Current status 3/22/12 late night

I was working on writing a longer post to fill in all the gaps and details, but realized my mood was crap and the post was very derogatory So I'll abandon that for now and just give current.

This morning Josie had a bone marrow aspirate that confirmed the diagnosis of leukemia. Most likely ALL, which is the more common, "better" one to have. Waiting confirmation from mayo clinic tomorrow. We were supposed to have her port put in this afternoon, but the surgery suite became unavailable. Now we have to wait until Saturday morning- she will get the port, spinal tap, and intra-thecal (spinal) chemo. They will also start the other forms of chemo. We'll be here until Wednesday at least.

Today was really hard - seemed like way too many people causing agitation of one sort or another. Very hard from the standpoint of watching Josie be agitated, and then from my abackground in large animals where we don't touch something that's not broken. I can get it from the standpoint of needing baselines, but do we really need every 4 hrs vital checks in the middle of the night when they've all been normal and she's on nothing? It's the mother bear instinct I guess. And lack of zzz's.

Tomorrow currently has nothing planned. I was voting for taking her home for a while. The other side of the coin is that she's kind of getting used to things here and if we take her out and bring her back it might be more stressful. Not sure.

Please pray for good sleep, peace of mind, and strength for Saturday as that will be a big day I have a feeling.

The End of My Ole Cigar

In my mind, I've composed this post a half dozen different times, but never wrote it. I think because I felt whatever I wrote would be hugely inadequate. How do you sum up in a blog post some of the most amazing 96 years? How could I sum up the impact on my life that my grandma had? I realize tonight just how much I want her legacy to live on in my family and future generations because we all need a "hero" to look to - not the movie star or pro athlete kind, but the real kind who takes life by the horns and lives it...well.

Growing up, my grandma was my best friend. I think I was at her house more than my own. She was the perfect blend of fun, teaching, mischievousness, and godliness all wrapped in one. She made the most amazing pancakes, the best way to describe is "fried in bacon grease." But she didn't just make them for me, she'd always make a few extra for me to go share with one of the neighbors' dogs as she knew my love for animals. She was a bit of a schemer - we went behind my parent's backs to get my brother and I kittens. We baked hundreds of loaves of bread, pies, and other sweet treats together and she always knew to leave me a bit of raw dough. We fished and cleaned fish. We gardened. We played countless games of SkipBo and Uno. We had many slumber parties where she would read me from one of her classics - Old Bones, Little Women, or My Naughty Little Sister - in her English accent. And then, the Royals. Watching Kate and Wills really brought me back to her living room and watching Di and Charles. She had several large picture books of the wedding that I poured over. She loved Lady Di - I think that's probably the only thing she held on to from the "Mother Land" besides the accent.

I could seriously go on, and on, and on about the memories of my grandmother, and someday I hope to at least for my childrens' and future grandchildrens' sake. But I would be completely remiss if I didn't touch on the most important aspect of my grandma's life - her faith.

Most people of faith, present company included, keep it mostly personal and try to live as God instructs, but under the radar. Not grandma...she was the consumate live out loud preacher from dusk til dawn. It permeated every part of her life and everyone knew it. She was a professional hugger and lover, which is why so many were drawn to her. People want to be loved and she was so genuine. Not just easy-to-love people - she specialized in the unlovable! I remember a girl about my age at church who had some "issues" shall we say. She came from a broken home, was probably abused to some degree, had hearing aids, and was just socially very akward. I tried to avoid her like the plague, but not grandma. She showered her with hugs, little treats, and positive attention. She would invite her to tea and sandwhiches and try to instill some social graces on her - just because she was so loving doesn't mean she held back, oh no, she's the first to correct. Grandma would invite me to these teas as well, I think to try to teach me through osmosis. I wish I could say I absorbed it all, but only in the last several years have I really understood the beauty of this side of her. There are countless other examples similar to that girl - humbling really. She did it all to mirror God's amazing love to us - we are all socially unacceptable when compared to his standards.

I've missed my grandma so much these last few years as she's been with us, but not. Now that she's really not, it's that much more raw. But also that much more joyous! All she ever wanted was to be with Jesus! I know she's dancing a jig to the End of My Ole Cigar in her new, young, perfect body!

Mini Marathon...

