Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
Weekend Post #2--Dance Recital!
In no particular order are some pictures from the girls dance recital yesterday. Every other year the classes all have the same costume, to save on expenses. Every other year it is professionally video-taped too, to save on expenses. Macy's tap and ballet class did the song from Lazytown, Kaylin's preschool class did Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, and Macy's tumbling class did the Limbo song. I don't really have any pictures from the actual dance; it was dark in there, and we were not allowed to use a flash. I have a few, but they didn't turn out that good. The ones I've put here are sufficient to show what they looked like. I was impressed with Macy--she improved quite a bit from last year. It was obvious she knew the routine, which last year looked questionable. Kaylin was cute--at this age, you don't expect them to do much up on stage. They both loved it,and all night talked about wanting to go on stage again. I guess we have little performers on our hands!! 
And here's the video. Not professionally done, so no complaints to the videographer. (Bobby) The video is 5 minutes and 52 seconds. I edited out all the other dancers, so you are only watching the girls. We taped a lot of the other classes for the girls to watch, but I figured you'd be bored by all that. :)
And here's the video. Not professionally done, so no complaints to the videographer. (Bobby) The video is 5 minutes and 52 seconds. I edited out all the other dancers, so you are only watching the girls. We taped a lot of the other classes for the girls to watch, but I figured you'd be bored by all that. :)Sunday, April 27, 2008
Weekend Post #1--Firefighters Convention
Friday afternoon we dropped the girls off with Bobby's sister, armed with water balloons and ready to have a good time (thank you Carmen and Kelly for watching them!) and then Bobby and I headed to Branson for the state firefighters convention. The chief was paying for our hotel and food, so our only expense was gas (which was bad enough!). We had a great time--we were with a fun group of people. There were over 400 firefighters and their spouses/significant others from the state of Missouri. Some of them acted like overgrown frat boys. Apparently some people never grow up.
Saturday was the annual fireman muster, or competition. I've blogged about it before. Kearney's team did okay, taking 3rd and 4th in the barrel fight, but not placing other than that. Some teams take it VERY seriously, practicing all year around. West Plains is one--Dad will be proud!! Kearney threw together a team that had never practiced before, so they did well considering.
This is the bucket brigade. The key is to get a rhythm, and they never really did, which hurt them. I have no desire to ever do a bucket brigade; your arms hurt so bad afterwards. I will not be joining a woman's team to participate.
This is the barrel fight. The two Kearney teams were just plowing over the competition, and we thought it would be them in the finals together. But then they had to switch sides, and both ended up losing and playing in the consolation bracket. They settled for 3rd and 4th. As soon as they switched sides, we knew they were in trouble. Can't mess with what was working! Bobby is the last one, holding the hose.
Here's a closer picture of him. Still hard to see his face because of the equipment.
I like this picture because you can see how close we were to Table Rock Lake.
I took a bunch of "artistic" photos, and am thinking of making some sort of collage out of them. This is his helmet and coat.
Here's the whole crew who competed. None of them had ever done this together, so it was an interesting experience.
Saturday night they had a banquet, and you could tell who had been at the competition: every last one had bright red faces! Probably 200 people with matching burnt noses and cheeks, some worse than others. I wore a v-neck t-shirt, and now have a bright red triangle on the middle of my chest.
The highlight of the evening was the keynote speaker--Yakov Smirnoff!!! I've never heard him before, and he was absolutely hilarious, mixed with the right amount of sentimental firefighter laying down their lives angle. He received an instant standing ovation. Brought along his mother and kids, which was cool. He recently received a master's in psychology, and is teaching some classes at Drury and Missouri State. It was worth the whole weekend to see him.
After the banquet a bunch of us went go-karting. One of the junior firefighters--age 14--got kicked off the track before the first lap was complete for bumping others. He will never live that down!
We left Branson at 6 to come home for the girls dance recital. I will put pictures of that up tomorrow--even with wireless high-speed, my laptop is being slow. So look for pictures tomorrow of my divas!!
