Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter
Old news: January 2003
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Amanda
1/31/03
Thanks for the insurance info guys. I'll be interested to see when I crunch the numbers how it turns out. Yes, Ryan still has 3 1/2 years left, but this is a bigger decision than it was last time to reenlist (there was no Bush and no war when he reenlisted last time: in October 1999). And anyone else glad January is over? Man was this a long month! Maybe it's just me, but it seems like we were in Lincoln months ago, not weeks. NICE weather here today, and even better this weekend, good timing! Tristen wants to go to the lake park again, so tomorrow with a high of 75 I'm sure we will make it. Rented a few movies for the weekend too. A nice end to a dreadfully long month!
Paul and Lori
1/31/03
Amanda. We pay around 120.00 a month, w/a 10.00 prescription on generic and 10.00 office pay. And dental I think is around 15.00 a month. That is at windstream which is rising and changing almost daily because of cost. Lori and I don't have insurance at G.E. because of the cost. It is 280.00 for family and much higher co-pays, with no dental. Health insurance is very expensive for employee and employer.
Marsha
1/29/03
WOW....you guys are a wonderful cookie baking team. We really are enjoying them. Amanada, we have health insurance and a seperate dental insurance, all provided by the hospital that John works for. Health insurance costs about $185/mo (which is 100% coverage for just about everything). There were other options for us to choose from, but this serves us the best. Office co-pays are $l5 for medical, co-pay for prescriptions are from $l5 to $40 (depending upon generic or brand name meds). Loads of clinics for us to choose from, but we have to stay within the network. It's the hospital's own HMO. Dental is $62 per month, basics are all covered and there is no co-pay for visits. Root canals are 100% covered, crowns are 60/40 covered. Orthodontics are $1000 maximum (but when Sam started it was covered 50%, so we saved lots of $ with her and she needed more than Anna. Her oral surgery was covered 100% too). Any other questions, feel free to ask...gee, this was an exhausting letter to write. I need to get back to that bag of cookies before John eats them all. They are so good!
Karen
1/29/03
Brent gets paid every two weeks ---
Amanda
1/29/03
I know what you mean about the UPS. I checked them often at Christmas time and one to my mom said MC woman, and one to Sean said MC man, and one to grandmas said PORCH. Weird..... Karen, would it be one or two pay periods a month? 2 I'm assuming?? I think only teachers get paid monthly anymore.
Donna
1/29/03
Our mailman at work said it was cheaper and faster to go UPS instead of regular mail for all 3 places. I just checked the UPS site to track the delivery and it said, Amanda, yours was delivered to MC WOMAN. I don't know what the MC means. And they left Marsha's at the front door. It's almost scary how much information you can get and how fast it is.
Hope you like the cookies.
I will check on my insurance stuff. I should know it right off, but I don't.
Karen
1/29/03
Brent has really good insurance through the city -- I think it's Wellmark -- we have a $10.00 co-pay for all doctor visits, and a $5.00 co-pay for all prescriptions. The city takes about $25.00 every pay period from his check to cover insurance. But this is a HUGE battle for the city to keep up the insurance costs -- so it has meant very little pay raises as a result!
Amanda
1/29/03
Addition to health insurance note: Before you get jealous of our free health care, remember we must be seen at the base hospital, with members of the military as our health care providers. So, needless to say we don't get the option of choosing the best of the best. We take what we get, the hours are limited, the care is limited, wait times are notoriously long, good customer service is a cliche, etc... And all this is added in to his pay if you will, so his pay is less than if he were civilian to supplement for these services.
Amanda
1/29/03
I'm doing a little research to show Ryan how much money he needs to make in a job outside of the military to be equal or greater than what he gets now. The biggest factor that I can't compute is health insurance. We get ours 100% free. Doctors visits, prescriptions, the works. We pay for dental for Tristen, Teghan & I (Ryan's is free) at about $20 a month (and the deductible seems comparable to civilian plans). If you wouldn't mind helping me figure this out, I would like to know what is your out of pocket expense, monthly, yearly deductibles, perscription plans, co-pays, etc. If you want to send it in anonymous that'll be fine by me, I'm interested in the numbers.... Thanks!
Amanda
1/29/03
Never mind, we just got them UPS, thanks guys, you were busy!! :) :)
Amanda
1/29/03
Did you send the cookies regular mail? If so, it won't be until Friday or Saturday for us I bet. I would be surprised if it got here tomorrow. Pony Express still in action down here.
Donna
1/29/03
Hi Emily, glad the cookies got there.
Metcalf's and Marsha's should get theirs today.
Nelsons
1/29/03
Grandma, Donna, Lindsey and Olivia --
Thanks for the cookies!! They are great!!!!