I hate you.
I thought it was a great motivator to lose some baby weight (by the way, why does it get harder and harder to lose after each kiddo?), get fit again, do something with Steve, and catch up with some college buddies. Thankfully, hopefully, the last goal will be met, but as for the other three...not so much.
I've been running, not super regularly since I have 2 jobs and 4 kids, since Christmas. Haven't lost a pound. I guess I am getting fitter - I can run 6-7 miles, which I've never done before. Jeans really aren't fitting that much better, though. Love handles still there.
Due to numerous children, very rarely do Steve and I enjoy our new activity together - twice to be exact. Also, it's really not an enjoyable date. Take last Sunday. We were supposed to run 8 miles - barf. So it's the first, and only, nice day we've had since last August - it's 85F and pretty muggy. We have major landscape projects going during the day which are exhausting in themselves, so we put off our run til it gets cooler in the evening. Good plan, except then the wind picks up to like a stiff 30mph. So we head off on the run - into the wind. That is such an non-motivating thing. I keep trying to get visuals of rising up on wings of eagles and running and not growing weary. I'm praying with every step for God to help me go a few more. I feel much more like a turkey than an eagle flying. And we're both very weary. We ran a whopping 2.5 miles into the wind. We looked at each other and said, "this is dumb!" The 2.5 with the wind back to the car was much easier, but I think we were both deflated at the fact we were 3 miles short of our goal and DEAD!
So I should be on the treadmill right now. Kids are actually in bed, Steve's out of town. I could come up with a lot of good excuses. Time to go put the tennies on and plod off some miles. Only 2 more weeks til the race. Then I may not ever run again...until some other "friend" guilts me into it.

She's 6 Months...

Josie Louisa stormed onto the scene Labor Day weekend of 2010 - a week or so early. At times it seems like forever since then and I can hardly imagine not having her in our family. Other times, it feels like only moments since she was so tiny and helpless.

At 6 months, Josie weighs 18 1/2 lbs, is 26 1/2 inches, and doing well. She sits on her own, is moving towards crawling, and holding her own bottle (this is more of a survival tactic, you never know which sibling might be in charge of holding your bottle. If it's the oldest or the youngest, you might as well fend for yourself. If it's Rylee, you've got a good chance at getting some food). She has one tooth and another will be in shortly. I am advising her to learn how to use them early - self defense against troublesome brother. For the most part she is a laid-back little lady which they say is common for 4th children, but she will definately let you know if her bottle is late or something isn't up to desired specification. She is a professional cheerleader already. I always swore my kids will not be cheerleaders, so this will only continue until she's old enough to participate herself. She has been to so many soccer, gymnastics, and basketball games already and seems to pretty much enjoy them all. Basketball is her favorite. From the minute we went to Gabby's first game, she was hooked - the lights, the balls, the sounds of dribbling, screaming parents, whistles, etc., what more could a baby ask for (her brother to sit still so she can watch in peace might be one thing)!

Josie is adored by her siblings. Gabby adores from a distance...she's not fond of spit, pooh, or smells. She does like to hold her occasionally, especially when another sister is already holding Josie. Rylee adores from 2" away...maximum. She will be a great mother...she fears nothing, not intimidated by crying, and is already learning about multitasking with children. I can give her the baby in the morning and she will change, dress and feed her very efficiently. Sometimes this is a bit frustrating as I frequently have to remind her who Josie's mother is. C.J. adores from the side, on top, under, to the left and right. For the most part he is very sweet with Jo, but like many 3 yr olds, can be a bit overbearing. She tolerates it, though, and enjoys his antics. He likes to stay close to "his Jos" because she usually has a pacifier he can steal (had weaned him of this until she came around).

So here are a couple recent picture of our favorite babe!

Wow, a Whole Year, Really?

