Good evening my friends. No pictures this time. Just notes.
Fireworks season is about to begin again for us.
Busy, busy, busy.
But we will all be together, albeit, passing in the night.
A-1 called today and wants to bring two 15 year old boys- sons of her friends- this year to work. So instead of 12 (six of which are little people) living in the house we will have 14-
I think we will have to put up sheets over the entry to the dining room and make that a bedroom for 5 weeks.
We get to feed them too! This will be good practice for feeding my grandsons. I never had two teenage boys at the same time. Pray for me!
On a happier (more exciting) note, our orchestra at church is coming along nicely. (I bought a French horn so I could be in it). Many of us have not played in years (43 for me), others not quite so long (35). But we have in three weeks come along very well. I think this week we graduated from "6th grade band" to intermediate band. We actually all started and ended on the right notes and kind of sounded good in the middle. It is so much fun. Our director is soooooo talented. And sooooooo patient. We will play in worship on June 1. I will let you know how it goes. :)
Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
More Flowers/ It's May, right?
Imagine my surprise when I walked into the office today. I said to the secretary, "That is a really pretty flower." Her response was "they are yours". "They are in a baby container" I said, who would send a flower to me in a baby container?"
Thank you Amy. I am about as dense as they come to hints.
Congratulations to you and Jim E, We are very happy for you and pray that all is well, safe and healthy.
I have already penciled in Jan. 09 for a week off to chase JT around and cook for you!
Thank you for making us Grandparents for the 7th time. (not all yours, of course.)
Thank you Amy. I am about as dense as they come to hints.
Congratulations to you and Jim E, We are very happy for you and pray that all is well, safe and healthy.
I have already penciled in Jan. 09 for a week off to chase JT around and cook for you!
Thank you for making us Grandparents for the 7th time. (not all yours, of course.)
Sunday, May 11, 2008
Altus Air Force Base Air Show
Today is Mother's Day. We went to church, had lunch with Amy and Brian Givens and I have practiced my French horn and taken out the trash. The orchids are from Amy, Jim-E and JT. Thanks, they are beautiful.Last weekend Amy had her 30th birthday and Amanda and Allen came home to celebrate with Amy, Jim-E and JT and Ralph and I. We had a very relaxed weekend. There was minimal talk about fireworks and mostly we just enjoyed one another. We went out to the base for the air show in the afternoon. The temperature was cool and sunny- enough to need a sweater or jacket but also sun screen.
The feeling on the flight line was good, although the presence of the work dogs and military police in uniforms was a bit unnerving at times. JT liked the dog but wouldn't get close (which was fine with me.)
Jim-E, Allen JT, Ralph Amanda and Amy watch as a fly over takes place. Behind them is the C5. The back and the front (nose) were both open. We also got to go in a plane that specifically flies over Russia to take surveillance pictures. Russian military fly with the crew to keep them at a certain altitude but they are allowed to take pictures on a routine basis.
We stopped for a bite to eat. Allen and Amanda hung out at the table and needed more to eat than that dry hamburger. We managed to find a pulled pork sandwich that really would have been better for all of us. JT ate almost all of Amy's hamburger.
Now that JT is walking, he felt comfortable to go over and say hello to the neighbors. They were delighted to say hi back. More like startled. But of course everyone loves babies.
The two planes that you see in the air are old and new. The smaller plane (I am sorry I can't remember the kind) flew in WW II. It is flying as fast as it can. The larger plane I think is a C141 (but not positive, help me some of my AF friends) was flying as slow as it could. Together they did a formation over the runway. It was pretty awesome. When we came to the air show, because of security, we were all searched with a wand. It seemed we stood in line for 45 minutes waiting our turn to be searched. You can see that as we are leaving, the "search" crew is enjoying a break. Your Air Force at work. God bless them! Thanks for having us out, Altus AFB!
When we got home, JT was practicing carrying a basket, a can and of course was ready to go out again with his AF jacket and my pink socks. He has grown so much. He jabbers all the time and seems to know exactly what he is saying. He is very verbal. Much like his dad, Jim-E.
The weather here has been beautiful, my friend Ruth and I sat out on the front porch all afternoon on Friday (really, from 12:30 till 5) talking and never felt too warm. The front yard is so pretty right now. We even saw a humming bird for a few seconds.
Ralph and I are making plans for the fireworks season now. We need three cribs this summer so I am sure we will be doing some shuffling around. But we are so excited for everyone to be at home at the same time. Gwen has changed so much and we don't want her to forget us. Nathan is almost a teenager now and will be just as happy without us.
We are officially "empty nester's" now. Allen left this last Thursday to live in OKC for the summer. He accepted an internship with an engineering company on the south side of town. I think I cried as much when he drove away as when he went to kindergarten. It seems such a short time ago.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
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.
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!
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!
Sunday, March 23, 2008
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.
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