Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter
Old news: August 2004
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Hatgidakis Family
8/31/04
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LIVY!!!
Lindsey
8/31/04
Hey Gary, do you think Saturday one of the cool sites could be Build-A-Bear because that's what Olivia's doing for her birthday party that day. Or else tomorrow for her birthday or something.
Can do! Check tomorrow's cool sites. --Gary
Grandma
8/31/04
Happy Birthday, Livy!!
Lindsey
8/30/04
Hey Amanda--I miss that Birthday Cake ice-cream alot! I was looking for something for dessert last night and thought of that! Could send some up? :) Just kidding!
Well today was our first full day of class and it went on FOREVER it seemed like!
Gary
8/30/04
Although you wouldn't know it by reading the news (CNN didn't mention it at all on their front webpage today, and on MSNBC's page a link was buried halfway down in tiny type), there were huge protests against Bush in New York City yesterday. Crowd was officially estimated to be at least 120,000; other estimates were as high as 200,000 and 400,000. And this, even though protesters were kept well away from "high visibility" areas (meaning, we don't want to see them on the news tonight...). Of course, you youngsters won't remember this, but by jiminy! In my day a couple of hundred thousand people could march on Washington and it would get the attention of the news services. It focused the national debate on an issue, and it stopped a war. Now, under our Fuehrer, it doesn't even make the news. This is a "liberal" press?? Much higher up on MSNBC's page, and in bigger type, is this headline: "Chocolate may improve blood vessel health." I miss America!
Olivia
8/30/04
Donna, if you think cats are better, how about the dogs on the front page. What about that huh! A dog that can cook and a dog in the bath not really funny thoe, and the dog with a huge stick like 2 the size of his mouth.
Gary
8/30/04
All this week, in preparation for the first Husker game this Saturday, I'll be running two cool sites every day -- all of them websites of Nebraska fans in other states. It's kind of interesting to read about their activities, where they meet to watch the games, etc. For example, the Californians had a picnic last month and for a special treat they flew in runzas from Lincoln. And the Alaskans are dedicated fans: Game time is 8 a.m.! :-)
Shelby
8/29/04
Hey, Amanda, Ryan, My Mom, Tristen, Teghan, and I all went to Six Flags Over Texas. It was a blast!! Me and Ryan went on a lot of big rides, and tristen and teghan went on a lot of very cute rides. Teghan is the bravest tot i have ever seen! :)
Olivia
8/29/04
Today I had a soccor game at 1 but we lost...AGIAN. But we did better than last time. But it's not fair because were playing 6th graders and some of them were almost as tall as Lindsey! I mean these girls are hard to play but theyre easier then last time. My first game they were picky but this time they were really nice and stuff.
Emily
8/29/04
Hey everybody! Yesterday I had my cheer camp in Storm Lake. We had to leave at about 7 and got there at 9. First we learned two dances, and about 8 cheers and chants. Then we went to lunch, and when we came back they broke us up into smaller groups and we worked on jumps and some stunts. We got home around 5, It was a long day but it was fun!
I had my first day of classes on Firday, and I already have tons of homework!!! I think I will like most of them.
On Tuesday I have my first teen court session. I am going to be a juror, it should be fun.
Olivia, it sounds like you had a fun early birthday!
Lindsey, your new printer/fax/scanner sounds cool. We got one like that a while ago, we really like it, hope you guys do too!
Lindsey
8/28/04
Hey everyone, we just got back from Best Buy where we bought a new printer/fax/scanner in one and it also prints photos. We just got done setting it up and I've been trying some things out on it and they gave us some of the glossy paper to try printing photos and I was amazed at how well it worked. I just took a picture I had taken with my digital camera and it looks like it was developed somewhere. But it has a flatbed scanner on top, so that will be nice but it's an Epson Stylus CX 5400 if anybody knows what those are or wants to see what it looks like on the internet. But talk to everyone later!
Olivia
8/28/04
Last night we went to Shogun for dinner (where they cook in front of you) with my grandma and grandpa Megrue and my uncle Dan for my birthday because they were going to be out of town on the week of my birthday. I got this one pinnaple thing (from shogun) with little swords and an unbrella and an orange on the side with a candle in it and they took 2 pictures and gave them to me. One of them was in a little green kind of folder and said I think happy birthday in japinese. They gave me (from grandma and grandpa) a pillow that was like a soccor ball but it was really soft and squshey, then they got me like a box type thing that had puppies on it with dog bones inside and on the front there was Izzy as a puppy, the other thing I got was a plush puppy, it was white with 4 or 5 light brown spots on it. It was named Scrappy. I had lots of fun!!!!!
Donna
8/27/04
So who thought we've been cat heavy on the front page??? Emily or Erika maybe? ;-)
Not likely! :-) It was actually some Lincoln webpage regulars... --Gary
Donna
8/27/04
Hey Lindsey, I had planned to give you Oscar when everyone was here--but I forgot. I'm ready to pass it off to you any time--maybe this weekend? And I want to make one last stop to Eyes of the World before the sale ends so let me know if you want to go.
Lindsey
8/26/04
Hey guys, I was also looking at the Christmas site to see who everyone had, and maybe this year we could do a thing where everybody puts a couple things down they would like in the price range so we know some ideas at least of what to get because some people are really hard to buy for so maybe some ideas this year?