So I knew it had been a long time when I couldn't even remember the web address to get to my page, but wow, it's actually been over a year since I last posted. Don't think that's because I didn't want to, I really enjoy the creative writing aspect of blogging and keeping up with everyone beyond the 1 sentence wall updates on fb. I honestly could not (and still probably can't) squeeze anything more into my life. It has been way more crazy than I care to elaborate on. So I'll give a past 12 month quickie update and then try to carry on as if I'd never quit.
(Aside: is this cheating? I gave up fb for Lent, and now I'm back to blogging:))
January 2010: Steve has shoulder surgery (old baseball injury), cousin Anja comes to live with us
February 2010: A big blur of morning/all day sickness, did enjoy coaching Gabby's youth b-ball team
March 2010: We were still trying to sell the house, so decided one last big push - start re-doing asthetics like paint, tile, carpet, fixtures, trim, etc.
April 2010: Continued fixer-upper
May 2010: African adventure - it was so amazing! We are planning our next trip ASAP, we're hooked. Anyone want to join?
June 2010: School went til June 18! It felt like half the summer was over:(
July 2010: Enjoyed the lake to the fullest. My kiddos are really turning into water rats which is great by me.
August 2010: Decided in July not to sell the house, instead put on an addition. Was to be a new room for the girls, until I thought, "Wait, who's paying for this? I want the new room!" Construction and dust.
September 7, 2010: Josie Louisa arrived a little early (I'm all in favor of that), but via C-section (not at all in favor). Spent September recovering from some complications.
October 2010: Savored the rest of the girls' soccer games and staying home with the 2 young-uns, and a week trip to Marco Island.
November 2010: Had to start back to work a little earlier than I wished due to boss' travel schedule. Enjoyed a great Thanksgiving with family.
December 2010: Still can't figure out a new normal...will one ever exist? Everything seems like full-time chaos. Decided to head off to Florida for some QT for Christmas...good decision.
January 2011: It's cold. I can't seem to balance these 4 different schedules. Co-worker decides to quit as of February.
February 2011: I'm back to running the vet practice pretty much solo. Not happy about it because before I only had 2 kids running around, now it's way too crazy for this nonsense! Trying to figure out what the best recourse is. Girls busy with b-ball and gymnastics. CJ and Josie are the greatest fans!
March 2011: Feel like maybe a new normal is within reach. Business stuff is slowly working into me becoming a partner and actually being compensated for all the extra crap I deal with. Now looking forward to trying to find a new associate vet. Once that's accomplished, I'm hoping to really slow down my actual field work - we'll see how that pans out.
Kids are great. They are pretty agreeable for the most part - they have to be! For instance the other day I took all 4 of them with me on an emergency call because I had no sitter and Steve wasn't home yet. I bribed them, yes. Gabby took care of Josie in the truck, while Rylee kept an eye on CJ and played with the calves, in the manure, and all around got messy - that's how those 2 roll. One of the workers thought the kids should have a kitten, so we took that home since everyone was so good. We stopped to get gas on the way home. Then the truck wouldn't start. I cried, Josie was crying, CJ was crying, Gabby was whining, Rylee was complaining, and the kitten was wiggling and being a kitten in a box. There were 2 angels that soon pulled up next to us in a truck that said Diversified Recovery - Steve's truck and guys!!! They rigged the starter so I could at least get home and off we went! God is good, all the time!
I'll try to be better about this, even post some pictures. For now, CJ is awake and wants attention:)

Am I Really That Old

Conversation that occurred regarding Olympics:

Friend 1 (40+ yrs): When is Yoko Ohno gonna skate again?

Friend 2 (21yrs): HaHa, that's a funny name, he skates in 10 minutes.

Friend 1 continues to refer to Apolo Ohno as Yoko Ohno just for kicks.

Me, later to Friend 2: You know who Yoko Ohno is right?

Friend 2: (Dumb stare)

Me: She's a real person - it was John Lennon's wife. You do know who John Lennon is, right?

Friend 2: He was a singer right?

Whoa, I didn't think I was that much older, but apparently there's either a huge generation gap between the early 20's and 30's or I am just friends with less intellegent people!! I felt really old!

Here's a few OLD photos to wet your appetite. Couldn't find my other camera this morning so you get Christmas!

Nurse Rachelle

Sorry there have been so few posts and even fewer pictures. I will try to fix that in February. Besides chasing the 3 around, coaching b-ball, and working, Steve had shoulder surgery mid-January. So I've been challenged to be a good nurse. I can recognize that I was definately not intended to go into human medicine because my level of sympathy is so low it's terrible. I try to act empathetic, but it's pretty much faking. With animals, they can't complain, so I don't have to worry about acting sympathetic - it works great. Steve is healing up, finally. Hopefully in a couple months he'll be back to throwing, shooting, and whatever else.

What's the Right Answer??

So now I got another dreaded question...
"Mommy, some kids in my class say Santa isn't real. Is he?" from Gabby.
I gave a sly, uncommitted answer, "I don't know, what do you think?" until I could get home to ask the Santa-master of the house. He said stay uncommitted. I can't remember any childhood experience to draw on to answer this. It's not that I didn't believe in Santa, we just didn't play it up too much that I can remember. I don't really care if she knows, but then it potentially spoils it for Ry and CJ, too, because I know she won't be able to keep that juicy of a secret!
Any ideas?

Oh No!!

Not yet, I'm not ready!
He's only just 2 years old - although he talks like a 4 year old.
I thought I had at least another couple months before I had to answer....
WHY?
Oh yes, yesterday I told him it was nap time and he blurts out without a thought "Why?"
Then today in the car, everything I told him was followed up with "Why?"
I guess I'll just have to answer with a parents favorite answer, "Because I said!"

Hope You Had a Great Thanksgiving...

