Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter
Old news: July 2004
Back to Newsletter
Gary
7/29/04
Hey, what's the current hot computer game here in Lincoln, you ask? Not The Sims, not Doom3, not Madden2005 -- it's PacMan! I found an updated version which I put on Grandma's computer, and it has been getting nearly constant play. Especially from Olivia, who is way good at it! This version is totally free: It's a labor of love by some programmer who just keeps tinkering with it, adding features and making it better. Download it here. It's cool! It's retro! PacMan is back, baby! :-) (I'm putting this on the webpage so Lindsey and Anna, who have both requested it for their computers at home, can find it. And for more brainless fun, scroll down the above page and check out "Artillery Duel"!)
Erika
7/29/04
Hi everyone, Amanda the winner didn't really get anything.
Nelsons
7/29/04
Happy Birthday Sean
Lindsey
7/28/04
Hey Amanda my room is ready for you guys anytime! I really want to go shopping too. When me, Anna, and Sam went shopping I saw those shoes and remembered you wanting to watch them to go on sale. I play anybody at air hockey! Hey Amanda I do need to play you at air hockey because I played Sean and I heard you were pretty good too. But he only beat me by one point so I think me and him need a re-match. Well me, Anna, Livy, and Livy's friend Claire went swimming and me and Anna just got out and Sam's sleeping. But talk to everyone soon! Bye.
Amanda
7/28/04
I could give up caffeine for a day, but not the computer! You girls were uphill the whole time! What did the winner get??
Emily & Erika
7/28/04
Hi, Last night we made a bet with mom and mom wanted us to tell you that she won.
Ha! You couldn't resist the computer could you? It's much easier to give up coffee. :-) --Gary
Amanda
7/28/04
Look here for some great stickers! I am going to purchase a few Kerry Edwards items sometime soon here, and have been looking, this is a great site for anti-Bush...
Karen
7/28/04
Lewis and Clark did have cannons. Don't think they needed to use them too much. I remember reading in their journals that they fired them on holidays.
Amanda
7/28/04
Yeah, I thought I remembered the shoes. I thought they were brown though. I have a failing memory, already, at only 26, what a shame. :):)
Karen
7/28/04
Umm, I would guess Martha Washington?
Yes, Emily and Erika can drink coffee. Erika doesn't like it and won't touch it. Emily, however, has recently developed a taste for coffee and has threatened to have a cup :)
I guessed someone "early" too, but it's not Martha. Here's the answer! --Gary
Donna
7/28/04
Erika, I wish you were here with me at work right now. They are doing a reenactment of Lewis and Clark going down the Missouri river. There's one larger boat and two smaller boats. The crew is dressed in period outfits and they yell out "do you want us to fire our cannons?" Did Lewis and Clark have cannons? It's really cool. They are camping somewhere up river tonight.
Donna
7/28/04
Amanda, I can't remember--$29 maybe. They were the denim Tommy Hilfiger sandles she almost chose instead of the black pair. You said maybe she could get them for back to school.
Hey I just emailed you too regarding hub caps. Did you get it?
Gary
7/28/04
One more quick note: I just now called Valentino's to reserve a spot for us. The lady told me they don't officially take reservations there, but as they try to make their customers happy they will "informally" hold a space if someone asks. I asked for that little room facing 70th St. for Friday night at 6 pm. She said we should get it, unless it's being held informally for someone else who may have asked first.
Gary
7/28/04
I've been watching every night -- though with me, as with the other 6 million of us watching, they're preaching to the choir. It would be nice if all the undecideds were watching too.... Clinton on Day 1 was great, Obama on Day 2 was great; and the one who really surprised me was Teresa Heinz Kerry last night. In all the footage I'd seen of her so far she seemed kind of nervous and retiring. But her speech last night was excellent! I read last night that, if Kerry wins, she will be only the second foreign-born first lady. Anyone know who was the first...?
Oh yeah, almost forgot: New pictures on the projects page!
And one more thing: Karen, if you get to be on the computer, does that mean Emily and Erika get to drink coffee??
Karen
7/28/04
Emily and Erika will love to play each of you at air hockey on Saturday. They are not on the computer today -- we have a challenge today. No caffeine for me and no computer for either of them. Waiting to see who cracks first. Anyone watching the demos convention? I really haven't been paying much attention to it.
Just had a nice storm pass through here. Heavy rain, thunder and lightning. Still nice and cool here too, set three record lows for the last week. I love it! Wish the rest of the summer would be the same. Emily is busy decorating cookies and Erika has been baking so goodies will be ready on Saturday. I have pillows ready for Tristen and Teghan -- are the teeth still hanging on?
Amanda
7/28/04
On sale for $20? How much were they originally? Gordman's sounds great... And I am totally there for air hockey. Watch out...
Amanda
7/28/04
I knew that if I mentioned shopping we would finally hear from Donna!! :)
Donna
7/28/04
Gordman's just got in some new kids Husker stuff--cheerleader outfits and jogging suits so there should be Husker t-shirts for adults too but I haven't looked. Also, the shoes Tristen was wanting at Gordman's are now on sale for $20 and they still had her size last week. So we should definitely go there.
Erika/Emily, I will play air hockey with you!
See you soon!
