Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter

Old news: May 2005

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Emily & Erika
5/31/05

Happy Birthday Mom!

Emily
5/31/05
Well my first day of finals are over too, and it was a LONG day, and I'm really tired! I studied all weekend and I think I did pretty well on Biology 2 Lab and World History. Tomorrow should be pretty easy though, we have 4th through 7th periods and I took 5th and 7th today so I will get to have a long lunch and come home for a while in the afternoon. Then Thursday I have 1st through 3rd and those will all be easy, and we get out at 1 then I am done for the summer! I can't wait!!
I have Teen Court at 4 today, my first session being head attorney! It should be fun, but it will be pretty hectic too, beacuse all of the old people, except for one, have graduated so we will have to deal with all the new people!
Lindsey
5/31/05
First day of finals are over! I got out at 12:45 today and then I just have tomorrow and Thursday from 8 to 11 and then I'm DONE!!!I had my Geography and Spanish finals today. Biology and Pottery are tomorrow and then Geometry and English Thursday. I got signed up for Driver's Ed and I'm taking it at SCC June 20th to July 1st so I should be done with that before Amanda's get here (or just finishing up depending when you get here). I didn't work this weekend since my dance recital but I got offered extra hours this week so I can make up my time plus some which is good. By the way, thanks Donna and Grandma for coming, hope you had a good time. I have dance team auditions tonight for my studio. I'm already on it but they have these for age groups and new people coming in so everybody who's on it, it's just to kind of see where you're at skill level-wise so I have that from 8 to 9 tonight and then next week I have a dance camp from Monday-Saturday 9 to 3 so full week of dancing there but then I'm done until late July and then we'll start competition pieces and I'm doing a solo competition for next year. The director of my studio said she would like me to do one so I'll have to start working on that with one of the choreographers. So summer is starting fast!! Congrats to Amanda too for Dean's List, that's really good!
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, Olivia
5/31/05

Happy Birthday, Karen!
The Hatgidakis Clan
5/31/05

Happy Birthday, Karen!!!!!
Grandma
5/31/05

Happy Birthday, Karen!!
Karen
5/31/05
My last day of school!! Don't go in until 10, and should be done by 12:30 -- really doesn't seem to worth it- but then again it is payday :) The kitchen is a total mess (pictures will follow when it's completed). Brent spent most of the day yesterday tearing the old tiles off. Took a lot longer than he planned, and he is STIFF!! Still need to take up lots of nails, and the baseboards in the bathroom. So Brents evenings are full this week. Saturday we all went to Wausa -- did the graves, then to a graduation party for a neighbor. Yesterday Erika went to a movie with one of her friends. She and Emily have been taking good care of the kitties. They are cute and fun to watch.
Amanda
5/31/05
This is the last time I will be in the paper (until graduation) for grades. It came out Thursday. I am Dean's List. This is like the clipping I had last semester for President's Honor Roll...
Just thought I would pass it along!

Amanda, the link you included with this note requires the viewer to register with the site in order to view it. If it's a picture, could you send that to me? Or if it's text, copy it and paste it in an email to me? Thanks! BTW, Karen (or Brent), that's a great picture of the three at the window! --Gary

Emily
5/30/05
Grandma, we think they might be related to the ones you used to see by the shopping center. They are doing a lot of construction around there and we haven't seen any around there, so we thought some of them might have moved around us!
Emily
5/30/05
The kitties do seem to be happy living in the yard, we haven't seem any signs of the mom around though, but they are being taken well care of! Erika and I have been feeding them and watching them, but we have also seen that the neighbor boys have been giving them food and water as well, so we are hoping they stay for awhile!
Glad to hear you guys enjoyed Lindsey's recital, wish you could see ours too!!
Grandma
5/30/05
How lucky were those kitties to make their home in your backyard?! Erika, do you think they are related to the ones we used to see when we walked to the shopping center? I wonder how long they will be outside pets. I am sure they have a good mom some place close by the looks of them. A dreary cool day here and yesterday was too. We went to Linz' recital, Fantastic!! I can see why Linz loves to dance. Scuttled plans for today, will cook out tomorrow night instead, altho an outside fire would feel pretty good. My brother, Max, had surgery last nite for blocked bowel and gallbladder removal, haven't heard how he is doing. Have a good day everybody!!
Erika
5/30/05
While Dad started taking up the kitchen floor Emily, Nicky, Cocoa, and I were watching the kittens play on the porch all day! Nicky and Cocoa are especially fascinated with them, they haven't left a window all day!

More new pictures today. --Gary

Emily and Erika
5/29/05
Erika found these baby kittens in the back yard, living the the wood pile next to the garage this morning. We gave them some food and water and they loved it! We are going to keep taking care of them (They are our "outside pets" and we already named them!). We think their mom is around and they are doing good, but if we see that they are not doing so well or their mom doesn't come back we will take them to the farm.
Emily
5/29/05
I tried sending in a few things that didn't get sent too, but everything seems to be working fine now, must have just been a glitch in the system. We had a long day at Wausa yesterday, that I am still really tired from for some reason! Then Mom, Dad, and Erika went to our neighbor's graduation party last night. So, so far we have had a very eventful weekend!
I think we are going to go shopping later to look for some paint samples and stuff for the doors. We are thinking about replacing them this summer too.
We all have Monday off for Memorial Day, so Dad is going to be taking out the floors, and I have to study for my stupid tests!! I have History and Biology finals on Tuesday, so that will be my last day for those classes. Then Wednesday I have Geometry and English finals, and Individuals & Families, Art, and Spanish finals on Thursday, then I am finally done for the summer!!
We don't have many summer plans this year. We want to re-do mine and Erika's rooms, so that is main thing we will be doing. I think Erika is going to do some more volunteering at the museum, and she is thinking about maybe spending some time in Lincoln as well, and I will still be doing Mayor's Youth Commission and Teen Court during the summer. And Erika and I have dance for most of June, but thats about it! What does everyone else have planned??
Good Luck in your recital today Lindsey!! I'm looking forward to mine as well I think it is the 12th of June, or somewhere around there. But we have pictures Wednesday and Thursday, and for the first time ever Erika and I will get ours done about the same time, so that will make things a lot easier!
Lindsey
5/27/05
Gary I keep sending in newsletters to you and they're not showing up. Anyways I just got back from a long rehearsal tonight out at Southwest. It was actually just the ballet and it was staging and rehearsal and tomorrow is the dress rehearsal and Sunday are the performances. So I'll have been dancing from Monday through Sunday! It should be a really good show this year. The ballet is Sleeping Beauty and it is really nicely put together!