I sure did! Here are some of the high lights:

• No work from Wednesday afternoon - Sunday afternoon (horse euthanasia, only took 20 minutes)
• Cousin in since week before Thanksgiving - love having another woman around and so fun to catch up.
• Other cousins/aunt and uncle in Monday - my kids love playing with the cousins and we had an overall blast!
• Gabby's 8th birthday was Monday - we layed low and did dinner and presents. You'll never guess what Steve got her - a hampster! Not my first choice, be he gets dad-of-the-month because she absolutely loves it. It was evil at first, but now it's getting much more friendly.
• Tuesday gym night at Gull Lake Ministries - fun playing bball, v-ball, and pickleball with highschoolers.
• Wednesday prep for Thanksgiving food. I actually think all the cooks in the kitchen got along. Maybe it was the "drink and cook" philosophy?
• Yum and Yum for Thanksgiving dinner! It was so good. I don't know why we don't have turkey more often, I love it. I have so much to be thankful for - that could be its own post so I won't go into details, but lets just say I feel very blessed for sure.
• Thursday night bonding with some special ladies (aka crazy ladies). We ventured out into the world of late-night shopping with a midnight run to ToyzRUs. Needless to say, we waited in line an hour b/c they were only letting in 10 people at a time. Ugh - Dumb! But we had fun shivering in the rainy, windy, cold night air. And we got a few good deals, too.
• Shopping, AirZoo, and more shopping on Friday. After getting home at 2am, I didn't venture out at some ungodly hour of the morning, but still did some power shopping.
• Blind Side - great movie!! Recommend for anyone who hasn't seen. Plus we went to the "Dutch" movie theater - $5 large popcorn and 2 large drinks!
• Saturday celebrated Gabby's birthday by going to Craig's Cruisers - go carts, games, laser tag, etc. We had lots of fun!
• Saturday night let our hair hang out at the local "barn" - actually had pretty good live music. Had plenty o' fun with fam and friends. Even got to dance with my hubby which is pretty rare. Need to do this more often.
• Sunday church and veg.

So you can see, there was no short supply of fun around here. I'm a little tired, but hey, "You only live once!" Right? Pics to come.

Happy Birthday C.J.!!

I am no Ace of Cakes, but at least it resembled a tractor. I used 2 loaf pans for the body of it, then chocolate muffins for the wheels. He blew out the candles without even spitting on the cake - way to go!

Yum, it even tastes good, too! He barely ate any dinner because all he could think about was "tractor cake." It was worth it to save those calories.

A dump truck he can ride - fantastic!

It is always so much fun when a big box comes in the mail - and this one had a present too!

As a special surprise for his birthday, we went to Walnutdale Farms (one of my clients), for some real tractor time!! You should have seen the smile ear to ear when we got out of the car and he stood next to the huge combine!! He was not as thrilled when I lifted him up into the cab - it was high up and pretty noisy. But after a few minutes sitting with him in the buddy seat, he warmed up to it and started talking with Farmer Ken about the corn and the combine.

Rylee went first to prove that it was o.k. That's her role in life I think - to be the guinea pig, first-to-try. She loved it and said it was safe, so then C.J. decided it would be alright to go, too. No pics of that because I was up there with him. He loved watching the corn fill up the bin and the combine "fingers" picking the corn off the stalks.

Then we made a side trip to the dairy to go visit the baby cows. They're always a hit!

Here is a birthday conversation with the little champ:

Person: What day is it?

C.J.: C.J. birday

Person: Oh, how old are you?

C.J.: TWOOO!

Person: What do you want for your birthday?

C.J.: Dump truck, tractor, monster truck, combine

Person: What kind of cake do you want?

C.J.: Tractor

Person: What else do you want?

C.J.: Candy!!

So we tried to live up to all his little aspirations of a special day - a tractor cake made by mommy, all sorts of trucks/tractors/combine, a big dump truck, and a trip to the farm!

H1N1

I get annoyed by the littlest things sometimes. I'll admit it. I've ranted about them before I'm sure, and I will again. Like right now I'm annoyed with H1N1 (more specifically with all the local people who are convinced they have it but most likely don't). So our kids were off of school from Tuesday thru Friday - 4 days - due to too much sickness in the schools. This was all the snow days we are allotted before we even had any of the white stuff accumulate! I blame the media for much of this because without their constant drumming of how awful this flu bug is and how it's a worldwide pandemic, life may be better. How many people kept their kids home just because they had a runny nose or a little cough, but because everyone is all up in arms about swine flu they felt they couldn't send them to school. My friend got a call at work on Monday from the school secretary to send home her daughter because she was sick. Said friend is a nurse, so she asked if there was a fever, vomiting, symptoms of any kind? Her eyes look tired. Nice.