Gary
1/29/03
In case the front page didn't make the point about my political views, here's something extra that someone just sent me. Enjoy! :-)
Sung to the tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It Clap Your Hands."
If we cannot find Osama, bomb Iraq.
If the markets hurt your Mama, bomb Iraq.
If the terrorists are Saudi
And the bank takes back your Audi
And the TV shows are bawdy,
Bomb Iraq.
If the corporate scandal's growin', bomb Iraq.
And your ties to them are showin', bomb Iraq.
If the smoking gun ain't smokin'
We don't care, and we're not jokin'
That Saddam will soon be croakin',
Bomb Iraq.
Even if we have no allies, bomb Iraq.
From the sand dunes to the valleys, bomb Iraq.
So to hell with the inspections
Let's look tough for the elections,
Close your mind and take directions,
Bomb Iraq.
While the globe is slowly warming, bomb Iraq.
Yay! the clouds of war are storming, bomb Iraq.
If the ozone hole is growing,
Some things we prefer not knowing.
(Though our ignorance is showing)
Bomb Iraq.
So here's one for dear old daddy, bomb Iraq,
From his favorite little laddy, bomb Iraq.
Saying no would look like treason
It's the Hussein-hunting season
Even if we have no reason
Bomb Iraq.
***EMILY***
1/28/03
Hey Everybody!! We just got our box from lincoln! it sounds like you guys had fun making all the cookies, and they are really good!!
Donna
1/28/03
Uhh, Tristen, what were you having for supper that you would rather wash dishes than eat? I think you are goofy!
Gary
1/28/03
Okay, new photos are up!
Gary
1/28/03
Nothing like that here -- yet. Though it may stay well north of us and miss us entirely.
Hey, here's my nomination for Best New Variation on an Existing Cookie: the new Coffee and Cream Oreos. Yum!
P.S. Amanda sent in a lot of great pictures over the weekend, but I haven't had a chance to put them up yet. Check back later today. Sorry for the delay!
Karen
1/28/03
Slippery day, started to sleet and rain about 5:30 this morning, the temp is about 30 so it's slick! No late starts or cancellations for SC schools, but there are lots of them around us. Hearing about several accidents around town. I think the worse spot is on our driveway -- hope to get through the day without falling :)
Donna
1/27/03
Olivia, Lindsey, Mom and I had fun yesterday afternoon baking treats. We made a really good team. Out of state locations start watching your mailboxes in a few days--the treats are on their way.
Anna, I'm sorry I missed seeing you on ESPN last night, but I did hear you made the winning basket. Way to go! Did they carry you off the court? This is the time to negotiate for more money.
Paul
1/27/03
Was watching ESPN last night, Listened to a story about Anna Hatgidakis sinking the game winning basket. Then a follow up story about Michael Jordan not returning to play basketball next year. That guy just can't share the spotlight. Congrats Anna.
Gary
1/24/03
Just a word about today cool site. This is the place I found those pictures of the nasty school lunches we were talking about a while ago. Remember "Italian Dunkers"? and "Teriyaki Bites"?) They're from the school lunch program in Harrisonburg, VA. Bon apetit!
Donna
1/23/03
Poor Teghan, those ear infections are bad. I hope she gets over it soon.
Tristen, you did a great job on your report of the president. I learned some stuff and the picture looks just like him.
Gary, your "accident" is really funny. I definitely would have kept on walking.
Amanda
1/23/03
Teghan & I are home again today from school and daycare. Yesterday she was in a CRABBY mood, constantly crying, so I made an appointment for her this morning. We went at 8:30 and she has an ear infection (on top of the bad congestion). So they put her on Amoxicillin (and I'm hoping she's not allergic like Tristen) and I stopped and got her some robitussin for the congestion, and a humidifier (we seem to have lost ours). I hope this isn't a sign that I shouldn't be in school, I've already missed 2 days in the first 2 weeks! Oh, and it's cold here too, not NEARLY as cold as you guys, but cold and we aren't used to it.
Gary
1/23/03
Hey, Hatgidakis's -- I hope you get your computer fixed soon! (I assume that's the reason you're not dropping by the webpage any more...?) :-)
Gary
1/23/03
Good plan! I should've stayed home too -- I mean, it's not like we're curing cancer here. Almost no one on the campus today. When I parked my car in the nearly empty lot, with no students on the sidewalks, I wondered if classes had been cancelled and I hadn't heard about it. -10 here too, with a -23 wind chill. It was so cold in my car that when I turned on the tape player, the voices werrrrre reeeeeaal sloooooooow.....