Amanda
7/27/04
Two things... Is the planetarium still open on campus? If so, what are the times and stuff? If I go to see a planetarium show I will get an extra credit point in Astronomy.. Just an idea, we have a planetarium here too, though, so if it doesn't work out, oh well. Also, maybe Friday I would like to do a little shopping. We are needing new Husker gear, its been 2 years since we really bought anything (you can't just go to your local store to pick up a new t-shirt on game day).
Planetarium: Go here. In my humble opinion, it's not worth it any more. The shows used to be good when I was a kid, but they have gotten pretty weak over the last several years. Now they're "multi-media experiences" -- meaning they flash a slideshow on the ceiling and play a pre-recorded narration. It all comes out of a can. There used to be an actual astronomer giving the show and pointing out the sights in the (projected) night sky. Now you hardly ever see the stars because of the slideshow and lasers. Bottom line: Used to be one of my favorite experiences -- but the last few times I went I felt annoyed and cheated. Husker gear: There is a huge new Husker shop out at Gateway (or "Shoppingtown" as the new owners want us to call it), isn't there? Somebody local correct me if I'm wrong...? --Gary
Erika
7/27/04
Hey everyone when I'm down in Lincoln on Sat. I want to play somebody at air hockey. Emily does too. See you then.
I'll play you both (but not at the same time!). I just got back from Grandma's house, and the Planning Committee (Grandma, Donna, Sam, Lindsey, Anna, and Livy) is really getting everything ready. It's going to be great! Plus, we tried out a new game tonight that should really be fun. Can't wait to see you guys! --Gary
Karen
7/26/04
Amanda, I think you will need a tool for the rivets, they are a PAIN to do. At least I always had trouble doing those. I would just sew it.
Amanda
7/26/04
Oh, and I think for the Friday lunch that Samurai place sounds good. I can't think of the full name, but I have been craving it.
Amanda
7/26/04
Does anyone know anything about putting rivets in fabric? Like do I need one of the rivet tools? Tristen got her backpack for school but the strap is too long, we want to shorten it by putting in an extra rivet or two for the buckle. I found rivets that match, but the package said to use the rivet tool. I dont want to buy it, since this is the one time I will use it. I also could take out the stiches on the sewn end and shorten it that way, but I would rather do it with the rivets. Anyhow, I just thought I would ask, we have crafty people that frequent these pages.. :)
Lindsey
7/25/04
Man do we have a lot of stuff planned for this weekend. Can't wait to see everybody. Also remember to bring swimming suits!!! I'm not sure what days we're doing what though.
Emily
7/25/04
Hey everybody! Sounds like fun in Lincoln, we can't wait to see everyone on Saturday! The menu sounds delicious!! I think Erika and I are are going to bake some cookies or something too. We'll bring some games and stuff too, and I'm going to bring my dance recital tape too if we get some time to watch it.
We haven't been doing too much lately. Dad took me driving to Vermillion yesterday. I have to finish my 20 hours for drivers ed. by Thursday. I still have to get about 4 more!!!
You're getting a lot of road time in, Emily! And I heard about Erika's "Brownie Bites" -- I hope we get to sample them! :-) --Gary
Amanda
7/25/04
Here is a neat article that was in the Wichita Falls paper today about Iowa Park.
Amanda
7/25/04
Man, oh man, does that sound good! Tristen will be so pleased to see bacon on the list. I bet its chilly there, after looking at the Thursday night dinner, soup? A cold front moved in here again yesterday. Friday: 100, Saturday: 85, right now, Sunday morning: 65! I know you guys have been used to that, but come on, this is Texas, at the end of July! It's weird!!!
Gary
7/24/04
Okay, all the hard work done by the Planning Committee has been posted! (Posted on Grandma's refrigerator, actually.) I reproduce it here with their permission, and with the disclaimer that all is subject to modification and/or change:
|
Activities
Sprinkler Surprise!
Blanket Toss!
Air Hockey
Games & Entertainment (Facts in 5, cards, etc.)
Scavenger Hunt
Movies & Popcorn (Brother Bear, Finding Nemo, etc.)
|
Menu
THURSDAY:
Breakfast: Cereal, Milk, Juice, Bacon (maple syrup optional), Coffeecake, drinks
Lunch: Chicken Salad, Bread, Tossed Salad, drinks
Dinner: Vegetable Soup, Chicken Noodle Soup, Cheese and Crackers, Celery/Carrots, Cookies, drinks
FRIDAY:
Breakfast: Cereal, Coffeecake, drinks
Lunch: Everyone On Your Own!
Dinner: Valentino's!
SATURDAY:
Breakfast: Cereal, drinks
Lunch: 6-foot Subway Sandwich, Calzones, Pasta Salad, Beans, Tossed Salad, Relish Tray, Watermelon, Dessert, Punch/Tea
Dinner: Leftovers (see Lunch)
|
Anna
7/24/04
Hey everyone! I know I havent been on forever but I have been busy. We are having a lot of fun here and I CANT WAIT TILL EVERYONE COMES!!! Well today Gary, Grandma, Sam, Livy, Lindsey and I went to the farmers market. It was a little cold and rainy so not to many people were there. It was nice. Then Lindsey, Sam, Grandma and I came back here. We just stayed around here. Then later Gary and Donna came over. So not to big of a day and I cant wait to see all you guys!!:)
Amanda
7/24/04
Yes, she got the same sharks, in a take out box. But, she still has two left that I don't think she is going to eat, I think they were the same ones in the bin from last year! They were hard and it freaked her out about her loose tooth. We got a little rain and it cooled it off around here. Yesterday it was 100, this morning at 9 it is 75! Major change. We swam for about 2 hours yesterday and Teghan did it all by herself with the "big" swimsuit (the suit with the "life jacket" built into it). Ryan worked on the car all night, I'm excited, it'll be like a new car, well, new with 90,000 miles on it! He fixed my door, recharged the A/C, fixed some resistor thing with the A/C (it wouldn't work on settings 1 or 2), and some other thing for the adaptor thing to plug stuff in, like the DVD player the girls always watch. He did that because he wants to bring the laptop, and use it in the car, but it will need the occasional recharge. Hey Gary, for some reason I was reminiscing about the days when you used to bring your entire computer over to grandma's, like on Saturday nights and we would play Sims, you would set it up in the basement. How long ago was that? I was telling Ryan the story. Maybe we were talking about, "you know who needs a laptop...", since you used the lug it over, piece by piece. ANYHOW, now I'm just blabbing. We are getting excited to come!!!
