Concrete Canoe Contest , OSU at Fayetteville Arkansas

Fayetteville, Arkansas, April 17, 18, 2008
Hi everyone. It has been about 5 hours since I last posted. I have planted flowers, cleaned out the pantry from a friendly little critter that took up residence in the fall. We are pretty sure he is out of the picture now. That took all afternoon. I won't mention how many bags of trash I took out with "outdated" canned goods. So much for the afternoon.

We met Allen (now to be known as Jeremy) at the "Garden" on the campus of Arkansas University on Friday morning. It was a really cold day and overcast. Of course we came from 85 degree weather and I knew it would be cool on the water, I never dreamed it would feel like 40 degrees. Most of Jeremy's team had not come yet. While the canoe was on display in the park, each team had to carry their canoe to the swamp tank to test to see if the canoe would float. Jeremy had to recruit guys from other schools to help carry the boat. It weighs about 125 pounds and is delicate.

Into the tank for the swamp test. I was really surprised by the helpfulness of the other teams that were there and their interest in one another's projects.




When they place the boat in the tub, it must be submerged and then has 5 minutes to float to the top. As you can tell from the look on Jeremy's face, they had a problem. OSU's boat was not the only one that didn't float. For the water races, the teams are allowed to tape in Styrofoam to help keep the boat afloat if it takes on too much water and sinks.

The next part of the competition was a formal presentation in the afternoon, with power point and a verbal presentation. The fellow on the far left is Allen too, so that is why my Allen is Jeremy. The kids were really good to me when I would forget and say "Allen,...." They knew who I really meant. This part of the presentation talked about the "mixes and psc (or something like that that meant the strength of the concrete and the kind of things they used as filler to make the thing float (or not) . Jeremy and the guy, 2nd from the left did the presentation and the girl did the computer part.


The next morning, we all headed out to the lake north of town for the rowing part. It doesn't count as much in the competition but is really the most fun. The sun did come out and it warmed up for the day. It was really a very beautiful day for the water races.
Here are several of the other canoes. Allen and Jeremy (in the white hat) are rowing out for their two man sprint. They are visiting with the judges while they wait for the second boat to get in place.

Paddles in the air to start the race: Then it is On your mark, get set, GO!

Tired but proud, Allen and Jeremy Allen have placed 2nd in the two man sprint. (They don't know it yet, but will soon.
Several boats swapped during the races. The one above, made sure his team was safe on shore and then pulled the boat back out and through the finish line. They get points for finishing. The boat below never made it to the starting point.
Lunch was provided by U of A and we shared hot dogs, chips and hamburgers. This was pretty much all the orange we saw that day. There were two men who came by that live in Fayetteville and said they had graduated from OSU, and a softball player was there for a tournament across the parking lot. He came over for a few minutes too. We made friends with some parents from KSU, that was fun.
Ralph with Jeremy Allen and Allen, just before we took off to come home.
We stayed in a wonderful bed and breakfast that was ALL antiques. My mouth was watering. We also got to go to the Walton Fine Arts Center on Friday night and hear the Irish Chamber orchestra while Jeremy was at a dinner. It was a fun trip and I am so glad that we were able to go and support Jeremy on this project. He didn't have a large team in the club this year, so they were in a rebuilding phase with the club. The club didn't place in the top three or qualify for the nationals but I think Jeremy was pleased with how it all came out. What a wonderful learning opportunity for them as they prepare for engineering careers. Jeremy does have an internship that he will begin in OKC in a few weeks. We are excited for him, but I have to say that we probably now are really empty nester's.

Busy Not Going Anywhere: Again

A SIX WEEK OVERVIEW

Wow, I can't believe it has been a month since I have put anything up. We have been so busy ( as a friend said to me "you never go anywhere") not going anywhere.
Amanda, Nathan, Turner, Parker and Allen all came home for Easter. More pictures are below (after the Portland Pictures.) Once again, I have had trouble remembering how to move pictures on this, and I have spent way more time than I intended. My first weekend home in 6 weeks, and so much to do.) Ralph has gone to Springfield with the kids for a fireworks meeting and dinner so I have the whole day to myself- and I spend two hours on something that should only take 20 minutes- go figure.)