Karen
1/23/03
Nasty cold this morning. Temp is -10 and wind chill is about -25! Not sending Emily or Erika to school today because it is so cold. Sent a note from school yesterday that parents could keep kids home if they wanted, but they wouldn't be canceling classes. Erika's school also has about 1/3 of the students out with flu. So I thought it was a good plan for all of us to stay in today.
Gary
1/22/03
New stuff on Tristen's page!
Amanda
1/22/03
Gary, that story is hilarious. Too bad for the drivers, but hilarious none the less. And at least the ticket and bill will go to the right person, the idiot not paying attention, I HATE people who don't yield to pedestrians, and its a good thing the nice guy came first, or the rushed guy may have crunched into you. Did you hang out, or just take off immediately? How funny.
I was completely across the street when I heard the crunch. When I looked back, they were both already driving ahead and they pulled over to exchange info about 3/4 of a block down the street. I considered trudging over there -- mostly to give my appreciation to the person who stopped -- but what with the blowing snow and all, I didn't. Just went back inside. I felt bad about the good-deed-doer who got a crumpled fender for her trouble... but the guy behind was clearly in the wrong and, as you say, he's the one who will foot the bill. --Gary
Karen
1/22/03
Bitter cold here too, the temp was 8 at noon. To be colder and windy tomorrow. We are in a "wind chill" advisory for tomorrow. No real snow for us yet, just a dusting overnight.
Erika was pretty proud of her picture. Miss Iowa came to her school a couple of months ago and talked to them about achieving goals. They all promised to read for 15 minutes a day and if they did she said she would send them a picture. It doesn't show up on the picture, but she did give her personalized autograph.
Gary, geez watch where you are going......
Gary
1/22/03
Yeah it's awful out there, even though there is (at the moment) a sunny blue sky overhead. The wind is whipping the already-fallen snow around, so it's like a blizzard. I decided to brave it and go home for lunch as I usually do; but when crossing the street to my parking lot I caused an accident -- which I took as a bad omen and came back inside to my office. Wasn't really my fault; I was waiting to cross the street, at a crosswalk, and a nice person stopped for me (instead of shooting past as most do). Well, somebody coming up too fast crunched right into nice person's rear end. Dang, I felt bad, and sort of lost my appetite...so I came back inside.
Donna
1/22/03
Nice job, Erika. But Miss Iowa couldn't have given a personalized autographed picture to everyone in two schools, right? She must have just given them to special students. How did you get it? Was it for your Citizenship award?
It is so cold here today. Why didn't they close schools today? It's much worse out there today than it was last Thursday.
Hey, O-lav-e-a, how was swimming class? Did your dad ever let you eat supper?
Grandma
1/22/03
Erika, I am impressed with the front page today. What an honor for you. I am also very proud of you!! We are having a "Currier & Ives" day today -- from my vantage point of not having to leave the house. Getting in the paper made me happy I didn't have any further to go. Well below 0 tonite. Stay warm !!
Gary
1/22/03
Brrrrrr! Another snowy morning here, and cold. Driving to work this morning was very slow. Supposed to get colder throughout the day today, with winds picking up; and even colder tomorrow. ...And then up in the 50s-60s by the weekend. No other news here -- just the weather report!
Amanda
1/21/03
Tristen & Teghan still feel kind of crummy, still not 100%. We went back to school and daycare today, but I think we will miss dance tonight because Tristen said she was "coughing bad" in gym class. Her day was made a little better however when we checked our mail and she got 2 cards! One from the Nelsons (and she guessed it before she even opened it because she said "I knew it was from them because they ALWAYS send me cards") and one from Grandma that had a treat in it. School for me is school. I hate math and that is making me convulse daily over the stress of it, but according to a DUMB Texas rule, I can't drop that class and take it maybe next semester if that suited me better because I would be kicked out of the university for this semester and until I reenrolled in that class. Ryan is an excellent tutor, basically a math whiz, but he can't take the tests for me. Whatev, long story, basically boils down to politics I guess, which I am beginning to hate. Anyhow!, thanks to the card senders, it made Tristens day!
Gary
1/21/03
FYI, Amanda announced they have a new cellphone number, and I'm announcing that the contact page has been updated with the new number and a link for text-messaging.
Donna
1/20/03
Amanda, I don't really have a recipe for the wild rice dish, but I'll put how I fix it on the recipe page. That does sound good. Didn't they call it Indian porridge?
Lindsey, I glad you're feeling better. What are you and Olivia doing on your day off? Wish I was off today, too.
Lindsey
1/20/03
Get well soon Tristen and Teghan!
I wasn't feeling too well either last week so I know how you feel.
HAPPY BELATED MARSHA!!
Haven't been on the internet all weekend. Well my Mom had to leave for a week in Wisconsin for week. She hated leaving. Gotta go, Bye!
