Thoughts after the train station

It is strange. Back when I suggested to Sarah many weeks ago that due to the busy Christmas season this year, (Sun: Advent 4; Wed: Midweek Advent 4; Thurs: Christmas Eve; Fri: Christmas Day; Sun: Christmas 1) that she ought to take the kids back to Michigan for Christmas; it didn't really seem like a big deal to me. After all, for pastors, Christmas is really just another "work" day. Yet, two days before they were scheduled to leave, I started feeling a strange anxiousness. It was topped off by the night before, while tucking the kids in and reminding them that they were going on the train and that daddy was staying home, Eden says to me, "Well, why don't we just buy you a ticket and then you can come with us." The simplicity of a four year old.

"Daddy, will you sleep with me tonight?"
"I'll stay with you until you go to sleep."
"Ok, tell me about something."
"What would you like me to tell you about?"
"I don't know. Just talk."

After "talking" for a few minutes, Eden informed me that is was time to stop talking because she wanted to go to sleep. Laying quietly for a few moments, Eden suddenly remembered that she was missing a stuffed animal. I went to get up and get it for her, when she took my hand and just held it. Sitting up, she just looked at me and held my hand.

It was actually then that I realized what was happening. The concept of time and distance was becoming important to my 4 year old. And now I would have to come to grips with it too.

For Lars, time and distance are irrelevant. Ok, he'll miss daddy. But the here and now will easily distract. But for Eden, the wave and the blow of a kiss through a train window now actually mean that something will be missing for two weeks.

Now the idea of them being away for Christmas isn't so simple.

Last time this year!

Middle of December already and we couldn't be more in the Christmas spirit here. The snow is white and still falling, the temperature hasn't been above freezing in at least 2 weeks, the lights and trees and nativitys are out & loaded, and my suitcase is sitting on the bed, waiting to be packed.

I've always wanted to be one of those "holiday travelers", so I'm very excited. This will be our last post this year from Nebraska. Friday, the kids and I will be heading to Ft. Morgan, Colorado to hop the train, first to Chicago and then on home. Daddy's going to chauffer us and give two week's worth of kisses and hugs.

The past week has been fairly uneventful. Eden had only one day of preschool, because of a snow day. We woke to temps in the -20's for a few days running and were cooped up, learning how to play nicely together, all day without an outdoor break. I'm not sure on whom it was harder... Eden dared the weather a couple times, but it didn't last more than about 15 minutes. On Thursday when it was still -10 and time to get in the car for school, I bundled her up completely. Her eyes hidden behind the scarf, she yelled, "Mommy, I can't see to walk! Where are my eyes?!"

We've baked dozens of cookies this week, read just as many stories and watched probably a little too much Nick Jr in this cold weather, but we have certainly survived. Lars is still getting over an ear infection, but the runny nose has finally stopped and he's back to sleeping all night.

Friday, all four of us stayed home and did a whole lot of playing. Cars, trains, books, wrestling, coloring, cooking baking and naps. Eden and Mommy went to the library to pick out books for the upcoming train ride and while she played there, I snuck next door and re-stocked both ambulances. She either didn't notice that I'd left, or she really didn't care, I'm not sure which.

Friday night, Kyra stayed overnight and her and Eden watched movies and ate pizza. As usual when Eden's not in her own bed, she woke up just before 0300, screaming and crying and unable to calm down. This time, she dreamed that she'd rolled over and squished her baby's head off. Being pregnant myself, I've had a few of those kind of dreams. Of course, she's four, but never the less....

Saturday morning, Kyra left to go collect food with the girl scouts and after leaving our bag of goodies out the front door for collection, we got dressed and headed to Gering to see Santa's snow village. It was pretty cold, and at a cloudy 20 degrees, the kids only lasted about 15 minutes. The village is very cute and the hot chocolate and cookies were plentiful.

Eden was not impressed with the jolly old man and looked at me like I was crazy when I suggested sitting upon his knee. I reminded her that he's just pretend, dressed up in a Santa Halloween costume. He even told her he's not the 'real' Santa. She gave me another strange look and informed me that she'd just take his bag of candy and be on her way.

This afternoon is the kid's Christmas program at church. Eden knows her angel line very well, but will probably not say it when she's standing in front of everybody. She also knows the first two verses of Away in a Manger, and would like to sing Onward Christian Soldiers instead of "that Mary song I don't know" (LSB 933). I'm looking forward to her first theatre experience and I'm sure there will be plenty of pics next blog!

NOTE: Anybody looking for the dedication Sunday blog or the Strawn Christmas Letter, go to Blog Archives (right column, way bottom) and check out Dedication Sunday and, click December and find Christmas Letter~

New Sanctuary Dedication

As you can see from the pictures, last Sunday’s dedication was beautiful and theological with a little bit of pomp and celebration, all wrapped up into one. Quite a few emotions stirred through people during the service. From where I stood, perched on a ladder, I saw a few tears and at the very least, some dabbling of eyes. It was truly well worth the last four months of planning. I told Pastor that it took us four months to plan our wedding and the same amount of time to plan this dedication. At least the priorities are even….

The service went off with only a small hitch or two. The wind blew the banner off the banner bearer’s pole outside, and the choir & organist were missing page 11 from the service bulletin, so there was a bit of looking around at each other going, “Kyrie? I don’t have a Kyrie.” Thankfully, the congregation can sing A-capella for a short bit.

The service began in the old sanctuary, with the removal of all the altar area. Banners were removed, Bible & Lectionary, Paraments, Communion Vessels, Pulpit, Baptismal font, Altar and Crosses. The most touching had to be the removal of the altar. It looked like a coffin taking its last trip down the aisle. The congregation followed the cross outside and the doors were locked while Pastor gave something of a eulogy. Ok, I’m sure that’s not what it was, but I was too far away to hear at that point. After that, we followed over to the new doors, where the cornerstone was dedicated, the steeple was blessed and the contractor unlocked the door and gave the keys to the congregation. Pastor again took the cross and crossed the entryway with it before anyone entered.