Funny, Livy and I were just talking about that too (bringing my computer over to Grandma's). She couldn't understand why I would do that, and I explained "Well, in those days nobody else had a computer, so this way other people could play with it." She looked at me like I was 200 years old.... :-) Planning for next weekend is in good hands with Donna, Sam, Lindsey, Anna, and Olivia working on it. Watch this webpage for details on menus and activities! --Gary
Lindsey
7/23/04
Hey everybody, here's a quick update of our day, me, Sam, Anna, and Livy have been walking around campus all morning and now it's about 1:00 and we walked back to Gary's office and I think we are going to go to 13 Going On 30 in a little bit and going to the Nebraska Bookstore as well. Also today for lunch, me, Sam, Anna, and Livy went to Spaghetti Works for lunch which was really good! So talk to everyone later, bye!
Lindsey
7/23/04
Amanda~is Tristen still eating those blue gummy sharks? I remember when we came down last time she got a Chinese take out box full of them with chopsticks. :)
Gary
7/22/04
Rainy all day today, and cooler weather here tomorrow. Woo-hoo! Especially as the Minnebraska Four are going to be visiting the campus tomorrow. Armed with maps of the campus, they're going to spend all day checking out the museums, galleries, Student Union, etc., with my office as home base. Should be fun!
Hey, maybe you've heard that MoveOn.org has filed a petition with the FTC against the Fox News Network, charging them with deceptive advertising practices (as they are not a news channel but actually a proaganda machine bought and paid for the Republican Party)? MoveOn has a documentary about this called "Outfoxed", which yesterday and today is being shown to members of Congress. Yay for them! Anyway, on the subject of skewing the news, here's a joke I heard today:
Two boys in Dallas were playing basketball when one of them was attacked by a vicious rabid dog.
Thinking quickly, the other boy ripped a board off a nearby fence and clubbed the dog with it, breaking the dog's neck.
A newspaper reporter from the Dallas paper witnessed the incident and
rushed over to interview the boy. The reporter began entering data into his laptop, beginning with the headline:
"Brave Young Dallas Cowboys Fan Saves Friend From Jaws Of Vicious Animal"
"But I'm not a Cowboys fan," the little hero said. "Sorry," replied the reporter. "But since we're in Dallas, I just assumed you were." Hitting the delete key, the reporter began
"George Bush Supporter Rescues Friend From Horrific Dog Attack"
"But I'm not a Bush supporter either," the boy responds.
The reporter says, "I just assumed everybody in this state was either for the Cowboys or for Bush. What team or person do you like?"
"I'm a Boston Celtics fan and I really like John Kerry," the boy says. Hitting the delete key, the reporter begins again:
"Arrogant Little Liberal Bastard Kills Beloved Family Pet"
Amanda
7/22/04
Yeah, she needs to eat a Runza while we are there... :) Actually, I don't think it is that loose yet, but yesterday she got some "gummy sharks" from the candy store at the mall and when she ate them she said, "wow, these are old and hard, they really hurt my loose tooth."
Karen
7/22/04
Amanda, tell Tristen to hang on to those teeth until we see her in Lincoln. I will have a tooth fairy pillow for her then :)
Lindsey, Sam, and Anna
7/22/04
Hey everybody, sorry we haven't written much but been busy doing stuff. But tomorrow we are just going to hang out here and then Friday we are going to walk around campus and go to Gary's work and stuff so talk to everyone later, bye.
Amanda
7/21/04
I guess I explained that wrong, I had one from my teeth losing days and I thought maybe I had that still for her to use. So any sort of pillow with a pocket will do the job!
Karen
7/21/04
Teghan, I love your Bob bob bed. Is that one that has the inflatable mattress attached? I don't think I made a tooth fairy pillow for Tristen, but I am handy with a sewing machine. Tell me what it looks like and I'll try to make one...
Grossly hot and extremely humid here for the past 3-4 days, but cooler weather is to be coming. Emily is almost done with drivers ed class, then she is back to dance practice. Erika went to the museum for a log cabin class today. Think she had about 6 kids, seemed to enjoy it. Otherwise it has been pretty quiet around here.