Hmmmm, both Emily and Donna have said the same thing about newsletter items in the past few days. But I've been checking it often, and it works for me every time. I don't know why some would get through and others wouldn't. I guess to be safe for a while you could copy your item after you write it and save it on your computer until it shows up here. Or email a copy to yourself. I know it's really frustrating when you write a long item and then it disappears.... Also, you could send the item directly to my regular email address, which is working fine as far as I know. (Put "newsletter" in the subject line.) Anybody else have items that never showed up here? Oh, and break a leg, Lindsey! :-) --Gary

Emily
5/27/05
Sorry to hear about to hear about all the pool problems you guys, that looks like a big mess! Hopefully Teghan will be able to get over the trauma of losing it to enjoy the new one.
Things at school are finally starting to slow down! Tuesday is my last full day, we get Monday off for Memorial Day and I get out early on Wednesday and Thursday for finals, and I don't have to take them for Biology or History on Wednesday so I will get to have a long lunch that day. That should be fun, we have open campus on testing days so I will get to have a good lunch those days! Erika, Mom, and I all got out at noon today, so we took Dad out for lunch, and that was fun.
We are going to Wausa tomorrow and Dad is going to be getting the floors ready to be replaced on Sunday and Monday, then we will get the new ones next week -- So next week will proably be pretty crazy with the kitchen and bathroom all torn up, and getting all the end of school stuff finished up, and we also have dance pictures!
Gary
5/27/05
Bush's approval rating is dropping fast, Tom DeLay is in trouble, the Republicans back away from outlawing the filibuster, huge demonstrations in California against the Governator, Arnold Schwarzenazi -- and now this! The times, they are a-changin'... I hope! :-)
Karen
5/27/05
I think you have the wrong date for E & E last day of school. I wish it were today, but it is actually next Thursday (June 2)

My mistake! Emily did send in a countdown item some time ago showing that date, but from her previous couple of notes here I got the impression today was her and Erika's last day. So not only did I put that little graphic on the front page, I also removed the countdown item! But it is now restored. Sorry! --Gary

Amanda
5/26/05
I found this article about Linz school. Gary, did you get my latest email about the pool? I sent it this morning.. Tristen just got home from her last day of school. She said it went fast & she will miss her teacher. Tristen gave her a candle & a thank you card & she got a card back, this is what it said, "Dear Tristen, Thank you so much for my gift, it is so pretty. Tristen I am going to miss that sweet smile. You have grown so much this year. Remember to always do your best. I still think one day you will be a teacher. Have a great summer. Love, Mrs. Wilson." Tristen was pretty touched by it. But, she didn't have too much time to dwell over the day, tonight is the Limo ride, Texas Roadhouse dinner & YMCA lock in!

Sorry for the delays. I was in meetings... Everything's current now! --Gary

Amanda
5/26/05
The pool saga continues.... We got a new one. I'm telling you, you can't live through a Texas summer without one! It is only 14 feet wide, where our other one was 15. It looks smaller, and it is only 1 foot. BUT, we don't care. It will be nice water when it is 110 out! It has been raining for 3 days though, so we won't be using it for awhile! Teghan keeps looking out there making sure it is still there & not laid out on the ground. That was a bit traumatic for her.
Donna
5/26/05
I loved the part with Simon and Ryan. They acted embarassed and then Simon says something like "it's not my fault." LaToya was definitely drunk. I didn't notice Anwar's hair.
Gary
5/26/05
Yeah, "reverse psychology"! That's what cracked me up and I forgot to mention it! And yes, I also think Abdul hasn't fully come clean on that thing -- and this is the second major media offensive she's done (the first was SNL) where she takes shots at the kid (and his parents) who made the charges -- but the bit was funny. And as almost always, I agree with Simon: LaToya WAS drunk! :-)
Amanda
5/26/05
Yes, we watched the whole thing. It was great! There were a few times I was laughing hard. David Hasselhoff with Dirk? Hilarious! The redneck kid in Arkansas asking Simon about reverse psychology. We rewound that twice just to see it & Ryan & Simon's reaction. I loved the spoof, but I personally believe Paula did it. LaToya London was wierd. And who thought Anwar cut his hair? That was all an attention getter. And how cool was it that they got the Mustangs!
Donna
5/26/05
Woohoo! Carrie wins!!! Of the two, she's the best role model. It was nice seeing some of the former contestents and the best friends that got to meet David Hasslehoff(?). I thought that was nice. So now what do I watch on TV? But tryouts are starting this summer. Actually that may be a bit too soon. I could use a break.
Tristen & Teghan
5/26/05

Happy Birthday Grandma!
Ryan & Amanda
5/26/05

Happy Birthday Lori!
Gary
5/26/05
So, y'all watched last night, I suppose? I had planned to just watch the end to see who won, but I'm glad I saw the whole thing -- it was a really entertaining show, especially the "shocking truth" about Simon bit (a take-off on the Paula Abdul thing), and the unscripted segment with Simon and Ryan when they were talking with LaToya on location. "She's drunk!" As usual, Simon was the best part of the show. And, to paraphrase a line from the Simpsons which applies to Carrie and Bo, "In a way, they're both winners; but in another more accurate way, Carrie is the winner."
Lindsey
5/25/05
I don't know if anyone here in Lincoln watched the news but they talked about it and I guess the story is totally different. A girl had reported a guy that she didn't know if it was a student or not and he supposedly was in the girl's locker room and she didn't know if he had a gun or not. She reported it and then we had a code red from 2:30 to 3:30 about. Now they said there are going to be an "unusual" amount of cops at the school for the remainder of the year. They said they still haven't found the guy and a letter is being sent home to all the parents about it. Yeah I was thinking about that Amanda, all the schools have their things wrong with them but now it's all East this year and it's pretty scary. I'll try and find a news site with info about it.
Anna
5/25/05
Hey everyone! Yeah Lindsey I was really scared, I didn't know what was going on and you had to go all fast. But yeah my school is not doing to good either, Im not sure I said anything awhile back on the Pawn Shop robbery and then they found guns at my school. So just as that was getting over there's I guess a cop who has had a two year affair with a student who is now 19 but 17 at the time. She just came out and told everyone and I she also got a STD from him. So there's a lot on the news about that. Man am I also glad school is getting out soon! Track is going good. I have three meets this week. One was on Tuesday and then I have on Thursday and Friday. Then I think I only have a couple more then I am done. Tomorrow I have a student council retreat at the lake by my school so that should be fun. There handing out awards and I was nominated so I hope I get one. Next week are elections for student council and I am running for class secretary and I really hope I get it! Not to much else new just counting down the days until summer!
Amanda
5/25/05
Holy cow Linz! I just looked on a few news sites & nothing yet. Keep us posted with the details. There has been more drama at your school this year than in my 3 years at Southeast. We just had one MAJOR fight that I remember. That was it, I think.... Anyway.

To the out of towners: Think about this date for a visit to Lincoln, August 6th (Saturday). I want to do an "open house"/graduation party deal, which would also of course be worked into a little family reunion. I am having a party the next day (Sunday August 7th) with my mom's family & the Metcalfs. Thought the same idea would be good for the Anderson's. Just a thought. And to the older generation, please help me to put together an invite list, you guys know the family members better. We will try to leave Nebraska sometime early that next week (8-11th ish) as Tristen starts school on the 16th.

Gotta go, American Idol in 5 minutes!