The procession into the new sanctuary was my favorite part. I was standing on a ladder by the organ, watching people’s faces as they streamed in behind the cross to the choir’s singing, “Lift High the Cross”. (Even though Pastor didn’t get the message that there would be an interlude after vs. 2&4, so he was singing a solo for a while). The natural light in the new sanctuary is next to perfect, as it’s completely indirect but sunny. The altar area is lit up with two banks of row lights and both the light and sound reflect off the wood Reredos at the front and the wood doors at the back. A cry room sits cock-eyed along the back, with a short pew in front for those days when it’s better to be back there spanking your children rather that doing it in the 3^rd row from the front. It’s all really very nice.

The service continued with the dressing of the altar area, lighting of the candles, setting up communion, blessing the new lectern & original 8-sided baptismal font, and the like. As soon as it seemed to have started, it was over and people were recessing out and signing the guest book.

The new sanctuary is simple and classic, with modern touches of energy efficient windows and new plumbing & electrical. The sacristy is bigger & more altar guild friendly. The acoustics are so much better than I thought they would be with wall to wall carpet and the choir sounded angelic, almost crypt-like. (For the few of us I know who’ve been in a crypt and whispered just to see what it sounds like).

Following the dedication, the church put on a dinner at the community center, which was really nice for 150 people to sit around tables and visit without feeling cramped in. The natural light from the windows made for a cheery atmosphere, the food was great and Laura’s cakes were a hit! The kids had the opportunity to eat and go into the gym and play and run around, which was really nice for me! I put together a short slideshow of the process from the ground breaking through to the end of the rehearsal on Saturday night and we played it while everyone was eating cake. It seemed to go over well and many were happy to see the progression and the final product, since they had not been a part of the planning and didn’t know what was really happening behind the closed walls.

Former pastors were there to tell a few stories from of old and the DP came to share in the day and say a few words. Scrapbooks were set out to peruse through, as well.

Since there was about an hour break between the dinner and the Vespers service, I went home to get the kids a snack, change clothes, start the dishwasher, since I forgot to do that in my hurry out the door at 0800 that morning, and get supper going. What I didn’t plan time for was setting my kitchen on fire. Who knew a dishwasher could catch fire?

After contemplating what to do when I saw smoke pouring out of it, I opened it up to check to see if it really was on fire. It was. The smoke alarm was going off, and the kitchen was filling with smoke. I pulled Lars from his high chair, grabbed the phone and headed down the hall to shut off the alarm. I came back to the kitchen, grabbed the fire extinguisher from the pantry (Thanks, Kristen, I knew it would come in handy someday!) and dialed Laura.

“Where do I unplug the dishwasher!?” I cried.

“Under the sink” she replied.

“Ok, that was hot” says I.

Click

Phone rings, (it’s Mark) “Did you shut off the breaker?”

“No, should I?”

“Yes”

“Ok”

Click

Here comes Mark to check things out. It’s all good. Sarah saved the Parsonage, with a little help. If we don’t hurry, we’ll be late for Vespers service and Mark’s already got a light bulb out (literally, not metaphorically) that needs replacing before then in the new sanctuary. We all leave and go back to church. After church, EVERYBODY is asking me about the kitchen. Pastor still hasn’t heard and has no idea what anybody is talking about. How did everybody else find out so quickly??

Monday, I got a new dishwasher installed. Thanks, Mark, I owe you another one. Sorry I spilled your beer.

The rest of the week was taken up with cold weather, a bit of snow shoveling, and some last minute touches to spruce up the house for Sunday’s parade. I taught Piano Lessons, made dessert for the Advent Supper, a pot of soup for the Ministerial Association’s Christmas potluck, ironed a pile of clothes, did 800 loads of laundry, rounded up suit coats & pants for the dry cleaner, rocked a sick son repeatedly then took him to the doctor on Friday, ran a bunch of rescue calls, made peanut brittle & star cookies, and generally wore myself out.

Friday night, we went to Douthit’s for a Stew supper. Unfortunately, Eden left her blanket there when we left to come home. You just can’t reason with a four year old when it’s past their bedtime and they don’t have their blanket. Never-mind that there are 30 other blankets in our house…apparently, she needs her special blanket from aunt Janet because it protects her from (and I quote) “creepy animals that freak me out in the night”. Ok, we live IN town. Granted, cows go to pasture less than a block from our house, but that’s beside the point. She had her blanket within 20 minutes.

Until next time…

Christmas Letter 2009

Thanksgiving was a beautiful day up at the Douthit Ranch, with not a cloud in the sky. The rest of the week has been 100% at church getting ready for Sunday's dedication. This week's blog is our Christmas letter......for a way to cut down on paper & stamps and for all you wonderful friends who read this faithfully anyway. Have a good week & look for dedication pics next week!

Christmas Letter 2009

Greetings in the name of Christ!

The Strawn’s have had an exciting year and life with two kids seems to get better and busier as the days go by. How thankful we are for such times in our lives.

Early this year, Sarah finished up classes to become a licensed EMS Instructor, and taught her first class over the summer. At the same time, the Rescue squad in Bridgeport was breaking away from the fire department to become its own entity, so there was a flurry of activity for many months. Sarah then dropped her membership from the FD, focusing on EMS, her first love, & the new department.

The week before Holy Week, the church decided to have a ground breaking for the long awaited building project. Pastor and a trustee put in several late night hours moving offices, tearing up old wood floors, and saving anything that could be saved in the old parsonage, as razing that building was now imminent. Construction of the new building started immediately. Pastor sat on the new building committee as many decisions needed to be made over the course of the next 9 months. How appropriate now that the new sanctuary is dedicated the first Sunday of the Church Year, complete with a Reredos & Predella made from the old wood floors. Many more late night hours were put into those projects with that same trustee.

