Grandma and Grandpa's Fall 07 Visit

Gotta Walk...

I am not the best exerciser in the world. I walk. I lift my little hand weights. I do my cute little exercises Heather Kerr (my personal trainer for two hours) taught me. But I am not very consistent.

But as I get older. Like really old like I am now. 36 ya know. That is so old. I find myself like feeling old. Could it be that I have arthritis? I have since I was 25. Could it be that I recently sprained my ankle on a run with a pal? Could it be that I chipped a bone in my 2nd metacarpal totally unknown to me? Could it be that afore mentioned pal talked me into auditioning for a musical in which I must dance about on a stage as if I were in high school? Could be.

Anyway... I digress...

Every morning, as I take my kids to school I drive down Eager Road and see the sweetest little lady about my grandma Babe's age (84) taking her morning walk. She always carries her umbrella with her and she is wearing a little hat and she is walking down one side as I drive to school and down the other as I come home. It always inspires me to get out there and lose those extra few pounds! You can do it Jacki!!

The other day my 84-year-old grandma Babe was admitted to the hospital for a little "procedure" and the doctor asked my brother if she needed a walker to get up from bed. My brother just laughed. Why? The crazy woman volunteers at this same hospital at least one day a week, bowls 3 games a week and mentors at the local elementary school one day week.
P-LEASE!!!!

And then there is me. 50 years younger. Knowing that in a few minutes Mindy is going to call and tell me she is on her way to walk.

These ladies truly are members of the greatest generation. Not just because they lived through The Great Depression, Pearl Harbor and World War II but because they actually get off their duff and do something to make themselves keep living. I hope that when I am their age Mindy and I are still walking my neighborhood.

Except I hope we don't live in Michigan then...

There's the phone now....Yip that's her...Gotta go walk....

This is Just Wrong

Oz Ticket Info

Since Mrs. Dave Webber asked here is the Oz info...

Oz Ticket Info

Those of you 242ers can go with my cell group if you would like. Just email Carrie Clark at
carriechristophel@yahoo.com and she will get you in with our head count.

Tickets are not on sale to the public yet but Carrie is getting them through my cast privilege so that you can all sit together.

Glad you guys are all coming. Yell loud during our curtain calls!!!!

Creeeaaakkkk!!!

That is the sound of my joints this morning after my first dance rehearsal from Oz.

OUCH!!! I am so old.

I am so old that my favorite part of the dance is when I leave the stage to get the straw for stuffing the scarecrow.

But then I have to come back.

And dance some more.

And get down on one knee for our big finish.

And smile about it.

And get up quickly afterword.

It hurts me.

Because I'm not young anymore dang it.

You know what really pangs me about all this. Our choreographer just had a baby. Like 3 weeks ago. She dances around the stage like it is nothing. And she was doing that less than a week after her baby was born. Whatever.

So, if you come to see Oz...and I hope you do...please be impressed and pretend like you don't know how much pain this first rehearsal was on this poor old woman.

Memories...

Last night Grant asked to see me in my room so I stopped what I was doing and followed him in there. He said, "Mom, would you tell Abi to quit calling me a dork and telling my friends that I am a dork in front of everyone at school." So after a little talk about this I called Abi in.

I asked Abi what was up.

She said, "OK, mom, here's the deal. Grant comes in and takes all my friends. All my friends are talking about how cool Grant is and they want to talk to him and not me. And Jake (who was Abi's boyfriend last year) is like Grant's best friend now and won't even talk to me. And their like 'Gosh Abi, I didn't know your brother was so cool!'".

And that is when it was like de ja vu all over again.

See my twerpy LITTLE brother was TWO years YOUNGER than me and for the first time since grade school we were attending a school together because a new high school had been built and I was a SENIOR and he was a SOPHOMORE. I was supposed to be COOL and he was supposed to be a DORK.

Oh not so!!! On the first day of school I kept being asked, "Hey, your Max Stephens sister aren't you?" "Hey you know where Max is?" "Hey can I have your number?...I need to call Max!!"

I explained to Abi that I learned to use that to my advantage.

See Max was also an athelete and so were his friends. Max couldn't drive and neither could his friends. But I could. His friends often needed rides home from practice. And his friends were sometimes pretty cute.

So, hopefully Abi will have a better day now knowing that she can use her little brother to get what she wants out of middle school for now and when she gets older she can have a great friend out of her little brother like I do now.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Is today...

Today...

College game day comes on at 10:00 a.m.

The first college football game starts at noon.

OU kicks off at 6:00 p.m.

I get to see the most beautiful town in America, Norman, Oklahoma live on national television.

My grandma is here from Oklahoma to share it with me.

Friends are coming over for burgers and fried taters to share that with me.

Tales from the Sooner sidelines will be shared during commercial breaks.

Life is good.

Oh...and...today is my husband's birthday too. Happy birthday dear!!! I love you!!!

My life in a nutshell

If you give a mom a muffin,

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.

So she'll pour herself some.

The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.

She'll wipe it up.

Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.

She'll remember she has to do some laundry.

When she puts the laundry in the washer,

She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.

Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper for tonight.

She will get out a pound of hamburger.

She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With a Pound ofHamburger.)

The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.

She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.

She will look for the checkbook.

The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.

She'll smell something funny.

She'll change the two year old.

While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring. (Of course!)

Her five year old will answer it and hang up.

She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come over for coffee onFriday.

Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.

She will pour herself some.

And chances are,If she has a cup of coffee,

Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Written by Kathy Fictorie

Based on If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

We're off to see the Wizard...

So, Mindy calls.

She says, "What do you think about auditioning for "Wizard of Oz"?

I said, "Sure, why not!"

So we head to Community Theater of Howell and go for it.

I learned a lot about myself. One, I'm old. Two, I can't dance. Never could but I used to be able to fake it. Three, auditioning is fun. Four, there are a lot of talented people in Livingston County.

Mindy and I decided that we would go for the Wicked Witch and Glinda parts. How fun if we were cast opposite each other. We sized up the competition and decided that we owned the parts. We are, after all... us. We already had "chemistry" together. Let's go for it!!! Boy, are there some talented people out there!!!! I couldn't believe the competition. Amazing people out there!!!

Paige and Evy auditioned for Munchkins. Let me tell you...they were the cutest ones out there of course!!!!!

To sum it all up...we had a blast this week!!!

Mindy was cast as Glinda, I was cast in the adult chorus and Paige was cast as a Munchkin.

We are very excited about this walk down the yellow brick road and hope all of you will come and check it out. Opening night is November 9 and plays 4 shows that weekend (2 on Sunday) and the following weekend the same schedule. Tickets go on sale in October.

So, if you see us around town with our dark shades on and Harry Winston and Mia in our purses please don't be offended if we don't say hello right away. We haven't forgotten you. Our security team sometimes prohibits us from talking to our fans. But we still love you and once this is all over in November we can hang out with the public again.

Happy Birthday Paige!!!!!!!!!!!

In the Good Ol' Summertime

Nothin beats a snack by the beach.














HOS has had enough of the beach.

















Playing in the park.




















Our neighbor Chloe and Paige enjoy the frog pond!



















They caught a big 'un.
















Grant and Henry playing on "our" lake.

God Bless America!

Ok....Yes...I'm being totally sarcastic in my praise for our nation. I am FED UP!!!! SERIOUSLY!!!

In late May we applied for passports for our August 1-13 trip to Costa Rica. Are we in Costa Rica? NO!!! Do we have passports??? NO!!! Are we not in Costa Rica because we don't have passports??? No...not really. But still it is the principle of the matter!! We could have been in that situation.

Today, after 3 days without mail, my neighbor comes to me and says that she had just gotten off the phone with the post office. She was told mail has been cut off from our sub until further notice because our mail carrier had been stung by bees 3 times. So I went down to the Howell Post Office and calmly stated my frustration.

Well...maybe not so calmly but at least I didn't have on my 242 t-shirt.

Anyway, by the time I got to the post office the mail carrier lady had been bitten 10 times which is amazing to me that she had been bitten 7 more times in about 10 minutes and she isn't even supposed to be delivering our mail today. Weird huh?

So, I'm thinking maybe our passports are in the mail and we haven't received them due to this buzzing problem. Get it...BUZZING!

Nope, not there.

I love this country.

Water Balloons for Jesus

So, last Sunday, our precious preschool director Laura, asked me if I would volunteer my family to serve during Soakfest; our church's outreach thingy for the Brighton area. Sure, love to help out I told her. "Great!" she replied, "Would you be willing to blow up this 100 count pack of water balloons?"

"Anything for you Mrs. Laura," I answered, "But I can do more than one pack."

"Thanks a bunch. Here's two," she said.

I took them thinking, "I could have taken more but whatever!"

I go about my week.

Then Friday night it hit me. I've got Soakfest tomorrow and I haven't blown up a SINGLE water balloon. OHMYGOSH!!!

So, I begin blowing up balloons. I got very wet and so did my kitchen. And my living room. I got about half of the balloons done.

Got up Saturday. Blew up another 60 or so before lunch.

After lunch I filled up the rest.

All this time I am putting the balloons in a rolling laundry basket with a trash bag inside. Wasn't that smart? I thought so.

So when I am finished filling the laundry basket I roll it out to my van. It is heavy but I figure..."it's only water, right?"

Water is very heavy I discovered!

I couldn't lift the balloons into my car. Kurtis had gone on an impromptu camping trip with Grant and my neighbor wasn't home either. So, Paige and I took each balloon from the rolling laundry basket and put it in a Rubbermaid tub so that I could lift the rolling laundry basket into the car and safely transport them to this outreach event.

When we got enough of the balloons out of the basket so that we could lift the rolling laundry basket into the car we went for it.

We decided we would just lift the other Rubbermaid tub in the car and move them once we got to the Mill Pond in Brighton.

As I drove I seemed to hit every speed bump and pothole and had to make a couple of quick stops. I kept hearing little "pops" in the back of the van.