Lindsey
8/26/04
Hey Donna--I was just looking at the Oscar Site and when is it my turn to get the Oscar? Trying to hold out on me? :) Just kidding. I don't even know if it's halfway yet!
Shelby
8/26/04
I agree with you Olivia, i prefer dogs better than cats. LOL, sorry donna. But i also own 2 cats, so its all good
Shelby
8/26/04
Im going to be going into 8th grade. I will have to have most of my classes in portables. As for gym activitys, we will use Scott Middle School's gym. Im so0o0o excited :)
Karen
8/26/04
Well my first of day of school is over too. Have a different schedule this year. There isn't going to be a preschool this year. Had an open house on Tuesday and only 6 kids had signed up so they decided it wouldn't make sense to keep it going. So the principal made me another deal. So now I will work everyday from 10 to 3. I'll be doing recesses in the morning and helping out in the 1st grade class in the afternoon. Today went very well and hopefully tomorrow will too :)
Erika
8/26/04
Today was my first day at West Middle; I could basicly open my locker. My shoe kinda broke in 5th period. I only had my afternoon classes today; I hate Life Skilles so much. I would tell what classes I had today, but I left my scheduel in my locker. Tomorrow I have my morning classes for the first time. The lunch is sooooooooooo much better.
Emily
8/26/04
Hey everybody! Well I had my first day of school today. I went in at 1, and we went to our homerooms and got our schedules and lockers. Tomorrow we will go to our classes. My schedule is 1. Dance Squad, 2. Debate (first semester), 2. Art 2D (second semester), 3. Spanish 2, 4. Geometry, 5. Biology 2 Lab, 6. English, 7. World History
Shelby, what grade are you going to be in this year?
Donna
8/26/04
Shelby, what do you mean your school isn't ready yet? Will it be by the time you start?
Shelby
8/26/04
Thanks Grandma Jo, i hope that i have fun even though my school isnt ready yet!
I'm sure it will be better than it was a few months ago! Like this... (See also some great pictures of the town after the storm here and here! I like "Hallam--Ford Tough"!) Have a fun first day, and let us know what it was like! --Gary
Olivia
8/25/04
Donna, you know that's not true, I like cats, yes, but dogs are just all around better!
Lindsey
8/25/04
FCS is Family and Consumer Science. I'm also in Diff (differentiated) classes for Geometry, English, and Biology. But dance is busy too, not sure when our first competition is though.
Donna
8/25/04
Olivia, Amanda says you LOVE cats and that you wanted to take Zoe home with you. What about that? Huh? Sounds like you really do like cats better than dogs. Why don't you just admit it?
Grandma
8/25/04
Welcome to the webpage, Shelby! Only 8 more days til Norris reopens, I hope everything goes well. I saw a lot of donations came in for teachers there to help them cope. Have a fun year!
We had a real T-Storm a few minutes ago, have a little over an inch in my gauge.
Everybody sounds SO busy all your schedules sound mind boggling to me! I hope you all know where you're going and know how to get there.
Livy, are you talking 'trash' to your soccer rivals? tsk tsk!
Erika, have you mastered your locker and do you love your new school?
Have a fun new school year, you all!!
Gary
8/25/04
Wow, big crashing thunderstorm here right now (11 am). Big huge raindrops, sky so dark that the crickets were chirping a little while ago, and we were just a minute ago getting some hail. Stay inside, Lincolnites!
Anna
8/24/04
Hey everyone! Well my first day of school does not start until the first. But until then I am playing volleyball. Practice until school starts runs from 3:30-6 Monday-Thursday. Then when school starts I have practice everyday after school from 3:30-5:30. My first game is on the 9th. I cant wait!
Olivia
8/24/04
On Sunday I had a soccor game at 3:00 I thought we could win but we lost by 4 points! We had ZIP (0) At half time was over we were starting and there best player was starting it off & she said are you guys ready to lose it's already 3 to 0 and then I said well ya know what your just saying that because your to afraid to lose so shut it we can still catch up. Then after half time one of our players was trying to get it away from the other player & hit it into the goal on accedent. Today at soccor practice head but with the soccor ball it's fun. Today I had a great day of school & my friend is in a different class and she got three sheets of homework on the first day and I got 0.
Olivia
8/24/04
True the dog did eat the wedding cake but he might frame the cat like in the co-cola channel. Now that dog was pretty darn smart, if ya know what I mean! Just because the cat was playing the card game on the computer dosn't mean that cats are better or smarter. I mean have ya ever heard or seen of a cat rescue an animal or person from falling off a HUGE cliff and I mean HUGE cliff, Well I have, a German Shepard rescued his owner, and a Shetland Sheepdog rescued his owner's son from bleeding from a cut on his arm when everyone was sleeping. Preety amazing huh!
Emily
8/24/04
Hey everybody! Well we have to go back to school on Thursday. But, that day I don't have to be there until 1. Just the freshmen go in the morning. We got our schedules a while ago, but I had to have some things changed on mine so I'm not sure what order they're in but I know that I'm taking World History, Geometry, English, Bio2 Lab, Spanish 2, Art, Debate, and dance squad is my first period.
I have a Mayor's Youth Commission meeting tonight. We're going to be giving a presentation about what we did when we went to Des Moines.
Hope everyone has fun at school!
Amanda
8/24/04
I see. Home Ec isn't PC anymore huh? I bet that is what Lindsey's FCS class is.