In May, Sarah’s parents came to visit & we took a weekend camping trip to S. Dakota in the

new camper. In August, Al’s parents came to visit with their new Stallion Trike. With it being the week of Sturgis, Al & Dad took a day to drive up and saw the bikes there. What a time they had! The rest of the summer was filled with teaching, building, going to the race track & Pastor’s Con Ed. Throw in an LWML trip to Oregon for Al and you have summer gone by quickly.

Eden turned 4 in August and started preschool soon after. Lars turned 2 in September. Just before his second b-day, we learned that Lars has several food allergies and the crying since his birth has mostly been about that. It was essentially eating away his intestinal track & causing pain after every meal. So, as if we didn’t have enough going at the time, we went through the cupboards & threw away or donated nearly everything, then started over. It has been a long learning process & making two meals every meal was daunting at first, but Mom is getting better at it. He also has Speech Therapy & Occupational Therapy two mornings each week.

The gardens produced wonderfully this year & Sarah canned over 100 jars of food. We also traded or sold both vehicles to buy newer & more economical transportation, which has paid off already in fuel. The Bport Garden Club asked Sarah to have the parsonage be one of six homes featured in this year’s Christmas Parade of Homes, so that’s been another exciting & busy activity to prepare for. We are all busy, but still have time to bake cookies & read stories pretty much whenever we want.

We hope this finds you well & healthy. May God bless you abundantly~

Allen, Sarah, Eden, Lars & Baby due in May

New Shoes and Socks for almost all

With our lives being so hectic for the better part of a month now, things have been falling through the cracks at home. Lars was out of yogurt & cheese for a week, milk was sparse, though, supper was sparser. Not because we couldn't buy it, but because we were never home long enough to enjoy it and never able to get to the store.

Christmas boxes lie all over the place in various stages of being unpacked and I saw no need to vacuum or dust until it was finished. Which has taken quite a bit longer than I anticipated, because I want everything 'just right' for the parade in two weeks. We added a second tree this year, as well as several photographs from throughout the years framed and ready for a 'spot' somewhere. I hauled my Cherish Teddies out of the garage this year and realized that nearly half the box was from the Christmas collection, so I was happy to have thought to do that. It's been really fun, but I'm ready to be finished so I can sit around and enjoy it.

Sit around. That's pretty funny.


I won't even mention the lack of laundry &folding I have done lately. Pastor pulled undershirts out of a clean laundry basket for at least 4 days!


All of this leads me to the title of the blog. Eden said about 2 weeks ago that her feet hurt in her white tennis shoes. I checked the size and said, "they are a size 7 and your brown tennis shoes are a size 8. Wear the brown shoes." She agreed and we put the white shoes in the 'too small' box. After about a week of brown shoes, she was still complaining. Since she had holes in the toes and the sole was nearly gone, I said we'd look for some different shoes next time we went to SB. While we were at it, I thought, I may as well get new socks because I can barely get her feet jammed in these socks. Come to think of it, Lars' socks were getting pretty hard to get on, too.

Finally, on Friday, we were in SB and went to the shoe store. The lady measured Eden's feet and announced that the size 8 shoes she was wearing were probably hurting her feet b/c her feet measured out to be a 9 1/2 or 10. Wow, Mother of the Year here. While we were there, I had her check Lars' feet, which were also in shoes that were two sizes too small. Go figure. Since my shoes had holes in both toes and it was getting cold to be outside this time of year, I wandered over to pick out some for myself, as well. Daddy was the only one who didn't have time to look for any, and I'm hoping he can wait till the new year.

We left there and went to another store to get new socks for the kids. Apparently, you can't buy uni-sex tube socks for little girls, you either have purple bottoms or pink bottoms. We settled for white bobby socks instead. Lars got both dark socks for church as well as tube socks for the day, which make his feet even bigger and his shoes even smaller, so we had to get bigger shoes for him. Winter boots were a no-go, since we couldn't find any for him under $30. Unfortunately, this means he gets to wear Eden's pink, furry heart boots when it snows. Oh well, I did manage to find him some Navy snow pants, so it's not all bad.

Now, it's Sunday afternoon and I have to say I spent the morning tucking Lars' onesie, which was too small to stay snapped around his diaper, into his pants, which were half way up his calves and looked ridiculously small. The sweater he wore was about an inch too short on both arms and his belly stuck out the whole service. I guess it's time to go through his clothes, too!


Next weekend is busy from the get-go, so I won't guarantee a blog. It's furniture moving & last minute decisions, along with a walk- through of Sunday's service for the dedication. It's going to be a beautiful service & a fun but long day, I just hope nobody drops anything too important! The 42 page bulletin, which has been thoroughly proofread a dozen times has been sent to the printer and after next weekend, life should come back to the normalcy of Advent.

Well, maybe...

Another Week

Another week gone by and so little to show for it, really. It was a typical week with the exception that I spread out all the Christmas stuff in the guest room and tried to figure out what I had and what I needed for the Parade of Homes, which is fast approaching.

As you can see by the photos, piano lessons got a late start on Thursday because the girls needed to rake leaves to jump in. It was a perfect time to be outside and they had a bit fun to boot.

Saturday, I was up at 0230 with a little boy who was running around the house upstairs, laughing and playing in the dark. I rocked him and put him back in the crib just in time for the pager to go off and I was out the door. Since I had to be in SB by 0800 for an all day conference, I came home and got stuff around and ready to go for morning. When I was warm enough to crawl back into bed, I shut the alarm off and hoped the fog would be too thick to drive in come morning. No such luck. I left shortly after 0700 and didn't get home until after supper, picking up some odds and ends before leaving SB.

Meanwhile, Daddy had the kids to himself all day. After naps, he bundled them up and strapped them in the stroller for an auction a couple blocks away. Surviving that, they then loaded into the Ford and headed to church for an afternoon party.

Eden told me later that it wasn't a birthday party that they'd gone to, but they still had cake. When I asked her what kind of party it was, she said it was "Dying Dolly" party. After picking myself off the floor from laughing, I told her it was an "Anniversary" party. "OH!" she said, "Anniversary party".