Saturday was the annual fireman muster, or competition. I've blogged about it before. Kearney's team did okay, taking 3rd and 4th in the barrel fight, but not placing other than that. Some teams take it VERY seriously, practicing all year around. West Plains is one--Dad will be proud!! Kearney threw together a team that had never practiced before, so they did well considering.
This is the bucket brigade. The key is to get a rhythm, and they never really did, which hurt them. I have no desire to ever do a bucket brigade; your arms hurt so bad afterwards. I will not be joining a woman's team to participate.
This is the barrel fight. The two Kearney teams were just plowing over the competition, and we thought it would be them in the finals together. But then they had to switch sides, and both ended up losing and playing in the consolation bracket. They settled for 3rd and 4th. As soon as they switched sides, we knew they were in trouble. Can't mess with what was working! Bobby is the last one, holding the hose.
Here's a closer picture of him. Still hard to see his face because of the equipment.
I like this picture because you can see how close we were to Table Rock Lake.
I took a bunch of "artistic" photos, and am thinking of making some sort of collage out of them. This is his helmet and coat.
Here's the whole crew who competed. None of them had ever done this together, so it was an interesting experience.
Saturday night they had a banquet, and you could tell who had been at the competition: every last one had bright red faces! Probably 200 people with matching burnt noses and cheeks, some worse than others. I wore a v-neck t-shirt, and now have a bright red triangle on the middle of my chest.
The highlight of the evening was the keynote speaker--Yakov Smirnoff!!! I've never heard him before, and he was absolutely hilarious, mixed with the right amount of sentimental firefighter laying down their lives angle. He received an instant standing ovation. Brought along his mother and kids, which was cool. He recently received a master's in psychology, and is teaching some classes at Drury and Missouri State. It was worth the whole weekend to see him.
After the banquet a bunch of us went go-karting. One of the junior firefighters--age 14--got kicked off the track before the first lap was complete for bumping others. He will never live that down!
We left Branson at 6 to come home for the girls dance recital. I will put pictures of that up tomorrow--even with wireless high-speed, my laptop is being slow. So look for pictures tomorrow of my divas!!
Friday, April 25, 2008
Field trip again...
Whew--long day yesterday. 2 other advisers and I took 60+ students down to Columbia for our state competition. We met at 5:30 am--students armed with all sorts of coffee products from Quiktrip, Starbucks, McDonalds, and their pillows and blankets. I don't think they slept, though. My cell phone died about 30 minutes out of KC--it was strange to be without it all day. I am so used to having it! At least the kids couldn't text or call me--we had to add more text minutes on our plan because of the amount of texts they send me.
It rained the whole way to Columbia. The bus has emergency hatches in the roof, and they leaked. Every time we hit a bump, you'd hear a girl squeal as water was dumped on her. The windshield was so fogged up the bus driver had to wipe at it with his handkerchief! The front steps and dashboard were covered in water. It felt like a rain forest in there.
The day turned out well--students competed in journalism contests, got to roam the beautiful campus, and we received many awards. It was a fun day.
The bus ride home was much drier. He called back to the school while we were there, and they will send the bus back to the manufacturer--it is brand new with 4,000 miles on it. It should not be leaking like that!
Tying up some loose ends this morning, then we are off to Branson for the weekend. The big dance recital is on Sunday, and I'm sure I will have a ton of pictures to show.
It rained the whole way to Columbia. The bus has emergency hatches in the roof, and they leaked. Every time we hit a bump, you'd hear a girl squeal as water was dumped on her. The windshield was so fogged up the bus driver had to wipe at it with his handkerchief! The front steps and dashboard were covered in water. It felt like a rain forest in there.
The day turned out well--students competed in journalism contests, got to roam the beautiful campus, and we received many awards. It was a fun day.
The bus ride home was much drier. He called back to the school while we were there, and they will send the bus back to the manufacturer--it is brand new with 4,000 miles on it. It should not be leaking like that!
