These last two weeks have seen us doing all sorts of summer camp activities. Here's a quick rundown, but before I get started with that...
RIP 36. Our beloved goldfish, 36, has passed on. He died sometime during the wee hours of yesterday morning. I was the one who fed 36 the most and he would always come to the front of the tank and wiggle excitedly whenever he saw me come into the kitchen. We sent 36 to his watery grave after Ben got home from camp.
We got 36 almost three years ago when Ben won him at the county fair. He was so named because he became ours when Ben tossed the 36th and final ping pong ball we had purchased and it landed smack dab in his little fishbowl. He grew to be almost six inches long in his time with us.
We are actually without any pets now. We have not seen our cat, Tagalong, since we got home from Georgia earlier this month.
CENTRIKID. Vicki and the boys returned with 21 others from church to CentriKid camp at Campbellsville University last week. They left on Monday, June 17, and got home that Friday. Vicki said everything from the team leading the camp to the curriculum and worship experience was great. I know the boys enjoyed it. Nate, our more vocal son, told us all about it, but when Ben, who is quieter, said that he was sad to be aging out after this year and would not be able to return you know they had a great time.
Not to shortchange the purpose of CentriKid, the details we hear the most about are the track times, those special interest classes the kids have in the afternoons. This year they offered three track times in the schedule (up from two last year). Ben and Nate both had Outdoor Games (though not together) and said that was a lot of fun. Ben was also scheduled for Wet & Wild and Basketball. Nate took Kitchen Chaos and Archery.
The kids gave a report on their trip in church today and it looked like everyone not only had a great time but grew spiritually as well.
WHERE DID THE WEEK GO? Jenna and I were left at home while Vicki and the boys were away and that's the question we were asking ourselves when they got back.
I had to work so it was a normal routine for me. Jenna has begun volunteering with Cindy Owen's ministry for Exceptional Adults and that kept her occupied Monday and Wednesday of that week. I know they went to the YMCA for swimming both days and that there was a cooking class Monday evening because Jenna had eaten supper when I picked her up. She also spent part of Tuesday with Mom and worked in her garden another day. We went out to Cracker Barrel for supper with Mom on one of those evenings.
I'll say one thing about Jenna's garden. She keeps it clean. One tool we haven't convinced her to use is the hoe. She pulls all the weeds by hand. We ate some squash from her garden at supper yesterday.
WEEKEND TURNAROUND. Last weekend was all about getting the laundry done and getting people back out the door. By Sunday after lunch the boys and I were on our way to Boxwell Reservation and Jenna was packing to leave for Mission Fuge with the youth group. That left Vicki home alone for the first time since we have been married. When we got back she, too, was wondering where the time went.
SUMMER CAMP. This is Ben's second year at Boy Scout Summer Camp. This year he took classes for the Basketry, Sculpture, and Soil & Water Conservation merit badges in the mornings. His afternoons are filled with a Green Bar class to put him on his way to earning his Second Class Scout rank.
Nate and I tagged along with the troop through Thursday so he could attend Webelos Resident Camp. Nate tok a Scout Skills course which had sessions in basic first aid, fire safety, map & compass, and knots & lashings. All the Webelos taking this course were divided into three patrols and they had a Scout Skills competition that last day. Nate’s patrol finished first. It was really neat to see Nate jump in and do things with his new found skills.
Nate’s experience at camp was different from what the vast majority of Webelos have because we camped out with Ben’s troop. He did just about everything the Boy Scouts did, even going to a few merit badge classes when we weren’t over at Cub World for the Scout Skills classes. This was something of a tradeoff as he missed the evening activities at Cub World. The nice thing is that the boys in the troop really accepted him and treated him well so he has already made friends for when he crosses over to Boy Scouts.
Vicki came to Boxwell for supper Thursday evening which really pleased Ben, though he didn’t show it when she first walked up. By the time we got to the dining hall he had found his way to the seat next to her and began share his week with her. He was angling to go home with us but we told him he needed to stay the other two days and finish what he started. As he parted with his mom he told her he missed her. Big stuff from such a quiet and reserved boy.