Donna
5/25/05
Lindz, how many more days till summer vacation? Can't you just call it good and not go back the rest of the year? That is so scary!

I'm rooting for Carrie! I think she's going to win. I hope so!

Happy Birthday, Lori!

Lindsey
5/25/05
Well for those of you in Lincoln, you may be seeing it in the newspapers or hearing it on the news tonight but today probably a couple minutes before school was done, East issued a Code Red No Response which is basically when an intruder is in the building either armed or unarmed. Well first my class was in the commons area and it is like out in the open if you've ever been at East (Gary you might know what I'm talking about) with like glass all around so you can see outside and we were working on our English plays and they came over the loudspeaker and said teachers if you could keep your students in the classroom for a few minutes longer then we'll come back on when they can leave and there was a very subtle storm right then so people (and teachers) thought it was because of the storm but a girl next to me had called her mom to tell her that she would be a little late and her Mom said the storm had already passed a while ago and then like 2 minutes after that they come over the loudspeaker and were like "we are now issuing a Code Red No Response. All teachers lock your doors and keep students in" and so we had to move into the library (which was no safer really with like 50 people in the library) and we were in there forever it seemed like and we asked our teacher and he said he didn't know anything other than a woman came in and now with all our fires you have to sign in at a desk with parent volunteers there and why you're there and I guess she came in and looked a little suspicious and was kind of vague on why she was there and so the parents reported it to the administrators and they were going to go find her and coulnd't and she had never signed out and so they issued this Code Red and we were kept in the building for maby half an hour and I called my mom and dad and everybody was calling people and Anna even called me during that so sorry about the scare Anna! But they finally came back on and they were like "well the cops have cleared the area but we have not found the person and we don't if they were/are armed or unarmed." So I guess there were A BUNCH of cop cars outside and cops searching the area and still never found us, but let us go which made everyone feel really safe..... There had been rumors going around the school that there was supposed to be a shooting Friday or something or someone was coming into the building and all the teachers were like no no that won't happen and so I don't know what's going to happen and I know a lot of people are going to be gone the next two days probably but it's getting really scary to go to school and I just can't wait for it to be out now because this is getting ridiculous and really dangerous.
Paul, Lindsey, and Olivia
5/25/05

Happy Birthday Lori/Mom!
Emily
5/25/05
Hey everybody! Not much going on here either. Just a cold and rainy day. I have dance, but thats about all for the week, and I don't have it at all next week either! So, I won't be very busy at all with that until school gets out.
We were supposed to have a cook-out for my Bio class today, but that got rained out so I had to go to class. I only have 2 and a half more days of classes!! But, we're still doing tons of stuff, we started a new project in art and just got a huge paper in English thats due the last day of classes!!
I am sensing a Bo win tonight too! I do like Carrie, but I'm pulling for Bo.
Nelsons
5/25/05

Happy Birthday Lori!
Gary
5/25/05
Cool that you got on this page from a school computer, Erika! Somehow it's always surprising (to me, anyway) when you see our webpage on a computer other than your regular one. Whenever I'm travelling I almost always find a computer and check it out -- like in Rome, for example. I brought up our webpage in an internet place that was only half a block away from a 2,000-year-old Roman building; the internet place was actually built on what used to be the courtyard of an ancient Egyptian temple... and yet here was our webpage! It really shows you how the internet has brought the world closer.

I agree, Amanda, with Carrie, Carrie, Carrie... but if I was a bettin' man (which I am whenever there's a casino nearby), I'd have to bet on Bo. I don't like his voice much, or his look (his haircut is older than he is), but I'm sensing a Bo win....

Erika
5/25/05
Hi everybody hows it going not much here but I am writing this from school I just think thats kinda cool and Gary I guess Dory and Oreo is Kinda a tounge twister I gota go the bell just rang bye!!!
Grandma
5/25/05

Happy Birthday, Lori!
Hope you are feeling better.
Karen
5/25/05
Amanda, I am curious -- what is the other drama of last week-end -- rat related??
The Hatgidakis Family
5/24/05

Happy Birthday, Lori!!!
Amanda
5/24/05
Carrie, Carrie, Carrie!!!!!!! (The only reason I would be glad for a Bo win is so we can cut one less unemployment check to him.) Donna, did you get your appointment made?
Lindsey
5/24/05
Yeah I was at school one day and we saw the Oprah bus was out there and I guess it was for these two senior twin girls and they had really good grades or did something and so Oprah is paying for both and them to go to any college they wanted and you'll never guess where they chose....Baylor!!?? Why would you choose there when you could go to any school you wanted for free?? Anyways I guess that is someone they always wanted to meet and so they got to meet but I never saw him and I guess a lot of people didn't but I didn't watch Oprah, I should've, but I heard they didn't show much of East, just the two girls.
Emily
5/24/05
Sorry to hear about the pool you guys, that looks like a big mess!! Are you going to replace it?? Erika finally got her new fish! He is the same kind as Snickerdoodle-Bob and we named him Dory.

So that makes Dory 'n Oreo? Kind of a tongue-twister! :-) --Gary

Amanda
5/24/05
Linz~ I just read something about Clay Aiken coming to East a few weeks ago for something for Oprah. Any details?
Lindsey
5/23/05
Oh man guys just saw the pool pictures! Sorry to hear that. A lot of good times in that pool! :) I'll always remember when Livy almost fell out and Ryan got soaked trying to push her back in and then came running out of the shed jeans, shirt and all diving into the pool! And Teghan's face was hilarious because she had no idea what was going on! That looks like a mess though!
Ryan
5/23/05
Thank you Gary. I had a tear in my eye. Sorry we didn't get pictures of the final farewell at the city dump just now!!! Stupid pool! The music was fitting. I do like the memories song better. Amanda says "It would be better if we had the real Dreamweaver song with the chorus, then it would be getting more votes!"
Erika
5/23/05
Me, Mom, & Cocoa all vote for Memories!

Me too, though the comparison may not be fair as that's not a very good version of Dreamweaver; but it's the best I could find on short notice! Also, Amanda, it wasn't by Queen, but by Gary Wright. Were you thinking of a different song? --Gary

Karen
5/23/05
I think either song would be good. When I first looked at the pictures I thought that some music would be nice :)

It's there! Click on the note(s)! --Gary

Amanda
5/23/05
Gary~ could you add Queen's Dreamweaver to the pool memoirs? :) It just seems fitting.... :)

I myself keep hearing "The Way We Were" when I look at that page. Let the people decide! :-) --Gary

Gary
5/23/05
Some memories of the pool....
Amanda
5/23/05
Ryan patched the pool & we refilled Sunday. And now, Monday... OK, the pool is gone. It just happened. The whole bottom ripped. I don't even want to see this water bill! Pay a huge bill & don't even swim in the stupid water. How ecologically wasteful! I QUIT! Ryan is gonna flip... You don't even want to hear the other drama of the weekend. I'll explain later, just think of Templeton.

