Brooke's Blog

We've come a long way, baby!

2011-05-11T18:04:00.000-05:00

Well, it's three days until graduation and I could not be more excited! No more homework, no more research papers, no more finals. In these last few days of my college experience I was looking back over how far I've come in the last three years. (I am so glad I decided to take an extra year to complete all the prerequisites instead of cramming everything in to two years.)

In the summer of 2008 I decided that I would go back to school after a 15 year break. Because I waited until the middle of July to register for classes I had to wait in that giant, horrendous, 23 mile long line to be able to get the classes I wanted. No big deal. I didn't mind waiting and I had a nice conversation with the 18 year old in line next to me. What I did mind was a classmate of his walking up and asking if I was his mom! I was only 33 years old at the time.

So I got registered for the classes I wanted and the first day had finally arrived. I had fun buying my own school supplies along with the ones I got for my kids. I remember the feeling I got in the pit of my stomach when I came up over the hill on Knaust road and saw the parking lot overflowing with cars on the first day of classes. To say I was nervous is a major understatement.

That semester one of my classes was beginning algebra. My oldest son was in eighth grade at the time and we were doing the same math. I would not have been able to make it through that class with the help of my neighbor, Karen, who teaches middle school math and the help of my teacher, Callie Daniels. On the day of our first test, I was the last one to finish. I wanted to cry. Ms.Daniels was very comforting and reassuring. She was always available to help with any problems I was having. Another of my classes was English Comp I. We were required to have a flash drive to save all our papers. I felt like an idiot when I had to ask what a flash drive was. In my previous career as a stay at home Mom, I didn't have much use for a flash drive. Also in that class what sticks out in my mind is that on the first day someone came in and sat down next to me and said, "Whew, I thought I was going to be the oldest person in the class." I didn't know what to say because I sure couldn't say what I was thinking. Needless to say, things got better and I fell into a routine of doing homework right along with my kids.

Lastly, I wouldn't have been able to make it through the HIT program without our program director, Candy Cundiff. From lining ourselves up around the room to learn about terminal digit filing to playing jeopardy, she made some subjects that are not very exciting definitely more interesting. Her creative teaching techniques definitely helped me learn. THANK YOU CANDY!

The last three years have flown by. I feel like I can speak for just about everyone in the HIT program and say, I feel so lucky that I have made friends who I intend to keep in touch with after graduation. We are fortunate to be entering our field at just the right time. Our future is bright!

Enough is Enough!

2011-02-03T11:04:00.001-06:00

I am not one of those Moms who hates snow days. All of my kids sleep late and I hate the struggle of the morning routine on school days. So, usually, I LOVE snow days. We sleep late, make cookies, the kids go sledding and build snowmen.

Yesterday I spent the day challenging my 10 year old son in Wii bowling, golf, baseball, and tennis. (He won.) And learning how to play Call of Duty Black Ops with my 15 year old son. (I am not coordinated enough to run, crouch, aim, shoot, reload and change weapons all at the same time.) It was a wonderful day.

HOWEVER, I am getting so sick of snow days! I have things to do that are realy hard to get done with a house full of kids (some mine, some not). I don't want the school year to be extended any more! If we have to, I am willing to give up spring break.

Now that my street has finally been plowed I am going to take the kids to the park to go sledding to burn off some pent up energy and think warm thoughts.

Swimming with the sea cows

2011-01-13T18:47:00.001-06:00

My sister-in-law has always been fascinated by manatees. I know it's strange, with us being smack dab in the middle of the country we don't see many manatees around these parts.

Several years ago she started the tradition of going to Florida in the winter to swim with them when they come in from the ocean to gather near the warm springs of Crystal River. When my oldest son was 10 she took him with her. This year it's son #2's turn.

They left today and will be back on monday. I know they will have such a good time snorkeling in the warm water with the sea cows and enjoying the 70+ degree temperatures. For more information you can go to :http://www.homesafe.com/manatee/recommendations.html

This Could Be Dangerous

2010-12-30T09:58:00.001-06:00

I have recently discovered the store Charming Charlie. Let me just say, it is AWESOME! I am in no way affiliated with this store, I don't know anyone who works there, and I don't own any of their stock or even if they have publicly traded stock. I'm just excited I found a new, fun place to shop.

