More School and a Hiking Day

Hola!

Here's a quick update before Kathi & her family come to the house this evening! They flew from Albuquerque Wednesday, and drove to Maine to see the lighthouses. She said today is Plymouth and the Mayflower, then they'll come here, until next Wednesday.

Such fun to have visitors! How is it that we are still in school and they are not??!?

It's called "living in New England." Start school after Labor Day, get 2 full weeks off in December, and 2 full weeks off in the spring. Throw in a couple of snow days, and you go to school ALMOST TO THE END OF JUNE. Wow. New concept.

Oh, but here's another new concept I learned about today, after 2 friends talked about their "last day is next Friday" or they're "done except for finals." I know they attend private schools. But how does that work, given they have the same length of winter & spring breaks as we do in public schools?

"Private schools do not have to attend school 180 days." Wow. Really? So, ALL I HAVE TO DO is put my kids in private school for $25K a year each (this would be my 3rd grader, 6th grader and 8th grader)--for $75,000 a year, we too, can be finished with school the first week of June.

(Um, yeah...I'll have to look into that...)

But UNTIL then, we'll just have to suck it up and endure, while our cousins from the WEST rub in the fact that they are out of school for the summer.

Happy Memorial Day last Monday! We enjoyed a family favorite...hiking, this time we drove 45 minutes away to "Purgatory Chasm." It does sound daunting, doesn't it? It was a beautiful day, couldn't have asked for better weather. Cool and sunny. Just glorious. Frank's cousin Amelia met us there. Frank and the kids found holes in the rocks to wriggle into...they were pretty excited about that!

My greatest adventures come above the ground or under water (scuba diving), thank you very much. None of this I-can't-see-what's-in-there-and-the-opening-is-too-small-for-me-but-I'll-wriggle-in-and-get-myself-stuck-anyway business. I get claustrophobic just watching them twist and squirm their way in.

Well, off to the grocery store!

Have a great weekend! Kari

David in D.C.

Hello!

Awhile back I talked about David earning and saving money for his 8th grade Washington D.C. trip. He painted our doors as one of his jobs.

He went during the 3rd week in April, I believe, and they really packed in the activities. They went to the Arlington Cemetery, Iwo Jima Memorial, WWII Memorial, Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, the Holocaust Museum, the Capitol building, Supreme Court, Smithsonian...the list goes on!

They had weeks and months during the school year to study the meaning of JUSTICE in the United States. (Note: you can click on any of these photos to enlarge.)

One cool and unique thing he got to do was participate in laying a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Just 4 students participated in this ceremony. David put on his Scout Uniform for it, and 2 uniformed guards walked through it with them.

Here is a page I made for David's book: blue paper by Trish Yochum http://store.scrapgirls.com/product/10449/Campfire-Collection folded frame2 by Gunhild Storeide http://www.storeide.se/gunhild/index.htm

David was one of many "Trip Photographers." He took lots of photos, for himself and for the school slide show, but of course he was not IN any of those pictures.

One major assignment after the trip was to write about it, gather photos, and make a portfolio of the D.C. Trip. Last week was "D.C. Night," with student speakers, portfolio viewing and a slide show put to music. The slide show photos were available online, so I went to the site and downloaded the ones with David in them. Now we have proof that he went!

Overall, I think it was a really good experience--there were powerful moments for everyone who went.

I hope it made them just a little thankful for the people who have sacrificed to preserve our country and allow us the privileges we enjoy here.

Have a great week!

Happy Mother's Day to You

Hello and Happy Mother's Day!

I walked downstairs this morning to a homemade poster, beautifully designed by my baby Kara (she's 9...although I still tell everyone she's 6, don't ask me why...)

My glorious morning included a special-request breakfast of Eggs Benedict, one of my very favorites. I forgot to get a picture of it before it disappeared, so here's an Internet photo (it looked JUST like this):

We never have done the "breakfast in bed" thing...I'm afraid once I'm up, I'm up, and I'm a little too antsy to STAY in bed! So, we all ate my breakfast request...at the table.

I received fun cards from the kids, and got a yummy pastry at the end of church. Teresa and Kara picked some flowers from the yard for our table decoration.

Right now I'm typing after Frank shooed me out of the kitchen...he's making (gasp) BANANA CREAM PIE before he starts dinner! (Who needs Marie Calendar when we have Frank?)

The someone-else-makes-the-food part of the day is really my highlight.

Happy Mom's Day to my awesome mom, and my exceptional Grandma! (If I live to be 98, I want to be JUST LIKE YOU, and I'm not even kidding. I think I will be a taller 98-year-old, though. That part's out of my control. :) )

Have a great day and week!

Daily STUFF

Hello!

Well, it has certainly been a week! Nothing spectacular, just a lot of STUFF...

David had his first track meet--he ran the 1600 meter and jumped the long jump. Yeah, David! (OK, so this is an old photo, from last fall X-country...pretend he's running on a track instead: it looks very similar...)

I attended the Middle School parent meeting to be informed of the class choices for Teresa next year in 7th grade. Latin seems to be her language of choice for next year. (She'd be too bored in Spanish I...) Also, now that she's been taking flute lessons for this school year, she can be in Band next year.

I am still attempting to organize the garage, but I am finding it to be a torturous, miserable, losing battle...any ideas of how YOU fit too much stuff into limited space, will be greatly appreciated! I am SOOO listening.

The Boston Celtics won last night's NBA playoff game--game 7 against the Chicago Bulls...WOW! What a series!!!!! So many overtimes and having to play 7 games. We did not attend any games, of course, but if you're going to pay a bazillion dollars for playoff tickets, THAT is the kind of game you want to attend! Nail-biting action to the very end.