Amanda
7/21/04
Here are some photos of Teghan with her new Bob bob bed. We bought it for her today since she no longer sleeps in the playpen thing when we travel. She is in it right now watching cartoons in the living room. I also meant to tell everyone, Tristen wants everyone to know that she has 2 loose teeth, one that is really loose. I thought I still had my tooth fairy pillow that grandma or Karen made, but I can't find it. Anyone reading this handy with a sewing machine??? :):)
Amanda
7/20/04
Nothing new here really. We are excited to come to Lincoln. Tristen just found out last night that she will be missing the birthday party of one of her best friends the Saturday we will be there, but she didn't seem real upset! She is very excited for Lindsey & Olivia to come here too. I had my first Astronomy test last night, it was hard... Then today I take my online test whenever I get 50 minutes of uninterrupted time, hmm, what is that?? This weekend Ryan has a little car work to do, some minor maintenance, but he will be recharging the A/C, I can't wait for that!
Gary
7/19/04
I think the "meow mix" thing is Sam's idea of an update! :-) Because except for that it has been awfully quiet here, no kidding Emily! I guess everybody is too busy having fun to sit down and write. Plus, as Lindsey said, their computer has been down for quite a while -- but more on that later!
Saturday night was a big event: the Eukanuba Dog Show on TV. Three hours of dog after dog after dog.... We did have treats -- dog treats, like Milk-Bone-shaped graham crackers (an official Scooby product) and Snausages (little cubes of cheese and summer sausage). For the record, Livy said "Oh, he's so cuuuuuuute!" approximately 292 times (I lost count).
I had to work today, but I understand the four girls (TFG?) offered to make dinner for Grandma tonight, so they went shopping and then spent the afternoon in Lori's kitchen making turkey enchilladas. Lindsey tells me they were very good.
I was talking with Lindsey just now when she called to tell me their computer is back from the shop and in good working order. So I'm going over there tomorrow to install some virus software and other stuff (everybody did see my "Protect Your Computer" page, right?), plus some cool new games.
Way too hot here today: high humidity and temp over 100.... Only 47 days to the first Big Red football game, however!
Emily
7/19/04
Hey everybody! Its been kinda quiet on here lately, whats going on in Lincoln with everyone? Can't wait to see everyone when we come down!!
Dad built a TV/entertainment stand a few days ago, I'll send in some pics of it soon. I think Erika has another Museum class in a few days, and I only have 2 more weeks until drivers ed is over!!
Whats with the Cats like meow mix thing, Sam??
Samantha
7/17/04
Now remember everyone...Cats like meow mix!!
Amanda
7/16/04
Why, is someone staying at the Cornhusker?
I believe the Hatgidakis' are (including Zach). --Gary
Lindsey
7/16/04
We just found out there is a pool at the Cornhusker so everybody bring their swimming suits.
Gary
7/16/04
It looks like she really will do time. It is being appealed, but the legal expert news-heads I listened to today said it was unlikely to be overturned; they said it was a very fair trial and Martha had already been granted many concessions. She sure wasn't being repentant on the courthouse steps after the verdict: She gave her version of "this is a dark day for American justice" speech, saying the prosecutors blew it all out of proportion. You did the crime, Martha -- do the time! :-)
Emily, sounds like you had a really interesting day, including a sighting of the next Vice-President of the United States!
Amanda
7/16/04
So, prison for Martha. Boy, would I like to be a fly on the wall in her cell! If she gets there I guess, she got a stay in her sentence because there will be appeals.
Emily
7/16/04
Hey everybody! Well on Wednesday we went to Des Moines. 4 other guys and our 2 sponsors went. We left about 6 in the morning. We got to the capitol about 10 and we got a tour of the building. We got to see the House of Representatives' Chamber and the Senate Chamber, there wasn't anyone there when we were there so we could walk around and look at everything, it was really cool. We could also go up this BIG staircase to a little balcony that went around the very top of the building and you could look all the way down to the ground floor, and there was a really pretty mural painted on the dome. We also saw the State Law Library it was really cool, there were these big spiral stair cases that went up to these balconies where the books were. There are I think about 200,000 volumes in there, which makes this library one of the largest law libraries in the United States. It was all really pretty. Then we had our meeting for about an hour or so, then we went to lunch. We got to see John Edwards talk for awhile outside the capitol while we were there too. It was a fun day, but I was soo tired! We got home about 7 that night.
It sounds like everyone is having fun in Lincoln! I loved the first Spiderman movie, I want to see the second one soon too! Were planning on coming to Lincoln the same time Amandas do, so see you guys soon!!
Gary
7/16/04
We had a slight glitch in getting Olivia's review of Spiderman 2 posted last night, but it is there now. Check it out!
Lindsey
7/15/04
Hey everyone! Me, Sam, Anna, and Olivia are at Gary's office right now and that is where I am writing this. Anyways today we all including Grandma and Donna went to Spiderman 2 and it was GREAT! I'm not much into superheros but I saw the first one and thought it was good so I had to see the second one and loved it even more! Anyways then we split up and me, Anna, Sam, Olivia, and Gary went to Petco for a while and then came to Gary's office and so we have been meeting people and getting a tour around. Not sure what Grandma and Donna are doing right now. But we are having fun and can't wait for everyone to come down! Bye!
Karen
7/15/04
Been a couple of busy days around here! Finally have the all the painting finished. Erika helped me with the last few things yesterday. The slip covers are all done and looking so much better than the worn out chairs. Emily had her trip to Des Moines yesterday -- long day, but I think she had a great time -- lots to tell -- but I'll let her tell you all about it.