Erika
8/24/04
Amanda, TA is teacher advisory. We go there for about 10 minutes three times a day to take attendance and get notes for home. FACS is Family and Consumer Science (used to be called Home Ec).
Amanda
8/24/04
OK, what is FCS, TA-1, Ta-2, Facs tech, & mod tech? What happened to good ol Reading, writing & arithmatec (probably people couldn't spell arithmatic, like me!!)?
Lindsey
8/24/04
Hey everyone! I had freshmen day at school today (where only freshmen go) and we toured the school then ate lunch then went to our classes for like 10 minutes. My schedule is 1. Geometry 2. English 3. Biology 4. FCS 5. Computer Applications 6. Spanish 7. Civics. But today was crazy (tomorrow will be too with all the students there) but I think I'll be able to get to all my classes!
Erika
8/24/04
Today I went to West Middle for Openhouse, and I got my schedule, and locker my schedule goes TA-1, Math, History, P.E., Band, Ta-2 Lunch, Reading, life skills [1 quarter], Facs tech[2], Mod tech[3], Art[4], English, Sci/health, Ta-2.
Gary
8/24/04
Hey, how many quarters does it take to play the new Lord of the Rings pinball game?
None, it only takes Tolkiens.
And now that I have your attention, check out the "Taters Mix" -- it needs sound, so if you're at work, adjust yourself accordingly! :-)
Amanda
8/24/04
Well, I know that Olivia LOVES cats, she wouldn't leave Zoe alone, she wanted to take her home! (I begged her to do it!)
Donna
8/24/04
Olivia, I hope you see the pet pictures today. It clearly shows that cats are smart (cat playing on the computer) and dogs get in trouble (dog eating the wedding cake). Now you'll have to admit that cats are better than dogs. ;-)
Karen
8/23/04
We had a great time in Lincoln. It was a very last minute idea. Brent needed a few pictures to show how a drive through coffee shop could work in downtown SC (yes we live in SMALL town). So he thought someone in Lincoln could take a few digital pictures and email them to him. Since no one had a camera it was a road trip. We got there on Saturday morning and stayed over (Brent didn't come). Did lots of shopping and eating. Left about 2 and home by 4:30. All tired last night, but able to sleep this morning. We had a great time and glad it worked out. Thanks to Gary, Donna and Grandma for everything :)
Thanks to Karen, Emily, and Erika for making the drive both ways. We had lots of fun. Gateway, the dance store (where we ran into Lori and Lindsey), Kohl's, Eyes of the World, Facts in 5, E-Bay, Imaginiff, Chronology, pizza, deli sandwiches, and Dippin' dots! --Gary
Emily
8/22/04
Hey everybody! We just got home about 5. We're all really tired, but we had a lot of fun seeing everyone!!
Amanda
8/21/04
OK, so, Half.com was GREAT! I ordered the 4 books Tuesday, paid half of what retail was and I got all 4 today! Pretty good, considering they came from 4 different places!
Olivia
8/21/04
Today I had to go to soccor practice this morning at 10:00 then I got home at about 12:00 and had tacos. When my coach was working with the people who were doing goaly, the rest of the team played a game I was on the blue team and my team one. I scored a few goals too.
Amanda
8/20/04
What the heck? Talk about a spur of the moment trip!
Yeah, it just happened in the space of a few hours. They've got an errand in Lincoln so here they come. :-) --Gary
Emily
8/20/04
Hey everybody, me, Mom, and Erika are going to go to Lincoln tomorrow, we'll prolly get there around 12 and stay over that night! See you soon!
Cool! See you tomorrow! --Gary
Olivia
8/20/04
Today at 12:45 me and Lindsey did Glamor Shots, and I got my hair curled and Lindsey I think got the same and were going to get our pictures in about 2 or 3 weeks. Then were going to send them out. Now I don't want to brag or anything, but those pictures look preety good.
Well See ya later everybody!
Livy sent this note Thursday (yesterday) evening, but thanks to the campus email slowdown I didn't receive it until Friday afternoon. Sorry for the delay! --Gary
Emily
8/20/04
Hey everybody! Well, I was supposed to be at dance all day today. We were having someone from a camp in Texas come down to teach us our Prop and Novelty routine. She was supposed to be there at 10:30 and she called our director at 11 to say she wouldn't be able to make it! So were not sure when were going to learn it. We don't have practice anymore until school starts next week.
It has been kinda quiet on here, Whats going on with everybody?
Karen
8/20/04
Boy quiet on the web page now. Guess everyone is busy. Emily is at an all day dance camp today. Just one more week until Erika, Emily and I start school. As Emily said earlier I will be working more hours this year. Should be good thing, hope it goes well. Emily is getting her school permit so she can drive herself (and maybe Erika) to school sometimes before she gets her drivers liscense. Another nice and cool day, in fact, yesterday we set another record low -- 44. Almost needed a coat -- been a wonderful summer!
Tristen -- how is school? I have been waiting to hear all about it. Have you lost any more teeth? Did the tooth fairy find your pillow?
Sean -- good looking truck -- I am assuming "33's" are the tires...
Lindsey -- did you get your Sims loaded? That never worked on our old computer -- Emily and Erika have been thrilled this past week to be able to play it again. The new one is working sooo much better and faster. Brent took the old one in the shop to get is cleaned up and then we will put it in the basement to use for games.
