbows and rays of sun shining through clouds make me smile. I guess I am just thankful for all the small things that make each day so great!

Vacation... And the Best Part Was.....

Well - Even though we had a blast with my family, Chad and I both agree that the best part of the trip and one of the coolest things we have ever done... was swimming with the dolphins.

The pictures pretty much say it all. Pure Joy!!!

We had always seen pictures like this, but never imagined that we would be able to enjoy the experience.


We would do it again in a hearbeat and fully plan to take the kids with us next time. That will be really fun seeing them experience the dolphins ~

Vacation 08

Chad and I just returned from vacationing with my family. We finally got to enjoy the cruise we had purchased and planned for my parents' 30th wedding anniversary. I have so many great pictures to share, but here are a few to get started with. I will have to post more when it is not so late!


OF COURSE ..... We had to have SAFETY FIRST! Here is Tristan, Annie, Me and Chad during our boat drill. I don't know why I am the only one looking happy.... maybe a scared smile???


The Happy Couple enjoying a relaxing moment on the sun deck!

Chad and I during the Captain's dinner. FYI - This picture was originally taken upside-down. (Reduces the red-eye - Wink, Wink)
My mom and dad on the shore of the Cayman Islands.

This was our first port of call. We enjoyed some shopping
and some snorkling on the beach.

Our 2nd port of call was Cozumel, Mexico. We had many photo opportunities with animals... all of which cost at least $5/picture. Chad and I went swimming with the dolphins on this day. Like I said - I will post more pictures tomorrow...

4th of July

Chad and I went to Clear Lake for the 4th of July. We spent the weekend with lots of family. It was good to see everyone again. I must admit that we would have enjoyed spending the holiday with the kids, but since they were gone, we just enjoyed our time together.


In order to understand how big the celebration is in Clear Lake you need to know a few things.
1. People started laying out/reserving parade spaces on Tuesday.... July 1.
2. Finding a parking space is next to impossible. We walked to and from the park not only for exercise, but because our parking space would have only been about 2 blocks from the house.
3. We went to the beach to reserve our fireworks viewing spot at 2:00 in the afternoon and the beach was already almost full.

Chad and I wandered the park and carnival for awhile but then went to enjoy time on the beach. (This may have been a bad choice as I went into full blown teacher mode when kids started running across blankets, littering in the lake, and .... this was the final straw.... kicking sand at people, and then denying it. I was the recipient of a nice portion of sand down my pants as a result of a 10 year old kicking sand at me... Grrr! The parents did NOTHING to discipline or even intervene when all of the above was occurring. I think in my frustration I said something along the lines of... "And you expect us to be able to teach them in the classroom when they have learned that this behavior is okay?")

We enjoyed the lake while we were waiting for the fireworks to start.
I love the lake and the beautiful sunsets. This picture makes me miss Clear Lake. We always have such a good time visiting and seeing family and friends again. Wish we could do it more often.
Finally, I had to put in one picture of the fireworks. They were amazing as usual. I am very thankful that it all went well and everyone was safe at the lake. One firework did get a little close to the beach, but I don't think anyone was seriously injured. However, I should add that just 30 minutes from Clear Lake another town had a major fireworks accident. The tubes tipped over and shot the fireworks directly into the crowd instead of up into the sky. Many people were injured and Tristan (Annie's boyfriend) was the dispatcher to receive the call. The quick response was key to helping the people survive. Please keep the people of Charles City in your prayers. They were also severely impacted by the flooding in June.
One final note.... Thank you to all the men and women who go to work each day to protect the freedoms we enjoy. As a spouse of an Active Duty Military person, I am proud of the work he does each and every day.