Novice

Austin has joined the ranks of the Kansas City Rowing Club Juniors. He fits right in. It's fun having him at practice.
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I've coached him before. Many years of GABL basketball. Neither of us really knew what we were doing. But this is different. This I know. This I can teach. My level of confidence makes getting to share this part of my life with him really cool.
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I think he's got some potential. I hope he enjoys the experience. And I wonder how many really humid days it'll take before he cuts his hair...

It's A Girl!

Some of you know that we are pregnant...now by 'we' I certainly do not mean me! But our family is going to welcome a new baby in January. Bob and Julia (and I actually just mean Julia) are preggers.
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And this week we found out that it's a girl. Gasp.
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We just don't have girls.
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I mean...we have Rachel but Gina had to marry Charlie for us to get her. And we have Evan...she's stepbrother Jeff's little darling.
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We also have Austin, Alex, Gregory, Landry, Matty, Andrew, Stephen and Spencer.
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So we are pretty excited. I'm a little worried.
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I've been doing the boy thing. You know...being the crazy aunt to all the boys.
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In my toy box there are cars...a lot of cars.
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I'm going to have to change my perspective. Think pink instead of blue.
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I can't wait!

Just Playin Around

I thought these were kinda fun. Some pictures I took in Texas that I messed around with in Photoshop. I really have no idea what I'm doing and could probably never duplicate it...but it's fun.

I Got My Girl Back!!

Oh ya'll...I cannot tell you how worried I had become. By Monday I was thinking that if this was the way it was going to be...then...well, we weren't going to do it. She was miserable. I was miserable. Miserable. Tears...I can't tell you how many tears.
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Tuesday I called her vet. We talked some and decided that it could be the steroids.
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And it seems that it was. This is the happy, smiley girl I love so much.
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Her eye is much better but still a little puffy. She seems to be seeing out of it okay.
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And Tracy, I think she always craves meatballs...just saying.

Wordless Wednesday

Sleepless

My house has new gutters. The old ones were falling apart and falling off. It was time. When it rained I was getting water in the basement and there was a water fall at my bedroom window...loud! It was time.
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I couldn't wait for it to rain. Wanted to see if the new gutters would do their job...keep the basement dry and let me sleep, enjoying the calming sound of rain.
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Last night it rained.
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And thundered.
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Remember my dogs who are afraid of thunder. One of whom is currently wearing a big plastic collar around her darling little neck. The other has very clicky nails on my wood floor at midnight.
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The basement is bone dry! The water didn't pound my bedroom window sill! So nice.
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And I know all of this because Rescue alternated between getting stuck in the closet to getting stuck in the hallway...banging the collar against everything. And Maggie....Maggie paced.
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Rescue ended up in the kennel and Maggie ended up in my bed.
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I enjoyed the soothing sound of rain. Because I was awake the whole time...

4th Of July (yes, I know it's August)

I realize this post is about a month late...but, hey...I've been busy. Apparently Dad is holding some pictures hostage until he sees the fishing pictures at the bottom of this post...Dad, here they are. It was hot. You know, Texas in July, duh.

Stephen is getting so big, so grown up.

Austin is pretty popular with the little guys.

Stevie was 'christening' us. And then he realized he'd forgotten himself. "I begot myself," he said.

I have a great picture of Austin at about this same age, very similar to this one.

These two did a lot of fishing. I think Steve wore the same shirt all weekend.

Andrew got a new fishing pole.

(I know this is a repeat photo but I'm tired of fighting with Blogger)

There you go.

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Next...pics from Nationals.

Cone Head

Take a blind, not so confident pup. Bust her eye up real good. Then put a huge plastic collar on her.
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Pathetic. But it's hard not to laugh. I'm not gonna lie.
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She's doing pretty good. The steroids are helping with the swelling and the pain meds are keeping her comfortable. She's had a rough week, this old girl has.
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Love on your critters today. Trips to the emergency vet in the middle of the night really drive home how very, very important they are. Very important.