Gary -- I didn't check out the web site either -- started to load it and I thought it was something else so I got out and just thought it didn't work for us that day.
Hatgidakis -- what going on with all you guys? Sam are you ready to start school? Have you figured out how you are getting there?
Emily and Erika started their dance classes this week. Nice to get back to that. Think that's all of my news --
Hey Lincolnites -- any one have a schedule of the NE games? Brent has the list off their web page, but prefers an official one...
Gary
8/20/04
Hey, apologies to you if you've sent a newsletter item (or anything else) to me in the past 24 hours. I'm just learning this morning there has been an email glitch here since yesterday, and for the past 15 hours or so (it's now 9 am) I have received nothing. Hopefully it will be fixed soon; I'll notify you here when that happens.
Meanwhile, school is definitely happening! Classes here start next Monday (and for Sam, too, right?), so the streets are jammed with U-Haul trailers and vans as the students move back to the dorms. Two nights ago there was a football practice at the stadium, with all the lights on -- first game is two weeks from tomorrow. Tristen is already back at the books, Emily and Erika start next week, Anna week after next. Have fun, y'all, and keep us posted!
Gary
8/19/04
New photo this morning -- in case you're wondering where all that haze is coming from.... :-)
Olivia
8/18/04
My soccor practice last night was awsome I have a really nice coach. But I have to meet my team back on the field so we could all practice plays and stuff for the next day. Today I went over to my friends house and we went swimming and then we played on her computer, but then I had to go home. Then Tommorow me and Lindsey get to go to Omaha to do Glamer Shots.
Emily
8/18/04
We got the Sims Vacation last year, and thats what made our computer REALLY slow!! It always froze up the computer and messed up a lot of stuff. But it works really well now with our new computer. But, hope it works out for you guys!
Mom got a promotion for her job yesterday. She will be doing pre school like usual in the Morning on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Then she is also going to help out with the first graders every afternoon from 1 to 3.
We are going to go get a school permit for me today or tomorrow so I can drive me and Erika to school some days.
Lindsey
8/17/04
Hey Amanda good job on your grades and all your classes sound interesting. Glad you got through astronomy! :)
Also we were in Best Buy today and I bought The Best Of Chris Farley on SNL which is good even if you have watched it 5 times in the last 2 weeks :). Anyways me and Livy also bought Sims Unleashed (which we can't load on our computer right now for some reason) but they have a deal at Best Buy that you can buy one Sims Game for like 20 dollars and then you get another one for free through the mail. Like we are going to get Sims Vacation through the mail and it should be here in a few weeks. But just thought if anyone else was a Sims fan, they have a good deal going on now!
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
8/17/04
Happy Birthday, Zach!
Gary
8/17/04
Hey, I can't believe no one commented on the cool site yesterday. Either nobody looked at it, or you were scared off by the download time. (It's a movie file, and you will be staring at a blank screen for a minute or two with dial-up.) Olivia, especially you should see this! The dog's name, by the way, is Tyson....
Amanda
8/17/04
I just used EBay for the first time. Actually, one of their spawn, Half.com. I have heard people talking about buying textbooks on there and getting them much cheaper. So, I just found 4 of the books that I need and paid $99 for all 4 (that includes shipping), when I would have paid between $150-$200 at the campus bookstore. I had to go into the bookstore first though to figure out what texts I needed and get the ISBN numbers and then I got the price for the bookstore for comparison. Anyhow, I'm not tooting their horn just yet, I'm nervous about shipping and the condition of the books. Hopefully this works out! Nice timing though, my senior year I find cheap textbooks!
Grandma
8/17/04
Happy Birthday, Zach!!
Amanda
8/17/04
Olivia~ you made them gosh dern people coffee? What's wrong with you girl, why ain't ya broomin?
Olivia
8/17/04
This Morning I woke up at 5 in the morning and made my parents coffee because I was so bored I was sick and tired and watching t.v. and thats all I could do so then I got on the computer.
See Ya'll later!
Amanda
8/17/04
Hello all.. I got my grades from summer 2. I got an A in the online Political Science class I had to take (Ryan also got an A, Surprise, surprise....) and a C in Astronomy. Woohoo! OK, yeah its wierd to hear me woohooing a C, but I was glad, I didn't enjoy that class. No, I guess I enjoyed it, but it was just enough out of my league that I didn't get it. I'm happy being average in science. That is my only other C, Biology. I am done with science! And I am officially done with my core requirements! I now have 102 hours!! This was a long summer, but I'm glad I did it. Now I look forward to the fall, which starts on the 30th. I'm taking Spanish 3, Criminal Profiling, Correctional Counseling, Legal Aspects of Law Enforcement, Quantitative Methods (a research type class for Political Science), and Campaigns and Elections. Sounds interesting enough. It's more classes than I have ever taken. And 2 of them are at night, for 3 hours a piece! I also will be trying to plan a trip to London with school in January. 10 days, 6 credit hours... That is about all I know for now, should find out more in the coming weeks. Today is Tristen's first day of 2nd grade!!!!
Nelson's
8/17/04
Happy Birthday Zachary
Emily
8/16/04
Hey everybody! I had my Teen Court training session today. It was fun, for the first part we just talked about how the court system runs and stuff like that. Then after lunch we got to do 2 mock trials, that was really fun.
We will have the real trials once a month, we will be assigned to be juror, prosecution, defense, or balif. The kids who choose to do this are usually first time offenders, and have to already admit to what they did, then we decide what punishment they should get and if they complete it all it is erased from their record.