On Tuesday we went to Wausa to see a cousin of Brent's. He has been living in Sidney Austrailia for the past 15-20 years. Brent hadn't seen him since he was 10. Anyway, he is married to a Japanese woman, and she cooked us a Japanese meal. Not sure what all we had, but there was lots of sushi (no raw fish though). Very good and interesting. This afternoon we are going to the mall to check out the sidewalk sales. Erika has another class at the museum tomorrow, but not as excited about going as the last time. Teghan -- I LOVE the pictures of you! Such a pretty girl :) Can't wait to see you....
Amanda
7/14/04
I just got my grades from the summer 1 term. My hard work paid off. I got an A in Economics and an A in my Criminal Justice class! That brings my cumulative GPA to a 3.492! I am at 96 hours, I need 133 to graduate, so I am almost there. I am currently in 6 hours, which started on Monday, Astronomy and a Political Science class that is an internet class. I will be done with these two the 2nd week of August and fall semester starts at the end of August, time is flying!
Way to go on the two A's! That deserves a blast from the past: the congratulatory running dog! --Gary
Amanda
7/14/04
OK, so long as nothing comes up we will be coming to Lincoln. We will leave here Wednesday night, so we will get there Thursday the 29th in the morning. We will be there Thursday-Sunday. We will have to leave early Monday morning. Tristen is very excited. This morning she was getting ready to go bowl with a kids group at the Methodist church here in town and kept yawning, I told her she needed to get better sleep before we go to Lincoln so that she wasn't tired while we were there, and as serious as can be she says, "Well, once I get my groove on I will be awake." What a wierdo.
Grandma
7/14/04
Whew! What a busy week for an old lady! But it is fun and I am enjoying it, "The Girls" are still asleep, even tho' I roused Linz at 9:30 as per her instructions last night. Lots cooler so far and humidity is better, had rain last night, but I never heard it. Don't know what is going on today, maybe Donna will work from home today and finish early
and will organize a shopping trip. Think I will make pizza for supper. Ceaser wants a treat, but I don't have any any more, I think he will settle for a pretzel. Amanda, Hope you get all the details worked out so you can come up and Karen's too. Wish Emily and Erika were here now. Two more on the floor would be great!
Lindsey
7/13/04
Hey everyone! Sorry I haven't written lately but have been busy and our computer is down at home. But anyways have been having a lot of fun. Amandas--hope you can make it down! Can't wait to see you guys soon! Anyways, not much else but I will try to write more! Bye guys!
Gary
7/13/04
Well, it's purely for shorthand purposes. I didn't really expect it to catch on. Let's see, there's also ALSO... Or LASO... Or SALL (which rhymes with "mall"!)... Maybe we should have a contest...? In the update department: ALSO came to Grandma's this evening for dinner (actually only ALS, as Olivia went to a sleepover birthday party); also present were myself, Donna, and Sean and Lauren. On the menu was a chicken and pasta dish, corn on the cob, a tossed salad, fresh rolls, watermelon, iced tea, and a cherry cheesecake with a chocolate crust for dessert. Yum! Then Sean faced Lindsey across the air hockey table: Game 1, Lindsey 8-4; Game 2, Sean 9-4; Game 3, an 8-8 tie; and the sudden-death 1-point playoff went to SEAN! A tense and exciting back-and-forth battle!
Amanda
7/13/04
Gary, I know you are trying for a cute acronym for the girls (SOLA, GOF), but it ain't workin'. Keep trying.
Gary
7/13/04
I'll try a little updating:
Yesterday was mall-day. I took SOLA (Sam, Olivia, Lindsey, Anna) to the Mall about 2 pm. Now, for me, a trip to the mall might take 15 minutes. So to be generous, I said, "How about if we meet back here in an hour?" They looked at me as though I had grown two heads and both were speaking Hindu, so I quickly gathered that an hour wasn't enough. We agreed on two hours; I did my 15 minutes, then went home and turned the air conditioning up full blast. (Horrible hot humid day here yesterday, and today -- and by the way, we all just received an email here on the campus announcing that the cooling system has broken down; so I may be going home a bit early today!) So anyway, at 4 I went back to the agreed-upon spot, and SOLA were right on time; but they announced they needed more time. Lindsey swept her arm in a northerly direction and said, "We haven't even been to that part of the mall yet!" So we made it another hour and a half, during which time I went to Grandma's and took her to Target for a quick shopping trip she needed. Then back to the mall, where SOLA arrived right on time again -- each with lots of shopping bags and each with a dish of Dippin' Dots. That evening they all went to Lindsey & Livy's place to spend the night (last night) and swim all day today. Tonight, back to Grandma's for supper: a Tuscan pasta/chicken dish, the mere mention of which caused Lindsey's eyes to glaze over a little and brought a slow smile to her face....
Amanda
7/13/04
Oh yeah, Emily you were right, everyone needs to be a bit more talkative on here!!!
Amanda
7/13/04
OK, still not set in stone, but 1/2 the work is done. Ryan got some days off at the end of the month. So long as my school schedule works out (and I hope to find out tonight when I go to class) we may drive to Lincoln overnight Wednesday night (remember Ryan is on the overnight shift now, so that is his awake time) so we will be there Thursday 29th (but Ryan will sleep), Friday 30th, Saturday 31st, & Sunday 1st. We will leave early Monday 2nd as I will have to get home before class starts at 6:30 that night. Both my mom & Ryan's mom (and sisters) will be out of town this whole weekend. I take that back, Cathy, Steph and Tracie will be back for Sunday, so I'm sure we will see them that day. Anyhow, that's our working plan.