Amanda
1/19/03
And today it was so nice we took a 2 mile walk and went to Oscar Lake & Park here in Iowa Park!! The girls loved it, as did Sasha!
Amanda
1/19/03
Thursday was bitter cold, only in the 20's, but the 45 mph wind made it unbearable, Friday was cold as well, and then Saturday we were outside working in the yard, in jeans and t-shirts. I was using the hose! Today should be the same, 64 for a high they said last night. Tristen is finally better, all day Friday she was sick, her temp got to 102 before it finally broke for good. Teghan also got to 102, then it broke and hasn't come back, though she is still crummy feeling with a yucky nose. It was good we got nice weather and they got outside, I think that helped. Ryan, Teghan & I have tomorrow off, but Tristen goes back to school, I bet she will be ready.
Amanda
1/19/03
Donna, could you put that wild rice/walnut/strawberry/syrup recipe on the recipe page, it sounds good lately...
Gary
1/18/03
New items on Emily's page and Erika's page. Excellent work, you two!
***EMILY***
1/17/03
***HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARSHA***
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
1/17/03
Sheesh, guys, you never reveal a ladies age! You threw it out there for Marsha! (Which means my old man is HOW close to the mid century thing??? :) ) Anyway, HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARSHA!
Karen
1/17/03
Bitter cold today, -12 this morning and I don't think it's much better yet. Emily did return to school this morning (but Erika told me her throat was sore last night). Tristen, Teghan -- get better soon -- and check your mailbox this week :)
Hey Marsha, what are you doing to celebrate 1/2 of a century???
Picked up Brent for lunch and had a delicious bowl of wild rice and chicken soup. yum....
Stay healthy everyone!!!
Nelsons
1/17/03
Happy Birthday Marsha
Donna
1/17/03
Happy Birthday, Marsha!!!
Grandma
1/17/03
Well, Gee, we sure have a bunch of sick people in the clan. I am hoping everyone feels better and nobody else gets something. Emily and Linz I hope you both went back to school today and are feeling fine. Tristen, I am glad you have a few extra days at home, and that you are much better today. I hope Teghan didn't pick up any nasty bugs at day care. And Marsha, you can't stay sick, with such a big birthday tomorrow (or is that what got you down?). Our snow is staying where it fell thanks to the cold, can't seem to get used to these 20's and teen's, miss the 60's. Everybody, stay warm and get well!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARSHA
(almost the same kind of day today as 50 years ago, but the next week
was really nasty---a bit of history)
Donna
1/17/03
Tristen, I am sorry to hear you don't feel well. I hope you're better soon!
Gary
1/17/03
Get well soon, Tristen (and Teghan)!
Happy Birthday, Marsha!
Amanda
1/17/03
Well, we have our first official "stay home from school sick day." And such great timing, my first week of class. I picked up Tristen from school yesterday and her teacher told me the last hour or so she just laid on the floor not looking well, as soon as Tristen got in the car she started crying, telling me she was shaking and didn't know why. So we come home, she rests, has a temp of 100 or so and Ryan got home at 4:30 from work to get ready for his history class. Tristen is sitting on the couch by him and she pukes. Yes, you heard it right, right on the new couches. Oh well. Needless to say, Ryan didnt make it to class last night. Tristen pretty much stayed in her room all night, felt a little better by bedtime so we fed her some cinnamon toast and sent her to bed. Got her up this morning and she is burning up with a 101 temp again. So, we are staying home. Which isnt a bad idea considering Teghan is all stuffy in the nose, and it is cold here. A good day to stay home, and no school on Monday, so its now a 4 day weekend.
Marsha
1/16/03
Boy, are you spoiled to get a snow day with ONLY 6.6 inches of snow! That's just a nuisance snow! Really I am sort of jealous because we haven't had any snow...leaves are just blowing around our cold backyard. I have had some bug for the past couple of days and am just starting to rejoin the human race tonight, I even missed my surprise birthday lunch at work (BUMMER.) This was the first time I ever called in sick to work, what timing. The U of M is always facing some serious cutbacks, thanks especially to former guv Jesse. You are fortunate your department doesn't depend on the state, Gary.