Latest photos here. Too bad, guys! But at least you won't have to water your lawn for the rest of the year. :-) --Gary

Karen
5/23/05
Amanda, Ryan -- how is the pool coming along? What a pain to go to all that trouble and find a leak! Are you going to have to replace it? We are warm here, but not as bad at Texas, maybe up to 88, then cooler for the rest of the week. Our last full week of school! We all get out early on Friday -- I think Brent is taking the day off too. He plans to begin tearing up the kitchen floor. Emily and Erika are shopping for paint and bedspreads for their rooms. Both are planning to re-decorate once school is out. Thanks for all the birthday greetings for Brent. We went out on Saturday to celebrate a little. Went to the casino boat and lost a few dollars, then out for a nice dinner.
Ryan
5/22/05
Out of all the pool issues we have at least some in our family enjoying what is left of the pool. Check it out.
Amanda
5/22/05
So, Ryan labored after work on Friday in the 100 degree weather to prep the ground where our pool goes. He really made a mess, tons of dirt everywhere and a huge gouge in the yard. But it all was worthwhile on Saturday morning when he put up our good ol' pool. He started filling it up at about 9 AM and it took ALL day. We waited patiently (well, Teghan, I & Ryan did, Tristen went next door to swim all day). It didn't finish filling up til about 10 that night. Then he went out there to get the chemicals in it & admire his work (for the first time in the 3 summers we have had it up it was level! An amazing feat, just ask my dad!). We were so excited, today Sunday it is supposed to get to 103! When he was out there he noticed some water on the ground & figured there was a small leak in the bottom. So he felt around and realized it was on the bottom, a hole he had already fixed last year. But, it was bigger this year. And the weight of the couple thousand pounds of water was making it worse, very quickly. He tried to put a patch on the inside, without glue, just to slow the water temporarily (he compared the stream to a garden hose) but it didn't hold. So, long story short, by midnight, just two hours after the 12 hour filling process began, we had lost 1/2 the pool. And this morning its gone. The hole is huge, its over. ARGH!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ryan & Amanda
5/21/05
Gary, is this newsletter a blog? Ryan & I are a bit confused as to what a blog is. According to what we found out, this page may qualify as a blog, but maybe not (because does it have to be automatically posted?) Inquiring minds want to know...

A blog (short for "web-log") is a page that allows for frequent updates to be added to a page in chronological order. In effect, a blog would look very much like this page. The difference is, a blog can be updated from remote sites (any computer with internet access), and can be updated by any number of people given access to it. Right now all your newsletter items are sent to me as email, and I make the updates; if this was a blog, theoretically, you could all send in your items directly to the page and it would update automatically. Sounds good! Except for a few things. One, we could get "other people" posting here. Every once in a while a newsletter item, or a movie review, or a recipe arrives in my mailbox that didn't come from anyone in the Anderson-Hatgidakis-Metcalf-Nelson circle -- just someone who wandered into our site and decided to post. Sometimes just normal-type stuff, sometimes...not. So as it is now, I have control over what gets put on the page. And two, there would be no way (or no easy way) to add the little graphical elements

to the items. I have looked into making this page a blog, but I'd rather not until (or if) I can find a way around these problems. The only downside of having the page the way it is, is that your updates are not instantaneous -- as I'm sure you've all noticed! --Gary

Emily
5/20/05
Sounds like Tristen will have a fun last day of school! Next week is my last week too! Then the Monday and Tuesday after are just finals. Today was the last day for seniors so most of my classes will be pretty small now, hopefully we won't be doing much, I have soo much stuff I have to study for for finals, its crazy!!! I am REALLY ready for this year to finally be over!!
Erika got her dance costume last night, I got mine a few weeks ago, but I think they all look nice. The recital is coming up soon too, and we have pictures a few days before that. My mom got orders for our cookie bouquets and pictures last night too, so I'm looking forward to that!
I've had a bad cold for a little over a week now, but I think it is finally getting a lot better! But, Erika has it now, and she is passed out on the couch watching Napoleon Dynamite. I think she is going to the doctor tonight or tomorrow.
About American Idol! I like both Carrie and Bo so I don't really care who wins now, but I think I do like Bo's kind of music more than Carrie. Did anyone watch the American Idol show last night, more auditions, from all the countries that have an "American Idol" type show -- we did. I thought it was pretty funny!

I watched it! It was funny. That's always the best part of American Idol. :-)

Feel better, Erika (and Emily)! --Gary

Amanda
5/20/05
Ryan's root canal is 1/2 way done. I guess he has to go back next Thursday to finish it. He was in there for 2 hours! Amazingly he said it wasn't that bad. Whatev.. I got a nice gift from UPS yesterday. My mom & dad & Lori went together to order my class ring. It is beautiful! I didn't ever get one in high school, so this really means a lot to me. I will try to take a picture of it to send out, but of course you will see it when we are there in (holy cow, I just looked at the countdown page) 41 DAYS!!!! Tristen has her last week of school next week, she gets out Thursday. The last week at this school! She goes to the 2nd elementary school in Iowa Park next year & back to being the little guy on campus. It is 3rd-5th. She rode her bike to school this week for the first time too, since school is a block away. When she goes next year it is CLEAR across town. She may have to ride the bus, which she is excited for. On the last day of school the Girl Scout troop is doing an overnight at the YMCA, the "lock in" where we swim & play all to ourselves. We are taking an Excursion Limo out to eat & then it will drop us off at the Y. Pictures & reports to follow I am sure. Hot here, supposed to get to 99 tomorrow. We are putting up the pool this weekend. Can't wait for American Idol next week. I don't know who to root for. I have always like Carrie the best. I hated Bo at first (he made a comment once about purposely getting fired so he could collect unemployment & that was it for me) but he has grown on me. I think he is a good singer, just not a great person. Not someone I want kids to idolize.
Emily
5/19/05
So did anybody else watch American Idol last night?? Vonzell is finally gone!!

And about time, too! :-) So what about next week? As much as I like Carrie, I think Bo won the whole thing two nights ago with his a capella number. We'll see next week! --Gary

Paul, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
5/19/05

Happy Birthday Brent!
Donna
5/19/05
Ryan, how did your root canal go? Are you back among the living yet?
Donna
5/19/05
Maybe it's a play on words and not a typo. They combined congratulations and graduate into congradulations.