Woke up to snow on the ground this morning, but now it is mid afternoon and the snow has melted with the sunny day.

With only an hour of daylight left, I'd better get the kids out for a some fresh air. We all seem to sleep better if we wear ourselves out there for a bit.

November already

Ok, I'm kind of excited to share this news. Early in the week, I got a phone call from a woman who asked if I would be interested in putting the parsonage in the Parade of Homes for Christmas this year. I hemmed and hawed, as I'm not going to be here for Christmas and didn't plan on a whole lot of decorating. But, it did sound like something we would enjoy and have fun with. So, naturally, I agreed on the spot. The parade is set for December 6th, which is the Sunday after the Sanctuary dedication, also Thanksgiving weekend. ALSO the week we’re going to have an out of town houseguest. Am I nuts?

I immediately started cleaning up and sorting stuff. With the weather being in the 70's all week, I've even managed to wash windows and screens. By Friday, I had a bunch of toys boxed up and ready to go to storage. Eden reluctantly helped me with that chore. With Daddy home, we loaded up the Ford and

took a trip to storage, swapping out toys, the play kitchen, more toys & the dress up box for several green and red totes, which are now sitting in the guest room, ready to be sorted through.

If anybody has any classy ideas for the big event, please let me know. Laura (bless her) offered her creative juices & even some decorations, so between the two of us, we should do alright!

In other news, Eden had an 'Un-birthday party' at preschool last week and brought home a jeweled cardboard crown, which she is particularly proud of and has sitting up on her dresser so Lars can't reach it. She has also begun counting her coins in her piggy bank on a regular basis, telling me how many 'monies' she has.

Lars has started trying to say words this week. If you didn't know what he was point to, you wouldn't have any idea what he was saying, but he's trying, which is better than not. Eden enjoys his speech therapy a lot more than him, she's very social and loves company!

Friday night, I wanted to get out and do something, but since all our excess savings went to paying for camper repairs last week (and we didn’t even get the tail light fixed), we were short for a sitter. Instead, we invited Douthit's over for Chimechangas & fresh tortilla chips with home made salsa. After one hand of cards, we were all too tired to continue playing. We wolfed down some cheesecake & crashed in the living room while the girls attempted to clean up the basement. I think the kids & I were in bed by 9:00 and Pastor headed out to the garage to do whatever it is he does out there.

Tuesday & Wednesday evening this week, I had to take a class for the EMS department and both nights we got out early, which is nice, except that I made it home before the kid's bedtime. I was hoping to get it out of it for a couple nights, but no such luck! Al was glad for my help, however, as he had to take the kids to one of his meetings. Apparently, Lars fell down the steps and Eden grabbed the sharp end of a blade all in a matter of minutes. Mommy to the rescue!

Saturday evening, the hockey game was accessible only on the internet, so the kids and I crowded around the screen and watched diligently. When Williams broke his leg, I thought I’d lose my supper, but everything stayed down. I wish they posted X-rays on the team website. We medical people like to see that sort of stuff, but alas, HIPPA.

Sunday afternoon, Lars hauled off and smacked Eden with a toy train, splitting her bottom lip & sending her into a screaming rage that lasted until she fell asleep an hour later. You know how those fleshy parts bleed so much. In the end, he gave her a pretty good fat lip and she collected much ammo for the next round.

Halloween

When I look over my calendar for the past two weeks, I see nothing but ink. And, oddly enough, since I'm not spending every waking moment working on a lesson plan now, I've had oodles of time with the kids. More than I would like on some days, but that's another story.

The preacher has been busy working on the building project. When he's not working, eating or sleeping, he's in the new sanctuary building the reredos with another trustee. The woodworking is coming along beautifully after several hours and weeks and months of work. It's been fun for him, as he doesn't have a lot in the way of hobbies at the moment. They hope to finish it later this week. Me too.

The new sanctuary dedication is set for the end of November, so, soon, it will all be over. It's a very exciting time in the life of the congregation. This is actually their 3rd sanctuary on the same plot of land, which I find unusual, but interesting, none-the-less. Every church is full of history if you do some digging and talking to the folks who've been around the longest.

As for myself, I've spent a lot of time the last couple weeks on the phone, making appointments for everything you can think of. Our new car, a 2000 Buick Century, needed a few things worked on before winter came, so we've gotten half of it done and are waiting on the other parts. The camper is finished in SB and we need to get over and get that. Pastor had LWML fall rally last Saturday and the nursing home servie last Sunday. We hosted a Circuit Social yesterday afternoon & evening at the parsonage. The hymn sing was great, with another pastor on the cello and me on the piano. Amazing how a few pastors and their wives can sing so loudly and sound so great!

Eden hasn't had much in the way of preschool lately, b/c of construction on the street of the preschool one week, and two snow days the next. Her Halloween party was a bust, but she didn't seem to notice all that much. She made up for it on Halloween night dressed as the cowardly lion along with her Tucan brother. They cleaned up the neighborhood, and it was a lovely 45 degree night, despite the snow piles yet on the grass.

I loved that the extra hour of sleep came on Halloween. Since the kids were out late, they went to bed late and, subsequently, slept late. Bonus to me.

We have been extremely busy on the ambulance the past couple weeks. I love the job and some of the new folks who have joined up with our department, still don't love the paperwork afterward. Nothing new, I suppose, in any line of work.

It's worked out that most of the calls have come in the night or early morning, before Allen has left for church, so I've been able to go help right away. Thankfully for the EMT in me, they have been a variety of calls with a slew of different challenges in each one. Who says small towns don't offer much?

Well, it's Monday morning and back to the grind. My list grew over the weekend somehow. I hope I get as many naps with the kids as I did last week. That was unusual, but a welcome change!

Enjoy the Halloween pics.

Late, but not forgotten!

It's becoming more and more obvious that this week's blog is late. We didn't have power on Sunday afternoon, and it really threw me.