PORTLAND
Meeting Gwendolyn Edith Van Oostrum, a visit with Sam and their folks (Andy and Molly).



Miss Gwendolyn Edith Van Oostrum, March 1, 2008, 7 lbs 9 oz.

Andy, Molly, Sam and Gwen... at home relaxing. Yeah, right! with a 3 week old baby. :) Can you see the tiredness in their eyes? But oh so happy!



Ralph is holding Gwen. They were both sleeping but as I was getting the camera ready, Ralph woke up and sat up. We were at Pam and Marks' house (Molly's parents) for dinner that night. Don't you think the orange and pink go well together?
Pam had made a little Princess hat and Sam was just as cute as a button in it. He pranced around in the hat for about 20 minutes. Till he got tired and went on to something else. He is a handsome little guy. Sam we miss you!
At home Sam took a turn holding Gwen, although I am not sure he was all that interested in her at the moment. We watched lots of Elmo, who seems to be Sam's hero at the moment.
Andy and Molly's yard was so pretty. They have a terraced front yard, and I just couldn't resist taking a picture of the tulip and grape hyacinths.
A great picture of Ralph and Sam on the porch as we get ready to go to dinner.

We ate at a Portland "Mexican" restaruant. The guacamole was made out of asparagus. This is not the guacamole but one of the dishes. Portland is very health conscious about their food. It is not like our Mexican dishes at all. And the bourredo:



Molly was wonderful and let us hold Gwen the whole time we were there. Of course Sam, who doesn't come to me much picked the time I was holding Gwen (Ralph and I took turns) to ask me to read him a book. We managed, but it never occurred to me to hand off Gwen, but we did get a good Grandma picture.

EASTER WEEKEND WITH THE COLEMAN BOYS
We colored eggs and had a massive egg hunt. Ralph and Allen hid 360 plus eggs in the back yard. It took over 30 minutes for the boys to find them all. We laughed because, as you can see, many were in plain site.



And they had to find them all because Ralph had filled them with MONEY and a Van Oostrum NEVER walks past money.



Nathan's trophy is from one of his first dirt bike races. He was so proud, as am I.



I just love this picture of Ralph in the back yard. So I added it.




Allen is holding Daisy, Jimmy's dog. Allen is dogsitting until Amy and Jimmy can sell their house.
We are cat sitting for Dasha and Oxanna. Amy may not get the cats back. We are becoming very close. I finally put a towel next to my pillow, where they both sleep with me at night. They are a little "fuzzy".


JT ROTHROCK TURNS ONE
We went to Tulsa the week after we got back from Portland to celebrate JT's first birthday on April 6. Amy had a really nice family cook out in their back yard.


JT was a little stressed when we popped into the high chair and all the cousins gathered around him.
At first JT didn't want the cake but after a finger taste of the icing, he decided it would be worth a try. As you can see, HE LIKED IT! Happy first birthday, JT.

Well, now that I have gotten the hang of all of this, I am going to wait until tomorrow to post all about our trip to Fayetteville AR for Allen's concrete canoe contest. See you soon!

Christ is Risen!

Hi everyone. Ralph and I are so anxious to get to Portland. Just two more nights at home and we will be holding our new little granddaughter in our arms. Hold on Gwen, we are coming! Portland here we come!

It has been a lovely day. Happy Easter everyone, Christ is Risen! Where would we be without the Lord? How blessed we are in so many ways.