So then all the news is covering this stuff and talking about how schools need only to have a certain percentage of students out sick before closing down. It doesn't take a moderately intellegent middle or high schooler long to figure out if enough of you are sick, school will be closed. I heard stories of perfectly healthy kids calling home claiming to be ill to help increase the "sick" percent.

Then all the sick people of course are flocking to the emergency rooms - after all, isn't swine flu an emergency? That's a great idea, lets spread this bug to all the people who are sick/dying of other stuff. I can see if H1N1 was a serious condition, but it's not. According to our local infectious disease doctor (who was pleading with people to stay out of the ER), it is milder than the average seasonal flu that we deal with every year. Really the only people who might need to be concerned are those with pulmonary issues (lungs).

So that brings me to the vaccine. Being a medical professional, I'm rather sceptical of a vaccine for a disease that was just identified 6 months ago. Animal vaccines take years to develop what with safety and efficacy studies. We just got a new cow vaccine on the market and it took like 2 years even though it was exactly the same as the old one, just one new ingredient, they had to re-prove the efficacy and safety of all the old ingredients plus the new one. So how did they do that in 6 months? Then the whole "forced vaccination" of medical workers - I won't even go there. You probably know how I feel already:)

So when our kids are in school on July 4th, you'll now know why.

Of soccer and sweatshirts

Ok, officially someone forgot to remember we need fall before winter. Crap-o weather in Michigan most of the time. I know I seem to always be mentioning weather here, but remember, I work outside. I should have titled "soccer and winter coats, hats and mittens." Oh well.

Soccer - what a blast we are all having!! I should have played soccer more than just the one year in high school - it's a lot of fun! Gabs and Ry are both on the same team (Rylee's playing up - it's just easier to keep track of one team and she was ready) and I'm assistant coaching. Mind you, I play soccer with the philosophy of a basketball player, just using feet instead of hands. The team is doing really well - we're like 4-1-1 I think. Both girls are playing great on all ends of the field - I admit my pride in them swells every week.


What else is new? Not much exciting - Steve has gotten one doe thusfar. House still not sold - we're considering taking it off the market, selling property, and remodeling current home. I've taken on a "boarder" horse - I'll have to post a pic for you to get the true picture of how badly he was injurred.

I will post pics when I can find the correct camera. I swear that thing is always lost!

Proud Blogger

So I must admit...looking at all your amazing blogs with great pics and interesting and/or witty stories made me feel bad about being an absent blogger lately. So instead of proudly letting you know what I'm up to, I'll post a picture that about sums it up. In case you need explaining, this is my freezer.

Q: "What is the blue/red/other colored stuff?"

A: Mostly blue moon ice cream, but it has some other fantastic freezer items melted into the goo.

Q: "Wow, what happened, did you lose power lately?"

A: Nope. We lost power about 3 months ago and about 6 months ago before that. Yep, it's been there that long.

Q: "I bet that took some effort to clean up."

A: I wouldn't know. It's still there:)

Full Circle

So I've now come full circle I guess.

Some were surprised when I announced that I was going to become a vet - "We've never heard you say you want to be a vet before." - and this was true. It never dawned on me that this would be the career path I would choose. My mother should have known, though, for way back in my early childhood days one of my favorite things to do was dissect any dead animal I could get my hands on - in her garage!! Early anatomy lessons.

So yesterday when my mom found my on my hands and knees in her garage with bloody towels all over, it was only natural. I finally got to fix one of my own, in her garage of all places:) My dumb dog once again figured out a way to injure herself out in the pasture. I swear she was out less than 10 minutes and somehow got a 4-5 inch laceration on her front leg. Thankfully only skin deep and no tendons, muscles, etc. damaged. 18 stitches later and she's good to chase horses once again.

Thanks mom for a nice clean garage floor to perform my life's calling on! You really are a trooper about all the guts and gore and smells! Love you!

She looks a little guilty, no? Maybe this time she'll think twice, but I doubt it. Speaking of guilty faces - this one definately is!! This is what happens when you give a boy a chocolate pudding to eat on his own. Usually his sisters referee this type of outlandish behavior, but since they were busy elsewhere, he took full advantage of my back being turned while making salsa. I obviously wasn't too surprised - I did take his shirt off before letting him go at it.

Day Off

So excited to go pick blueberries this afternoon!!! YUMMY!!! I have several recipes rolling around in my noggin and I'm psyched to try them out. We have new neighbors recently, and my good friend and prior babysitter, Hannah, just moved in down the road, so I have some home-welcoming to do! I'll try to post some pics of the event - no promises because my small camera took a crap and my good camera needs batteries (I think I can handle that one).

Happy Beautiful Day!