Amanda
7/12/04
This is a sad article about a guy that I had class with just last week. I heard about it this morning when we started new classes. He was either a Criminal Justice minor like me, or maybe a major. Either way, I didn't know him real well, but have had 2 classes with him and sat by him on the bus when we went on the prison tour. Anyhow, it hit close to home this morning when I heard the news. (Or go to our newspaper.)
Emily
7/12/04
Hey everybody! Its been kinda quiet on here lately. Whats everyone doing in Lincoln??
Sort of quiet down here too. It has been so hot and humid nobody (well, me anyway) wants to go outside. Yesterday Grandma, Donna, and the Gang of Four (Sam, Anna, Lindsey, Livy) went shopping in the morning; then in the afternoon and evening we played games and watched movies. Today I'm taking the GOF to the mall where I'm afraid everybody (except me) is going to get something or other pierced. Then maybe some games and an early evening -- I'm taking today off, but tomorrow is a work day. I understand Olivia has a birthday party to go to tomorrow. And on Thursday or Friday we're all going to see Spiderman 2! Can't wait! --Gary
Amanda
7/11/04
Well, if we would come it would be for Friday July 30th (hopefully we would leave Thursday afternoon or night sometime) and Saturday July 31, we would have to leave early Sunday.. We will know more in the next couple of days after Ryan checks if taking leave is possible and I see how my next classes will go, they start Monday.
Karen
7/10/04
Amanda, we would definitely come to Lincoln if you guys were coming too. We were thinking of going one weekend in July anyway. It would be great to have everyone be there :)
Amanda
7/10/04
That new recipe is very good! Maybe a bit too much lemon flavor, but nonetheless, excellent!! It's very quick too.
Amanda
7/9/04
We are considering a quick trip to Lincoln the last weekend of July if EVERYONE will be there. But, we need specific dates so Ryan can take a day or two off. It is only a SLIM chance right now, but we are talking about it... Dad, we can trade cars and bring the girls and maybe grandma home with us for a week or so. :)
Gary
7/9/04
Sam and Anna have been telling us about all the great dishes Zach turns out in the kitchen or on the grill. So what I want to know is: How come we got stuck with these two?? Next time send Zach! :-)
Marsha
7/9/04
Our air conditioner is broken and we are waiting for a part...but we have been lucky with cool weather, although that's about to change over the weekend. We plan to pick up Sam and Anna the last weekend in July Emily, it would be fun if you guys came too! Hopefully we will have Anna's room painted pink with all the wood paneling painted lattice white by then. I'm stripping wallpaper tomorrow and washing everything. Does anyone in this family have a knee that does not hurt? Zach mowed the grass today, after all the rain it really needed it.
Grandma
7/8/04
Just viewed the Nelson's L.R. and it looks really pretty, nice color! Bet you are glad to have everything clean and pretty at the same time. Emily, you can drive down and see us, anytime. Or do you have to have a license too? This week has gone amazingly fast. The weather has been great, even tho' it is due to heat up tomorrow. Erika, you got double the fun with all those kids you weren't expecting. Hope it didn't discourage you from going back, because it sounds like a fun job to me. We are being lazy today, Livy and I played a couple games of Air Hockey (thanx for loaning the game, Sean). We are having fun with it. Amanda, your tour of the prison sort of got to me just hearing about it, but it had to be interesting, to me that is capital punishment. Sam and Linz walked to Fazoli's for a smoothie. So far, we are having a great time!
Emily
7/8/04
Hey everybody! Our livingroom, diningroom, and entryway are ALL done now! I just sent in some pictures of the livingroom. They all look very nice, and now Mom is going to make some slip covers for the chairs. The material we got is kind of brownish tan and cream stripes, it looks really nice, and I'll get some pictures when they're all done!
Drivers Ed. has been going pretty well, but today while we were driving one of the guys I drive with ran over a squirrel!
Next Wednesday Im going to Des Moines with some other people on my committee for Mayors Youth Commission. We have to leave at 6:30 in the morning!! Its about a 3 hour drive, and we will be going to the Capitol building. There are going to be other groups like mine there, and we are going to be discussing the Keg Registration Bill. Im not sure exactly what all we will be doing, but I'll let you know when we get back!
Marsha -- We are trying to find out a good time to come down to Lincoln. We were going to come while you were there picking up Sam & Anna, do you know when you are going to be there yet??
Gary
7/8/04
A poll on CNN this morning (not a CNN/Gallup poll, but one they quoted -- Zogby?) puts Kerry-Edwards ahead of Bush-Cheney by 54%-43%. Nice numbers! Numbers which have the Repubs panicky: Some are calling for Bush to dump Cheney. Basically they're saying, "Hey, no fair! We want somebody popular too!" Bush has already declared he's sticking with Cheney, but I wouldn't be surprised if in the next few months Cheney steps down for "health reasons" and Bush picks a John McCain, a Rudy Giuliani, or a (God help us) Arnold Schwarzenegger. (Yes I know Schwarze-nazi is ineligible to be President according to the Constitution, but the Constitution has never stopped the Republicans before. If they thought that Austrian slab of meat could snag a few electoral votes, the Republicans would amend the Constitution without batting an eye.) But to end back on a positive note: Look at those numbers! :-)
Erika
7/7/04
I had my Blues Clues class at the museum today. We were planning on haveing about 25 kids and about 50 came! The clues were Corn Palace.