That is really cool, Emily! And a rare experience to get inside the justice system like that. Keep us posted -- let us know what happens! --Gary
Olivia
8/16/04
Yesturday we started driving back from Texas and it was so boring. We left at about 8:20 in the morning and got home at about 8:30 at night. We went through 4 movies but didn't finish Tommy Boy because we were at Grandma's to pick up Ceaser. When we came through the door Ceaser came running up to us and he was so glad to see us! But tomorrow night at 6:00 I have my first soccor practice and my first game on Sunday. This will be my 2nd year of soccor and maby basketball. I also get to meet my new teacher on Thursday!
Gary
8/16/04
Sorry about the delay, but the photos from Texas which arrived yesterday are now up.
Congrats again on your new computer, Nelsons, and I'm glad you can see the crawl on the front page. Good luck to Emily in teen court today -- hope you don't have to do time, Emily, but if you do I hope you're in the same cell-block as Martha Stewart. Should be neat and cozy!
Erika
8/16/04
Today Emily is in teen court.
Great news now we have the crawler.
Karen
8/16/04
We had a busy, but fun week-end. First I had my conference on Friday (which wasn't fun). Then on Saturday we headed to Omaha -- actually we were leaving town just as Geo Bush was coming in, so we were minutes from seeing his plane arrive at the airport. We got to Omaha about 2 and checked into the hotel. Brent and I tried our luck at the casino. About 5 Erika left with her aunt and grandma to go to where the wedding was taking place (an old mansion) to help decorate the tables. The rest of us headed over about an hour later. It was a very nice wedding, outside -- so thankfully the weather was nice. We hung around the wedding until about 10 then back to hotel to crash. Sunday I woke up about 5 and thought we might be luckier at the casino, so Brent and I went to see. We still didn't win big, but it wasn't nearly as crowded. Then some swimming at the pool and to another neices for brunch. Left about 1 and home by 3. So it will be nice to have today to rest up. Sure Lindsey and Liv will need to sleep in today too. Tristen -- have a GREAT 1st day of 2nd grade :)
Lindsey
8/15/04
Well we got home alright! We got in at about 7:30 or so. Woke up and ate doughnuts and got on the road about 9:00 or so. I already miss you guys though! Well I'm tired but I'll talk to everyone later!
Amanda
8/15/04
They are gone, FINALLY!! :):) Yesterday morning Olivia & Tristen had a kool aid/tea/cookie stand because our block (town really) had garage sales. They made $20, so split they got $10 each! Dad & Lori got here about 1, we went to the lake where the girls rode bikes around the path twice, which we are thinking they rode about 2 miles! We fed the ducks, and the it started raining. Then we checked them into their hotel and went to the Branding Iron for dinner, a hole in the wall BBQ place that is SOOOO good. Then we went back to the hotel where the girls swam for couple hours, and then at Olivia's request we went to Bahama Bucks again! Then home to crash, up at 8 for donuts and car loading. They left about 9. It's quiet without them!!
Lindsey
8/13/04
Hey everyone! Well, the rest of our day went pretty good. For lunch we went and met Ryan and went to Taco Bell/KFC and then we went to Walmart for a few things and then came home and cleaned for a while. For dinner we had beer chicken, mashed potatos, corn, and pasta salad. Then for dessert we had apple crisp. Later Tristen went to a birthday party while the rest of us (Amanda, Ryan, me, Livy, and Teghan) went to Bahama Bucks again. Then we came home and their neighbors are having a garage sale and so Livy and Tristen are going to sell kool-aid, tea, and cookies. So tonight we drew a sign and got the stuff ready, kind of a last minute thing but should be fun! Well talk to everyone later, bye!
Gary
8/13/04
I just emailed this to Amanda, who had asked about it, but maybe others of you would like to see it too. MoveOn.org has put together a bunch of "real people" TV spots which they plan to run during the Republican convention. Each one features a person talking to the camera, identifying themselves as Republicans, yet stating why they won't be voting for Bush. Good stuff! Here it is.
Gary
8/13/04
I'm having a pretty good Friday 13th myself. It's another in a series of cool cloudy days here, so we here at the office decided to go to Ribfest for lunch. (Ribfest is a yearly street festival dedicated to barbecue. They close off the four streets at the intersection of 15th and M -- between Pershing Auditorium and the library -- and fire up the smokers and cook ribs and brisket for three or four days.) Usually it's too hot for me to even consider going there, even though I love BBQ, but today was beautiful. The crowd is another thing that usually keeps me away, but 1) I was blessed with a parking spot about 20 steps from the entrance, and 2) the place, though, busy, was not jammed. So we had a great lunch. (I had a pulled pork sandwich and potato salad at this place, though the pic is from the 2002 Ribfest. Excellent!) Then as we were leaving, I stopped at a booth selling state lottery tickets. I bought one, and won eight bucks, which nicely paid for lunch! :-)
Emily
8/13/04
Hey everybody! Well, we haven't been having any Friday the 13th bad luck, hope your leg feels better Tristen!! :)
We haven't been doing much today Mom is at her confrence at Humbolt today, they had to leave at like 4:30 in the morning!!
We were supposed to have dance Thursday, Friday and Saturday all day this week. We were having someone come in to teach us the prop and novelty routines for state, but that had to be moved to next week. So I have been able to sleep in!! Thats been VERY nice.