So, since I'm behind in my EMS reports, behind in the laundry, behind on paying bills and opening mail and running errands, I think I'm going to skip this week and catch up next week. I'm still in need of a shower and Lars' OT is going to be here in a very short time. I do have some new pics to download, so stay tuned for that. I might get them out before Sunday, but no guarantees.

Life is not about guarantees, I'm deciding. It's more about Opportunity and Chance, combined into one big, interesting bubble.

Pumpkin Patch

After an extremely busy week, followed by an equally crazy weekend, it's now Monday and I'm sitting at my computer for the first time in at least two days.

Al had a busy work week, especially since he was gone 3 days last week. He started with LWML on Monday, where the kids and I picked him up afterwards to run over to SB to test drive a car, which we didn't end up purchasing.

Tuesday was the Pastor's Winkel in Sidney, so he was gone all day, and I had to do the preschool running, which was difficult b/c we had to pick her up right about the time Lars' eats lunch. A minor blessing for us was that his OT was sick, so that was cancelled and gave me some leeway in the clock.

Wednesday is always busy for the pastor, and he had LYF after confirmation, so didn't get home until bedtime.

Thursday he was in Torrington for a funeral in the morning, so I had to do the preschool thing again, he then played catch-up in the afternoon at church, then worked through choir until a building committee meeting, in which he didn't get home until bedtime.

I love Friday, the day off, except for the past couple weeks, when he hasn't had time to take it. This week, he was in the office in the morning and came home for lunch. He left after lunch to head to Casper, where he had an LWML meeting that evening and all day Saturday. He was home by bedtime on Saturday night.

You wouldn't believe how many people think the pastor only works on Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon.

The kids and I had less to keep on the calendar, but still ended up in SB Monday evening, Tuesday and Thursday were preschool runs and 'errands', Wednesday it was back to SB for yearly check ups at the doctor, then piano lessons in the afternoon. Thursday, another run to SB after preschool, and piano lessons in the afternoon.

The weekend was great. Friday night, we drove back to SB with the Douthit's to pick up a large power tool (which fit in the back of our large Ford) and eat out at Chilis'. The food was great, the service was great, and the kids were great. Not to mention the adult company I was desparate for! Saturday, we hung around and played outside, and watched the Red Wings that night.

Sunday was the big fun day, where we loaded back into the Ford and headed to Lodgepole to Hazel's Pumpkin Patch. It was a warm day and we had fun looking through the patch for the perfect pumpkins to carve. Between the 8 of us, we went through the haunted spider house, the corn maze, the hay bale maze, the wee Hazel's house, sat by the campfire and shopped in the purple witch store. After a quick stop at DQ (where they have non-dairy slushies for my son!), we drove through car lots and headed back to Bridgeport, where we picked up a pot of Chicken and Dumplings and headed to Douthit's for supper. While the guys planed boards with the new tools, the kids played downstairs and the ladies sat upstairs and watched the making of Mary Poppins.

All too soon, it was bedtime and back home. Now, it's Monday morning and I have a little boy in PJs who needs a diaper change and some breakfast.

Until next time...

October in West Nebraska

Let it snow, Let it snow, let it snow. Isn't there a song about that? While towns in the panhandle got more than a foot of snow in the last few days, here in Bridgeport, we have a mere 6-8 inches. And, it's still snowing. Instead of going to the pumpkin patch, which we've been planning on for nearly a month, we're headed to Mark-y & Laura's house after quiet time to do some Nebraska sledding.

The Strawn's spent the first half of the week in Casper, Wyoming for the Fall Pastor's Conference. I had more fun this time than in time's past, and I think it's because Lars didn't cry nearly as much as usual. Maybe we're finally getting somewhere with him.

The conference didn't start till lunch on Monday this year so we got up before dawn and piled in the car, picking up another pastor in Scottsbluff on the way. We got to the church about 11:30 and made sandwiches before the kids & I left the preachers to learn and we went shopping. Since I'm finally remembering my way around Casper, I didn't have to study the map too much and we got to about 6 stores, including the mall play yard, before supper. Talk about a woman on a mission!

Tuesday morning, Eden wanted to go swimming. After Daddy left that morning, we suited up and headed down to the pool. It was locked up tight. Got a maintenance man to unlock it and jumped in. It was freezing! I was shivering within 2 minutes, and the kids were blue in about 5. Of course, Eden wanted to keep going and Lars was happily standing on the bottom step, splashing away. I sat on the edge wrapped up in blankets, eyeing the hot tub on the other end of the concrete. I finally convinced the kids we needed to warm up over there, so we took a dip in the hot tub, which had just been cleaned and was full of 72 degree water. Needless to say, I headed back to the room for a hot shower.

After lunch, Tte guys have Tuesday afternoon off to golf, but since Al doesn't golf or even want to attempt it, we try to do something in the way of 'family time'. This day, it was a drive out to Alcova Lake while the kids napped in the car. This is a man made reservoir from the dammed up North Platte about 30 miles from Casper. The drive was fairly mundane, unless you like to see herds of antelope playing in the sage fields. Once we got to the lake, it was beautiful. Rock climbers were about to rappel down a deep gorge and the winding roads made it worth the drive.

Ater that, it was back to Casper for some more shopping. I found some material for the top panel of my quilt and we found material for the back panel of his quilt. I was blessed enough to find a sticker sale at Hobby Lobby, something I haven't been able to do in over 3 years, and stocked up heavily, along with kid paint brushes, as Eden has a new painting fettish. I hope this is a stage that too shall pass... unfortunately, I forgot to buy new paints. Bummer.

We headed back home on Wednesday afternoon. Since the weather was nearly perfect, not too hot, not too cold, not too windy, and BOTH children were awake, we stopped in Gurnsey at Register Cliff and the Oregon Trail Ruts. The cliff is a spot where trail weary travelers stopped for a day of rest on their westward migration. The cliff provided a large amount of shade from the otherwise arid, dusty land & hot desert sun. Hundreds of travelers etched their names in the sandstone, along with dates & other messages. A dozen or so bodies are buried in a make shift cemetery at the base of the cliff, with little known about the dead. Up until the 1960's, people were etching their names in the cliff, so that, too, has become a part of history.