Tying up some loose ends this morning, then we are off to Branson for the weekend. The big dance recital is on Sunday, and I'm sure I will have a ton of pictures to show.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Sunday, April 20, 2008
2 is plenty...
Yesterday a good friend's husband had an emergency appendectomy, and so I ended up with her 3 kids for several hours until their grandpa could come get them. It was not a big deal; I know she would do the same for me in a heartbeat, and I was happy to help out. But I am also happy that I only have 2 kids. 5 kids under the age of 6 was a handful. I can't imagine having 4 or 5 kids. 2 is enough for me!! :)
Oh, and Bobby had a call at 2:30 am this morning--a turkey hit the windshield of a chartered bus, and almost went through the windshield. People in the front rows were treated for some glass scratches, but that was it. The bus was full. Seriously? A turkey in the windshield of a chartered bus?
Oh, and Bobby had a call at 2:30 am this morning--a turkey hit the windshield of a chartered bus, and almost went through the windshield. People in the front rows were treated for some glass scratches, but that was it. The bus was full. Seriously? A turkey in the windshield of a chartered bus?
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Field trip!
Yesterday I went with the Advanced Biology kids down to the Bodies Revealed exhibit. They were taking 110 students, and needed a few extra chaperone's.Since I am good friends with the biology teacher, she asked me to help. A day off school, a chance to see this cool exhibit, a chance to eat a real lunch with friends? How could I turn that down?
For those of you who don't know what the exhibit is, here's what the website says:
It was fascinating...looking at the muscles, the tendons, the arteries, all the organs, everything. They had individual rooms focusing on the different systems of the body. It probably took us about an hour to walk through. My favorite was the pregnant woman--I know that she has stirred up controversy over the ethical nature of her being included in the exhibit, but it was amazing to see. She was about 4 months along, and you could see the fetus inside her, all curled up like a ball. At 4 months she wouldn't really be showing yet, but the baby inside her was just like a tiny miniature doll. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
I also liked the healthy lungs vs. the lungs with lung cancer. Anyone who smokes should see that!! The brain damaged by a stroke was interesting, as the heart that had a heart attack. The arteries, especially the aorta valve, looked so thin! Almost like paper. Amazing that a huge amount of blood goes through that small valve, and without it, we would all die. God certainly made our bodies absolutely perfect, with everything working together in absolute harmony. Makes you wonder why people don't believe in God.
The students were fabulous--no problems. Of course, they all had to giggle at the anatomical correctness of the male bodies, but after that, they were ok.
Click here to learn more about the exhibit.
For those of you who don't know what the exhibit is, here's what the website says:
Through a unique process called polymer preservation, along with sensitive presentation, actual human bodies are displayed accurately for your observation, without any change or deterioration of the internal systems. Examine everything that lies beneath your skin, from the bones to the muscles to the intricate nervous system. Learn more about the many complexities that make your own body into a flawless, life-giving machine
It was fascinating...looking at the muscles, the tendons, the arteries, all the organs, everything. They had individual rooms focusing on the different systems of the body. It probably took us about an hour to walk through. My favorite was the pregnant woman--I know that she has stirred up controversy over the ethical nature of her being included in the exhibit, but it was amazing to see. She was about 4 months along, and you could see the fetus inside her, all curled up like a ball. At 4 months she wouldn't really be showing yet, but the baby inside her was just like a tiny miniature doll. Amazing. Absolutely amazing.
I also liked the healthy lungs vs. the lungs with lung cancer. Anyone who smokes should see that!! The brain damaged by a stroke was interesting, as the heart that had a heart attack. The arteries, especially the aorta valve, looked so thin! Almost like paper. Amazing that a huge amount of blood goes through that small valve, and without it, we would all die. God certainly made our bodies absolutely perfect, with everything working together in absolute harmony. Makes you wonder why people don't believe in God.
The students were fabulous--no problems. Of course, they all had to giggle at the anatomical correctness of the male bodies, but after that, they were ok.
Click here to learn more about the exhibit.
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