MISSION FUGE. While the boys and I were at camp Jenna went to Charleston, South Carolina, for Mission Fuge with 96 others from our church and three other churches. Jenna said she enjoyed the worship services the most and also liked the track time because she got to play with young kids every day. The only bad parts of the trip were the mechanical problems their bus had. Their bus had a flat tire one the way to Charleston and they had to wait 90 minutes for a new bus to pick them up and their air conditioning played out shortly after leaving Charleston to come home. She said the temperature inside the bus reached 95° in the hottest part of the day.
TRASH & TREASURES. Cross Plains held its annual community-wide yard sale this weekend. The weather was very pleasant being some 20° cooler than the record breaking temperatures we experienced last year. Ben and Nate actually came out ahead of the game having sold a couple of their old video game systems and games to a man who had set up a booth there.
Sadly this wraps up the first half of the kids’ summer break. Vacation Bible School starts in two weeks and school is right around the corner after that.
Joe
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Happy Father's Day!
We have enjoyed some pleasant weather although the summer heat is trying to break through. Overall it has been very enjoyable to be outside and I envy the farmers I see plowing tobacco or cutting hay.
SCOPE, BUT NO STINT. I guess my report on Mom’s heart procedure a week ago Friday is a little overdue, however, it was pretty low risk. She was back home that night and went to church on Sunday. They went prepared to place a stint but wound up just looking around and making the decision to treat with medicine. Of three arteries around her heart they checked one was completely blocked but the blockage must have happened slowly enough that her body had time to respond by growing a new artery and essentially doing it’s own bypass. The other two arteries were 60-70% blocked but the blockages were “speed bumped” in such that using a stint was not possible. So, we’re just going to let the medicine do its job and give her mouth the summer to continue healing.
NEW SMART PHONE. My wife has now caught up with the modern era. She’s bought an iPhone and she loves it! She found herself having to communicate through text messages more and more and the phone she had was becoming inadequate for the job. The inconvenience finally outweighed the cost for her and we went to the store and moved her to an iPhone. The feature she loves most is dictating her text messages. I’m giving her a year to become a geek like the rest of us.
VOLLEYBALL. Vicki has been playing on the church volleyball team every Monday night for the last couple of months and she has thoroughly enjoyed it. They’ve played in a small league at the YMCA in Springfield. Their last game was Monday night and they ended the season with a tournament, which they won!
When Vicki told me about winning the championship she went on the say, “Who cares if there were only three teams in the league.” One of the teams was from NorthCrest Medical Center and the other was fielded with girls who all have scholarships to play college volleyball.
GLASSES. Vicki took Nate to the eye doctor the other day. We had suspected his vision was bad and this confirmed it. His glasses came in Wednesday and he now see life in much sharper focus. Those of us who have poor vision know exactly what he’s talking about, and I smile to myself when he talks about being able to see the leaves on the trees or read signs at a distance.
CAMP STORYBOOK. Jenna work in Camp Storybook at her school all last week. This was put on by the Beta Club as a fund raiser for an upcoming trip to New York City. The camp ran in the mornings and Jenna helped out in the crafts. She said the who thing was similar to a Vacation Bible School but without teaching Bible stories. The trip to New York is scheduled for January. Vicki and Jenna have both signed up to go.
CATCHING UP. It used to be that our children, spaced roughly 2½ years apart, were perfectly stair stepped in height. This is no longer the case as Ben is about to overtake Jenna. He is now 5’8” and only lacks ¾” catching up, though it’s hard to see that when they’re standing side by side.
Nate is 5’2” which is a respectable height for a 10 year old. He wishes he were taller but we remind him that he’s still 30 months younger than Ben and will catch up in due time. Sometimes it’s hard being the youngest.
CELEBRATING DAD’S DAY. I’ve had a nice Father’s Day weekend. We went out to see Man of Steel Friday afternoon. It was a good movie, but intense. We stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home. Saturday evening we grilled steaks and took them over to Mom’s for supper. This evening we returned to Mom’s with chicken lasagna.