Last night, my husband and three of the kids went to SkyZone to use a gift certificate I bought them on Groupon. (Fabulous site, but thats another story.) While they were jumping my oldest son and I went to Chesterfield mall to kill time. After picking up some sale items at Gymboree for my daughter, I noticed a store with sparkly chandeliers hanging inside. What can I say, sparkly things catch my attention.

So, I went over to investigate. They had a greeter waiting at the door. Nice touch. Way more classy than the one at Wal-Mart. She asked if I had ever been in the store before. When I said no, she explained to me that the store was laid out by color. She said they had any accessories you could imagine: jewelry, headbands, shoes, purses, scarves, lipstick and cell phone cases, etc. etc. etc. And everything was grouped by color. There was a purple section, a pink section, a blue section, a yellow and gold section, and on and on and on. The best part is that the prices were very reasonable. Everything I looked at was under $20.

It was as if the clouds parted and angels started singing. This store , for me, was like Toys R Us, Chuck E Cheese, and the candy store would be for my kids, all rolled into one. It's probably a good thing I had to be back to pick up my husband and kids at SkyZone or I could have spent a lot of time and money there!

After mentioning this place on Facebook yesterday, I got 14 responses from friends commenting about it. Also, I have been told there is another location at the Meadows in Lake St. Louis. JACKPOT! That's even closer to home.

Hectic Holidays

2010-12-23T17:34:00.002-06:00

I realize it's been a while since my last blog post. Those pesky finals kept getting in the way. Thank God that's over with for now. I have been so busy this year that I had to cross some things off my to-do list. I usually send out homemade Christmas cards every year. Not this year. Also, my front yard usually is comparable to the Griswold's. I didn't get a chance to make a gingerbread house with the kids either. Oh well. Maybe next year.

The holiday parties we hosted went well. The first one we had 30ish guests and last Saturday we hosted 58 people. It was a blast! Everything is wrapped. Baking is done. Now, there is only one more thing to do before tomorrow.

Have you seen this? http://www.northpole.com/Parents/verify.asp You can upload a picture of your house to the website and "catch" Santa in the act. I think I'm going to try it. It should be fun since the kids are always trying to sleep under the Christmas tree to catch the big guy.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

common sense makes a comeback

2010-11-17T10:33:00.001-06:00

I realize it has been awhile since my last blog post. In the last month my kids have finished up the fall baseball, high school football (Good job HOLT Indians!), and little league basketball seasons. I have been putting off telling this story until I got some feedback. Today I got the answer I wanted so I'm going to share.

Back in August, at meet the teacher night at my kids elementary school I volunteered to be organize the Halloween party for my daughters class and the Christmas party for my sons class. I spoke with all the other moms who offered to help send in food, supplies or plan games and activities for the party. It was all arranged that those who were able to be there the day of the party would come to school and help. Those who had to work would send in their supplies.

Everything was arranged and the day of the party came. My kids were very excited to bring their costumes to school and see what all of their friends were dressing up as. I had a class that afternoon so I left early to be at school a little before the party was supposed to start. ONE hour before the party was supposed to start my daughters teacher called me to say that I wasn't on the list of parents who had completed a criminal background check this school year and they would not let me in the school. I thought, it would not be a problem because I had done the check the last several school years and after all, it was a party day. There are tons of parents who come to school on party days. I was wrong.

I got to school, went to the office, and was informed that indeed, I would not be let into the classroom because I had not done a criminal background check, THIS SCHOOL YEAR. Needless to say, I was very upset. I was IN CHARGE of the Halloween party. I was instructed that I would have to hand off the things I brought for the party to another mom in the class and leave. There were several moms in the office who were in the same situation.

The secretaries in the office were very nice. I told them several times that I understood they were just following district policy and this was not their fault. I asked them if they could call my kids down to the office so I could explain my absence from the party and that I would see them at home after school.

Luckily, my kids are pretty laid back. I told them how sorry I was that I wouldn't be able to be there due to a mix up with paperwork and that I knew they would have fun at their parties. Claire said, "OK Mom, see you later" and gave me a hug. Clayton's reaction was typical for him. He said, "OK Mom. Just make sure you get the paperwork done before you have to come to the Christmas party in my class."

The party was on a Friday. I waited until the next Monday before I called the Community relations department at the district offices. Apparently I wasn't the only one who called. I explained to the lady how ridiculous I thought this policy is. I can completely understand a volunteer having a criminal background check if he/she is going to have one-on-one unsupervised contact with children. But, a classroom full of people during a holiday party? That seems a little excessive to me.

