Pick Up Basketball Game In the Driveway as a Thunderstorm Rolls In

C.J. actually made this shot falling onto his butt!

Zack loves his "ripped abs"Pretty impressive for a 13 year old who doesn't work out

It is so great to see them all together again.


Tomorrow we are heading up north for a week.

That Time Again

It's that time of the year again...


Fellow Oshkoshonians (I know I'm totally making that word up) know what I am talking about...the time of the year when our humble little city of about 60,000 becomes invaded with one million aircraft enthusiasts. (airventure.org)

One million additional people in our city cannot go unnoticed!  Also the constant sound of airplanes overhead are not unnoticed either!


For this week each year we have the distinct privilege of being the busiest airport in the world!

But, as annoying as the additional traffic can be, it is a huge boost for our economy and, as I remember from my days of being a waitress at Robbins Restaurant, the people are all so friendly!


It is also time for the airport pick-up tomorrow!!!!
At noon Zack and I will descend upon the Milwaukee airport to pick up C.J. and Jon.  C.J. will be here until September 17...Jon for undetermined amount of time.  Let the fun begin!

Glow Lady

For sure three times a summer I hear the echo of children calling 

"glow lady"  

"glow lady"

as they run towards me with money in their hands and a twinkle in their eyes...ready to pick out one of the many blinking, glowing, flashing objects from my cart.

However, the objects are not reserved just for children...several adults buy the flashing necklaces...and last night I sold a group of ladies 5  bunny ears.

S0...

Last night Zack and I grabbed our cart and headed out to sell our glow:

 

and watch the fireworks.

  

In addition to "glow lady" the other thing I hear multiple times a night is someone trying to make a deal for the items we sell.  I politely explain that this is not my business and I'm not authorized to set prices and people are respectful of that.  I don't blame them for them trying and they have appreciation for my position as the middle man.

However, last night...I made an exception...here is the story:

The evening was winding down...it was about 10:15 p.m. and we came across a man and his 2 year old son.

I could tell immediately the man was highly intoxicated b/c he was slurring his speech and couldn't even stand up straight.

So, he told the boy to pick what he wanted and the boy picked a $10.00 light saber.  Immediately I hear "how about $7.00?" 

This is no big surprise to me and I counter with me well rehearsed speech above.

ONLY...he acts like he never even heard me.  In fact, he can hardly even open his wallet he's so drunk.  He hands me $7.00.  

Repeat my well rehearsed speech.

He re-opens his wallet, turns it upside down, and slurs, "lady, that's all I got, take it or leave it."

Now, with his attitude plus the fact that he had probably spent $50.00+ on alcohol that evening 

I would have loved to have told him to take that $7.00 and shove it...back into his wallet (ahem..I'm a Christian).  

But I looked at that little tow-headed boy gripping that light saber with hopeful eyes and what choice did I have?  

My first thought was I could break this little boy's heart and take the light saber back telling him his dad didn't have enough money. (uh..no)

My next thought was I could just let him keep it and take the $7.00 and get the heck out of there as quick as I can. ( uh...yes)

My final thought was...I sure hope to God he is not driving anywhere with that little boy tonight!

An Oldie But A Goodie

My Favorite Picture of Zack

Itty Bitty 2 Day Old Baby

Picture Memories

On my agenda last week when I was visiting my parents was to peruse through their photo albums and steal pictures so that I could make a slide show for their 50th wedding anniversary.


Among them I found these two pictures.

Taken on January 1, 2003 they show how we spent our New Years Day that year - in the pediatric intensive care unit at Halifax Memorial Hospital in Daytona Beach.


In the top picture C.J. is receiving his life-saving pints of 0+ blood to replace the massive amounts of blood he lost after having a tonsillectomy two weeks prior. 


There is a whole story that involves visiting the ER a week earlier than this only to be told that the bleeding was normal (say what???) and not to worry about it...discharged after a whole 20 minutes...but I won't get into that here.  I also will not mention the doctor (and I STILL remember his name - will never forget it) who told us these words that nearly took the life of my son!


Nope - focusing on the positive...C.J. rebounded very quickly after this.

W.I.T.W. Part II

Banking on the allergy theory I took some antihistamine and snuggled up for a good nap.