Could be. But I prefer to believe they're bad spellers. :-) --Gary

Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
5/19/05

Happy Birthday Brent!
Erika
5/18/05
Amanda and Ryan congradulations on your good grades!!! Gary the gas station sign still says "Congradulations on your G.E.D." :)

Ha! :-) For everybody else, this was a sign we spotted in Sioux City. I guess not everyone R gud spelers like us, Erika! --Gary

Emily
5/18/05
Donna -- that cake sounds really, really gross!!!
Gary -- I did run for mayor! When we first were elected for offices for Executive Council, & I didn't win!! But, I did get the next highest! :)
Congratulations on the great grades, Amanda & Ryan!
I can't wait for my school to be over!!! We only have 8 more days, but I'm still have tons of homework and tests everyday, and we still have finals coming up! But, we got yearbooks on Monday so it has been fun looking through that and having everyone sign it.
Karen, Emily, Erika, Nicky, Cocoa, & Snickerdoodle-Bob
5/18/05

Happy Birthday Dad!!
Donna
5/18/05
Amanda and Ryan, congratulations on the superb grades! That is a huge accomplishment!
Donna
5/18/05

Happy Birthday, Brent!
Gary
5/18/05
Amanda--Well done grade-wise! Ryan--Say "aaaaah!" Donna--Cat litter cake=gross! Lindsey--Stop smoking at school! Emily--Run for Mayor! Erika--Finish that Frosty already! Vonzell--Pack your bags!
Grandma
5/18/05

Happy Birthday, Brent!!!
Amanda
5/18/05
All right, I'm sure after 4 years of this you are tired of getting my grade report each semester, BUT, here it is again! I feel very good about it, just for the fact that I was able to maintain A's & B's with 7 classes. If you ever hear of anyone wanting to take 21 hours a semester, tell them NO! It is hard work! I still haven't relaxed, I don't feel like I can yet! I made Dean's Honor Roll again, which feels good. President's Honor Roll last semester was much better, but any recognition is great! Also, another reason this is exciting is the cumulative GPA. That is the GPA I have with all of my 138 hours averaged. If you graduate with a 3.5 or higher you graduate cum laude. I don't know much about that, other than it is an honor and it is printed on transcripts & on my diploma. Once someone told me not to stress over grades, that my GPA wasn't printed on my diploma, but HA, it will, if you do well enough! Also, when Ryan & I went to the MSU graduation on Saturday I realized that I really should be proud of this accomplishment, not many people graduated cum laude (or magna cum laude 3.7-3.9 or summa cum laude 3.9-4.0). I just have 1 class & the internship left before graduation & I am not stressed about keeping the GPA up, so it is almost assured that I will graduate cum laude in August.

ANYHOW!!! Moving on. Ryan took two classes this time & Economics was challenging and he pulled out great grades as well. He doesn't make any honor rolls because you have to be full time (12 hours, or 4 classes) and he is half time -- 6 hours.

For more exciting news, MSU has commencement information up about the graduation ceremony in December. See the info here at their website & start making your travel plans!!!!

Amanda's Grades:
Criminal Justice in the United KingdomA
Spanish 4B
Legal Aspects of CorrectionsA
Problems in Government & PoliticsA
Criminal LawB
Humanities:World CivilizationsA
Composition SkillsB
GPA this semester:3.571
DEAN'S HONOR ROLL
Cumulative GPA:3.543
Ryan's Grades:
Introductory SociologyA
General EconomicsB
GPA this semester:3.5
Cumulative GPA:3.8

Donna
5/18/05
Emily, the cat litter cake is broken up tan colored cake (I don't know what kind of cake that would be--spice, maybe?) mixed with vanilla pudding. You put the cake-pudding mixture in a litter box. Then chocolate pieces are added and you use a litter scooper to serve. Nasty.

Lindsey, the fire at your school made the Omaha news and it was in the paper this morning. That is really scary. I sure wish they'd find the person doing it. He's getting more daring.

So how did Olivia's report go? I bet Ceaser loved all the attention!

John, Marsha, Zach, Sam & Anna
5/17/05

Happy Birthday, Brent!!!
Lindsey
5/17/05
No they didn't cancel school but half the school was gone so if you just called they didn't count you truant since some teachers were saying that we probably wouldn't be going back in.
Emily
5/17/05
Cute pictures of Tristen & Teghan, that looks like a fun resturant! Hope Ryan has fun with his root canal! :) I've never had one -- hopefully I never will!
Donna -- the cat litter cake sounds gross! Is it like a dirt cake, I like those!
So Lindsey, did they ever cancel school?? You'd better hope they did so you're not counted truant!
I had my committee meeting for Mayor's Youth Commission last night. We are getting things ready for the school board candidates forum, I won't get to be a panelist this year, even though I am on Exec. Board, beacuse I am Adminstrative Services Director, and the Co-Chairs are panelists, so hopefully next year I can do that. But, I am going to be a timer again. We also worked on questions for the forum and 2 of the ones I came up with will definitaly be in the program so that was kinda neat.
The floor people called today and they are going to come out on the 3rd, so we're going to get new floors put in in the kitchen and bathroom so that should be good. We are also going to re-paint and decorate the bathroom this summer so that should be fun too!
Erika
5/17/05
Well, I went to get my new fish after school today and they still don't have any of the ones I want!! So we will have to get it next week!
I'm still eating a free frosty!
Gee, Lindsey do the teachers just let you leave school whenever you feel like it!? ;)
Lindsey
5/17/05
Well I'm home again but not from being sick. We had yet another fire at school! About 10:30 the fire alarm rang and me and one of my friends heard, as we were walking out, that it was a real fire over one of the teacher's radios so we were right outside the building and we heard the fire trucks coming and so after 15 minutes or so they move us farther back onto the field away from the school so we are out there for like 45 minutes and in all there were like 5 fire trucks, 2 ambulances (no one was hurt that we know), 2 fire marshal SUVs, and some Air Control van thing so people were starting to leave thinking we wouldnt have school so about 11:00-11:30ish me and a couple left and I just stayed at one of my friend's houses until like 1:30 when my Dad brought me home but it was crazy! I don't think they needed all those fire trucks but we were dropping somone off at their house like 20 minutes after we had left and people were still outside. I'm not sure what all happened and if they officially evacuated the building or what and they're not sure if someone started it or if there was something wrong with the vents so I had a short day at school, only 2 1/2 classes. I'm about ready to leave and take Ceaser up to Kahoa. Livy did a research project on dogs and so she wanted to bring Ceaser for part of her project so I better get going so talk to everyone later!


In honor of your weird day, and in honor of the fact we watched the Chris Farley DVD just last Saturday, here's a Matt Foley for you! --Gary

Donna
5/17/05
Someone brought a cat litter cake to work. Has anyone ever seen one of those? They are nasty looking. I don't know how anyone could ever eat it.
Donna
5/17/05
I had one once a long time ago and I don't remember it being anything horrible--not much worse than having a tooth pulled. I don't think I'd want to go back to work afterwards though. How will he be able to teach with a numb mouth?
Amanda
5/17/05
Ryan has to get a root canal Thursday! He has never had one. I have never even been close. He has the appointment at 9:30 AM & is supposed to go back to work & teach! Anyone been through it?
Donna
5/17/05
Very cute pictures of T&t. What better way to spend a birthday than at a mall? Teghan must have had a hard time eating and covering her ears at the same time.

Gary, I like the calendar page better--much easier to read.