During our conversation she kept saying, "It's all for the safety of the kids." I get that. But, the district needs to balance the safety of the kids with the need for volunteers and a little common sense. After the party I found out that teachers are only required to have the criminal background check when they are hired. Not every year. Does that make sense? They regularly have one-on-one contact with the kids.

Fast forward to today. I called the community relations lady again. She said the district has changed their policy. Parent volunteers will not be required to have a criminal background check. She said they realized they have a hard time getting parents to volunteer and don't want to discourage those who want to help. Three cheers for the little guy!

do you believe???

2010-10-06T12:08:00.000-05:00

The weather has finally started to turn cooler which means football, bonfires, and halloween. Halloween brings with it all kinds of spooky ghost stories, alien sightings, and unexplained stuff. Last night I was listening to the Dave Glover Show on 97.1 FM. He has a regular segment called "Paranormal Tuesday's" The topic yesterday was aliens. (Extra-Terrestrial, not illegal) The guest was talking about the crash of a UFO in 1941 in Cape Girardeau. Here is some info from a book by Leo Stringfield:

One case that reads like a great Sci-Fi script allegedly occurred in 1941 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. The case was originally brought to public information by investigator Leo Stringfield in his book, "UFO Crash / Retrievals: The Inner Sanctum."

Death Bed Confession:
The crash details of this case are very much like the Aztec, New Mexico Crash of 1948 and were sent to Stringfield by Charlette Mann, who had received a confession from her grandmother on her death bed.

Her grandfather was Reverend William Huffman, who was pastor of the Red Star Baptist Church. Huffman claimed that he was summoned to pray over crash victims outside of Cape Girardeau, Missouri in 1941.

Pray Over Three Dead Bodies:
Huffman was driven to the woods outside of town, which he recalls as being a 10-15 mile trip. The scene was surreal-policemen, fire department personnel, FBI agents, and photographers. The mass of emergency crewmen were all viewing what appeared to be a crash site.

He was soon asked to come and pray over the dead bodies. As he moved through the scene, his attention was drawn to a strange craft.

Disc-Shaped Craft:
Huffman was shocked-he was looking at a disc-shaped object. He quickly took a look inside, and first noticed what appeared to be hieroglyphic-like writings. He could not understand the meaning of the strange writing.

Even more strange were the bodies, not human as he expected, but small alien-looking bodies with large heads, big eyes, only a hint of mouth or ears, and totally without hair. He was sworn to secrecy by military personnel after performing his Christian duties.

Family Discussion:
As much as he tried, Huffman was not able to keep the details of what he had seen from his wife, Floy, and his sons. This family secret would be kept for quite some time until Charlette heard the story from her grandmother in 1984. The details were given as her grandmother lay dying of cancer at Charlette's home.

Full Details Revealed on Death Bed:
Charlette had heard parts of this family secret before, but never had gotten the whole story until her grandmother related the account to her over a period of a couple of days.

Charlette was intent on getting all of the details of the cases, it being her last chance to do so. Her grandmother was undergoing radiation therapy and was living her last few days.

Photograph of an Alien:
Charlette would be surprised when more details of the crash were given to her from a member of her grandfather's congregation. The gentleman, thought to be Garland D. Fronabarger, had given Reverend Huffman a photograph taken on the night of the crash.
The photograph showed one dead alien being held up by two men, as they posed it for the shot.

Charlette's Own Words:
"I saw the picture originally from my dad who had gotten it from my grandfather who was a Baptist minister in Cape Girardeau Missouri in the Spring of ‘41. I saw that [picture] and asked my grandmother at a later time when she was at my home fatally ill with cancer so we had a frank discussion.

She said that grandfather was called out in the spring of 1941 in the evening around 9:00-9:30, that someone had been called out to a plane crash outside of town."

Appears to be Authentic:
The case of the Cape Girardeau, Missouri crash is certainly interesting enough. If the validation of the crash rested solely on the shoulders of Charlette Mann, the case could be called authentic, as Charlette is well respected by all who know her, and she has sought no financial gain.

Yet, more details and corroborating testimony would be extremely important to finally put the crash case in the "authentic" category. I personally feel that the crash occurred.

I know there are people who think someone would have to be crazy to believe in aliens. But really, don't you think it's a little arrogant to think that in this vast universe humans are the only intelligent life there is?