However, when I woke up...I looked something like this:

So...a call  was placed to the doctor and off I went.


Doc confirmed that it was most likely an allergy and not an infection (whew) and put me on a dose of steroids (yippee) to tame this severe reaction to...well...whatever I'm having a reaction to.

W.I.T.W.

Stands for What In The World!!!


This is what I look like today:

or perhaps I should say this is what my eyes look like today.


It all started last night with extreme itching on my forehead.  I kept applying anti-itch cream and  cortisone cream all night.


The itching eventually turned to a combination of itching and tingling...


And then when I woke up...WHAM...my eyelids are swollen!!!!! 


The picture does not even come close to portraying how hideous I look.


At this point...all signs are pointing toward an allergic reaction to something...just not sure what.


Just taking antihistamines to see if the swelling goes down.


I think it's a good day for a nap! 

Happy Birthday, C.J.

I'm fairly certain that the most defining moment of my life happened 21 years ago today when, at 1:54 p.m., a 6lb 8 oz miracle was placed into my arms.  

He immediately snuggled into my chest and filled a void that I didn't even know existed. But, at that moment, I knew nothing in my life would ever be the same.

I'm pretty sure I can safely say that it was also the best moment of my life (repeated two more times with the arrival of his brothers) but, at the time, it was definitely the best moment I had ever experienced.


 It's a crude analogy but a newborn is similar to an artist's fresh canvas. And just as the artist stares and this blank canvas and dreams of what his finished product will look like...I remember spending hours gazing at C.J. wondering what kind of man he would grow up to be...hoping that he would absorb the best of everything he was taught so that he would become a polite, respectful man who, at the same time, would feel comfortable stating his opinions and ideas even if they were not in line with everyone else's.  The perfect combination of a leader and a follower.

It's surreal to sit back now and realize that he IS a young man and he has made this momma so proud of the man he has become. 


Although, at times, I can't help but still think of him as my little boy...

I guess that's what he'll always be to me.

We're Back

We are back from our trip and I feel totally re-energized...my internal battery has been recharged.  


We spent a lot of time at the lake this trip, which provided time for reflection and a deepening appreciation for the blessings of each new day we are given.

watching the sunset over the lake

Zack enjoyed the fun of finding new friends at the lake which made swimming just a little more fun.

These two pictures were taken just before he found the friends

And had the fun of an impromptu night wade in the lake while we were there for a concert.

Mean old mom wouldn't let him get his shorts wet.

Is there anything more calming than the serene quietness of a walk through the woods?

perfectly accompanied by the roaring rush of water as it spills over rocks.

Stopping occasionally to take in the beauty everything around us...or to just rest and re-charge.

Or to hug a best friend

Overall, it was 5 days that went by too quickly.  Stressful situations at home have made it hard to relax and enjoy the summer...but these 5 days have been rejuvenating. 

We've Been...

...up north

relaxing, swimming, and visiting with the folks.

Heading home tomorrow and back to reality...and dental work...ugh!

Firecracker Fourth

You know it's hot when your sunglasses fog up when you step outside!

Anyway...it's the 4th of July...and it is HOT!!!

Zack and I spent the morning at the park selling these - and other items.

Zack was a very attentive salesman

We go back in about an hour to sell glow in the dark items before the fireworks tonight.


**Added later**
94* today with a heat index of 104*

What A Way to Break Out of a Drought

 How about 2+ inches of rain in less than an hour...complete with marble-sized hail and 60 mile an hour winds!


Driving around post-storm last night we saw some trees down:

 Nothing shocking...


Until we saw this:

Not a great picture because it was taken in the dark with the zoom lens but this huge sign had fallen and crushed at least six cars.  Thankfully, the cars had been empty at the time.

Dinner Out

Last night I needed to get out of the house.  I had to get my mind off the events of the day.  Several ideas were suggested and discussed...and what we ended up doing was not even in the mix of the discussions...but sometimes those outings turn out to be the most memorable.

So yeah...we went to the A&W and ate outside in the 90* heat.

Once again I was only able to get one semi-good picture of Zack...next time I went to take a picture, he did this:

at least Ollie was a willing subject.

when he wasn't wagging his tail and trying to greet every new person who walked within 10 feet of him.