Wow, Erika! Busy day for you! Is this your museum, with all the secret rooms? Cool building! --Gary
Emily
7/7/04
Hey everybody! Sounds like everyone is having fun in Lincoln. Hopefully we will be able to come down sometime while everyone is there.
We've been pretty busy the past few weeks here. We finished painting the living room and entryway last night, and we moved all the furniture in this morning. It looks really nice with the dining room, we'll get some pictures in soon!
Drivers Ed. has been going well, I didn't have to be there until 9:30 today so that was better! I will be starting dance and cheerleading again in August, so that will be fun until school starts.
Hope your knee feels better Gary! I have problems with mine sometimes too, its not fun!!
Yeah, I guess all us dancers have bad knees... :-) --Gary
Gary
7/7/04
Beautiful weather here too. The knews on my knee is that it's much better today. Which I owe to my two trainers -- Lindsey and Anna, both veterans of knee trouble -- who suggested alternating hot and cold packs, plus Alleve. Huge improvement since then! Pain almost gone.
Which is a good thing, as I have to be in peak condition for the air hockey marathon going on in Grandma's garage. Sean's air hockey table has been set up there, and it is getting lots of play. I don't know what the official tally is at the moment (the record is being kept on a chalkboard on the wall in the garage), but everybody -- including Donna and Grandma -- have had both impressive victories and humiliating defeats.
Karen
7/7/04
I'm glad to see Kerry picked Edwards. I think he will help.
I spent all day yesterday painting the livingroom, just finished this morning painting the entryway. Marsha, you are welcome to borrow my ladder, I am retiring!!! What color are you painting Anna's room? Does she know it is getting painted while she is gone? Emily is doing well in drivers ed class. She gets to go to Des Moines next week for Mayors Youth Commission. Doing something about the keg registration, not sure what. Erika is going to the museum this afternoon. Has another Blues Clues class to help with. Gary your knee sounds like what happened to me, arthritis?? I find that Aleve helps when mine flares up. Ryan, how was the cotton candy stand? Sounded like a fun time to me:) Nice and cool again today. Yesterday we were barely in the 70's, but hot summer weather to come tomorrow.
Gary
7/6/04
I understand Kerry, before announcing the Edwards pick, wanted to send out an email with that news to all his supporters and contributors. I just now got the email, so -- go ahead, John, you're on! :-)
Also on CNN this morning they showed a New York newspaper (owned by Fox) with one of those amazing mistakes like the "Dewey Wins!" headline that Truman held up in that famous photograph. This Fox paper had a big picture of Kerry shaking Dick Gephardt's hand with the huge headline "Kerry Picks Gephardt." Ouch! I'd like to see tomorrow's edition...
Gary
7/6/04
Yeah, Edwards is popular with Democrats. I'm hoping he'll be popular with the undecideds and borderline Republicans, as those votes will be needed. That news from Arizona is good -- hadn't heard that. Arizona is 10 electoral votes and is one of those states that could go either way so it's good to not have Nader in there.
As to the other really important news -- my knee -- that's good too. It just started hurting two nights ago dring the fireworks, for no reason. Next day, yesterday, very painful -- could hardly walk. Told myself if it wasn't better in the morning I'd see the doctor. But it was noticeably better this morning. Still hurts to walk, so I'm taking the day off from work. But it is getting better. No idea what it is though.
Amanda
7/6/04
I see that unofficially Edwards will be Kerry's VP running mate. A good choice if you ask me. I'm sure he did it because he gave him such good competition during the primaries, but he also caught my eye as a good candidate. I also see Nader was not allowed on the Arizona ballot, that is one good little sign, let's keep that up.
Marsha
7/5/04
We started off July 4th in Des Moines with a fantastic brunch at the hotel and then had a lovely drive home, none of the torrential downpours we had on the way down. Got home and relaxed, no fireworks here, and we had the same dinner as the Metcalfs around 9:00. We really enjoyed Ames and Perry with everyone -- Perry is really a pretty town! It's sure quiet here!! We miss Sam and Anna!! (Sunny really misses you too :) We are feeding Mr. Bo Jangles and I think he is doing ok. Bought paint for Anna's room, Karen, bring over your ladder and paint a while. Gary, how is your knee doing? Zach likes his new job so far. The Nelson's dining room looks great, it is almost the same color as our kitchen, and our neighbors just painted their kitchen yellow too.
Amanda
7/5/04
We had a decent fourth. Last year was better. It was really hot, got to almost 100. We were outside at "Freedom Fest" at the base from 2-4 and almost died of heat. There wasn't much there. The girls got cotton candy and Ryan got a turkey leg and we saw some entertainment. Then we came home to cool off, and vegged for a bit. Then we went to try to do our little bit of fireworks at the old lake that they allow us to do it at (EVERYTHING, even sparklers and snakes are illegal in Iowa Park) and they started charging $5 to go on lake property at 5 PM, and we got there at 5 PM. So we didn't go. We came home and did the little bit we had, but Ryan wasn't able to do the bottle rockets. Then everything was closed and we needed dinner, so we had gross Pizza Hut. We went to back to Sheppard for fireworks at 10. They were pretty good, lasted about 30 minutes. However, last year Ft. Sill had a much better show, it had patriotic music blaring and all.