LaRue to Retire

2010-09-22T14:58:00.000-05:00

It was announced today the Jason LaRue will be retiring instead of returning to the Cardinals next season. How sad. In case you don't remember LaRue is the back-up catcher for the Cardinals who was kicked in the head by Reds player Johnny Cueto during the brawl in Cinncinnatti in August. LaRue suffered a concussion and has not been able to play since.

Several players and both managers received suspensions and fines. I think Cueto should face criminal charges as well. It seems to me like everytime a professional sports player gets in trouble their only punishment is a slap on the wrist. What kind of example is that for the millions of kids who look up to them? Hopefully, LaRue will bring a civil suit against Cueto.

Here is al ink to the whole story on MLB.com http://mlb.mlb.com/video/play.jsp?content_id=10812129

Finally...Back to school

2010-08-20T21:26:00.005-05:00

Well, the kids are have survived their first whole week back to school. I had a huge to-do list that didn't get anywhere near finished. And now it's time for me to go back to school too.This summer has been full of fun activities and reminders of my advanced age. At least that's what my kids say.

We have had a busy and eventful summer. First it was Sea Cadet and Boy Scout camps in three different states. Then baseball tournaments (several of which got rained out, bummer), and the county fair. The fair was a blast this year because we attended several activities for the first time. It was fun to watch the steer judging, (my son's girlfriend and her sister raise steer for the livestock show) and learn all about the different qualities the judges are looking for. My nine year old twins competed in the pig scramble for the first time this year also. For you fair novices the pig scramble is a race to see who can catch one of five soaped up pigs and put it in the pen in the middle of the ring. The kid who caught the first pig won $5 and a trophy, down to the last pig caught winning $1 and a trophy. My son caught the third pig and won $3 and a trophy. He also tried his hand (and feet) at the kids pedal pull. It's a lot like the grown-up tractor pull except the kids are using a pedal tractor to pull the sled.

One of the more strange things I noticed at the fair was all of the teenage boys wearing black socks pulled up with sandals or tennis shoes. Is it just me or does this look really goofy? I must confess my sons are guilty too. And every time they wear the black socks pulled up to the middle of their calf with sandals I say, "Grandpa called. He wants his outfit back." I must be getting old because back in my day, black socks were for dressy occasions only. Another example of my oldness...At the beginning of August, son #2 turned 14. He was very excited because Grandma took him and got him a pair of cool new shoes. At least he tells me they're cool. You decide. That's right. The shoes have toes. Am I the only one who thinks these are even more goofy than black socks and sandals? I bet not.

where has the time gone?

2010-08-08T21:36:00.006-05:00

Holy cow has the summer flown by or what? My kids start school next week and then I start again the week after that. I am feeling a little overwhelmed right now by all the things that I have not been able to cross off of my to-do list.

I hope to be done going through my grandma's house soon. Then I can start on emptying it out. Last week I came upon a treasure trove of old pictures. Jackpot!

My grandma even had the foresight to label most of them! It slowed down my progress a lot when I discovered there were pictures of my grandma, dad, and myself when we were kids. Evidently my grandma was not the only creative one in the family. I found a picture of a swimming pool my grandpa built for my dad out of cinder blocks and concrete. That's my dad playing with one of the neighbor kids. I'm guessing this picture was taken sometime around 1953.

My oldest son has been having football practice off and on all summer and on Monday he starts two-a-days. My daughter has started cheer practice, son #2 will be starting fall baseball soon (he still has one tournament left for summer ball), and son #3 will be starting basketball this week also. So much for free time during the last week of summer vacation.

Besides finishing my grandma's house and getting it ready to sell, I still need to buy my books for school, finish getting the things on the kids school supply list, meet the teacher night at three different schools, and I would like to have the time to run a mop over my kitchen floor sometime soon. I think I might have to delegate that one.

I never thought I would say this but, I am looking forward to the relative calm of the school year.

Which phone is best???

2010-07-26T14:20:00.003-05:00

Last thursday my cell phone bit the dust. I had the Palm Centro. LOVED it! It was perfect for keeping our family calendar up to date, texting the kids, oh yeah- and making phone calls. The only thing I didn't like about it was it didn't take very good pictures. My dilemma is- you can't get the same type of "smartphone" without getting the data package. So- if I'm going to have to get the data package anyway, which phone is best. I have been looking at the Palm Pre, Blackberry BOLD, and the iPhone.