Amy, Jimmy and JT weren't able to come for Easter weekend, and Johnny had piles of work to do and also was unable to be here. We missed them greatly (but more food for the rest of us!) Not really, we just didn't have to share the candy with as many! Who says grownups are too old for egg hunts! The boys, Nathan, Turner and Parker had an Easter Egg hunt in the back yard this afternoon. There was a chance of rain, but it held off (passed us by, really). Amanda, Allen and I hid over 360 eggs. It took the boys 30 minutes to find them all. A beautiful afternoon.

Worship this morning was a blessing. Our new music minister arrived this last week and he directed for the first time this morning. He is very talented and loves the Lord above all. Our congregation will be very blessed by this man, Songwok Park. His family will move here in June when they finish the school year in Boston. Easter morning is my most favorite celebration of all the year as we remember and rejoice in the resurrection of our Savior Jesus.

Allen took Ralph's new pickup back to school. I am grateful that Ralph shared it, as Allen's little Meta is on it's last leg. So I guess Ralph is back to a beat up vehicle..... What else is new?
I have been up since way before the sun came up today and I am fading fast... Praise God for soft comfortable, warm beds..... Sleep well, know you are loved.

Gwen & part of her family

Proud Andy looks good holding our new baby Gwen. We can't wait to hold her too!
Gwen has some jaundace. It shows up a little more in the picture with Sam. They are letting her bask in the Portland Sun. Thank goodness there is some sun else she might have to be back in the hospital for a while according to Andy.

Cheerleader Has Arrived

Ralph and I are proud to introduce you to our new addition.
Miss Gwendolyn Edith Van Oostrum came into our world on March 1 just after 10: PM
She weighed in at 7 pounds and 9 oz. and is 19 1/2 inches long.
Her proud brother Sam has already fallen in love and her parents, Andy and Molly are doing very well.
Her grandparents are so excited to see her. Unfortunately, she was born 2 weeks early and just two days before her birth, we made reservations (cheap tickets) to go to Portland on the 25th of April, just a week after her due date. We are crazy around here needing the 24th to come quickly.
Her birth ended a wonderful weekend (see previous post) with our other children and grandchildren. An hour after we fell in to bed and zoned, the phone rang with Andy announcing this wonderful new addition to our family. We didn't mind that he called us after midnight and that neither of us could sleep much the rest of the night.
I remember when Andy was at college and would call us at 2 or 3 am just to chat.

As you can see, they are both beautiful. We are so blessed.

Ralph has a new truck. I will just tell you that for the first time in a LONG time, he paid more than $500 for it.




WE had the best weekend! Ralph and I went to Tulsa on Thursday night and stayed with Amy and JT on Friday and helped them pack some things and paint the sun room in preparation to put their house on the market so they can get a larger home. JT did very well at the resturants that we went to. We ate at a very good steak house on Friday night and at the Full Moon on Saturday. Saturday, he just wanted to stay in our laps which was fine with Ralph.




Saturday we drove to Stillwater to check on Allen and his concrete canoe. they were just completing it when we got there. They are putting up a tent to have a mister for the canoe so it will dry slowly. the OSU is part of the canoe- Allen made the mold for the OSU logo. Pretty ingenious.


After Allen got cleaned up, we drove out to the bike track where the Coleman's were riding bikes. We sat in the dust for a while and then took Amanda, Turner, Parker and Allen to dinner at Mexico Joe's. The fahtias were not as good as I remembered them to be that first time we ate there with Andy in the 90's.
We got home at 11:15 and an hour later we got a call from Andy that our baby Gwen was born. A picture to follow..... It was a great weekend.

JT stayed with Grandpa on Feb. 2 while Amy, Amanda and I went to the church for the "Women's Friendship Lunch". At the luncheon, each hostess decorated her table in a different theme. I used my great grandmothers, grandmothers, mothers and my dolls along with Ralph's old marbles and several old story books and blocks and some tin tea cups that were my moms. We were able to raise $1100 for the children's safe house here in Altus. Ralph and JT managed for 6 !/2 hours without us. After the lunch we went and got our nails and toes done.


