G'Ma
8/31/10
Happy Birthday, Livy!!
The Hatgidakis Family
8/31/10
Happy Birthday Olivia!!!!!
Amanda
8/30/10
Grandma, can't wait to see your tv stand tomorrow, I hear it's very nice!! The girls & I will be there by 6, Ryan won't be there, he's got a work dinner. This will be our last Tuesday night dinner, next week the dance schedule changes and we won't be around at that time. Maybe the occasional drop in will occur though!!
What's everyones plans for the game?
I plan to watch it on Grandma's new tv! :-) --Gary
Gary
8/29/10
Hope y'all enjoyed the latest round of "Five Pictures, One Word." Here are the answers, in case you had trouble with any of them:
Day 1
--SNOW globe, SNOW leopard, hostess SNO-ball, SNOW peas, SNOW white
--nixon TAPEs, TAPE measure, TAPE player, crime scene TAPE, tickerTAPE
--FALL asleep, FALLing tree branch, nightFALL, skater FALLing, snowFALL
--BOX turtle, BOX camera, BOX elder bug, BOXing gloves, pizza BOX
--FILE folder, single FILE, FILE not found, wood FILE, circular FILE
Day 2
--COUNT basie, COUNTing sheep, COUNT dracula, COUNTdown with keith olbermann, down for the COUNT
--TREE frog, TREE rings, buddha under the bodhi TREE, shoe TREEs, qabbala TREE of life
--BRIDGE mix, rialto BRIDGE in venice, BRIDGE of the nose, BRIDGE over troubled water, BRIDGE game
--CUPped hands, stanley CUP, CUPboard, CUPcakes, coffee CUP ring
--jean harlow on a bearskin RUG, persian RUG, RUGby scrum, RUGrats, shatner's RUG
Day 4
--LETTER carrier, paul's LETTER to the philippians, david LETTERman, LETTER in a bottle, LETTER opener
--elephant FANning ears, FAN boat, FAN belt, husker FANs, dakota FANning
--soda FOUNTAIN, FOUNTAIN pen, drinking FOUNTAIN, chocolate FOUNTAIN, trevi FOUNTAIN in rome
--marine corps PATCH, pumpkin PATCH, elbow PATCH, cabbage PATCH doll, PATCHwork quilt
--COLD chisel, COLD-blooded reptile, COLD cuts, COLD cream, COLD sufferer
Day 5
--ipod armBAND, BAND leader, BAND-aid, BAND saw, rubber BANDs
--FLY a kite, FLY fishing, venus FLYtrap, FLY ball, butterFLY
--peach STONE, gem STONE, rolling STONE, flagSTONEs, rosetta STONE
--SPRING onions, SPRING water, SPRING rolls, hot SPRINGs, first robin of SPRING
--WINDOW envelope, WINDOW box, WINDOWs error, WINDOW washer, stained glass WINDOW
Gary
8/27/10
John sent in a link to this video as a cool site suggestion, but I thought I would put it here on this page in case anyone needs a nice break on this pleasant Friday. It's a dance routine with James Cagney and Bob Hope, from the excellent movie "The Seven Little Foys" (1955). Hope plays the turn-of-the-century entertainer Eddie Foy who put all of his kids into his vaudeville act. In this scene he teams up with songwriter George M. Cohan, played by Cagney:
Cagney played Cohan once before this, in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" -- another movie you should see if you haven't already. Cagney's dancing in "Yankee Doodle Dandy" is unforgettable! As someone commented about Hope and Cagney in the scene above, "This is back when you had to have talent to be in the movies." Thanks for sending it in, John!
Gary
8/26/10
Grandma's new TV was delivered on Monday. Want to see it?Karen
8/24/10
5 out of 5 again today, had to try a couple of times on one of them. Brent is home, waited for the dr until 1:30 to discharge him. He was just about ready to pull out the ivs and walk out on his own. He is feeling so much better. Probably better than he has felt for 6 weeks. Back to school for me......
Gary
8/23/10
Ahhhh, the campus is full of students again. Summer is over, and all is right with the world.
Karen
8/23/10
Hey, 5 out 5 on the game this morning :) Just about to go the hospital to see Brent and hopefully get him home this morning. I work with such nice people. Called the principal last night. Told her I would need a couple of hours off to get Brent home today. She made a few calls for a sub and immediately called me back. Told me take the whole day off and not stress about it -- what a huge relief!