Now we are just packing and getting ready for tomorrow and Sunday.
Lindsey, Olivia, and Tristen
8/13/04
Talking about Friday the 13th, here are a couple stories...
Tristen: I hurt my leg and I had to put three bandaids on and now I can barely walk. I think I was riding up on the curb too fast and I hurt my leg and I screamed and my Mom and Lindsey and Livy and Teghan came running up to get me because I got hurt. OUCH!!
Olivia: This morning Tristen wanted to go bike riding so me, Lindsey, and Teghan were going to go with her. Teghan ran inside so Lindsey ran after her, and I was getting my bike out of the garage and then suddenly I hear this one weird noise. I looked down and I started moving the tire back and forth and once I noticed, my front tire was flat! So I called Lindsey and she asked Amanda if there was an air compressor to put more air in the back but we decided to let Ryan fix it but now I am riding Lindsey's bike and Lindsey is riding Amanda's and pulling Teghan in the wagon. Oh man, why is it today?
So we've already had a couple "Friday the 13th" incidents, hope no one else does!
Karen
8/12/04
Tristen -- how cool that you can ride your bike now :) Did the tooth fairy leave you anything? Another perfect summer day -- only about 70 and some rain. We are having lots of fun on the air hockey table. The new computer is great, so much faster! Hope the Hatgidakis are feeling better soon.
Gary
8/12/04
Wow, active newsletter today! Welcome to the page, Tristen, and have fun on that bike. :-) I'm just dropping in to add one more software title I meant to list below, under Emily's post. (...?? hmm, flashback, anyone remember Emily Post...?) Anyhoo, soon you can do "Trading Spaces" on your home computer. The program will be in the stores sometime in the next week or so. Go here to find out more about it (click on "Products," then "Features" and "Samples" to see screenshots).
Tristen
8/12/04
Yesterday I learned how to ride a bike and I have been riding all day today and yesterday and then this morning I lost my first tooth! I'm gonna go ride my bike, bye!
See also photos and reviews for more! --Gary
Lindsey
8/12/04
Get well soon Anna!
Anna
8/12/04
Hey everyone. Those pictures of the waterpark were cute and looks like you guys are having fun! My Mom and Sam are doing better but I am still sick. Well it has been pretty cold here. Not to much new here.
Emily
8/12/04
Hey everybody! We got our new computer last night. It is soo much nicer than the old one! Its a flat screen and it is a lot bigger than the old one. I think we are also going to switch our internet to cable so it doesnt always tie up the phone and it wont take forever to sign on!
Feel better everybody!
Way to go on the new computer! Now you need some new games to show it off. The guy who did Rollercoster Tycoon has a new game coming out soon called Locomotion, where you build cities, train lines, bus lines, truck lines, airports, etc. Looks good, and should be out around September 7. Also, The Sims 2 comes out September 17! --Gary
Gary
8/12/04
Hey, new pictures from Texas! Amanda sent them in yesterday afternoon, but I'm just getting to them today. Sorry for the delay!
Anna
8/11/04
Hello everyone. Sounds like everyone has been kind of busy. Well yesterday and today I have been sick. My mom and Sam were sick earlier and now I have it. Oh well better now then next month I guess.
Get well soon, y'all! --Gary
Lindsey
8/10/04
Hey everyone, today me, Amanda, Livy, and Tristen were at the new waterpark ALL day. We got there when they opened at 10:00 and we stayed there for lunch and then at about 2:30 or so Amanda left to get pick up Teghan and bring her to come swimming and then later about 4 when Ryan got off work he came over and we swam until about 6:30 and the park closed at 7 so we were literally there ALL day and we all got sunburned!! But a lot of mine is a really good tan and we are all dark. But we had fun and now we are just hanging out watching a movie and stuff. Talk to everyone later!
Karen
8/10/04
Cocoa had a bladder infection. Took her to the dr on Friday. Had to have a shot and now she has to "take" pills for 10 days. The air hockey table is up and running. Lots of games already played and many more to come.....
Donna
8/10/04
What was wrong with Cocoa?
Clinton was on the Daily Show last night. I think they re-run those shows at 6:00 PM the next day.
Emily & Erika
8/10/04
The Air Hockey table just got here! It still needs to be put together, but we should be playing it soon!
Woo-hoo! Have fun, and let us know who wins the most games tonight! :-) --Gary
Karen
8/10/04
Cool here too. This has been a perfect summer for me :) Still waiting for the hockey table to arrive. Brent and I are also shopping for new computers. Our old one is dying and needs to be replaced. I have to go to Humboldt, Iowa on Friday for a preschool conference. Then on Saturday we head to Omaha again for Shannons wedding. Staying over and hoping to hit the casino and win big! Cocoa seems to be feeling better, really doesn't like the pills, we all have the scars to prove it.....
Gary
8/10/04
Another one to record for posterity: August 10, and it was cold in the house last night. It's only 56 right now, at 8:30 am! Very nice!
Also for posterity, the latest idiotic remark from our half-witted "president": "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." The sad thing is, he spoke the absolute truth. This happened last Thursday at a signing ceremony, where you and I just spent another $417 billion dollars on war. I hope Teghan's generation doesn't mind paying it off!
Lindsey
8/9/04
I'm not going to be doing dance team or anything for that matter for school because dance at my studio is taking up a lot of my time so I don't think I will.