Amanda
1/16/03
Yes, I am excited for HP5 book. Not as excited as the others, but its like a story you have to finish. Frankly, I'd like to finish it sooner than ol' J.K. would like to. My snow contact for Lincoln (Cathy with Airport readings) said it was 6.6 inches. And I can't believe a snow day was called for the schools, Linz, Dad is right. It is COLD here today, and windy, up to 45 MPH. When I walked to my first class I literally had to lean forward because I was being pushed so hard, and man my ears stung for an hour I bet from the cold. I am taking American History since 1865 (the second portion of pre reqs), Business something, Financial Accounting, and Intermediate Algebra. They all seem OK other than stupid Algebra. And this state and their dumb laws and rules and cheapness. You know those fill in the blank tests that they run through a machine for easier grading? (like the old CAT tests), well, if we want to take our tests and our finals we have to provide those "Scantron" forms. Give me a break. AND 2 of my 4 finals are on a freakin Saturday! What is up with that??? And already I am finding it hard to sit in classes where instructors have a more conservative view than I. Yes, Nebraska is majority Republican, but maybe we leave our opinions to ourselves when appropriate, well not here. I have heard 2 or 3 Bush statements already. Gag me with a spoon. Teghan is doing OK in daycare, I think she would rather be home with me though. And she got the dreaded, but unavoidable, just-started-daycare-cold/runny nose. Poor kid.
Gary
1/16/03
Lindsey just sent in her Oscar nominations ballot, and in the "comments" section she reviewed ALL the movies she saw last year! I put them on the reviews page. Check it out! (Thanks, Lindsey!)
Lindsey
1/16/03
NO SCHOOL TODAY!! Called a snow day but Dad keeps saying that there shouldn't be one but I strongly disagree. I am excited to read the 5th Harry Potter Book. I recently just finished reading the third book again to refresh my memory after seeing the second movie. I am now reading the fourth book again but haven't gotten very far yet. I'll have to tell my Mom to hold a place to get the book when it comes out. Hopefully it will be well worth the wait. I just put in my votes. I have only seen 24 of those 200 and some movies. Maybe we will go rent some tonight and start a fire and watch some movies. Olivia and I get Monday and Tuesday off too for Martin Luther King Jr. Day and then Tuesday is like a teacher plan day or something so if they just call off Friday (which I doubt it) then we would have 6 days off! I am counting down the days until we go to Steamboat Springs, Colorado! I can't wait! I'm just getting over a 24-hour flu thing, so I'm glad that we got the day off. Slept in until about quarter 'till 11 and went to sleep about 10:00 last night so I got a lot of rest. Glad we got the snow, we needed it. It's beautiful here. I can look in our backyard and see all the snow. Ceaser is loving it!! I can see the tracks he has made through it. Nice sunny day, although about 18 degrees-that's what my computer says. Well, I might just go take a nap or somthing, Bye!
Grandma
1/16/03
We did get some winter after all. Sorry, Gary, but channel 11 weather guy said we had 7 inches and I believe we did according to how much was on the deck. (My ruler checked in at just under 7.) Cold but not terrible. Really is pretty right now but the wind will come up this afternoon. I was sweeping the deck for Penny when Paul and his snoblower came and did the walks and driveway. Thanks a bunch!! I was glad to see it, not much moisture in tho' its the fluffy dry kind. Called a plumber a while ago. Have an appointment next week, what joy!! Discovered a couple leaks and hoping it doesn't mean major overhaul. But you gotta do what you gotta do. Enjoy the snow.
Gary
1/16/03
A bit more snow that that down here in Lincoln: I heard the weather people say 4-5", but it seems like more than that. It is a snow day for Lincoln schools, but not the University -- we are soldiering on! Somebody's got to pay the bills around here.... The University has had three consecutive years of major budget cuts (several programs completely closed down, something like 400 jobs lost so far), and in this morning's paper our joke-of-a-Governor Johanns announced there will be at least two more years of University budget cuts of at least $40 million each year. My particular department is in no danger -- we take no state funds, and actually make money for the University -- but there are others who might be updating their resumes today after reading the paper. Clearly the Governor wants to strip away all that expensive book-learnin' foolishness from the University so it can focus on its real business: playing football. OK, I'm done ranting now -- thanks for listening! :-)
Karen
1/16/03
We got about 3 inches of snow last night -- everything looks so pretty this morning. No cancellations or late starts though....
Emily is still home today, should be returning tomorrow.
Amanda will you still want to be one of the first to read the new Harry Potter? Erika and I aren't quite as excited about this one -- too long of a wait.
Amanda
1/15/03
Finally!
Gary
1/15/03
The Academy Awards season has officially begun! I've posted the list of films eligible to be considered for an Oscar, so you can try to predict which five films will be nominated for Best Picture. Then, in a little less than a month, the official nominations will be announced and we can vote in all the categories. The Oscar broadcast is on March 23rd (Sunday), so make plans to come to Grandma's and watch it on the big screen! :-)
Amanda
1/14/03
Tristen won't sell cookies as a "Daisy", so I would say buy from the random girl scouts.
Erika
1/14/03
Hey, Donna - he is pink, it's a necklace that I crocheted. I haven't given him a name yet. bye - bye, good-night......