I like the idea of the iPhone because of all the different apps that are available but I don't like that it is exclusively a touch screen. I really liked the real keyboard on my Centro. The Blackberry has the keyboard but does not also have the touch screen and I'm not sure I like the way you have to navigate the screen. The Palm Pre has a touch screen and a regular key board but will it be able to do all the neat things an iPhone can do?

The bottom line for me is the calendar. I want to be able to see the whole month at once. On my current phone I can assign each of my kids a color. When I enter an activity into the calendar a dot shows up on the particular day in the correct color. I figure that with an iPhone if the calendar is not exactly like I want it...There will be an app for that.

If I don't get this taken care of soon our whole family will be late for every event we are supposed to attend! Help me! I would appreciate any feedback on what phone you like and why.

The peaches are in!!!

2010-07-15T14:53:00.002-05:00

One of the best things about all the trips I have been making back and forth to my grandma's house in Belleville is its proximity to Eckert's country store and farm. I have been getting fresh, homegrown peaches at least twice a week. I think I'm addicted. Seriously. Holy cow are they good! They are so sweet and juicy you need a napkin just to keep the juice from running down your arm.

I try to take the kids every summer to pick peaches in the orchard there. Then the dilemma becomes what to do with forty pounds of fresh peaches. We always end up with so many because each of my kids wants to have their own box to collect all they have picked. Of course we eat our share while picking them too! Sometimes I give the extras away to friends or as my grandma used to do, I peel, slice and freeze them to make peach pies in the winter time. When I was younger she always had a peach pie waiting for me when I would come to visit.YUM! Last year I got one of their peach cookbooks. We tried peach salsa (YUM), peach upside-down cake (YUM), and several other recipes.

Eckert's has several different varieties of peaches available during the summer. They have cling stone and free stone. According to the Eckert's website"Clingstone peaches are the earliest ripening peaches, and are named for the flesh that will not pull away from the pit. Firm clingstones are recommended for canning. Since they cannot be pitted, slice or quarter them making cuts with a paring knife toward the center and around the pit. Then lift out each slice. The freestone varieties ripen a little later and are the most common varieties found in markets. To pit a freestone peach, cut it lengthwise into halves around the pit. Twist the halves in opposite directions to separate them. Remove the pit with the tip of a knife. Since the pit can be easily removed, this peach is recommended for fresh eating." Their website has a ton of information about the different varieties of peaches, when pick-your own is open, and of course peach recipes. http://eckerts.com/peach.htm

I encourage you to try one today! You can't beat fresh, homegrown peaches.

A life well lived

2010-06-29T11:28:00.002-05:00

I had a very small family growing up. My mom is an only child, my dad is an only child and I'm an only child. It was great at Christmas and birthdays not having to compete for the attention of my parents and grandparents. My parents divorced when I was 12 years old. Before I was 10 my moms parents died and my dads dad died in 1999. My dads mom passed away on June 10th at the age of 82.

I feel lucky that I got to enjoy my grandma until I was 35 years old. We weren't really close until after my grandpa passed away 11 years ago. Since then I talked to her at least once a week and for the last several years I would go over to Belleville where she lived and go with her to the doctor for her regular check-ups. She was the last one still living in her group of friends and she made no bones about the fact that she was ready whenever God decided it was her time to go. Every time we would go to the doctor and the doctor would say " Well Gloria, You're healthy as a horse!" she would always respond with "Well damn!"Last November was the last time she got a clean bill of health. When we went back to the doctor in February she had lost 50 pounds. Other than that she was feeling fine except for a sore back which she attributed to missing the chair when she went to sit down around Christmas time. The doctor ordered blood tests, CT scans, PET scans, and a bone scan. Because I had power of attorney for medical decisions the doctor called me with the results. It was spring break. CANCER. It was in her liver and throughout her skeletal system. We were referred to an Oncologist who she had seen 5 years ago when she had breast cancer. He had the worst bedside manner of any doctor I have ever met. He walked in the exam room and said rather sternly "Well, Gloria, It's not good." No Hi, no sorry to hear the bad news, no nothing. He then belittled her for not continuing to take her Tamoxifen from her bout with breast cancer 5 years ago. As if that would somehow have prevented her from getting cancer this time and as if it was her fault. Mercifully, he did not give her a specific prognosis. He told me later that she had 6 months at the most. She made it almost 3 and a half.