Karen
7/5/04
We had a great 4th too. Glad to hear that Sam and Anna made it to Lincoln. We went to the farm, Brent's sisters and mom were there. Had a wonderful meal, got to see the two little kitties. Then about 10 we went out to do a lot of fireworks. Such a difference to actually be able to see the fireworks this year. No trees or neighbors blocking the view. It cooled off and was almost chilly. A perfect night. We could even see the fireworks from a few of the small towns around their farm. All in all a very enjoyable night.
Gary
7/4/04
Hey, we had a fun 4th at Grandma's!
Sam and Anna were there, along with Donna, Paul, Lori, Lindsey and Livy (and Caesar). Livy brought over her bike which she had decorated to ride in the neighborhood 4th of July parade -- two flags, and lots of red, white, and blue streamers. We cooked out on the grill; later the four girls had a water balloon fight; and then as soon as the sun went down we were treated to a fireworks show. Paul and Lindsey were our official lighters, but Sam and Livy set off a few here and there. And the show in our yard was helped out by all Grandma's neighbors -- lots of spectacular displays on all sides of us. (The only one who didn't enjoy the show was Caesar, who spent the whole time inside, barking and whimpering.) Hope the rest of you had as much fun as we did!
Paul and Lori
7/4/04
Happy Fourth of July everybody,
Had a really nice time in Ames picking up Sam and Anna,
Good luck Emily in Drivers Ed. Looking for cars yet?
Amanda your tour sounds very interesting to me.
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
7/4/04
Happy 4th of July!!
Nelson's
7/3/04
Happy 4th of July!!!!
Amanda
7/2/04
We watched 50 First Dates tonight, good movie, but, at the beginning of the movie we found out something great, Seinfeld is coming to DVD!! Can't wait, we are there.
Gary
7/2/04
Wanna be in the movies? Then hop on a plane and get over to Wellington, New Zealand. And bring along a "head shot" (a photo of yourself). Filming has begun on Peter Jackson's "King Kong" and he advertised today in the Wellington papers, seeking hundreds of extras for the street scenes and crowd scenes. (I imagine you'll be asked to do a lot of running and going "Aaaaaaaaaahhhh!!") So here we go on another of my all-time favorite movies -- and just when you thought I was finally shutting up about "Lord of the Rings"! :-)
Amanda
7/2/04
For the 4th we are going to the base, they are going to have tons of booths with food, games and crafts. They will have music, a car show, an effort to break the record for world's largest lemonade and fireworks at 10. Ryan will be working at a cotton candy booth for some friends of ours (she is the PTA president and needs help, not for Tristen's school though) for an hour.
Karen
7/2/04
Amanda, glad to hear that your candle arrived. That was fast, mailed late Monday afternoon. They do smell good. I've been burning mine too.
So what is everyone doing for the 4th? We are going to Brent's sister -- the farm. Sure Brent will load up on the fireworks this year. Should be legal -- or at least too far for anyone to know about them.
Amanda
7/1/04
Hey, I got my Home Interiors candle in the mail today and it is burning and it smells SO GOOD! I'm so glad I ordered it!!
Emily
7/1/04
Hey everybody! Well, I started driver's ed last week. The first 2 days we just had a short class, but today we started driving and the simulators. I have to be there from 7:00 to 11:00 on tuesday and thursday, on thoes days I drive and do the simulator and we have class. On Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I just have class from 9:00 to 11:00.
For the 4th we are going to my aunt and uncle's farm and grill out and stuff and do fireworks there (so we wont be arrested this year!) And Laura is going to bring her 2 new kitties to show us, she thinks she is going to name them Nemo and Bandit.
Amanda -- your tour sounds really interesting, kinda creepy too though!
Lindsey
7/1/04
Amanda--that would be a different feeling. It would be interesting but just how you described them staring was creepy to me.
Karen
7/1/04
Amanda -- what a creepy, but interesting experience! Don't think I would want to go in...
Amanda
7/1/04
Yesterday I went on a tour at the prison located here between Wichita Falls and Iowa Park. We went for a Criminal Justice class (remember, that is my minor) to the James V. Allred Unit. It is a maximum security prison which can hold close to 4,000 inmates and it does. We toured the maximum security block, and the super max block, though today they are called administrative segregation because maximum security isn't nice enough. It was a very creepy experience. We also toured parts of the general population, which houses inmates that commited crimes NOT against humans, the max wings are the BAD ones, they are one to a cell and never come out of their cell. They may earn one hour a week out of their cell only to go into an area with bars by themselves. They eat, sleep and shower in their cells. The Allred Unit is the third largest in Texas and houses the most gang members in the system. 3 days ago a guard was attacked by an inmate with a homemade weapon and we saw the guard, he was back to work, the inmate shipped out, probably for a worse fate. A few things that I can't shake from the experience is the smell, it's undescribable, and yet I will never forget it. Also the staring. They are all behind steel doors (except the general population, they kind of roam freely, under close supervision obviously) with a rectangle window about 24 inches by 5 inches and every window had a face in it and the eyes followed you. When we were outside the buildings they had even smaller windows, but they still had eyes in each one. When we went in the super max area you could tell bad things happen in there because the many guards that escorted us tensed up and we didn't go very far into there. It was like a jungle, every noise imaginable was heard, and if I had been able to make out what they were yelling I may have been embarrassed. The whole experience was different. Obviously like nothing I have been through, and never want to. Actually, the warden who took us around used to work at the womens unit in Texas and said he would take the worst of the worst men over women, that they were worse. I'd like to see some theories researched on that one. Anyhow, I'm sure I am leaving something out, but I wanted to share my experience.