Give Brent our best! --Gary
Karen
8/22/10
Well, it's 1:00 am and I just returned from my regular Saturday night in ER. Brent is now back in the hospital! He was doing pretty well, then Thurs he was very tired and sore, so he stayed in bed most of Friday. Still not great on Sat, but not bad. He went to take a nap about 4 and said if he wasn't better by morning he'd head back to the hospital. Well about an hour later he was up and vomiting, he has an incision about 12-15 inches down his stomach, so we were both very concerned about popping those stitches. So we went straight to the emergency room. I don't know what was going on in Sioux City, but about 1/3 of the population was also in the ER. Poor Brent was miserable and since they didn't want to clean the waiting room he was soon put in a room. Then we waited over an hour to see a doctor. He was pretty sure he was dehydrated and the nurse started an IV -- which was great until they neglected to come to change it when it went dry. So when they did finally get around to him, the IV tubes were full of air and that soon gave him pain and a very swollen arm. I mention the word lawsuit and the nurse gave a nervous laugh. Two nurses, 10 needle pokes and 40 minutes later they had a new IV in his other arm (although they were sure it was just an allergic reaction to the TAPE). Finally about 11:00 the dr came in and checked his blood work and xrays and said he thought he had the beginnings of a blockage. He told Brent he could go home if he wanted, but the pain would only get worse so he decided to stay the night. Got him in a room about midnight and he was about to get him a pain pump. So we will see what the doctors have to say tomorrow..........
What a miserable night, for both of you. Hope today is much better. --Gary
Karen
8/19/10
No first day of school pictures from us, but Erika and I did go in today. Erika seemed very pleased with her schedule and teachers -- so it looks like a good start for her.
My day went very well too. Always a few changes with the new year, but should all work out well. Brent is doing OK. He went to the office for 4 hours yesterday and also had a dr appointment. He was feeling great! Today it hit him and he stayed in bed most of the day.
Gary
8/18/10 New photos today. Thanks, Amanda. And all you scholars, have a great day today!
Karen
8/17/10
Just one more day of summer vacation for Erika and me. Went to a teacher breakfast on Monday. Nice to catch up with everyone and I also got my schedule for the year. Shouldn't be much of a change this year. Brent is doing fairly well. Had a bad day on Sat and we ended up back in ER for a few hours. He did make it into the office for a couple of hours (but he is TIRED now). Goes to the dr tomorrow to get the staples out. Tristen, Teghan and Olivia have a great 1st day of school::)
Nelsons
8/17/10
Happy Birthday Zach
G'Ma
8/17/10
Happy Birthday, Zach!!
Gary
8/17/10
We're having fun here in my office ("we" being me, Tristen, and Teghan) on this last day before school starts. And it's a rainy one! We have a new employee starting today and she needed to go to the parking office to get her permit, so I offered her a ride. The office is only a few blocks away, near the stadium, but she would have gotten drenched if she walked over as she planned. So we all ("all" being me, Tristen, Teghan, and the new person) piled into my car and made the trip. While our new person was at the parking office, we other three went around the corner to the Husker shop and looked at all the Big Red stuff. Tristen and Teghan tried on all the foam corn heads and rainbow wigs and such. And we just now got back. Now we're trying to decide where to go for lunch, because the cafeteria isn't up and running yet. Classes here on the campus begin next week.
Dad, Mom, Sunny & Glenn!!!!!
8/17/10
Happy Birthday Zachary.
Gary
8/16/10
For no other reason than it is fun to watch, here is a video of penguins (at the Philadelphia Zoo) chasing a butterfly:
Probably not many butterflies ever show up in that part of the world where these guys came from....
Gary
8/16/10
Not to jinx it or anything, but this morning there was just a hint of a wee small tiny taste of fall in the air: For the first time this summer I stepped outside and didn't groan "Oh, God...." The temp was in the mid-60s this morning at 8. I understand the Minnesota readers of this page were wearing jackets a few days ago. School starts in two days, the first football game is 19 days away, Halloween is 76 days away....