Donna
1/14/03
Hey Erika, that's a cute prairie dog. What color is he--it's hard to tell from the picture. And is that a scarf around his neck? I think I'd like to paint one. Does he have a name?
Gary
1/14/03
New addition to the Projects page...
I just heard a really great story: A friend of mine here at work, along with her brother, bought their parents a trip to Las Vegas for their 50th wedding anniversary. The parents flew there a few days ago, and last night my friend got a call. There was lots of noise and hubbub in the background, but she heard her mom say they had just won a lot of money -- and that she couldn't talk long because they wanted to take her picture, etc. My friend said call back as soon as you can. A little later, her mom called and said her dad had been playing the 25-cent slot machines, and he won a jackpot of (drum roll, please) $634,000. The casino offered to put them up, for free, in their big high-rollers suite (instead of their $29-a-night motel), but her mom said, gee, we're all moved in and unpacked... so, no. What are they going to do with the money? Well, they're not going to move because they like where they live. Which is a trailer. A nice trailer, my friend says, but a trailer. Also, they're not getting a new car because their current car is just fine. So what will they splurge on? Her mom said, "I think we might get that new counter-top!"
Karen
1/14/03
I'm not sure about the other nieces, but Erika is no longer an active Girl Scout and won't be selling this year :)
Donna
1/14/03
I'm getting unknown Girl Scouts asking me to buy cookies from them and I don't know what to tell them. I'd rather buy from a niece. Will any of you be selling Girl Scout Cookies this year?
Karen
1/14/03
Emily has been sick and not on the computer much the last few days, sore throat, cough and very hoarse voice. Not in school today because of a teacher inservice and not sure she'll go back tomorrow. She had a class project to write a letter to the Prez, got the envelope yesterday -- she was NOT impressed!!
Cold today, have fire going and it feels good! May be getting a little snow tomorrow.
Grandma
1/14/03
Well, Emily, I am impressed!! You are really on a roll. I want details. I thought Teghan was rubbing elbows with the "rich and famous" but I do believe you may have topped her!! Did you win your BB game last night, Anna? Doesn't look very wintry, and I bet the snow for tomorrow will go south again, maybe Metcalfs will see some more. Finished "A Painted House" which I really enjoyed and am halfway through "Jack The Ripper." I'm certainly glad we have become a tad more civilized in the last century. Sewing a little bit and trying to organize a messy basement, however, I can't see a lot of progress there yet. Amanda, I hope you are liking school, does Teghan like going to daycare? I liked the web sites of Iowa Park and also your campus. Lasagna for supper and I should be thinking of getting to it.
P.S. Linz, how many ounces in a pound?
Gary
1/14/03
I wore a heavier coat, and gloves, today myself. Cold out there! With snow still predicted for tomorrow, though the weather-heads on TV are already back-pedalling: Instead of the substantial amount they were talking about yesterday, they are now saying "possible light snow, possibly heavy in some areas" and similar mealy-mouthed forecasts. We'll see, I guess.
Hey, speaking of mealy-mouthed, I just read an interesting article on our Acting President. It's on the Gallup website, and was forwarded to me from Donna (thanks!). Have a look!
Donna
1/14/03
Emily, amazing things just keep happening to you. How did you you get a letter from the President? That's pretty cool. Hope you're feeling better.
It is cold here today, too. I had to get out my winter coat.
Lindsey, quite a faux pas for you to think Tristen would want to look at the Jay Jay website! That is so funny.
Marsha
1/13/03
We finally got some winter weather, cold and snowing today, but it's about time we got some real weather. Way to go Emily! Awesome work! What classes are you taking Amanda? Zach goes back to school tomorrow, Sam and Anna went back last Monday. Anna has a basketball game tonight, her second one.
Donna
1/13/03
Amanda, good luck on your first day of school.
Emily, sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Get better soon!
And congrats again on the spelling bee--8th out of 600 is amazing!!!
Karen
1/13/03
Cold here today too, and maybe some snow later in the week. Wow, perfect score for all us Nelson's!! Olivia's tooth was definitely the hardest, although the time in Budapest was tough too.
Emily is home sick today, think it may be the flu. No school for anyone tomorrow, teacher inservice, so she can rest then too.
Feel better soon, Emily! --Gary
Gary
1/13/03
Good Monday morning everybody. C-c-c-cold here this morning, with snow predicted for Wednesday. All the students are back on campus today, for the first time in almost a month, so it seems very busy and active around here. I was going to watch the Peoples Choice Awards last night as a kind of warm-up for the Oscars (which are only 69 days away -- and the list of nominations will be out in 29 days!), but when I tuned in I saw Tony Danza doing a rap number. AAaaaagghhh!!!