And brace appointments...David has a curve in his spine--scoliosis, I may have mentioned that before. 2 years ago, they took xrays and said we should "watch it," to see if it stayed the same or got worse as he grew. These most recent xrays showed that it has, indeed, gotten worse.

So now he wears a brace every day, about 3/4 of the time. He takes it off for sports. With regular clothes on, you can't tell he's wearing it. Of course there are no guarantees with a brace. But the idea is to "force" a correction while he's wearing it, and as he grows his back will grow less curved, not more curved.

It was kind of an amazing process to make the brace--like out of Star Trek or something! They hooked him up to a computer monitor, and then "scanned" his torso, with a scanner, like they were painting his body. Each swipe of the scanner put one more 3D vertical "stripe" on the computer screen, of that part of his body. This brace is exactly fitted to only him. Here's an online picture of one, it's pretty accurate.

Well, I can't believe the weekend is over-- They seem to fly by. Have a great week! Love, Kari

Spring has Sprung and Mt. Monadnock

Hello!

It has been a little while... The kids had a sort of "spring break" last week. We get a week off school in February, and a week off school in April. I'm not quite sure what to call either break.

Good News, though: Spring has sprung! I know, the rest of the world thinks "spring" starts in March. If you think that in New England, you are slightly delusional.

I have been layering and freezing for the past 6 months. Now, mid-April, I can finally say I am not freezing anymore! Ha.

At any rate, spring is absolutely gorgeous. I just love it! Everywhere I drive and walk, flowers are blooming and trees are blossoming. Even in our front yard. I took some spring photos, starting with our yard:

These yellow forsythia bushes are everywhere here.

Another highlight of last week was our hike up Mt. Monadnock, in New Hampshire. Not the highest or longest hike we've taken, of course, but it was a pretty decent workout! I was huffing and puffing-wait, I thought I was in shape--while the kids pretty much jogged up the mountain. 2 miles each way, with about an 1800-foot increase in elevation.

From the top, on a clear day, you can see 100 miles. It was a little hazy, but otherwise a perfect hiking day. Here's Kara with Frank taking pictures...you can see it was a popular hiking day. We are certainly not "alone" up at the top...

Here's our whole group, it was a little windy up there...

And here's David on the way down: the rest of us were too slow for him, so he would have to stop and wait for us...

Spring is a great season for hiking! Of course, upon returning to help at the school library Monday, I talked to a mom who mentioned New Hampshire, Maine and Black Fly season... nasty, little tiny critters that eat you alive if your timing is wrong.

Luckily we missed it by a month, since they come out in May and June. (It seems like someone always informs me of creepy-crawlies to watch out for here.)

New England is lush, green, and full of life--much of that life, however, I would rather learn about from afar, or from the Internet. Not up-close! Ha!

Here is a shot of a rotting log that I liked on the way down.

Have a great week! Kari

Easter, Rain and Extravagant Purchases

Hello!

I am finally back to feeling human again, BTW! I took my last yukky, nauseating antibiotic pill yesterday. Anyone who did not know my lip was swollen before, would not notice now. (If you have no idea what I'm talking about, see previous blog entry.) AND: even though the medicine made me sick to my stomach, I am so relieved and grateful for antibiotics I can't even begin to tell you.

Easter was lovely! 2 days before that, on Good Friday, this neighborhood has a tradition of having an Egg Hunt/Amazing Race, where the kids look for eggs first. Then, they team up with different aged kids on each team (the kids ranged from pre-school to 8th grade), to find clues and work as a team on sports or goofy tasks involving all team members. It was really well-planned and fun! Here is "the group."

The day after, it rained and rained. I tried to capture the pouring rain, but it's so hard to catch it with still photography. Take my word for it, it is raining hard! Here are the kids playing in it, down the street a little ways; I was not willing to take the camera out in it, so this photo is taken from our living room.

And lastly, I spent 3 hours in Firestone yesterday, while they put on new tires and new brakes!

I am including photos because after you choke down paying THAT much money for something, you sure want to have something to SHOW for it...??!?! So, here are 2 photos of our tires, sorry I didn't also get photos of the new brakes.

If you look at the close-up, the tire still has those little rubber needle-looking skinny pieces all around the outside. See? Brand-new!

(Some people show off new clothes or high-end electronics equipment. I give you...tires.)

Happy Weekend coming up! Kari :)

Botox

It has been a weird few days, kind of like the Twilight Zone for me...

Last Wed. night (wow, it's really been a week) I got an infection, and my lower lip swelled up really big! I was so sure it would be back down soon...

I was on antibiotics all weekend, and...no change, so I went back Monday and they said, hmmm, if it's a staph infection, amoxicillan won't touch it. So they changed my antibiotic. Meanwhile the constant pressure on my fat lip was so painful it made me queasy, and it takes 24-48 hours for the new antibiotic to "kick in." What miserable days/nights, Monday & Tuesday were.

BUT. Last night around 9 p.m., I felt less pressure on the lip. A good sign.

At any rate, it's huge, infected, sore...all-around unpleasant for me, of course, but also for anyone who looks at me. It's very embarrassing--I have my hand up over my mouth most of the time. It looks (and feels) really bad.

Frank says we should blindfold me so you don't know who it is, take a picture and show it to the youth at church: "BOTOX GONE AWRY."

Instead of grossing you out with a photo of MY lip, I'll include a photo of one of my favorite full-lipped actresses, all eccentricities cast aside:

(Multiply her lower lip by maybe two for size comparison...)

Such are the inconveniences of life! :)