Thanks! --Gary

Lindsey
5/16/05
Amanda that sounds like a fun birthday to me! Those pictures are hilarious of them posing! I was actually just thinking it would be fun to make a Henry Doorly Zoo visit while you're here because they've added so much stuff and it's so neat! I love going there. We tried calling you last night but you must have been at the mall so we'll try another time when you're home but Happy Birthday again!
Gary
5/16/05
FYI, I finally updated -- now that the year's almost half gone -- the calendar page. For those of you who hadn't looked at it recently, it still showed 2004, not 2005. But it's current now. Plus, I put all the months on one single page so you can see the year at a glance. More useful this way, I think, plus it saves a lot of web-space (one page instead of twelve!).
Karen
5/16/05
Fun birthday Amanda, what's wrong with a trip to the mall on your birthday?? Another rainy morning here. Scared me when I woke up to hear the rain. Today is the track and field day and I was afraid it would be cancelled again. But the good news is the buses were loading up at 8 as I drove by the school. So a fun day off for me!! Going to pick up Brent for lunch. Our home repairs continue, had the gutters put on last week. We went to Lowes yesterday and picked out the vinyl for the kitchen and bathroom. Should be out in about two weeks to put it in. Then I can start some painting projects. Gary, thanks again for the Wendys info, we went there about 5 times this week-end :)

Wow! Lindsey and Livy and I went there on Saturday for dessert, to have while watching "Lemony Snicket." --Gary

Amanda
5/16/05
Thanks for all the birthday wishes. We went to Dallas yesterday to Grapevine Mills Mall for about 5 hours. We went & did Build-a-Bear for the girls. Tristen got a soft bear & she named him Tiger, Teghan got a dog (the exact same one Olivia has) & named him Skippy. We ate lunch at the food court & did lots more walking. There was a Saks Fifth Avenue & a Corelle outlet, just to name a few different stores. I was hoping to find some new dishes, I have been looking for a particular design for about 2 years & then I could give Sean ours, he has nothin! I did get 2 new pairs of shoes & some Bath & Body Works stuff. Tristen got a new ring. Then we went to Rainforest Cafe for dinner. It was good. Not as much fun as the first time we went (years ago, in Minnesota maybe?? We can't remember) Teghan did not care for the Rainforest Cafe. She pretty much covered her ears the whole time. Tristen loved it. She was telling me about the canopy of the trees. I told her I couldn't wait to take them to Henry Doorly Zoo. Tristen doesn't remember it! Anyhow, that's my birthday in a nutshell. It was a good time. To those of you who might think a birthday at a mall is boring, you have to remember, we live in Wichita Falls, and we came from Omaha. BIG difference in shopping opportunities. We haven't been to a real mall in 3 years! Our two stupid Wal-Mart's put together are bigger than our mall.

Also, for the graduation congrats. Thanks, but I'm not there yet. Still have 85 days. I don't graduate until August 9th. We did go to the graduation at MSU Saturday, that was nice. Got to see lots of friends graduate. And it makes me ready for my graduation ceremony in December!

Gary
5/15/05
Best...Simpsons...Ever! I hope y'all TiVo'd (or "taped" as people used to say) Sunday night's episode titled "Father, Son, and Holy Guest" -- Bart and Homer join the Catholic Church. Some of the great moments: Homer says, "The Catholic Church has got more crazy rules than Blockbuster Video"; Homer river-dancing in heaven; and the Christian rock band "Pious Riot" who claimed "We've played more state fairs than the Beatles!" Marge, Flanders, and Rev. Lovejoy join forces to bring Homer and Bart back to the "one true faith: the Western Branch of American Reformed Presby-Lutheranism" -- which split from the Catholic Church, according to Flanders, over their "God-given right to come to church with wet hair (which we're since abolished)." Plus an epilogue that takes place 1,000 years in the future. Good stuff!

Sorry about your fish, Erika! Next time, think about getting the Extended Warranty. :-)

Emily
5/15/05
Well, Erika's fish, Oreo, died this afternoon. We took him back to PetCo beacuse he is still under warranty, but they won't have any of the ones she wants until Tuesday so she will pick out the new one then.
I have a Mayor's Youth Commission meeting for Legislative committee tomorrow, but other than that I don't think we have much going on this week. Mom has the day off tomorrow, and I don't have dance this week.
Erika got a new bed spread today. She is going to re-do her room this summer, once we are out of school. She has been looking at paint samples and getting things together for that, she is thinking she wants it painted a light pink or lavender.
Emily
5/15/05
Hey Gary, thanks for telling us about the free frostys we've already gone about 3 times!

You're welcome! Some of us here went last night. :-) --Gary

Nelsons
5/13/05

Happy Birthday Amanda!
Donna
5/13/05

Happy Birthday, Amanda!!!
Emily
5/13/05

Hey everybody! Well, I just got back from the cadaver lab. It was very interesting, my group was the first to see the cadaver. The students at the college had already dissected him so we could see all of the muscles and tendons and everything. Then when we got into the abdominal organs we got to hold the heart, and a lung, so that was pretty cool. Then we also to to hold and look at the brain. And nobody in my group passed out or got sick, so the whole cadaver part went well. After the cadaver we got to look at some brains they had out that all had a different disorder or problem with them, so that was really interesting to compare them with the normal brain and figure out what was wrong with it and how that would affect the person. There were also some fetuses that we looked at and those were also interesting to see how their organs looked compared to the mature ones. Then we also got to see an autopsy video.
After all that we had a tour of the campus then went out for lunch!
John, Marsha, Zach, Sam & Anna
5/13/05

Happy Birthday Amanda! Have a great day!
Grandma
5/13/05

Happy Birthday, Amanda!!
Congratulations also on graduating, been a long haul for you!
Hope it is all sunshine and roses from now on!
Dad, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
5/13/05

Happy Birthday Amanda! And Congratulations on Graduating, big month for you!
Anna
5/12/05
Hey everyone! Man I have been busy this week. I had a track meet on Tuesday and today I had a late start so I went to school 2 hours late. It was so nice to only have classes for only a half hour each. I also have Monday off. It has been really cold and rainy here lately. Today it was raining all day and we have had storms here also. I hope it warms up soon!
Gary
5/12/05
Hey, I just heard that as a "thank you for your support" deal after the bogus thumb/chili episode, this weekend Wendy's is giving away free Frostys. No purchase necessary. On Friday, Saturday, and Sunday just say "Free Frosty" and you get one.
Emily
5/12/05
Sounds like Lincoln is getting the storm we had last night! It was raining a little this morning and afternoon, but it seems to be letting up now. The field trip at mom's school for tomorrow was cancelled beacuse of the rain too, but they will be going on Monday so she will have that day off.
We are having our gutters replaced this afternoon, so we will be ready for more rain if it does come!
Tomorrow is my cadaver lab day! It should be fun we leave right after first period, at like 8:30, and then we will be at the college the rest of the day -- I'm looking forward to it and I will be sure to write up all the details tomorrow!
I was glad to see Anthony go on American Idol last night, now we just have to get rid of Vonzell!