After she died my dad gave me a diary he had that she wrote in 1942. She was 14 years old. I read the whole thing in a few days. It was interesting to read what teenagers did in the days before TV and cell phones and during the war. On January 2nd she wrote "Japan took Manila in the Phillippines today." Other days she talked about going to "the show", holding hands with a boy she thought was cute, putting her hair "up"every night before she went to bed (which I assume meant in curlers), and going all the way to St.Louis to go shopping with her mom.

My dad lives out of town so the job of going through her house lies with me. To be honest I am looking forward to it. I hope I find more treasures like her diary. I just wish I could ask her about the stories behind all the interesting things I'm going to discover.

All grown up...almost

2010-06-11T16:15:00.001-05:00

Getting ready recently for an upcoming trip made me realize just how grown up my two oldest sons are becoming. We will be going to Land Between the Lakes in Kentucky before dropping off my oldest son at the Air National Guard Base in Milan Tennessee for Petty Officer Leadership Academy with the United States Navy Sea Cadet Corps, then continuing on to Shiloh TN for son #2 to go to a high adventure Boy Scout camp out. While in Shiloh he will be using the campground as a base and then hiking up to 20 miles a day to visit the various Civil War battlefields that make up the Shiloh Military Battlefield National Park.

As you can imagine getting ready for a 10 day camping trip for 2 adults, 4 kids, and a dog is quite challenging. First, I had to decide and plan for the meals we will eat each day since I am the chief cook and bottle washer. Next is grocery shopping, loading the camper, and getting everyone’s clothes washed so they have clean things to pack. Luckily, I have a husband who does not mind helping with all kinds of chores around the house so he was a huge help with that. All of the kids do a good job of packing their clothes. All I had to do was tell them how many days we will be gone and they can get it ready themselves. (I do have to check it before we leave or my 9 year old son would only pack one pair of underwear for a 10 day trip.)

My oldest son Andy has grown up so much and is learning many life lessons through the sea cadet program. He has been in the program for 4 years and loves every minute of it. The USNSCC is a program for boys and girls age 11-18 who wish to learn more about the military way of life.(For more information go to seacadets.org) In the 4 years he has been involved he has been to boot camp twice, sailing school, and Homeland Security training. This summer he is going to a weeklong Petty Officer Leadership Academy and a week of Master at Arms training.
He has to pack for POLA and MAA before we leave on this trip since he will be going directly from the one in Tennessee to the other one in Ohio. He ironed his uniforms, packed his sea bag, and got everything ready for himself. The only thing he needed my help for was to paint his name on the bottom of his black socks. It was the same with son #2, Austin. He got his pack ready for the Boy Scout campout all by himself. When Andy joined sea cadets and Austin joined Boy Scouts the best advice I got was to let them get their stuff ready on their own. That way when they get to camp they know where things are in their bag and they are responsible for whether or not they have everything they need.

Little did I know when my boys joined these organizations that they would be learning things that make MY job easier as their Mom. I am so proud of them and look forward to son #3 moving up to boy scouts as soon as he’s done with cub scouts.

St.Charles County Drivers Beware!!

2010-06-01T08:10:00.004-05:00

My oldest son turned 15 in March and ever since has been pestering me and my husband to let him get his drivers permit. On friday we finally broke down and took him to the license bureau. He kept telling everyone that he was getting his permit. I kept telling everyone that he was going to take the test and him actually getting the permit was up in the air until after that. But, he was very confidant and passed the test on the first try.

It sure made me feel old to take my son to the same place to start HIS driving career that I started mine more than a few years ago. I never had a permit when I started driving. My mom took me to the license bureau on my 16th birthday and I got my license. Things sure have changed a lot since then. First of all, the written test is given on a computer and graded immediately. No waiting for the officer to grade it to see if you passed. While waiting for my son to finish, I overheard some other kids telling their parents that if you answer a certain number of questions incorrectly the computer shuts itself off and won't let you complete the test.

Another thing that's new since I started driving is the "graduated drivers license". Which, by the way, I LOVE as a parent but if I was a kid getting my license today I would HATE. Basically, it means that a person under the age of 18 can not drive alone between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m. except if going to or from school or work, can't drive with more than one passenger who is under the age of 19 during the first 6 months, and 3 passengers under 19 after the first 6 months except members of his/her immediate family. According to information I saw at the license bureau, this "GDL" has greatly reduced the number of crashes involving young drivers since it's inception. All 50 states have some form of GDL.