Thanks to all who participated in the Scavenger Hunt. We had three perfect entries, all of them from the Sioux City area: Emily, Erika, and Karen! The next two runners-up, Amanda and Grandma, both missed the same question, and it was definitely the toughest thing to find on the list: "When did Olivia lose her first tooth?" You both found the June 25, 2001 newsletter entry when she lost a tooth, but not the March 3, 2001 entry where she lost her first tooth!
Stay warm!
Lindsey
1/12/03
Hello everybody. I haven't been on for a while so there was a lot to read. Good Job Emily for your spelling bee. Actually when I was Tristen here one day, we went to the Jay Jay Site and was looking at it but as Tristen said "It's Teghan that loves Jay Jay, not me Lindsey" so then we had to go to Barbie. Sean I also saw Catch Me If You Can over my break and that was really good. I also saw LOTR2 twice and that was good. I haven't done my reviews but they will soon be posted. First back to school was pretty hard, I was sooooo tired! Have been having a good New Year so far. I go to school next week and then I get 2 days off so will only go for 3 days next week. Woohoo! Then on February 16th we are leaving to go on vacation in Steamboat Springs, Colorado for a week. We are going to go skiing and ice-skating and maybe horseback riding and snow-mobiling and a bunch of other stuff. We might go to the Hot Springs they have up there. It will be really fun. OK, we are going to get out of the house for a bit, so see ya later, Bye!
Paul
1/12/03
Congrats Emily on the Geography Bee. 8 out of 600 is really something to be proud of. Sounds like Texas is getting our kind of weather instead of us. Amanda, you are right about spell check taking away your spelling, It really has happened to me. Has Teghan found any daycare?
Amanda
1/12/03
It's actually snowing here!! Nothing much, I believe it is called a "wintry mix." It is melting when it hits some things (cement), but it's building a bit on the cars and stuff. Sasha was excited when I let her out this morning, she LOVES the snow. It is only 8 AM and supposed to get to 42 today, so we better enjoy it now.
Gary
1/10/03
Hey, need a laugh? (Who doesn't??) Then go to this page on the Barnes & Noble site and read some hilarious short movie reviews by Mike Nelson, the guy (i.e., human, not robot) from Mystery Science Theater 3000 -- the show where those three guys sit in the front row and make fun of bad movies. You're welcome!
Gary
1/10/03
--Wow, what a hassle for Amanda and Ryan! ...wait a minute, how do we know that really was Amanda who wrote in below...?? Hmmmm....
--Way to go, Emily, on the geography thing! Ever seen this site? Or this one?
--The Scavenger Hunt has attracted a mere 5 players so far. I'll leave it up through the weekend. So far 3 have gotten perfect scores!
--With the Oscars only 73 days away, here's an interesting commentary on the psychology of Oscar voters, and some likely winners and losers this time.
Amanda
1/10/03
Yeah, the webpage is a little slow I think, really there probably isn't much going on. I read about the city council members and they all, including the mayor, have other full time jobs. Oh well, at least we are a low maintenance small town! I spent all morning contacting the three major credit bureaus to put fraud alerts on Ryan & I's reports. In mid December our insurance company got broken into in Phoenix and stole computer files with enrollment forms (for everyone in the military) on them, which had our names, SS#, date of birth, basically everything that makes us us. The insurance company wasn't sure who it was or how they would use the info, but to be safe from the new crime of identity theft we took the appropriate measures. What a hassle. One good thing putting a fraud alert on our records did was take our names off all "pre-selected/qualified/approved" offers (the millions of credit cards offers we get). And congrats Emily, 8 out of 600 is phenomenal!!
Karen
1/10/03
Brrrr, cold here today, only 20 for a high and windy. Hard to believe we had record highs of 65 on Tuesday. Just checked out the cool site for today -- Iowa Park, apparently they don't update that too often, looked on the events calendar and it was only to September (or is there nothing else going on?), but fun to see where you guys live. Emily made the second round in the Geography Bee, but not the third. She was the top 8 out of about 600 kids, so still very impressive to me. Good luck on school Amanda, don't worry about those student loans -- Brent is still paying his off :) Had fun doing the scavenger hunt, made me think on a couple of them, also fun to go back and read the old newsletters.
Donna
1/9/03
Congratulations Emily! I love spelling, too. Keep us posted on what happens with it.
What is it about Jay Jay the Jet Plane? I smile whenever I think of Teghan blushing at the picture. That's so cute.
Amanda, I put the Peanut Butter Bar recipe on the recipe page, still need to add the Reindeer Poop recipe--Chocolate Waffle cookies. And I gotta suggest that everybody try the Cranberry Pork Chop recipe Mom made. It is so good. I added that to the recipe page, too.