Vonzell is next! Get ready for some cryin'! :-) --Gary

Lindsey
5/12/05

Yeah I was going to bed last night and it was maybe around 10:30ish and it started thundering and raining and lightning and the thunder was lasting for probably 15 seconds at least at a time and then I woke up about 4:30 to what sounded like people throwing marbles at my window and I don't know if it was hail or rain but I couldn't see out my window and then today at the end of school around 2:45 it was just pouring buckets of rain down and thundering so we are getting some pretty big storms. I think right now we're in a tornado watch until 5 or something.
Gary
5/12/05

And the storm hits! Raining like crazy here right now, with lots of lightning. I went to the door which opens out to the courtyard here and opened the door a crack -- and nearly got soaked. And somebody with a sense of humor is running the bell tower this afternoon: Mixed in with the sounds of rain and thunder were the bells playing "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head." :-)
Gary
5/12/05
Lots of rain here today. A big storm swept through about 5 this morning, but -- even though I had my windows open -- I didn't even hear it. Lots of thunder and lightning, and some hail I'm told. And more rain expected this afternoon.

Feel better, Erika!
Karen
5/12/05
Erika is home sick again. Up in the night, so no school again today. Guess it's the flu. I think I have the day off tomorrow. The whole school goes to a track and field day about two hours away. I had the option of riding on the bus with 50 5, 6, and 7 year old kids, or taking the day off. Gee.... took me about 5 seconds to decide that one! If this rain continues though, they will reschedule it for Monday. We have been getting a lot of rain. Rained all day yesterday and lots of thunder and lightning this morning.
Emily
5/11/05
I'm hoping Anthony goes tonight! I don't like Vonzell either, but I REALLY don't like Anthony. I didn't watch all of it last night but I did see when Vonzell cried that was weird, anyone hear why?

I've been googling for an answer, but couldn't find anything. I think she said last night she had had a "bad day." Whatever. There's no crying in American Idol!! --Gary

Donna
5/11/05
I hope Vonzell goes tonight too. I bet she won't though. Has anyone heard why she was crying last night? I wouldn't mind saying good-bye to Bo either. I like Carrie and Anthony (the heart strings have been pulled) but I'm betting it will be Anthony that will leave tonight.
Gary
5/11/05
Ugh! Vonzell is a spoiled little thing with the emotional age of a preschooler (no offense, Teghan!). She's been getting by her whole life on "cute." Anthony may not win (actually, I'm pulling for Carrie), but when he sings a song, it's about the song; when Vonzell sings a song, it's about Vonzell. And now for a quick recap: I don't like Vonzell! :-)
Amanda
5/11/05
You hope its Vonzell? I love her! We don't like Anthony, I hope he goes. Don't let the immigrant/throat tube stories pull at your heart strings, he's no good. But, he had a better night last night.
Gary
5/11/05
Hey, cat-lovers! (You know who you are....) Don't miss today's cool site!

And hey, American Idol worshippers, who's your pick for the one that gets booted off tonight? I hope it's Vonzell, but I think it will be Anthony. Anyone...?

Donna
5/11/05
Welcome back Sean!
Erika, hope you're feeling better.
Amanda, can't wait till you guys get here. I hope Ryan will be able to come too. I'm always ready for a trip to Farmer's Market. Mom and I went last Saturday. I plan to go again this Saturday. Lindsey, Olivia (and anyone else) do you want to come along? I also want to go to Eyes of the World. Maybe we could go there afterwards.
Emily
5/10/05
Erika was home today, but she seems to be feeling better now. She thinks it was probably just allergies, and should go back to school tomorrow.
Sean, good to hear you're back online now!
Amanda, sounds like you guys will have fun in Lincoln, hopefully we will be able to make it down to see you guys, I would like to go to Farmer's Market sometime too!
Sean
5/10/05
I got high speed cable internet hooked up just a half hour ago! Yes, after being too far away from it's delightful, reliable service for over a year and a half now, I'm hooked up!

Welcome back to the online world! --Gary

Lindsey
5/10/05
Geez only about 50 days and you guys will be here! I can't wait to do the Farmer's Market, it just started last weekend and a graduation party would be fun!
Amanda
5/10/05
OK, still not 100%, but dates are looking more definite. Ryan got leave scheduled (but he is at the bottom of the list, so if for some reason they need to keep someone else here, he will be the first to get his leave taken away) so we plan to leave on Thursday June 30th. Ryan will be there until July 9th. I start my internship July 6th. I was thinking of putting together (with help of course) a graduation party at the end (Aug 6th or 7th OR 13th or 14th-ish), and if so, Ryan will come back for that too. So, Gary adjust the countdown page!! I know we want to do lots of Saturday morning Farmer's markets!

Countdown page has been adjusted! --Gary

Emily
5/9/05
Hey everybody! Well, we all had a fun time with everyone this weekend, hope everyone else did too!
We went out to eat yesterday for Mother's Day and did some shopping so that was fun, but we don't have much else going on for the rest of the week.
Tristen, I love your pictures! What are you going to be doing this summer now that dance and soccer are over??
Amanda
5/8/05
Here are some recent pictures of Tristen. I thought we took lots of pictures of her when she was a baby, when they get active in school there are pictures for EVERYTHING! The pictures seem fitting, since she had her recital Friday night, and she had her last soccer game Saturday morning, so we are done with both for a few months. Enjoy....
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, and Olivia
5/8/05

Happy Mother's Day to all you Moms!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
5/8/05

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms!
Emily
5/7/05
Here are some pictures of Erika's party.
Gary
5/7/05
Hey, we had big fun at the Nelson house today. Thanks for inviting us, Erika! (How was Quiz Bowl, by the way???)

And speaking of bowls -- Teriyaki Bowls -- I'd like to announce to all Lincolnites that Samurai Sam's is safe! They're not closing down or even moving. The guy who wanted the buy them out and build a hotel there just gave up and dropped the whole idea when he saw there was a fight brewing. Viva Samurai Sam's!

The Hatgidakis Gang
5/7/05
Congrats Amanda! What a fantastic accomplishment! We are proud of you.

Karen
5/6/05
Congratulations Amanda. I bet it feels good to have that done with. Any plans or ideas now that you are almost over?

Amanda
5/6/05
Today is a momentous occasion for me. I am about to go to my last official lecture! I only have one class today, Spanish, and this will be the last time I sit through a class at Midwestern! I have 3 finals next week, but that has never counted, since you go in take the test & leave as soon as you are finished. Then the internet course in June & the internship in July. So, this is it! It feels a little strange. Now, I'm not going to proclaim it my last class ever, since I'm sure I will do graduate work at UNL, but for this page in my book, it's the finale! It's all starting to feel real.