The Trail Ruts are a few miles away and, as you can see by the photos, are very defined through the rock, which was worn away with the hundreds of thousands of wagons that passed through, following the river on their way to California, Oregon, Utah & other lands. It's hard to imagine walking that route for more than a few hours, let alone months on end.

We arrived home Wednesday evening and I've spent the rest of the week catching up on laundry and 'stuff'.

Last night, in order that I didn't have to dress up the kids in warm clothes, we hired a babysitter to stay here while we went to a wedding reception up town. The place was packed and everybody looked beautiful in their fall colors, depsite the snow. The food was great, with lots of Greek desserts to pass around.

In other news, after nearly 3 months of no activity on the '98 pick up, a couple from about 90 miles away came to look at it yesterday. They happened to have cash on hand, and we struck a deal. Didn't get what we were wanting, but had to weigh the odds that it had been on the market for so long and our gasoline bill is through the roof with two 4 wheel drive vehicles. We simply needed to get rid of it so we could get something with better gas mileage for the preacher to drive all over the place for his meetings and visits. I hate not having a pick up, but if we buy a cheap enough vehicle, maybe we can buy his '78 Chevy back. :-)

Until next week, Let it snow, Let it snow, Let it snow!

Short & Sweet

No time to report much this week, I'm trying to get bags packed and ready to go early tomorrow morning. I was sick with a cold for much of the week, so what would normally be done by now has not even been started. Both kids had runny noses, as well, and I scoured pharmacies near and far looking for children's cold tablets, since they both fight me then throw up the liquid stuff. Of course, it's twice as expensive, but it seems that with these food allergies, my kids are turning out to be less than frugal. Anyway, I digress.

The Fall Pastor's Conference is this week in Casper, and we're always looking for an excuse to get out of town for a few days. I'm digging out the winter stuff to take, cruising through the laundry so I can pack, cleaning a spot in the garage for Samson, trying to figure out what to take for Lars to eat for 3 days & wondering where I stuck the swimming stuff. I also like to come back to a clean house, so I'm trying to pick up and put away, but Lars is following me and undoing what I'm doing.

Eden & her daddy went to the race track for the High Plains Shoot Out today after church, but they hardley got there when the race was called because of rain. Instead, the headed back to Douthit's to continue to work on the floor boards for the upcoming sanctuary wall. Lars took about a half hour nap this afternoon, so has been crabby & clingy while I try to get things done.
At least I only have half of the children to keep happy at the moment.

Until next week, enjoy the new youtube video & I'll have more pics next week.

A weekend with Humphrey

We have been so blessed with tomatoes this year! I haven’t counted all I’ve put up, but it’s in the several dozen range. I’m ready to not see another one until next year, but I have one more big bowl full … for another day.

We have had an exciting weekend. Humphrey the bear, from Eden’s preschool, came home with her for the weekend. We get to have fun with him for 4 days, then write a short story about him to tell the rest of the class. Eden has fallen in love with the big, soft, cuddly thing, and he even went with us to have his picture taken at the studio on Friday. He was so well behaved and looked at the camera when he was supposed to, unlike Lars, who cried the whole time. Those pictures will be back in two weeks, I know you’re all anxiously awaiting them.

Had my last week of teaching EMT class this week, and we met Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday night. Wednesday evening was the student’s final exam. It was a really tough exam & it took most of them a full three hours to complete. Had to cut them off and send them home at 9:00.

On Monday, I will travel with them to Scottsbluff to be moral support while they rotate through their lengthy practical exam. That’s a pass or fail set of 6 ‘real life’ stations on splinting, airway, trauma, medical, bandaging & the like. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m not the one having to test, either!

The rest of the week was fairy mundane. It rained on and off all week and was actually cold at times. I managed to squeeze in a quick lawn mowing job on Friday after we returned from Scottsbluff and before the Douthit girls came over for supper & a sleepover.

Saturday, Lexi got up early and left for a G.S. event while Kyra stayed and did arts & crafts at our house. Her & Eden made some fun Christmas presents with special supplies that I picked up when I was in Casper last time. I knew they would have fun making them, and boy, did they ever! My kitchen table is currently a drying rack and I’m going to be scraping Mod Podge off my chairs for a week, but it was a good time.

Lars received a late birthday present in the mail and opened up a beautiful large, fall colored squirrel quilt for Grandma Great & Aunt Janet. Eden said excitedly, “Aunt Janet made me MY special blanket too, and Aunt Janet & Grandma Great made MY animal blanket too!” And she immediately went to get both to show Lars. He played with the quilt for quite a while, he loved the bright colors. It’s currently spread out on the toddler bed in his room, waiting for the day he gives up the crib.

Sunday morning, we travelled to Potter, NE for a special event at the church down there. Eden was able to attend their Sunday School before the service began, and Allen was their guest preacher, followed by an awesome pot luck dinner, and another presentation on ‘missions’. It went very well & we all had a good time. Of course, Humphrey came with us and

sat in the pew like a good little bear the whole morning.

Once we got back into Bridgeport, it was a pit stop at the house to change clothes & head to the ‘nail pulling party’ at the Douthit’s. Since Pastor & Mark pulled up all those wood floors up in the old parsonage, they have been stacked in Mark’s shed, waiting for the nails to be pulled. The LYF came, along with a few other adults, to pull all afternoon. We quit for a quick supper, then went back out until 8:00 p.m. We figure we’re about half done with the pulling…yikes.

Tonight, I pulled in all my pots in expectation of our first freeze. Let’s see if I can manage to keep the geraniums alive until spring.

