Columbus, Indiana

Here is a nice article about my hometown. Of course, my dear friend, Dee from Seattle sent it to me. She is more on top of what is going on in Indiana from thousands of miles away than I am.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/24/AR2008102402983.html?sub=new

Conference

I am in Desert Springs, California. It is very hot and sunny. A big contrast to the weather in Indy. Cold with flurries. Good thing I packed my winter coat to wear home. I am here attending the CCH conference. Not only are the educational sessions very good, CCH knows how to capture the attention of thier guests. The food and entertainment has been fantastic. The keynote speaker this morning was very motivating. Jason Jennings. The after dinner comedy/singing group was very approproate for the audience. Looking forward to tomorrow. But missing my son and hubby. Hef

Facebook

Where has the week gone? Well for me, I discovered Facebook and immediately became an addict. I love reading about "old" friends and where there are now. Some have surprised me. Some have not. Friends from high school and college are scattered from one side of the planet to the other. I especially did not appreciate the talents of my high school friends then. Some have accomplished great things and those that have kids - they are beautiful! If you do not have an account on facebook, I encourage you to log on. Hef

Pumpkin Creation

Created October 2008 by Trevor J. Mann

Fishing and Smore's

TJ invited two buddies to his Bad Grandma & Papa's house to do a little fishing yesterday. Each caught a fish and managed to not fall in the lake. (I took a change of clothes for each of them just in case!) We cooked our hotdogs over the fire in Papa's new fire pit. The boys roasted marshmellows for smore's as well as just for the fun of watching them burn! I do believe they had a good time!

IBA 3rd Grade Champions!

TJ and his teammates won the 3rd grade tourney. Back in August, one of TJ's prior coaches from another league asked if TJ could participate in this league in addition to playing football. We were hesitant but TJ really wanted to play with his old teammate, Roderick. Surprisingly, for not practicing together, the team played like they had been matched together for several years. Some of the team will go on to play in the next session together as well, TJ included. Hopefully they will continue to improve their skills and win or lose - have fun and make new friends in the process. Most of these teammates attend another Catholic Elementary School so they may be classmates in High School!

Demon of War

We have been to every costume store in Indy looking for this costume. I finally gave up and ordered it from the internet......at what age do they stop wearing costumes?

Go Bulldogs

TJ will be a Butler Bulldog for the upcoming basketball session. So of course we had to go shopping for coordinating shorts and new basketball shoes. We also were on a mission to find jeans and running pants that will decrease the chance of frostbite on TJ's ankles this winter. Yes, he has grown 2 inches since August 15th. Just imagine how tall he would be if he ate fruits & vegetables! Hope you are enjoying this Great Fall Day! October may be my favorite month of the year. Hef

'MAYA ANGELOUS' Best Poem Ever

A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... enough money within her control to move out and rent a place of her own, even if she never wants to or needs to...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... something perfect to wear if the employer, or date of her dreams wants to see her in an hour...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ….a youth she's content to leave behind....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE… a past juicy enough that she's looking forward to retelling it in her old age....
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a set of screwdrivers, a cordless drill, and a black lace bra...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .. one friend who always makes her laugh... and one who lets her cry...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE ... a good piece of furniture not previously owned by anyone else in her family...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE .. eight matching plates, wine glasses with stems, and a recipe for a meal, that will make her guests feel honored...
A WOMAN SHOULD HAVE a feeling of control over her destiny..
EVERY WOMAN SHOULD KNOW... how to fall in love without losing herself..

Happy Boss' Day

I am not fond of the term "boss" and although I supervise 20 +/- employees (depends on the time of the year), I view them as co-workers. Today, they treated me to a very nice card and chocolate/banana cake. Later in the day I received flowers from the team. They are gorgeous salmon colored roses and daisies! Good to know they still like me!

For my boss, I presented him with the same card I have given him every year since 2001. Yes, the exact same card. I just cross out my signature from the year before, sign it and he checks off the year on the envelope. Let me explain........ back in the year 2000, I purchased a Boss' Day Card for Pat. The following year, I went to the store and selected a Boss' Day Card. I was surprised when he pointed out that it was the exact same card as the year before. So....I decided to save the $1.50 each year and just re-use it. We get a good laugh out of it every October!

I hope you have a great boss and/or awesome co-workers like me. Hef

Chess Club

From football to chess club. As long as it is a competition TJ is 100% committed. This is his 2nd year participating in the CKS Chess Club and 2nd year as Team Captain. The team's first tourney was this afternoon at Central Catholic. I have no idea how they score the matches or how they decide who competes against who. I am sure there is a very strategic process similar to the NCAA tourney brackets with rankings, etc. Anywho, TJ's first match was a stalemate, his second was a bye (opponent missing in action) and he won his third match. They have another tourney in two weeks. No cheerleaders for football or chess club. Hmmm. Happy Wednesday. Hef

A Surprise Anniversary Party!

This evening, my brother-in-law, Gary hosted a surprise Anniversary Party for his wife of five years, Todd's sister, Danelle. She was super surprised as were we with Gary's attention to detail. He organized the invite list, sent the emails, purchased the food and beverages and delivered them to his brother-in-law's home (Bill & Diana's house) where the party was held. Then he ordered the same wedding cake they had at their wedding. It was yummy. I love wedding cake. He had wine and even a bottle for the hostess (Diana). I think he is a keeper but he is an in-law and we all know we walk on egg shells. Goodnight. Hef

The Beginning

Welcome to our blog. I have been accessing friend's blog pages for a couple years and always thought "what a great idea, I should put one together" and so here I am with our first posting.

I still need to figure out how to manage the site and make our blog page interesting. Please be patient. In the meantime...........

Today was TJ's final football game for the season. The Tigers played tough but just could not hold #24 on the opposing team from crossing into the endzone more than, well I just stopped keeping track! I know the coaches are already strategizing for next year.

Now, as I develop this site, we have 3 of TJ's teammates here, reliving the game play by play in our living room. I am just keeping my fingers crossed that all the photos on the walls do not come crashing down. Update - I just sent them to the basement!

Hopefully, I will make posting a habit. They say if you do something 7 days in a row, it becomes a habit. Have a great day. Hef