Gary
8/14/10
If you missed any of the "Five Pictures, One Word" puzzles, here are the answers:
Day 1
--BALL of yarn, lucille BALL, meatBALL sandwich, cinderella at the BALL (or BALL gown), cup and BALL
--KEY lime pie, accordion KEYs, KEYboard, arch KEYstone, KEY ring
--WHEELbarrow, ferris WHEEL, color WHEEL, WHEEL of fortune, steering WHEEL
--CHAIN link fence, paper clip CHAIN, CHAINmail, bicycle CHAIN, CHAINsaw
--FIVE-banded tropical fish, jackson FIVE, high FIVE, hawaii FIVE-0, FIVE cents
Day 2
--dog DISH, satellite DISH, DISHwasher, deep-DISH pizza, DISHwashing soap
--BILL murray, duck BILL, BILL clinton, BILLboard magazine, BILL cosby
--HAND of god, boy scout HANDbook, HANDwriting, HANDoff, HANDstand
--ICE age movie, vanilla ICE, ICE cream, ICE curling, ICEd coffee
--championship BELT, converyor BELT, fan BELT, asteroid BELT, tool BELT
Day 3
--CORNhuskers, candy CORN, popCORN, CORN syrup, CORNcob pipe
--looking GLASS (mirror), hourGLASS, wine GLASS, stained GLASS, magnifying GLASS
--BELL peppers, BELL tower, cow BELL, door BELL, taco BELL dog
--business CARD, CARDboard box, christmas CARD, credit CARD, CARD catalog
--saturn's RINGs, boxing RING, RING around the moon, keyRING, RING bearer
Day 4
--FIREplace, FIREtruck, FIREworks, FIREflies, "you're FIREd"
--HORN-rimmed glasses, bigHORN sheep, french HORN, HORNed owl, shoeHORN
--fighter ACE, ACE of cakes, hole in one (an ACE in golf lingo), ACE ventura, ACE of spades
--BANK robbers (bonnie and clyde--"we rob BANKs"), plane BANKing right, river BANK, piggy BANK, cloud BANK
--ROWing, ROW houses (or "postcard ROW"), ROW of trees, ROW of dominos, garden ROWs
Day 5
--robot from "DAY the earth stood still," DAY-glo shoes, valentines DAY, D-DAY, birthDAY cake
--CROSSwalk, CROSSword puzzle, CROSShairs, CROSS section, CROSS stitch
--moses parting the red SEA, SEAplane, SEA lions, SEA shells, mediterranean SEA
--"ROCK around the clock" by bill haley and the comets (or ROCK and roll), ROCKy and bullwinkle, ROCKy mountains, ROCK 'em sock 'em robots, ROCK scissors paper
--THIRTEEN stars, THIRTEEN coins, pg-THIRTEEN, THIRTEEN cards, THIRTEEN cupcakes
Karen
8/12/10
Brent is home! Pretty tired and sore, but otherwise doing very well.
G'Ma
8/12/10
Really enjoying the front page game, so far I am on a 4 day winning streak! Brent and John, hoping you are both feeling better today. Karen and Marsha too. Our heat and humidity seem to be never ending -- maybe tomorrow?
I knew it would be hard to stump a crossword-puzzler. Yeah, everybody I talk to is looking forward to 89-degrees tomorrow like it's a trip to the waterpark. We'll see.... --Gary
Karen
8/11/10
John, how are you doing today? Hope today goes MUCH better :) I am thinking of you.
Brent is doing pretty well. Had a difficult morning, but it seems to be calming down for him. He is starting his jello and popsickle diet, so that is a major 1st step.
It is sooooo grossly hot!! Ready for fall! Gary I am having fun with the game, got all 5 on Monday, 4 yesterday and only 3 today -- so I'm thinking 2 for tomorrow???
It's hard for me to tell if they're difficult or not -- I made them, so they all look waaaay easy to me. :-) But I think it's probable that they get harder as the week goes on, as I was getting better at putting them together. --Gary
Amanda
8/9/10
I got Mondays game right away, fun fun!! It's SO hot, I'm so glad I have an office job! The girls are going camping tomorrow til Friday, but luckily my moms camper has a/c, if it can keep up. School next week though, so they have to go now!! They start on Wednesday & they're ready to go! Last year of middle school for Tristen, eekk! Where does the time go??