Liberty

(Disclaimer: I have refrained for the most part from political discussions on this blog, but I've finally had it, and I don't know what better venue to vent my frustrations than this since I'm better at writing than speaking.)

Webster Dictionary Definition of LIBERTY: 1. the quality or state of being free 2. the power to do as one pleases 3. freedom from arbitrary or despotic control 4. the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economic rights and privileges 5. the power of choice



Declaration of Independence: We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.



I am truly alarmed and horrified at the erosion of liberty in our lives. I'll site some things that are really irking me later, but what's even worse is that it seems like we're just sitting on our haunches and watching our freedoms vanish one after another. Everyone is so content to just let our "nanny," the government, just make all our decisions. Is this a generational thing - that we're too lazy to make our own minds up? Too comfortable in our recliners? Unlike our founding fathers who weren't content with having arbitrary control forced upon them from the British church and government. Are we so caught up in the rat-race that we can't even see what is going on around us?



So what is it that's got me all fired up? Well, it will seem stupid at first, because it is rather trivial. It's more the additive effect of stealing freedom and choice over and over. I reached my tipping point on Sunday. We were out boating on a gorgeous afternoon, minding our own business and following all the rules of the lake...or so we thought. Until the rent-a-cop boat police decided to pull us over. "What's wrong sir?" "How old are the kids in the boat?" "Six, five-and-a half, eighteen months, and the one in the tube is eight." "Well, they don't have the right kind of life jackets on." "Excuse us, they're all wearing coast-guard approved vests, sir."

"Well, they need to have type 1 PFD's until they're six in a boat, and until 12 on a jet ski. The rule changed this spring."

If you're not a boating sort, this seems stupid and irrelevant, but have you worn one of these Type 1 PFD's for any length of time? Back when I was a kid, this was the only option and they were a monstrosity. (Luckily we had a really worn-out version that was tolerable, but probably wouldn't have held up my leg). Until the modern boating era designed the type 3 PFD that is more like a jacket. The most recent life-jackets are actually really nice and made out of materials that aren't too bad. Even C.J. doesn't fuss to put his on. Also back when I was a kid (hey, that's really not that long ago despite you wanting to tease me about being old), there were no age rules on when you had to wear a PFD, it was up to your parent's judgement. So now, we not only have an age restriction (that came a few years back), we have to revert to the proverbial stone-age of life-jackets. The claim is "they hold up your head better," but I seriously wonder what manufacturers lobbied for this change after the new, comfortable versions came on scene and the type 1 sales plummeted? Why must the government infringe on our liberty? Am I unable of making a decision (for some reason my parents were able to make that decision and many others over the years without massive death and destruction on the planet).

Here are some other instances that take away our liberty/choice:

• I can't decide which tpye, or how long my child will be restrained in vehicles
• You must ride a helmet on a motorcycle
• You can't smoke almost everywhere (even in your own home in San Francisco)
• You can't lead prayer in public school

I'll go on...but wait, we can let a 15 year old choose to terminate a pregnancy? That seems really ironic.

• Everyone in a car must wear a seatbelt
• We buy cars that have to meet a certain cafe standard
• Trans fat is bad, restaurants had to take it out
• Sugar is bad - lets tax it
• Many states don't allow private citizens to have certain types of guns
• We can't use normal light bulbs. We have to use ones with mercury in them - nice...isn't that one of the leading causes of autism.
• They tell third graders, if your parents spank you, report it because that's child abuse
• ...and now, my kid must wear a type 1 or 2 PFD at all times in a boat until he's 6

Some of you are reading this post thinking I'm nuts, these are all good rules, made to protect us. Maybe so. I'm not at all saying that there shouldn't be a rule of law and we can just have anarchy, but why, in a country founded on the principle of liberty, can't I choose for myself as long as the effects don't imfringe on someone else?

I just hate where I see this country going. We are willingly being led in the name of "protection"; and as we walk the leash is getting tighter and tighter. I'm scared that by the time we realize it's choking us, we'll be asphyxiated and unable to reverse the damage. Generation X, we are adults now. It really is ok to make your own choice without mommy, daddy, and the nanny. We don't need to be forced to take on government health care. We shouldn't have to drive a match-box car. It should be my choice if I choose to be so dumb as to get on a motorcycle without a helmet. If I want to eat french fries cooked with trans fat and die of a heart attack, the responsibility is on me, no one else. If I want to be able to boat with my child, in peace, without clammoring and fussing because he can't turn his head or even sit down, it's a risk I'll take (for pete's sake, he's still wearing a life jacket). Some kids need a good hard spanking (maybe that's half the problem, not enough of generation x got spanked?:)). I hate smoking, it's gross. But if someone wants to smoke and they are in my space, have at it. It's your lungs and don't blame the tobacco company.