My precious little balloons were being assaulted by the Michigan roads. I blame the governor. We need better roads in Michigan. But I don't want construction when I have to go somewhere. That's another rant I guess.

Anyway, I get to Soakfest. We had to park a couple of blocks away but at least I had my balloons in a rolling laundry basket right? I lift the balloons out of the car and head toward downtown Brighton.

Paige and I are walking to the Mill Pond and crossing Grand River. (Okies, this is like crossing Robinson or Lindsay in Norman) All of a sudden in the middle of the crosswalk I loose a wheel and it goes rolling down Grand River. Stunned and confused as to what to do, (I mean do I leave it? Do I grab it and cause all traffic to stop on this busy street and leave my almost 9 year old standing in the middle of the crosswalk?)

Thank you Lord, I car drove by and bumped in my direction. I grab it and off I went now dragging the rolling laundry basket through the fair part of Summerfest looking for my 242 Soakfest crew.

When I located them and delivered my precious balloons I was thankful my duty was over. I had filled my balloons. I had delivered them.

And then I watched as my 200 (well more like 150 by the time I got there!) balloons were destroyed in under 2 minutes. It took me two days and I lost a laundry basket in the process but I was ever so thankful that Mrs. Laura didn't give me more balloons to fill and was hopeful that a little life was touched, even though briefly, with my water balloons.

Harry Potter Mania!!-no spoilers here!

I'm a nerd. I know it. I embrace it.

Last night when I was still awake at 11:30 I thought to myself, "Self, I should go up to Wal-Mart and purchase that book."

Well, I'm not that big of a nerd.

So, I went to sleep. At 4:00 I woke up and thought to myself, "Self, I should go up to Wal-Mart and purchase that book."

Couldn't do it then either.

But then I woke up at 8:00, had breakfast, leisurely got dressed and went to Wal-Mart to purchase that book.

By 10:30 I was reading it as fast as I could take it all in. Here it is 5:15 and I have made it to chapter 10 and am totally into it.

I think it is really nerdy of me to be this into a book. I can't remember a time in my life time that such a book as engrossed the world. Literally, the world!!!

It is amazing to me!!

And I was one of them. I have come a long way since passing the books around in a brown paper bag at church hoping no one would see and risking being ridiculed for my interest in something so many were criticizing and hadn't even read.

I have to say. I will be sorry to see the books come to end. But am glad they all reside on my shelf ready to be recreated in my mind as often as I like.

I got to go to Mall of America!!!

For real!!!! I did!!!!

I thought Lib was going to laugh at me until she threw up when I said I wanted to go to Mall of America. But come on!!! Who goes to Minneapolis/St. Paul without going!! Really people!!!!

I know she lives there and everything and I think she hid most of the time so that she wasn't seen by anyone she knew (ok, not really) but we did go and she did ride the roller coaster I might add!!

Mindy was much more gracious. She made me feel better by saying, "Henry has never been to MOA either! It will be his first time too!" Thanks Min!

We did have a great time and we thank our hosts Zac and Lib for all the GREAT food and fun we had last weekend. You are missed!!!!

More Vacation Pics

Thanks Kurtis!!

When I came home on Friday from a month in Oklahoma with the kids, I found the living room clean, kitchen clean and a heap (well maybe MOUND!) of clean laundry on the couch waiting to be folded. Kurtis did all the laundry while I was gone. He washed it, dried it, and piled it right on the couch. He also didn't sort it, read the labels for washing instructions or think to keep the loads to our washer's capacity. Isn't that thougthful!!

Choir robes and everything!

Check it out...
Skip to about 1/2 way through I think.
http://www.shbc-okc.org/video.asp

Jacki Almighty!

Seriously!! I haven't seen Evan Almighty yet but I have read the story from Genesis about the real Noah Almighty and the story is alive here in Oklahoma!!!

Usually this time of year Oklahoma is well into the 100s temp wise, the grass is brown, wildfires are blazing throughout the prairie and we are begging for the Lord to give us a shot of aqua.

Not this year.

Last year at this time Oklahoma was in the news for the constant wildfires and a severe drought.

This year, flooding and recovery efforts of those swept away by the flooding are in the news.

It's unreal. We have had rain every day that I have been home and it is forecast everyday in the 7-day.

In other news....
I have had a great visit. I am actually singing in choir this Sunday with my mom. Choir robes and everything people!!! I did choir practice last night and finally worked back up to my B-flat. It had been awhile since I have used my choir voice and it was a lot of fun.

I pick up Abi and Grant from camp with our old church today. Paige has had a great visit with her cousins and Kurtis's parents this week.

Sunday I went back to our old church in Norman and it was great to see old friends and catch up with some of them.

Last night at choir practice I got to catch up with friends from OBU and other connections that come with being a Southern Baptist in the Bible Belt.

Hanging out with my family has been awesome. I've spent more time with my dad's mom that I have in years.

I've heard family stories I have never heard before and learned my grandfather's (my mom's dad) family history which an aunt has traced back to England in 1683.

All in all, it has been a great visit. I can't believe I will still be here a week!

Happy 11th Birthday Grant!!!

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