Joe
SCOPE, BUT NO STINT. I guess my report on Mom’s heart procedure a week ago Friday is a little overdue, however, it was pretty low risk. She was back home that night and went to church on Sunday. They went prepared to place a stint but wound up just looking around and making the decision to treat with medicine. Of three arteries around her heart they checked one was completely blocked but the blockage must have happened slowly enough that her body had time to respond by growing a new artery and essentially doing it’s own bypass. The other two arteries were 60-70% blocked but the blockages were “speed bumped” in such that using a stint was not possible. So, we’re just going to let the medicine do its job and give her mouth the summer to continue healing.
NEW SMART PHONE. My wife has now caught up with the modern era. She’s bought an iPhone and she loves it! She found herself having to communicate through text messages more and more and the phone she had was becoming inadequate for the job. The inconvenience finally outweighed the cost for her and we went to the store and moved her to an iPhone. The feature she loves most is dictating her text messages. I’m giving her a year to become a geek like the rest of us.
VOLLEYBALL. Vicki has been playing on the church volleyball team every Monday night for the last couple of months and she has thoroughly enjoyed it. They’ve played in a small league at the YMCA in Springfield. Their last game was Monday night and they ended the season with a tournament, which they won!
When Vicki told me about winning the championship she went on the say, “Who cares if there were only three teams in the league.” One of the teams was from NorthCrest Medical Center and the other was fielded with girls who all have scholarships to play college volleyball.
GLASSES. Vicki took Nate to the eye doctor the other day. We had suspected his vision was bad and this confirmed it. His glasses came in Wednesday and he now see life in much sharper focus. Those of us who have poor vision know exactly what he’s talking about, and I smile to myself when he talks about being able to see the leaves on the trees or read signs at a distance.
CAMP STORYBOOK. Jenna work in Camp Storybook at her school all last week. This was put on by the Beta Club as a fund raiser for an upcoming trip to New York City. The camp ran in the mornings and Jenna helped out in the crafts. She said the who thing was similar to a Vacation Bible School but without teaching Bible stories. The trip to New York is scheduled for January. Vicki and Jenna have both signed up to go.
CATCHING UP. It used to be that our children, spaced roughly 2½ years apart, were perfectly stair stepped in height. This is no longer the case as Ben is about to overtake Jenna. He is now 5’8” and only lacks ¾” catching up, though it’s hard to see that when they’re standing side by side.
Nate is 5’2” which is a respectable height for a 10 year old. He wishes he were taller but we remind him that he’s still 30 months younger than Ben and will catch up in due time. Sometimes it’s hard being the youngest.
CELEBRATING DAD’S DAY. I’ve had a nice Father’s Day weekend. We went out to see Man of Steel Friday afternoon. It was a good movie, but intense. We stopped for frozen yogurt on the way home. Saturday evening we grilled steaks and took them over to Mom’s for supper. This evening we returned to Mom’s with chicken lasagna.
Joe
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Let the Summer Begin!
School is out for the summer and all the extracurricular activities that run during the school year have finally wound down only to be replaced with summer madness.
DIGGING IN THE DIRT. I’m guessing Jenna is the only high school girl within at least a hundred miles of here who heads to her very own garden the day her summer vacation begins and works for five hours. That’s exactly what she did when she finished her last final and Vicki picked her up from school two weeks ago today.
The garden is doing really well. If it doesn’t produce it won’t be due to neglect. That girl is out there weeding and watering most every day.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. What made Memorial Day weekend so fun was that the Cotters came up for a quick visit. They arrived Friday evening and left Monday morning. We had the most perfect weather while they were here. There is absolutely no way we could have asked for better.
On Saturday we went to White House to help our scout pack and troop place flags on veterans’ graves in the two cemeteries there. That done I took Alex in my truck and let him get some driving practice on narrow, curvy, country roads since he doesn’t have those where he lives. He sure got a driving workout. We were on one curvy backroad when he met a cement mixer on a narrow bridge. I also made him drive large figure eights around the church parking lot ... in reverse ... with mirrors only. We visited all that afternoon and went to the Catfish House in Springfield for supper.
Sunday morning found us at church. We had planned a late lunch afterwards because the Dees joined us from Ashland City. We set up picnic tables in Mom’s backyard and all enjoyed the breeze while we ate and talked. I had brought over one of our model rockets to shoot off. I had three engines for it, but unfortunately the wind carried it into the trees and we lost it the first time we launched it. When the Dees left and we had put everything away we headed to the Franklin Drive-in to take in the movie Epic (which is entertaining but doesn’t live up to its name in my opinion). This was the first the Cotter boys had ever seen a drive-in movie.