This country is too great!! Our founders were too wise!! The Constitution is amazing!! People have brains - make them use them!! Why can't we rest on these factors and quit with all the trivial rules and regulations.

Now that I've irked off everyone. I'll quit and go to bed. I feel much better. I'll sleep much sounder. Hopefully you can grant me the liberty of this vent without holding it agains me.

Yeah, July Is Here!

I think I've said this before in this same forum, but I love July!!!
Independence Day has always been my favorite holiday. I think this may have begun when I was an adolescent and a particular co-ed that I forever had a crush on was always in the neighborhood on the 4th of July. Besides that, what's not to love! I love our little home-town parade, even if it is rinky-dink. I feel a little bit of nostalgia because I doubt it's much different than it was 50 years ago besides the tractors being bigger. It's nice to think that some things don't have to change (no need for change Mr. President, I love our country the way it has been). By the 4th of July, the water at the lake is just the right temperature - warm enough to swim, but not cold enough to take your breath away. Then there's friends and family. Sitting around eating apps and BBQ I can't think of anything better. It's so fun to watch my kids relish in the same frivolities I did 25 years ago (whoa, that's a quarter century!). This year we even added a friendly game of whiffle ball with the neighbors. I actually did hit the ball to the roof, and then promptly wiped out in a big way as I rounded second towards third. My feet came right out from under me and I landed flat on my a@@. Oh so graceful! My parents have been so lucky to always have great neighbors. It's pretty incredible that they've lived in the same house for 30 years and never really had someone next door that was a creep or majorly annoying. Although I did accidentally meet the lady that lives behind them - she was three sheets to the wind and in rare form - she may break the streak, but I don't consider her a neighbor exactly.
I love July - the weather has been PERFECT!! Today was in the 70's and breezy, a few puffy clouds floated by. We have only had to run our A/C like 4 days this whole summer!! That will be nice on the electric bill and wonderful that we can sleep with the windows open.
Hope you all are having as wonderful of a July!

I'm Back

Wow, can't believe it's been over two months since my last flimsy post. I actually wrote this post a month ago, then our internet crashed for 4 weeks. Honestly, I have many reasons for not posting, not just excuses. So I'll try to catch up on everything without being too long winded. And yes, if you scroll to the end and skip my babbling, there are pics of our trip to Disney. I tried not to put too many of the same ones that are on Facebook, but the really cute ones were repeated:)

So, a 2 months ago, my Spartans were defeated in the NCAA finals. Flat out outplayed by the Tarheels, I can admit that. It was fun to have a good run, though.

At the same time, for work we were putting on a large scale conference for dairy producers, veterinarians, industry personel, etc. I honestly felt like I was planning a wedding again - guest list, catering, meeting spaces, hotel accomodations, sponsors, speakers, just to begin the enormity of it all. In the end we had over 200 attendees and an incredibly successful event. It was actually amazing how well everything came together - not even a computer crash! It was a great meeting! The remainder of that week I spent escorting one of the keynote speakers around to many of our client's farms for walk-throughs of the calf facilities.

Naturally, the next week was spent recovering from the previous. There was a bunch of horse work that I had to get caught up on after neglecting the poor creatures for a week. Plus we were leaving the following week for Disney, so I really had to cram 'em in. I've been impressed that the horse business hasn't fallen off all that much. Considering our great economy here in Michigan (and everywhere else for that matter), and the fact that you hear stories of people just abandoning their horses, I figured things would be pretty quiet. It honestly hasn't been much different than any other year up to this point. We'll see how the remainder of the "shot season" plays out.

So that brings us to our exciting family vaccation to Walt Disney World in Orlando. We had been so looking forward to this trip. It was our first vaccation as a whole family (since C.J.) and our first "big" Disney trip - we went for 1 day 4 years ago. I had planned and planned to get this one just right for all involved. We went with my parents, which was really nice - the adults outnumbered the kids which is very important. So I'll use the multitude of pictures to give you the scoop. They aren't in any particular order. Sorry for the long length. That's what happens when you only post once a month I guess.

Here is the Motley Crew in front of Cinderella's Castle at the Magic Kingdom. As a 30-year old, I'm still enchanted by Disney. They do such a fantastic job of creating atmosphere that you truly feel like a kid again. It sure was fun living in fantasyland for a time. There are times you really feel like Tinker Bell and Mickey aren't just imaginary.

We were very fortunate in the timing of our trip. It was after the Spring Break rush and before the summer vaccations, so the parks weren't all that crowded. Most of the time we were able to get on rides at our leisure. TinkerBell, however, was our longest wait 45 minutes! I was feeling annoyed because the sign said 15 minutes, but then later when chatting with someone they said that they had waited 2 1/2 hours to see her and then got rushed through! All this for a fairy!