Emily
8/9/04
Our air hockey table STILL hasn't come!!! Hopefully it will get here tomorrow. Erika has been cleaning and painting in the basement getting everything ready, we'll send in some pictures as soon as everything gets all set up.
Mom, Erika and I were in Omaha yesterday for my cousin's wedding shower. Erika won "Wedding Shower Bingo" so she got a big jar full of M&Ms, most of them are already gone. We will be in Omaha again on Saturday for the wedding and we are going to stay over at Ameristar that night. It should be fun!
On Monday I have a Teen Court training session from 10:30 until 2. I think it will be fun. We sit in on court sessions for teens and act as the jury and decide thier punishment and stuff. I'll write more about it after Monday when we learn more about it.
It sounds like you guys are having fun in Texas, those pictures are really cute, and the "parking lot movie" sounds like a lot of fun too.
Lindsey, sounds like you're going to be busy this year with dance and starting High School, but I'm sure it will be fun. Are you planning on trying out for the dance team or anything else this year?
I'll be pretty busy with everything this year too. I have dance squad every morning before school through first period, then I have cheer on Mondays after school. And practice for my squad at night on Tuesday, then dance at my studio on Wednesday, and Coed practice for dance squad on Thursday. But it shouldn't be too bad.
Tristen, your new teacher sounds like fun, hope you like second grade!!! When do you start?
Lindsey
8/9/04
Hey everybody! Not much news since we last wrote in. Last night me, Amanda, Livy, and Tristen went to Tristen's Girl Scout meeting and then we ended up going out to Applebee's and eating that night. That was good. Then we came home and started watching Tommy Boy but we all fell asleep before it got over so we might watch is again tonight or something. Then this morning we got up and took Teghan to daycare about 10:30 and then we went over to Target and the mall for a little bit, came home and ate lunch, got in the pool for about half an hour because it was really cold! Then I just got out of the shower and the girls should be getting out of the bath soon and Amanda is studying. My parents called last night before we went out to eat to say hi and stuff and my Mom got all my dance stuff in order and this year they are having me take 7 classes!! 3 on Mondays, 1 on Tuesday, and 3 on Thursday. 6 of the classes are for my competition team and 1 is my advanced Jazz class but I will be busy! Well talk to everyone later, bye!
Anna
8/8/04
Hey everyone. Not to much is going on here. Just getting ready for school and stuff. I start the 1st of September and Sam starts the 23rd of August. We have had really nice weather lately and my Mom and Dad had a nice Anniversary! Hey Nelson's how is that Air Hockey Table?
Gary
8/8/04
New photos and new reviews, to go along with these reports from Texas!
Olivia
8/8/04
Saturday we went to a parking lot movie to see Spiderman 2 and I accidently kicked the speaker box out of the back seat. I fell asleep through the last half though but it's ok because I've seen it twice. Also here's an update, it's not sweeping anymore, it's brooming! Think about it, you mop with a mop, you shower in a shower, you vacuum with a vacuum, why not broom with a broom, am I right? I also got really really sunburned on my shoulders but it's better now. Talk to ya later ya'll!
Tristen
8/8/04
Ms.Wilson is a good teacher and that's who I got for second grade. I'm having fun with Lindsey and Livy. I threw my bubble butt swim suit away and I got two new ones because my old one kept getting bigger. The End.
Lindsey
8/8/04
Hey everybody! Well yesterday (Saturday) we first went to the planetarium to see an astronomy show because Amanda would get an extra credit point in her astronomy class, and that was really fun. Livy decided Saturn was her favorite planet and Tristen's was Pluto. Then we walked around in the museum and that was fun. We got some pictures too. But that was a lot of fun too. There were a lot of things to look at. Then there was a pond outside by the planetarium and we bought duck food and went to feed them. After that we headed over to the mall and it was CRAZY because it's that tax free weekend here and Tristen got a couple pair of shoes. Then we came home just for a few minutes and then went to Grahm which is about an hour from here to go to a drive-in movie and it was Spiderman 2 that they were showing but before we went to the movie we went just over to McDonalds and ate there. Then the girls wanted to go play in the playplace there and so I took Teghan and almost got stuck in there. But then we went over to the theatre and that was cool because I had never been to one but I would like to go to a drive in theatre again. Then we got back about 12:30am and fell asleep. This morning we woke up and went bike riding to the park for about an hour and a half and even Sasha came with us. We got back and ate lunch and now Teghan's laying down for a nap, Livy and Tristen are cleaning the living room and dining room (voluntary of course) and me, Amanda, and Ryan are laying down in the living room. I think tonight me, Livy, Tristen, and Amanda are going to a Girl Scout meeting for Tristen but I'm not sure what else we are doing today. I think for dinner we are going to have beer chicken! Talk to everyone later, bye!
Emily
8/7/04
Hey everybody! Sounds like everyones having fun in Texas!
Our air hockey table hasn't come yet. We ordered it last week, and it will probably be here Monday or Tuesday.
We had to take Cocoa to the vet yesterday, she had to get a shot and we have to give her pills for a week. But, shes starting to act like she feels better.
Gary -- I think we sent in the wrong date for when school starts on the countdown page, We start on the 26th.