Karen
8/9/10
Geez, what a day! Started last night -- about 7 we had a nasty storm move through. It was strong, but only lasted about 20 minutes. We immediately lost our power. We assumed it would be back on soon. After an hour we called (and we're on hold for 45 minutes), told they were working on it and it should be back on soon. Brent was hoping to pack his hospital bag and prep for the early morning, but instead we went to bed hoping to wake to cool air and lights. Well neither one of us got much sleep, so at 4:30 we gave up and started for the day. Took a cold shower (no blow dryer or make-up), dressed in the dark. Poor Brent was fumbling around trying to pack his things for the hospital. We thought at least it will be cool at the hospital, so we left about 5:30. Got checked in and put in a room. Brent was so tired out he was able to sleep through two nurses and a doctor trying to find a vein for his IVs. He went to surgery about 8, he was out by 10:30. Talked with the surgeon, he was very encouraging -- said all went well and didn't find any additional problems. I ran home for awhile, but still no electricity. I picked up a sandwich at Pita Pit and headed back to the hospital. Brent was in quite a bit of pain, but was beginning to get it under control. I just came back home about 3, called the elec co once again (I was rather irritated by this time, no sleep, stress, hot), this time I was told it might be Tues am before power back on. Suddenly 10 minutes later it was back on -- I like to think it was because my angry words made a difference. So the day is getting better. Brent is done with surgery and recovering, AC is back on, and hopefully I will be able to sleep tonight!!!! Oh, fun game, I got all five :)
Wow! It's days like that that make you appreciate the other 364. Quick and full recovery, Brent, and I hope the house is more comfortable tonight. --Gary
Donna
8/9/10
Fun game, I got them all but the second one. I can't figure that one out.
Glad you like it! Stayed tuned. New game each day all this week (with links to the previous days). I'll post the answers on the weekend. --Gary
Gary
8/9/10
I don't know how you plan to spend this 97-degree afternoon, but if you were on the Nebraska football team you'd be practicing on the field today. Yeeg. And this Friday, they start their two-a-day practices. So, Husker player or not, everybody stay cool today and drink plenty of water.
Hope y'all enjoy the word game on the front page this week.
Karen
8/6/10
Happy Anniversary John and Marsha
Karen
8/2/10
Not sure what our high temp is going to be today. Not planning to leave the house. The last two months have been the wettest in our history. Seems like just about every other morning we wake to heavy thunderstorms (including this morning). Friday morning we had over three inches, and now more this morning and looks like more to come for the rest of the week. The creek about 3 blocks from our house has a bike/walking path. It has been closed about 5 times because of the flooding.
Yeah, I watched this morning's storm sweep through on the radar map. Keep your underbrellas handy. (Wasn't underbrella an Emily word?) --Gary
Gary
8/2/10
Oog. Just heard that the heat index today is supposed to be like 110... Temp in the high 90s, with 88 percent humidity. Take it easy out there, Lincolnites.
And what is the deal with Sioux City? Every time I look at the weather map -- for weeks now, it seems -- there is a big violent thunderstorm passing through. You guys are staying cool and dry, I hope...?
Gary
8/2/10 New recipe today -- thanks, Marsha! It sounds amazing. Those of you who are keeping track will note that this is our 100th recipe. Impressive collection!
Karen
8/1/10
Amanda, Ryan, so sorry to hear that Steve isn't well. What a terrible situation. No good answers.... Brent and I did a little celebrating for our anniversary - just a nice dinner out. Erika is working, and Emily is on her way home. She and Jack went to Okoboji with Jack's family for the week-end. Brent took Friday off and he and Erika went on her first college visit. They went to Sioux Falls to see Augustana.
Amanda
8/1/10
August already? The girls start school in 18 days! Where does the time go? We've had a busy summer, and it's not slowing down anytime soon. I think the girls have had a good summer though. Lots of babysitting (=money) for Tristen & lots of playdates for Teghan. Lots of pool time, and then of course dance & softball for Teghan.
We still don't have our electronics situation in order... Still waiting on an estimate from a repair shop on two items then we'll officially be done with that part & we'll wait for the insurance company. I'm tired of it! It's been 6 weeks I think.
Got some crummy news about Steve, things aren't looking so good. The most recent chemo he was on was a last resortî chemo as there was nothing else that would potentially be effective. Well, it didn't work. As a matter of fact the cancer spread. SO.... They took him off it, gave him a 6 month timeline (though what does that mean really?) and offered to put him back on a chemo that worked in the past, but that shut his kidneys down & put him on dialysis. He is going to do it. It's a double edge sword, because it makes him pretty miserable & sick & that could shorten the time they guessed. So, like I said, crummy news. He was diagnosed 4 Ω years ago, so we all should be thankful he's still here.
Grandma, the girls & I will be there for dinner on Tuesday. We can do 6pm as Tristen doesn't have dance. Ryan has an appointment at school that night, so he won't make it.
We're all looking forward to our trip to Des Moines in a little under 2 weeks with Dad, Lori, Livy, Linz, Matt & Sean for an overnighter where we'll hit the Iowa State Fair.