Gary
1/8/03
Check back tomorrow for another Web Page Scavenger Hunt! I'll put some questions on the front page, and the answers can all be found somewhere on this website. No time limit, so you don't have to be the "first in" or anything. All winners will receive a gift, however -- which will be the respect and admiration of all the losers. Good luck!
Amanda
1/8/03
I will be starting school next Monday as well. Bought my books yesterday, a whopping $350. This degree better get me a good paying job to pay back student loans in a timely manner. Today it is supposed to get to 73! We have lots to do, so the nice weather is a good motivator. We still need to take down the outside Christmas lights, and Ryan wants to plant the bulbs grandma gave him for Christmas and hope and pray they come up. A little late yes, but the weather here is different. Congrats Emily! I LOVE geography, and Tristen is already loving it. Her placemat is a map of the US, and she knows a lot of states. They learn states in school, and she is usually the one to guess it before anyone else. She got a geography book for her Leap Pad and she is always playing with it. She knows the states in order to get to Nebraska and back. And I also love spelling, however with spell check I find I have lost some of my ability to spell weall. :) Everyone, enjoy this nice weather!!
Gary
1/8/03
Way to go, Emily! (Quick, name two states that border the Mississippi!) Yeah, this page has been pretty quiet...except for our Texas branch office. Thanks for the great pictures, Amanda! There has been a little activity on the recipes page and the reviews page, this month and last month (checked them lately??), but this page and the school pages are definitely in back-to-the-grind mode. It's quiet here on the campus, too -- classes don't start again until next Monday. I had thought it was this past Monday, but no. That's one long Christmas break! Weather is nice, though -- totally not January-like, but nice -- with temps supposed to be in the 60s today. Is anybody gardening? :-)
Karen
1/8/03
Wow, page has been pretty quiet lately, everyone must be back to work and school. Emily is back at school and doing great! Last week she was one of about 20 to compete in a spelling bee, unfortunately she was eliminated in the first round. Yesterday she was called down from the office to attend the Geography Bee. She had taken a test a while ago and received one the highest grades. She took another test and was once again one of the highest grades, so she will go back today and try again.
Amanda
1/7/03
Well, not only is Teghan a fan of Jay Jay the Jet Plane, now HE is a fan of HER! To make the cake I corresponded with the creators of Jay Jay (David & Deborah Michel, parents who told the stories of Jay Jay to their children and made it into what it is today) to get copyright permission to duplicate his photo. They allowed it, and in return to thank them I sent them a picture of Teghan eating her cake with the big cake in front of her (see photo page) and a thank you. They responded (both husband and wife separately actually) and asked if they might share her photo with their production team! We also got a signed photo of Jay Jay (one for both T & t) and I think Teghan actually blushed when I showed it to her. Man, she loves that little guy. Check out their website and do a little reading about the beginnings of Jay Jay, it really is an interesting story, and yes, I wrote to my local PBS station, if you get to that part on the website.
Amanda
1/6/03
We are home!! We left Omaha at about 8 Sunday morning and stopped in Kansas City to see the new Cabela's (and the building site for the new NFM) for an hour or so, then stopped in Topeka for another hour for lunch and gas and stretching. We pulled into home about 7 that night. It was officially the longest trip of our lives though. We are not wanting to make it again any time soon. We had a great time though, thanks to everyone who was around and bent their schedules for us being there. We had a great Christmas, waiting for UPS to bring it to us today as a matter of fact. Ryan went back to work today already, and Tristen goes back to school tomorrow. I need to start looking for daycare for Teghan as I start school a week from today. All in all, it was a great trip, we weren't ready to leave, but we were ready to get home.
Check out the new photos Amanda sent in. --Gary
Gary
1/6/03
Okay, the new Christmas list is posted. Thanks to Karen, Emily and Lindsey for figuring it out!
Sean
1/5/03
I seen the movie "Catch Me If You Can" last night. It's a pretty good one.
Gary
1/2/03
I'm back at work today, too. Which doesn't seem fair, as classes don't start until next Monday, and the campus today is as empty as George Bush's head. But anyway, it's a short week! All you Tolkien fans out there may want to raise your glasses in honor of the great man himself -- tomorrow is Tolkien's birthday. He would have been 111 -- his "eleventy-first" as he put it when Bilbo celebrated his 111st birthday at the party which opens the book and movie. HBTY, JRRT! Also, speaking of interesting numbers, someone just pointed out to me that at six seconds past 4:05 this afternoon it will be 01/02/03 04:05:06! :-)
P.S., I do have the official Christmas list for next year. It will be posted soon!
Karen
1/2/03
Back to the routine today. Brent, Emily and Erika all went back today, I will have to go in tomorrow. Would have been nice to have the rest of the week off! Had a nice, quiet New Years Eve, didn't even see it in.