Our trip to Portland on Jan. 24 through the 29th was very relaxing. We mostly ate out and just relaxed at home. The first night was a bit cold since the furnace had gone out and there was no heat. Portland was quite cold while we were there this time (in the 30's) and there was even a bit of snow. Not enough to play in, but nice to see. We enjoyed a night out with Andy and Molly going to an exclusive restaurant where we ate for 3 and a half hours. Dinner was a ten course meal and I think we had everything you can think of to eat. Andy had rabbit, Molly had roast pig and Ralph and I had rack of Lamb for our main courses. Yummy! And we didn't even go home stuffed. Ralph and Sam got alot of practice going up and down the front steps of the house.

One day we took Sam to a place called OMSI. It is a museum that has a science play area for preschoolers. It was fabulous and Sam knew right where he wanted to go when we got there. He is working in the fishing pool. There are rubber fish and the kids put on rain coats and rubber boots so they don't get wet. There was also a wonderful sand area that they could sift sand and pour and measure. Sam didn't like the texture of the sand so he didn't stay long.
At Christmas time (I am going backwards here), Turner and Parker were playing with the stacking cups. JT kept getting in the middle of their game, so Parker built a "fort" for JT, got him a blue cup from the kitchen like they were playing with and then picked up JT and put him in his fort. JT is crawling and pulling up but not walking yet. He was content to stay in his "fort" and stand and watch the boys. We thought it was quite ingenious of Parker to think of the fort and thoughtful that he got JT his own cup. That is Turner with a sticker on his nose. I think it had to do with a computer thing he was doing. He is a computer wiz!

Betty was here for an overnight visit after Christmas. We enjoyed having she and Deryl stay with us. Lori and Keith stopped in long enough to exchange presents. (Under the wrapping paper is a boy (I can't remember which one. Maybe Nathan.)

Before Christmas, Oklahoma was hit with a terrible ice storm. I just wanted to share the bit of damage we had to the grass in our front yard. Thankfully it is the only damage anyone in our area had. OKC and Tulsa look like a tornado took off all the trees. So sad. The picture of Ralph is with all the Boys on Nov. 2. Across the back is JT, Allen, Andy and Sam and in the front Turner, Ralph, Parker and Nathan. Andy and Sam came to visit the end of Oct. into Nov. Molly was going to come and at the last minute the Dr. wouldn't let her. IT seemed there were some problems with her pregnancy and he didn't want her to travel, but Praise God, she in now back with her regular Dr. and in less than six weeks we will welcome another Van Oostrum into our growing family.


While Andy & Sam were here, we were blessed to all be able to go to an OSU ball game. It was a wonderful fun day. We ate at Hideaway pizza and walked the campus. Sam loved Bullet, the OSU horse that gallops across the field every time OSU made a touchdown. We saw him alot that day, unfortunately OSU lost the game in the last few minutes. Amy and Jimmy were not able to be with us, because Jimmy was in a centennial play at their church that day. We went the next day to see it. He did a great job.



Another group picture of all the boys outside Amanda's new house. JT had his pumpkin picture made while we were at Amanda's. She had just moved into a new house so we were all able to stay together while Andy and Sam were here. They are renting until they can build.
It has been a busy December and January. Filled with family, church and travel. Ralph continues to feel well, he had the thyroid treated again in January, so I am waiting for him to get really tired. He doesn't feel like doing a whole lot right now, but I know it will get worse before better. Hope it won't keep him down too long.
I will have more pictures after I go back and do some editing.
Things I have learned about blogs:
1. you can't edit a picture while you are working on your blog
2. If you try to save a blog before it is published you may never get into it again.
3.The pictures go in at the top not the bottom, so you better put your pictures in from last to first instead of first to last. (I think I said that right)
4. If you are as slow as I am, plan to take an hour or more to make this come together.
5. As careful as I am, I really don't know what it will look like until it is posted. :)
Love to all