I’m getting so excited for fall, I can hardly stand it. I’ve been pulling flowers out of the garden this week & cutting back perennials, as well as putting my Vinca and other potted plants in the ground to winter. I’ve harvested all but the giant marigold seeds, and that’s because there are several huge yellow jackets that seem to be camped out on the blossoms. A few tomato & pepper plants remain in the vegetable garden and the rest of the ground is ready for a rest.

The weather has been beautiful & cool, in the mid-80’s all week. The kids have played outside & the swings haven’t been too hot or the slide melting to their skin. However, Eden wants one last hurrah in the swimming pool and I say, “No, too cold!”

Little Baby Lars is now Tall Toddler Lars. His 2^nd Birthday was Friday. He is finally on the growth chart for height, at 10% and is almost on for weight, at 22#. I was not planning on doing anything extraordinary for his birthday, seeing as that he’s only two. However, when my Mom heard that, she was seriously feeling sorry for him. Then, when Laura chimed in and said, “Am I going to have to make that poor child a Birthday Cake?!” I said, “Of course not, I’ll make him a cake!” Thus, the almost blue M&M was born. Of course, he couldn’t eat any of the M&M’s, but the cake was dairy free and he settled for frozen fruit bars in a bowl instead of the strawberry ice cream everybody else got. I don’t think he noticed that everybody else’s was slightly a different color.

Our ‘back to school’ routine is now in full swing. Daddy drops Eden off & picks her up at preschool on Tuesday and Thursday’s, as the building is less than a block from church. Lars has OT on Tuesday mornings, just before Eden gets home & then Speech on Friday mornings first thing. I teach EMT class on Monday & Wednesday nights still and teach Piano Lessons on Wednesday & Thursday afternoons, when school lets out. Pastor has Confirmation class on Wednesday afternoons & I lead Sunday School music on Sunday mornings. Voice choir practice is Thursday evenings, which leaves Tuesdays for all voters/elders/council/building committee/EMS meetings to squeeze in. It’s a good thing Eden doesn’t want dance lessons or anything.

I’m about sick of canning tomatoes, but I know I’m going to be grateful as the winter progresses. I put up 12 quarts of tomatoes yesterday & made some spaghetti sauce today for spaghetti & meatballs tonight. Eden’s favorite.

Not too much excitement in our house this week. Spent some money to buy the preacher a new clerical, alb & cross for the November dedication of the new sanctuary. Those things don’t come cheap, but its run it’s course. Also started gathering some stocking stuffers & having them shipped to Michigan for that big holiday that happens in December, in which the kids and I are traveling by train for two days back home.

Eden is learning a lot all of a sudden. She brought me the soap dispenser from the bathroom and, following the pictures on the back, read me the ‘Rictions’ (directions). “First, get your hands wet, then get one squirt and scrub ‘em together, and then rinse. That’s how you wash your hands!”

And no matter what the activity, her favorite line seems to be, “I’m four so I can do that myself”. Of course you can, Eden.

A week of firsts

I find it hard to believe that it’s mid-day on Sunday afternoon, I’ve made eggs & hash browns for the kids at breakfast, got everybody through church relatively peacefully, put up 15 pounds of tomatoes, cleaned up the kitchen & now, I have my feet up on the couch and everybody else is asleep.

This is too good to be true, what’s going to go wrong later?

So many exciting events this week, it’s hard to prioritize. Eden had her first birthday party yesterday for a friend from church who was turning 6 years old. Eden could hardly wait to go all day yesterday and when lunch was over, she waited by the front door for her daddy to come take her.

At the party, they made little paper & sticker butterflies and she’s hung it on her wall and taken it down to play with at least a hundred times in the last 24 hours.

Eden had such a great time and she asked me in the car afterwards if she could do it again next week. I said that, unfortunately for her, this little girl’s birthday only came around once a year.

Eden also had her first day of preschool this week. There were no tears, no fears & no problems what-so-ever. Every other mom stayed for a while, kids clinging & wondering what was going to happen next. Eden, blanket by her side, took off for the door and said, “Bye, Mom!”

Kindergarten is going to kill me.

Lars had his first day of speech therapy on Friday and, though his sister desperately wanted to help him, he did fine on his own. Lisa is his therapist and came to the house at 0900, his happiest time of day. They looked at books and pointed to things out the window, generally got a feel for each other. I think it’s going to be a good thing and hope to see progress sooner rather than later.

Not to be outdone with ‘firsts’, the preacher had his first funeral in this congregation this week. Yes, we’ve been here just shy of 3 years.

Early Tuesday morning, the phone rang and Pastor was out the door by 0700 to be with the family. Because of extended family coming from several states away, the funeral wasn’t until Saturday, a blustery & rainy day. The church was packed, but we still had plenty of cake left-over in the end.

I can’t think of any firsts for me this week, but I am wrapping up teaching my first EMT class here in town. I’ve had a lot of fun with the class and hope to teach another in the future. We have two weeks left. First, however, I need a month off!

Eden and I went to the library to get some books yesterday and to our surprise, Tammy, her ‘old’ daycare provider, is the new librarian. It was very exciting to see Tammy and talk to her again and she’s promised to look for the lost book, Chick-a-chick-a-Boom-Boom, which has been checked in but missing almost all summer. I refuse to buy it, in fear of having to read it every night for the rest of my life.

Overall, it was another busy but blessed week in our house. I’m so excited for fall to be here. I’m ready to clean up the gardens, finish canning and head to the pumpkin patch!~

I think I have my son’s birthday to figure out first, though, now that I think about it…

Fort Robinson - Crawford, Nebraska

After a long & drawn out week of therapy, a trip to Scottsbluff (here forever abbreviated SB), ministerial association meeting, EMT classes and piano lessons, we loaded up the camper on Thursday afternoon and headed north to Fort Robinson for a weekend of camping. It was the Douthits, and the Strawn’s. This is Mark’s hometown (Crawford, not the Fort) and having a tour guide to the area was a bonus. Also having two little babysitters while we camped was genius. They may be going with us more often!