2nd Annual Wyandotte County Pool Party

Kimmy and I joke about our Wyandotte County Pool Parties...about how only in the Dot could you put a pool in your front yard, invite some people and spend the day in your bathing suit...in your front yard.
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In defense of the Dot, I think you could do it anywhere you actually have a front yard. That is one of the things I like about my house...the outdoor living space in the front.
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Donna and Ed joined us for dinner. Cooked on the grill...also in my front yard!
Mean Dog was her usual scary, unfriendly self. As you can see, she and Austin don't get along at all. She was soooo happy to see her Bates family. She almost wiggled in half when they arrived.

The pool was wonderful on the hot sunny Saturday. Even the grownups got in!

Wordless Wednesday

A Note About Comments

I'm trying to figure out the whole process of re-posting...one thing that took me by suprise is that the original comments stay with the post.
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You may notice in the post from yesterday that there is a comment from June. Really threw me this morning when I saw it. I've decided to leave the original comments as it's fun to look back and see what your reactions were to the original.

Courage

Yesterday Andrew went to rowing practice with me. He had a blast, riding in the launch, talking with the rowers. He's grown up so much. I found a post from July of '07. The first time he went to rowing practice. Yesterday he was so comfortable in the launch...

Look at the difference.

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Here is the original post.

I've been working on this post in my head for several days. I knew what I wanted to say but I couldn't put the words together.

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This picture was taken with my camera phone and as I was trying to figure out the whole Bluetooth operation, the words came together.

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To me, this is the face of courage. This little guy is scared to death. But I think it was the "I'm riding this rollercoaster if it kills me" kind of scared.

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He doesn't like loud noises, doesn't care for heights, docks, boats or anything that moves with out his control.

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But he loves his Aunt Jenn and so wanted to go see the 'rowin' kids'. He knew it meant getting into the small coaching launch and he was willing to give it a try.

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We went early to let him feel it out (and so Uncle Asa would have time to come get him if he couldn't do it).

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He took his time. I didn't rush him. Tried to talk about things to distract him from his fear. I let him come to me. Told him he could walk out to the dock and if he was scared I'd call Uncle Asa. Told him to take a look at the boat and if he didn't want to get in I'd call Uncle Asa. Asked him if he wanted to just get in...we didn't have to go anywhere. Sat next to him and snugged him in close and asked if we could push away. If he got scared we'd go back. Asked if we could go just across the marina to the rowing dock.

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HE DID IT!!!!

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Went all the way across the marina and then all the way out to the lake for practice. He spent the beginning plastered up against me, very quiet. Then slowly he slid over to the side. Found the paddle and began 'rowing'. By the time practice was over he was talking to his 'rowin' kids' and smiling ear to ear.

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Courage

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We talk a lot about 'self confidence'. But I really think the real issue is Courage.

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Courage to try. Courage to succeed. Courage to fail. Courage to just do.

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You have to be brave enough to walk out onto the dock.

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At some point so many of us get our self image tied up with our successes and failures. If we get beat it means we aren't good enough, don't count, don't matter. SO not true.

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You have to know that if Uncle Asa comes to get you, you are still loved. You need to know you have the option.

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I think sports can teach children (and adults) that they matter, they are great, they have value...no matter where they fall in the competitive hierarchy. But only if the coaches and parents understand how important it is.

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Someone needs to stand on the dock and show you it can be done.

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THE most important thing is the doing, the participation. Getting started is often the hardest part.

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Don't be afraid to walk out on the dock...the boat ride is totally worth it!

The First Little Boy I Loved

We had a gathering at my house yesterday...the second annual Wyandotte County Pool Party...and this young man is just so neat I thought this post from July '07 would be a great post to share.

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He is learning to drive, drove to and from my house on the interstate and did a little practice parallel parking while he was here. Today we are going to spend some time at the mall just backing in and out of parking spaces.