Thanks! Now fixed. I thought you were starting pretty early... :-) --Gary
Marsha
8/6/04
Well, it's Friday and I was wondering if Brent is putting together an air hockey table. Your basement is about to become as popular as Mom's garage. We had a great time in Lincoln too, haven't been able to write much, but we are enjoying the Texas updates...sounds like lots of fun...have you had any Facts in Five games yet? Our weather has been cool and beautiful, really an outstanding summer.
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
8/6/04
Happy Anniversary John and Marsha!
Gary
8/6/04
Hey, Harry Potter fans: I just read that Ralph Fiennes has been chosen to play Voldemort in the upcoming fourth Harry Potter movie, "The Goblet of Fire." They just started filming a few weeks ago, and the movie will be released in November 2005.
Also, note that Fiennes is doing a voice role in the upcoming "Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the WereRabbit"! So (attention Olivia!), there will be a new Wallace and Gromit soon, and not just a 30-minute film but a full-length feature. Cracking news, wot??
Gary
8/6/04
Thanks for the Texas updates, Lindsey. Sounds like you're having a great time. Hope you are getting an occasional cool day down there, as we are getting some beauties up here. Today is August 6, and on the drive in this morning it was 64 degrees out there! It's like the prettiest spring day you ever saw. I know I have been, shall we say, critical of summer in general, but this one (so far!) has been great. A few hot days here and there (like last Saturday when y'all were here), but overall really nice. Just wanted to record that for posterity... so I'll say it again: 64 degrees on August 6! :-)
Lindsey
8/5/04
Hey everyone! Today we just stayed home and swam and then when Ryan got home we had chicken alfredo casserole for dinner with birthday cake ice cream (which is REALLY good) for dessert and then we all went swimming for a while and then have just been hanging out here tonight. More updates to come...
Gary
8/5/04
Hey Olivia! I just heard about a new game for the PS2 that I know you will want to play. It's called "Dog's Life" and you get to be a dog as he goes on an adventure across the U.S. trying to rescue his friend who has been dog-napped. Here's a review (including a movie and some screenshots), and here's the official site. If you play it, be sure to write a review for us!
Nelson's
8/4/04
Happy 27th Anniversary John and Marsha
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
8/4/04
Happy Anniversary, John and Marsha!
Lindsey
8/4/04
Hey everyone! Glad to hear that Hatgidakiss' got back ok. Having fun in Texas so far! We had a good drive down. Then we went swimming, then on Tuesday we made a quick trip to the mall and the girls got to ride the merry-go-round there and I held Teghan and she had a blast! Then we headed over to Bahama Bucks which is a shaved ice place and it's really good! Then this morning (Wednesday) we (Amanda, me, Livy, and Tristen) dropped off Teghan at daycare and went grocery shopping at Walmart and then came home and me, Livy, and Tristen went swimming while Amanda studied. Then when everyone was home, we had dinner, tacos, which was really good. Then we went swimming AGAIN! But now we are just watching a movie. Well that's it so far but I will try to update you guys! Talk to everyone later, bye!
Amanda
8/4/04
That's so funny, I JUST wrote grandma about it, we noticed it missing last night! As long as it gets in the car heading to Texas next weekend we will be good.
Gary
8/4/04
Lost and Found Dept.: Is anyone missing a battery charger? This one has a brushed aluminum case reading "Energizer" and has slots for four AA batteries. It was left at Grandma's. This is just the charger part itself, not the wall plug-in/adapter part. Your batteries should be getting weak just about now....
Amanda
8/4/04
We also had a good time. We still don't feel fully rested though! It was a long, but fun, weekend. We had a nice trip home, no troubles. The girls have swam twice already. Teghan is attached to "Winsey." I don't know what she will do when she leaves. We haven't done much yet, just a quick trip to the mall and Bahama Bucks, Tristen's favorite shaved ice place. We are looking into going to the water park, roller skating, a drive in movie theater (even though it is showing Spiderman 2, which Linz & Livy have seen) and whatever else comes our way.
Karen
8/3/04
We all had a GREAT time on Saturday. So nice to see everyone again. As Erika has already said, we ordered an air hockey table yesterday. Should be here next week. Erika has been working hard to get a spot ready for it in the basement. Yesterday she cleaned and today she is doing some painting. Brent and I had a very nice anniversary. After shopping for air hockey tables, we went to Tony Romas for a delicious lunch. Then Brent went out and bought a rocker/glider and ottoman, sooo comfortable.
Anna
8/2/04
Hey everyone. I had a lot of fun and I hope I can come back down next summer!! Thanks EVERYONE for everything! I really appreciated it! It was nice to stay so long and see everyone!! Well yesterday we got in about 6:30. We have just been around here today and I really like my room. I'll send pictures when my dad gets done with the roll of film. Thanks again!!!
Erika
8/2/04
We just ordered an air hocky table off the internet it should be here about Fri. We are cleaning out our basement so we can put it there.
Well I've got to go to the dentist now bye.
Wow, good for you guys on the air hockey table! :-) And thanks, Erika, for the recipe! --Gary
Emily
8/2/04
Hey everybody, we had a fun time in Lincoln. It was nice to see everyone again!
Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad!
Gary
8/2/04
Happy anniversary (yesterday), Karen & Brent!
And thanks again to everybody who drove down (or up) for the weekend. It was great fun. Have a fun time in Texas, Livy and Lindsey! :-)
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
8/1/04
Happy Belated Birthday Sean!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
8/1/04
Happy belated Birthday Sean!!