Thursday, actually, we were on our own and spent the time standing in line to check in, setting up camp, getting supper on the table, and enjoying a campfire. The kids enjoyed all the mole hills of sand, as it made an instant sandbox in several locations. Eden tried out her biking skills again and Lars followed diligently on his tractor. After a quick bath, both kids went down pleasantly enough and at 0530, we were all awake and ready to go. Well, awake, at any rate. By 0930, we were in the car for a drive, hoping the kids would sleep. We drove up Smiley Canyon for a scenic drive and praised God that it was paved. They fell asleep shortly after the buffalo were spotted. Hoping for an hour’s nap, we drove 30 miles over to Chadron & saw the State Park and all the hiking trails they had to offer. We’ve got our next trip planned.

When the kids woke up, we found a hole in the wall diner, “Don’s Burgers, Pizza & Ice Cream” and went in for lunch. The food was awesome! It was the closest thing to a pizzeria I’ve found here in Nebraska. Complete with hand dipped ice cream. Since I didn’t want to flaunt the ice cream in front of Lars (can you believe it, they had Mackinaw Island Fudge from Michigan!), we instead got chocolate shakes in paper cups & got Lars the same cup, filled with water. Everybody was happy.

Back at camp, while we waited for the Douthit’s to arrive that afternoon, we wandered around the Fort, gathering some history and looking at the sites. The still sunken swimming pool from the 1930s, the infantry housing & site where Crazy Horse was killed the captains’ quarters, Fort HQ, the dog kennels from WWII’s training center, barns & vet hospital, along with servant’s quarters, horse stables from cavalry days & the large halls that accommodated all the working and civilian life when the fort was active. With sidewalks around the parade grounds, it made for a nice walk with the stroller.

As more campers started to arrive for the busy weekend, we decided to check in for the Douthits so they could come right in and set up camp. We made our way to the check in hall which is a huge brick building with rooms to rent, original to the era, filled with photos of the day & oak staircases. Well maintained floors added to the beauty. Not that you could see much of the floor with the dozens off guests checking in, but I had 45 minutes, so saw enough of it!

Albeit hot and bumblebee ridden, our campsites were in a nice, shady location on the end of a middle row. The kids had lots of room to run & play and we were a 3 minute walk from the shower house, which is idea

Once they were in and set up, we plunked down a hard shell taco dinner with all the fixings and enjoyed the campfire. Eden wanted to sleep in their camper, so we trudged her stuff over there and they all fell asleep. She lasted until 0115.

Saturday, we were off to the Douthit Ranch, which was a working ranch until a very short time ago and now is partly rented out. Mark’s parents moved to town earlier this year, but still have a functioning house & boarding place on the ranch. His dad and him still tinker with big machinery any opportunity they get. When we got there, the chocolate chip cookies were already in the oven and the house smelled wonderful!

While all the kids stayed with the grandparents, the four adults set off on the 4-wheelers for the hills & buttes & open prairie land. Since homesteaders were the first to settle here, at a span of 40 acres apart, we could see holes where hand dug wells were attempted & found, as well as rock & raised ground foundations for sod houses. Pretty much where-ever you saw a grouping of hardwood trees, you know a homestead once sat, as those trees are not native to the land and would have been planted by hand.

We crossed many muddy cricks and walked around an area where a saw mill once sat. No sign of the saw mill, except a rusted out piece of metal, leaning against a tree. Found some sort of fruit or nut tree, planted near what is called the garden pasture, as, naturally, that was the spot where the large vegetable garden sat. A big, mossy pond for watering was found to be enjoyed by a single, quiet duck.

Only a couple shabby buildings remain outside the main house & barn area. Mark remembers clearing away many buildings in his younger days, making room for cattle to roam & land to farm. Of the nearly 11,000 acres, I think my butt would agree that we traversed almost every square inch of the ranch, minus the top of the buttes, which I was too pooped to climb.

Everyone slept well Saturday night.

Sunday morning, the preacher (Al) & the parishioner (Mark) got up early and headed back to Bridgeport to preach & visit an elderly man who was in his final days of life on earth. The rest of us got up late, had a big breakfast, stopped to see the giant Tee-Pee that was set up to honor Crazy Horse (today was the anniversary of his death) & went to church in the town of Crawford, three miles from the fort, which is where Mark’s parents live now.

Lars napped all afternoon while Laura took the girls to the museum. When Lars woke up, we met them at the building that is a replica of where enlisted men called home at the turn of the century. It was open to the public today and a man was at the entrance, whittling spoons & butter knifes to give away to the kids. Eden was thrilled to get a butter knife and told her daddy later that “I got a butter knife and it cost $60!” We think she was confusing the costly carriage ride with the price of the free whittled bark.

The guys got back around 4:00 and we got in the car to go for a drive on the north side of the buttes. We took the walking sticks & hiking boots, as well, and found a short trail to hike before supper.

Supper, unfortunately, was delayed because we started the skillet on fire. Looking on the bright side, the food was not yet in the oiled skillet, so we were spared char-fried food. By the time we ate, darkness had settled over the land, Lars was bathed & in his jammies & the bugs were joining us in full force. We were all hungry & the moms were spared from having to feel guilty about what to do with the leftovers, because there were none.

Al & I took a walk around the grounds after Lars went down and Eden fell asleep with Lexi & Kyra on their bed. She made it till 0145.

Monday was up for a big breakfast & time to break camp. We said Goodbye to the Douthits, as they were headed in their separate directions, and we walked up to the museum of the fort. Once we came out, the humidity was high & the little boy was tired. Instead of finding another trail to hike, we headed for Bridgeport, arriving shortly after 2:00 p.m. Naturally, the kids didn’t fall asleep until we were 30 minutes from the parsonage.

We spent the afternoon unloading the camper & cleaning out the car, watering the flowers & grass, and picking vegetables before supper. The preacher headed out shortly after that to be with the family that needed him. He arrived home shortly after 10p to get ready for an all day meeting on Tuesday in Alliance.

Our week to come is promising to be a busy one….until then, I rest my fingers!