Go Broncos!

Shermy Paul made the news! You can watch him at http://www.ktvb.com/s/VideoPlayer/showVideo.php?vidId=95548. I can only image how much those little kids enjoyed hanging out with these big football players for a couple of hours!

Oh. My. Stars!

Heaven help us all because it looks like our world is going you-know-where in a handbasket! I wish this was a joke, but unfortunately, I guess this is ligit. The whole sordid story can be found at http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=2459718&page=1. Be afraid, be very afraid. And I mean it!

What a Difference a Day (or two) Makes!

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

Monday, October 23, 2006

I had been basking in the stunningly gorgeous blue skies and sunshine that have been ours to enjoy during October, so much so that I took a picture of gorgeous Monday. Then, as Gomer from "The Andy Griffith Show" would say, SURPRISE, SURPRISE, SURPRISE! Wednesday brought not just ferociously strong winds but a poignant reminder that time marches on and life doesn't stand still. Once upon a time, I had this poem memorized, and with a little diligence I could probably get it back up to speed. Anyway, it sure spoke to me yesterday:

Nothing Gold Can Stay

Nature's first green is gold,

Her hardest hue to hold.

Her early leafs a flower;

But only so an hour.

Then leaf subsides to leaf.

So Eden sank to grief,

So dawn goes down to day.

Nothing gold can stay.

Many interpret this poem to mean the sadness of time passing, the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, etc., but I choose to think of it as an affirmation of the blessing of Adam's fall. For we are blessed because of the fall, and we will indeed increase as we go through the cycle of change which God has designed. "So dawn goes down to day" doesn't necessarily mean the loss of dawn (going down), but rather something even better, beyond it brings full daylight, brightness, hope. So with winter coming, I must remember, remember that with change beautiful things can come. (I might still complain about the cold, however.)

Super CTR Girls!

(To be sung to the tune of "Mighty Mouse")

"Mister Trouble never hangs around when he hears this supergirl sound:

'Here we come to save the day!'

That means that the Super CTR Girls are on their way. Yes sir, when there is a wrong to right the Super CTR Girls will join the fight. On the sea or on the land, they get the situation well in hand!"

Thanks for the Yummy Memories!

Needing to clean out my fridge of odds and ends, I decided to make a treat for my family using the same recipe my mom used when she made after-school snacks for her six rugrats. The very complicated and involved recipe uses all of two ingredients: graham crackers and left over frosting. Yum! I love this recipe not just for its ease in preparation and the guarantee of no burns from the oven (I'm going on two weeks of being burn-free!), but it looks like I have actually made an effort to make something homemade. In actuality, this is easier than opening a package of elfin magic cookies with all their perfectness and symmetry. The memories are dear and sweet.

Buddy Rich Reincarnated

When I was a ratty little kid, my mom would sometimes let me stay up and watch The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Sometimes Johnny would have a guest on his show who would perform a drum solo and cause Johnny and the audience to go absolutely nuts! It wasn't until I was quite a bit older that I realized the drummer was Buddy Rich, a legend in his own time.

Last night at his school's jazz band concert, our little Christian morphed into a modern-day Buddy Rich as he beat on those drums like a pro. In Sean's words, "Christian, you were really tight!" It is amazing to see kids who are 13 and 14 play sophisticated jazz music with such heart and soul, rather than just by the notes from the page of their music books. I was really feeling the bee-bop bee-bop! Christian was spectacular on percussion in the symphonic band's performances as well. It was truly a lovely musical evening.

It's the Small Things . . .

My mom, having taken pity on me while I was suffering from severe homesickness soon after Dave, Ashley and I moved to Naperville, sent me a few cassette tapes of classical music to make me feel better. (Pre-MP3 player technology--you know, waaaaaaayyyy back when.) One of the tapes she sent was Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade. From that time forward, this piece of music has been my absolute, stop-me-dead-in-my-tracks, make-me-weep, favorite thing to listen to. So it was with much glee and satisfaction that I wandered past Sean's room late one night last week and heard the beautiful notes of Scheherazade coming from his pitch dark bedroom as he was drifting off to sleep. Oh, we love our rock n' roll, that's for sure. But it certainly felt good to know that our horizons are wide and broad and deep.

Muy bien, Kimmosabe

So, to cap off what turned out to be a low-key yet fun UEA weekend, Sean, Christian and I decided to go to lunch at a very popular Mexican restaurant. The food was great, the service was friendly, and a good time was had by all. Only one glass of water was spilled, the burn on Christian's hand from the scorchingly hot plate didn't actually require medical attention, and the request of no cheese was honored on the first try! Woohoo! That waitress received a hefty tip from our table.

We did, however, pause for several moments to try to reconcile the abundant and plentiful American Indian decor so curiously displayed throughout the entire restaurant. We were even honored to dine with a lovely deer head looking at us out of the corner of his eye. I swear, he never took his eye off of us the entire time we were there. Anyway, do those two cultures go hand in hand in some way? Who knew.

We're here for ya!

One of the most wonderful characteristics which we have quite successfully fostered in our family is to support each other in one another's efforts, activities, accomplishments, etc. Last night was no exception. Sean, Christian and the other members of the band played a great show at Wooden House Pizza. (You were awesome, guys!) I was so pleased that Ashley and Jordan would take time out of their busy work/school lives to come support the boys in their performance. As I sat there watching Ashley and Jordan watching the band, I was reminded of the many choir and musical theater performances Ashley participated in during her four years at Naperville Central High School in Naperville. If I remember correctly, the whole family went to each of her events, and we were so happy to do so. I'm sure that most preteen boys would not care to sit through a musical production of say, "The Secret Garden," but our boys happily attended that, as well as many, many other shows and concerts to see their sister. That is part of being a loving, generous family. I am so happy that my kids love each other and have such a wonderful relationship with each other, for it is those relationships that will be among the most satisfying, comforting and enduring relationships of their lives. I always tell my kids, "Your friends will come and go, but your siblings will always be your siblings."

Welcome to my blog. Personally, I think that blogs are rather self-indulgent. Having said that, I'm going to indulge and try to keep this blog up and running as a way to "journal" (well, sorta, kinda) the cool things that our family is doing, and also use it to share some fun photos of us. Please be sure to comment because I would love for you to respond/share/ridicule/heckle my rants! Love you tons, Dee/Mom

His Boy Elroy

Well, the lads are playing a show tonight at Wooden House Pizza! Let's give them a great big "good luck" shoutout and hope they really rock!