GEORGIA FUN. Last Thursday Vicki and the kids headed south to visit the Jones family. I have a project at work that will keep me in the office most of the summer, but I followed them down the next day. We enjoyed the usual family time together playing games, playing tennis, swimming, and eating. I feel like I’m really glossing over the visit given how I’ve summarized it, but what is invaluable to me, all of us really, is the time to just stop, relax, and enjoy each other. The Jones house is a place of restoration for us and there’s really no way to put that into words.
END OF THE SCOUTING YEAR. Our scout troop had their final court of honor last night. Ben had achieved his Tenderfoot rank and beginning July 1 he will serve as the assistant patrol leader for his patrol. The boys and I will go to summer camp toward the end of the month, but for now we have Monday and Tuesday evenings free.
UPDATE ON ANNIE FANNIE. That is my cousin Judy’s nickname for my mom which makes me chuckle every time I see it.
I took Mom to the doctor for a checkup on her mouth on Friday. He said things are healing very nicely and that she should be ready to be fitted for a partial by August. We are very pleased to hear that. Mom goes in this Friday for a heart catheter and a stint if needed. She will only stay overnight if they do put in the stint. Low risk as this is we do appreciate your ongoing prayers.
Joe
DIGGING IN THE DIRT. I’m guessing Jenna is the only high school girl within at least a hundred miles of here who heads to her very own garden the day her summer vacation begins and works for five hours. That’s exactly what she did when she finished her last final and Vicki picked her up from school two weeks ago today.
The garden is doing really well. If it doesn’t produce it won’t be due to neglect. That girl is out there weeding and watering most every day.
MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND. What made Memorial Day weekend so fun was that the Cotters came up for a quick visit. They arrived Friday evening and left Monday morning. We had the most perfect weather while they were here. There is absolutely no way we could have asked for better.
On Saturday we went to White House to help our scout pack and troop place flags on veterans’ graves in the two cemeteries there. That done I took Alex in my truck and let him get some driving practice on narrow, curvy, country roads since he doesn’t have those where he lives. He sure got a driving workout. We were on one curvy backroad when he met a cement mixer on a narrow bridge. I also made him drive large figure eights around the church parking lot ... in reverse ... with mirrors only. We visited all that afternoon and went to the Catfish House in Springfield for supper.
Sunday morning found us at church. We had planned a late lunch afterwards because the Dees joined us from Ashland City. We set up picnic tables in Mom’s backyard and all enjoyed the breeze while we ate and talked. I had brought over one of our model rockets to shoot off. I had three engines for it, but unfortunately the wind carried it into the trees and we lost it the first time we launched it. When the Dees left and we had put everything away we headed to the Franklin Drive-in to take in the movie Epic (which is entertaining but doesn’t live up to its name in my opinion). This was the first the Cotter boys had ever seen a drive-in movie.
GEORGIA FUN. Last Thursday Vicki and the kids headed south to visit the Jones family. I have a project at work that will keep me in the office most of the summer, but I followed them down the next day. We enjoyed the usual family time together playing games, playing tennis, swimming, and eating. I feel like I’m really glossing over the visit given how I’ve summarized it, but what is invaluable to me, all of us really, is the time to just stop, relax, and enjoy each other. The Jones house is a place of restoration for us and there’s really no way to put that into words.
END OF THE SCOUTING YEAR. Our scout troop had their final court of honor last night. Ben had achieved his Tenderfoot rank and beginning July 1 he will serve as the assistant patrol leader for his patrol. The boys and I will go to summer camp toward the end of the month, but for now we have Monday and Tuesday evenings free.
UPDATE ON ANNIE FANNIE. That is my cousin Judy’s nickname for my mom which makes me chuckle every time I see it.
I took Mom to the doctor for a checkup on her mouth on Friday. He said things are healing very nicely and that she should be ready to be fitted for a partial by August. We are very pleased to hear that. Mom goes in this Friday for a heart catheter and a stint if needed. She will only stay overnight if they do put in the stint. Low risk as this is we do appreciate your ongoing prayers.
Joe
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