Congratulations, and well done! --Gary

Karen
5/6/05
Marsha, I wish you could come to the party too. I remember when you all came to her 1st birthday party. Busy trying to get everything ready for it. I watched the Little House series. I really liked them. I heard that if the ratings were high enough they would make more -- so maybe there will be more coming.
Our home repairs continue. The gutter guys are coming in two weeks. The floor guy came out yesterday and measured. So now we have to decide on the pattern we want. Then scrape off three layers of tile to prep for the new one. Should be a good way to relieve stress!
Gary
5/6/05
I'm sure you've all seen by now (especially during the early days of the tsunami relief effort) the "new odd couple," former presidents Bush and Clinton. Not only are they working together on that project, but also it seems they've become good friends. Bush has said publicly that he will "never again say a critical word" about Clinton, and Barbara says she calls Clinton "son" (I can only assume that's because she's disappointed in her real ones). Anyway, did you happen to see the news footage recently where Bush shoved Clinton? They were chatting together on a stage before speaking -- laughing about something -- and suddenly Bush gives Clinton a two-handed palms-out shove on his chest. Clinton staggered a bit and stepped back a few steps to regain his balance. It was obviously good-natured as they were both laughing through the whole thing, but people have been wondering what it was about. This morning I heard Clinton tell the details (which I will paraphrase): "I asked George if he'd read my book yet, and he said 'I don't do 900-page books. Barbara's going to read the first half, and I'll read the second half.' So I said, 'She's going to enjoy her half a lot more than you'll enjoy yours!' And he shoved me!" :-)

Hey, scary-movie fans, program your TiVos or put a tape in the VCR: tonight on Bravo there's a 4-hour show called "The 100 Scariest Movie Moments." The title kind of says it all, but there's also commentary on each scene by lots of interesting people. It's actually a very funny show, and only occasionally gross; and it's not really scary in itself -- it only reminds you how scary the original movie was if you'd already seen it. It's a fun show! It's been on several times before, and Lindsey caught part of it one night recently at Grandma's, so she can testify. It is done in countdown fashion, so it starts with #100 at 7 p.m. and you'll see the #1 scariest movie just before 11 o'clock. Sleep well! :-)

Marsha
5/5/05
Way to stretch your birthday into a couple of weeks Erika! Hope your party is lots of fun... wish we were coming too! It is finally warming up and getting spring like. All the great plants are coming out at work. Glad you liked Maus, Gary. Donna may want to check it out too. Did anyone watch the Disney series of the Little House books? We saw most of them and really liked them -- true to the books unlike the Michael Landon series.
Emily
5/5/05
Donna, I think the cadaver lab will be intresting & it should be a fun day!
Anna, I wish you guys were able to come down too, but we'll have to start thinking about our trip this summer!
Tristen, hope you have fun in your recital, you will have to send in lots of pictures!!
Lindsey
5/5/05
Tristen good luck on your recital! I wish I was there to see you dance! Only 60 days until you come down!
Gary
5/5/05
Tristen, you got in just under the wire with the countdown item you sent in today! :-) What are you going to do in your recital?
Donna
5/5/05
Emily, you're working on cadavers on Friday the 13th and then having lunch at McDonald's (after watching Super Size Me)? That does not sound like a good day to me at all. But I hope you enjoy the day!
Gary
5/5/05
Another day goes by with no dial-up service for Lincolnites. Seems to be working now (at 7 am on Thursday), but it wasn't all last night. I called tech support, and he was very apologetic (though it sounded like he was reading a statement from a script) and he said service could be restored at any time "so try it as often as you like" (duh!). Anyway, hope it's back to normal now....
Anna
5/4/05
Hey everyone! It was so nice here today. When I got picked up from practice around 5:30 it was 72 degrees and the weird thing is I went out to lunch on Monday and it was snowing. So what a turn around in the week. Schools going good and so is track. I have a meet on Friday. Mid-quarters are on Monday and the school years almost over. So not to much else is new and Erika I hope you have another fun party! Sorry we can't come.
Emily
5/4/05
I didn't do very well on the quiz either, only got 3 right! But the cool site was intresting, I had fun looking around there.
Its been warming up around here, its hard to believe its almost summer. We only had 4 more weeks of school, and we have already turned in our books for Bio 2 and english, but in Biology we will just be working on the cats and cadaver stuff for the rest of the year. Dance pictures and recital stuff is coming up soon too, but our dances are looking good, so that stuff should go well too.
We got everything organized for the Cadaver lab at Briar Cliff next week. My class is going on the 13th, it should be fun I'm driving and we get to eat at McDonalds after, and I will only have first period that day, so it should be good.
We can't wait to see everyone on Saturday!! :)
Karen
5/4/05
Well, I did really lousy on the quiz. Interesting to compare the cities though. Starting to feel like spring here. Looks like a nice long stretch of great weather. I am off to school early today. Have the practice for the operetta this morning and I have to do "crowd control" on the 1st graders. I think Emily will come with me on Friday night for the show and help out too. We got our roof fixed on Friday. The roofer came by late Thursday afternoon, said they had the next day free and could come in the morning. They were done by noon, so it's nice to get that taken care of. Lowes is due to come out any day to measure for the new floors in the kitchen and bathroom. We did some additional price comparisons and decided to go with a vinyl floor. That way we will also be able to intall two new storms doors for about the cost of the ceramic tiles. Erika was thrilled to hear that some of you will be able to come to her party. See you then :)
Gary
5/3/05
Hey, sorry for the lack of updates here yesterday. windstream was fritzed up yesterday (and today too, so far) for local dial-up users -- so I was unable to get on last night. Donna and Grandma also experienced the same thing, they tell me. I'll keep the page updated while I'm here in my office today, but no guarantees for this evening!

City quiz was kind of tough, I'll admit -- there were a few surprising things in there. Which was your disputed question, Amanda?

Hey Erika, we will be coming up to see you guys this Saturday. Keep those cats away from the fish until we get a chance to see them! :-)

Note to Marsha: Thanks for the loan of the "Maus" books. I had always wanted to read them, and man, are they amazing! I passed them along to Mom so she could read them, and I'll ship 'em back to you after that. Thanks again!

Paul
5/3/05
I didn't do so well on the city quiz. 3 out of ten. GOOD LUCK on finals everyone!!!!
Ryan
5/3/05
Although I enjoyed the quiz, I did not read the instructions correctly and was checking those that I thought were correct. Needless to say I only got 1 right. I was totally off on all of these. And I'm the one who works on Multi-million dollar aircraft! SHEESH!!!
Amanda
5/3/05
Cool front page Gary... That was fun, though I disagree with one! But I won't say yet which one... Only 4 days of class & 4 finals!!! Yea!!
Lindsey
5/3/05
I liked that quiz on the front page and the cool site was interesting to look at. I got 9 out of 10!! I missed the commute question.
Gary
5/1/05
Emily, I haven't read the book you reviewed, but I did see the movie -- and it's very good. You should rent it now!
Erika
5/1/05
Hi everyone I was just wondering who was coming to our party down here. If you do you can see Snickerdoodle-Bob And Oreo. Thanks for all my B-Day greetings.
Emily & Erika
5/1/05
Hey everybody! We went to PetCo this afternoon and we got 2 new pets! Their names are Snickerdoodle Bob and Oreo!
Amanda
5/1/05
Check it out! Wish one would come close to us!
Lindsey
5/1/05
Erika, looks like you had a fun party!