You may not realize the significance of Gabby's presence in many of the character pictures. What child doesn't love the characters? Gabby. Until day two of our trip that is. I don't know what came over her or if there was a child swap that I was unaware of, but my daughter is normally terrified of anything dressed up - characters, mascots, halloween, you name it - and on day one she hid behind any pole or person she could to avoid these fuzzy friends. Then it all changed. Not only was she unafraid, she became a woman on a mission to find every possible character she could. Forget rides and shows - lets go find Pluto!
I had to include this picture because I think it is the only one of just Steve and I. This is at Animal Kingdom. None of us had ever been to that park, but we really enjoyed it. They have a great roller coaster and several other good rides, as well as zoo-like attractions.

While at Animal Kingdom, we ate breakfast with Donald and Mickey. This was a big hit! And good food, too! C.J. adores Donald Duck. I had some really cute pictures of him with Donald on our first day. Unfortunately, Rylee got ahold of my camera the next morning and promptly erased ALL of the pictures on it. I was sad about the Disney day one being gone, but heartbroken that probably about a year's worth of pictures were also on that chip and not saved on my computer. I seriously almost cried. I still might.

So back to C.J. and Donald Duck. The boy loved the duck! He got this crazy grin on his face, laughed his belly laugh, and ran straight to him. He was kissing his beak (I know, germs, swine-flu, etc. Get over it.), cuddling him, and loving every minute of it too. The great thing was, it seemed like every Donald we ran into was great! They'd get right down on his level and give him all sorts of attention and affection. It was really cute! There were moments I second-guessed our decision to have an 18 month old with us, but not when characters where involved. C.J. was definately into them.

Gabby and Poppy at our pool. The girls were great for most of the trip. They did have their moments, though. Especially the first couple days when they were getting in the groove or whatever. The whining was intense at times. But we made it through. One of the more annoying things they did was constantly whine about when are we going back to the hotel so we can swim (Just imagine that said about 20 times in a high-pitched whiney tone). Not that I don't love a little pool time, but come on, we're at Disney. We can swim all summer long. But Steve and I had to come to the realization that their reality isn't the same as ours and we spent time at the pool almost every day.

Rylee lived up to expectations of being a dare-devil and enjoying every thrill ride available to someone under 48" tall. Her favorite was the Tower of Terror at MGM/Hollywood Studios. This ride involves several stories of freefall. She also ate up every roller coaster she could go on (there was 1 or 2 that she was still to small for). Gabby did pretty well with the coasters, too, but didn't care for rides that spent any length of time in the dark.

Steve and Rylee at Epcot. The girls saw all the different fireworks/nighttime shows (we missed the fireworks at the Magic Kingdom). They were pretty much troopers about being on the go constantly. I thought they'd hit a wall and just fall asleep, but they never did.

C.J. however, was the opposite. He was one tired kid. He only got one nap each day because it was too time consuming to take the transportation back to the hotel multiple times. So the adults rotated who would go back in the afternoon. Actually, my parents did it most often because they enjoyed the chance to rest up a little, too. He's been teething for a while - molars - which makes him tired as well. He did really, really well, though for the most part. Considering all the bus rides, stroller in-and-outs, strange sights, being woken up every morning, he wasn't too bad. This picture was at night when he could barely keep his eyes open. He was playing at a water fountain, but just layed down.

We did the Disney Dining Plan which was awesome. I swear we ate enough for an army! It was also great to be able to go to a wide variety of really cool restaurants. In Disney style, they are all themed one way or another. Below we are at the Princess dinner in Norway at Epcot. We also enjoyed a Japanese steakhouse, an African Boma, the Whispering Canyon, and a couple others I can't think of.

Wow, they actually look like they love each other:) They do. It's great to have kids who enjoy (most of the time) playing together. They both have wild imaginations and have a blast. They were the perfect age for Disney.

This is a picture of our hotel, Coranado Springs, at sunset. It was a great hotel - beautiful settings, excellent food court, fun pools with water slides, adequate rooms, and white sand beaches with hammocks. We did also spot a 3 foot alligator swimming in the "lake" but convinced Gabby that they are more scared of us than we are of them.

Go Spartans!!!

Go Green!!
I know I haven't posted in forever, and this one really won't be very informational. Just wanted to give a shout out to the Spartans - see you Monday at the National Championship, baby!!
I will return to the blog world, I promise. I've been super busy putting together a big conference. It's on Tuesday, so after that I will be back to "normal."
Go White!!