Since getting his permit on friday my son has driven all the way to Wentzville from Jefferson Barracks and merged into rush hour traffic on HWY 70 at Mid Rivers Mall Dr. He did a pretty good job, although my jaw hurts from clenching my teeth so much. My husband plans on teaching him to drive while pulling the camper this summer so wish us luck!

Run for the Wall

2010-05-23T09:48:00.006-05:00

I was so happy to see the sun on saturday I didn't even think about sun block as we sat at my sons baseball tournament all day. BIG MISTAKE! I am so sun burned I can hardly move. It reminds me of our family vacations to the beach in Pensacola. After driving for 12 hours straight, when we get there we are so excited to finally see the ocean that we just jump out of the car and hop right into the water. It never fails that the first day of vacation we all get so sunburned that the next two days of vacation are miserable. Well as miserable as can be when you are at the beach. I will make sure to wear the sunblock today for the rest of the tournament and monday when I'm outside.

Monday is the 22nd annual Run for the Wall. Run for the Wall is an awesome event. It starts every year the week before Memorial Day in California with a group of motorcycle riding veterans making their way to Washington D.C. As they travel across the country the group gets bigger and bigger with more riders joining the group along the way. Their goal is to make it to the Vietnam Memorial on Memorial Day. The only stop in Missouri is at the VFW in Wentzville on Monday May24th. RFTW has stopped in Wentzville every year since its inception. In fact, Wentzville is the only original stop left on the run.

According to their website, "Run For The Wall recognizes the sacrifices and contributions made by all veterans who have served our nation. Veterans of recent conflicts and those currently on active duty are especially welcome to join us as we ride for those who cannot."

Their mission statement is: "To promote healing among ALL veterans and their families and friends, to call for an accounting of all Prisoners of War and those Missing in Action (POW/MIA), to honor the memory of those Killed in Action (KIA) from all wars, and to support our military personnel all over the world."

Their philosophy is: "We strive to maintain a safe, supportive and private atmosphere in which all participants can reflect and heal on their journey to the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. in the hope that they can return home to a new beginning."

The goal of the ride is: "To guide the participants across America. To educate future generations as to the importance of accountability in wartime actions emphasizing that no one should be left behind.
To participate in Rolling Thunder in support of their demand for government accountability for POW/MIA's."

The local boy scouts welcome them by lining the road with American flags and passing out water to the riders. As the riders come into town the scouts stand at attention or waving American flags lining both sides of the road welcoming the riders in. It is such an awesome sight to see all of these huge, leathery, burly motorcycle riders with tears streaming down their face as they see all of the people, young and old, who come out to salute them.

One of the gas stations in town gives the riders free gas, the motorcycle shop in town does free repairs, and the local girl scouts bake mini loaves of bread for them to have as a snack while they continue their journey. I have a girl scout, a cub scout, and a boy scout so I will be there representing all three. The truth is, I wouldn’t miss it no matter what.

Once the riders arrive at the VFW, there is a small ceremony with the police chief, the mayor and the representatives from the RFTW. The VFW usually has food prepared for them and lets them camp out on their property before they head out on the next leg of their trip.
I encourage you to come out and join the festivities. It truly is a breathtaking event.
For more information go to http://www.rftw.org/

Where did you go to high school?

2010-05-18T14:45:00.004-05:00

Well, this is it, my first blog post ever.

When I was asked to do this I started thinking of all the things I could talk about. My life is so busy I thought for sure I would have no problem coming up with things to say. Yet, here I sit in the waiting room of the orthodontist’s office while son #2 is getting braces put on, trying to think of something witty to write.

I guess I could start with the first question everyone in the St.Louis area gets asked upon meeting someone new. My answer: Francis Howell North, 1993. I grew up in St. Charles, got married, moved to O'Fallon and then Wentzville. I love living out here in the "country". I have four kids, a husband, a cat, a dog, numerous fish, and we recently added five chickens to the family. I know, it sounds like a zoo. It is. But I wouldn't have it any other way.

I love the evenings when there is nothing on the calendar and we have time to eat dinner together and catch up. That's one reason I love summer so much. Nowhere to be, no set schedules. I have heard some moms complain about having their kids home all summer driving them crazy. Not me. I love it!

This year we have already planned a float trip, a weekend at Mark Twain Lake with the neighbors, and a camping trip to Shiloh National Battlefield in Tennessee with Boy Scouts. Not to mention, baseball tournaments, batting practices, and league games. Now to get ready and brace for the chaos that hits the door at 3:15!