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You do have to imagine him with crazy long teenage boy hair.

He's a very good brother.
He is funny and maybe sometimes annoying.
He is kind and thoughtful.
He's a little quirky.
He is very handsome.

He is my very first nephew...the little boy (who is not so little anymore)...the little boy I learned how to be Aunt Jenn with.

If I Was The Boss Of This Blog I'd Fire Me

I would...
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Now I can make all sorts of excuses. I've been busy. I've been out of town. I had to get up early. I had to coach. I had to go to work (scratch that, I didn't actually work much in July).
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I think those are all part of it. The getting up early...that kicked my butt. I might just now be starting to feel rested. I'm not as young as I used to be and 4:45am is awful dadgum early.
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That and Facebook has gotten in my way. All those little snippets of 'humor' that used to inspire a blog post are now 6 words on Facebook and I move on.
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But I love this blog. I've written some good stuff here. Ya'll have read and commented (even when I didn't want you to) and come back even when I only post 5 times in one month. Sad.
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So here is my pledge.
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I'm going to rerun some of my favorites from this blog. And something about purposeful neglect always inspires me to get my blogging butt going.
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Stay tuned...

Just Another Day In Upper Muncie

Somedays I realty feel like I've made a difference.
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This is one of those days.
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We've had four calls and each call we were not only needed but actually helped four families deal with difficult situations.
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Now the little boy who came into the station with a flat tire on his bike, asked if I could help and left with two flat tires may tell you a different story.

You Go Girl!

The young lady sitting three back (seat 2 for my rowing readers) is Summers Nelson. A former KCRC Junior who just this last week won a silver medal at U23 World Championships in Raciec, Czech Republic.

I taught this kid how to row and now look at her! While I can't take any credit for the things she has accomplished...those things she has worked her butt off for...I am crazy proud and excited for her.

Hi....
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That's all.

Happy 4th of July

What's In Your Car?

There was suppposed to be a nice post here about all the bazillon things that currently live in my car....but it has dissapeared into blog land.
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Pretend we never were here.
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Now go clean out your car.

The Journey

That's what this is, you know. This Journey we are all on. This life.

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We all have a path. Some may think that it is preordained. That God has it all planned out for us. Some may think it is chance...and our free will to react to opportunity.

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Some may think that it is a nice mix of the above.

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But it is a journey. Much like a very long walk. Taking us through mountains and valleys, forests and plains, good weather and bad.

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Our family has been on a particularly difficult part of our journey lately. I, like most of us, have been asking, "What is this all about?" "What am I supposed to take from this experience?"

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"How do I get through this?"

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Yesterday I had two experiences that led me closer to the answer to those questions.

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I sat in the living room with a wonderful lady who just recently lost her husband of almost 60 years. Neighbors at the fire station. Folks we came to know after a medical emergency several years ago.

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An ugly brain tumor took her husband very quickly a bout a week ago. So quick surgeons didn't have time to try to remove it. He played golf one Tuesday and died less than a week later.

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You might remember Team June's experience with an ugly brain tumor. The one that took June from us almost exactly one year ago.

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I believe I was able to give our friend some peace as she asked about the surgery. The surgery that probably would not have saved her husband. And very likely would have taken his spirit from her long before it took his physical body.

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And in the middle of the night I stood talking with a loved one of an overdose patient. A conversation about a situation that was so heartbreakingly familiar.

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I said the things to him that I remember hearing. Words spoken by....I don't even remember who. And words my cousin sent to my mother.

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Words that are so very hard to hear. But so necessary to hear.

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This man's pain was so real. So fresh. So...familiar.

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James waited for me as I comforted him. Said those hard words. I could hear the radio faintly as he stood quietly behind me....sensing that this conversation was as much for me as it was for this man.

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As we walked away I said quietly, "Right now...these are the hardest calls for me."

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"Yes", James said. "But think of the comfort you just were to him."

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This....this must be what this journey is for me.