Anderson/Hatgidakis/Nelson/Metcalf: Newsletter
Old news: November 2005
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Erika
11/30/05
Hi everyone its about 7:00 p.m. and I think we already have 3 of our 4 inches. Mom just called from Omaha she said she left an hour ago and went about 12 miles so she was still in Omaha (It was snowing there too) so she is getting a hotel room.
Karen
11/30/05
Writing this from the hospital, so I hope it goes through. As Emily said we left about 7:15 this morning, got here and they started to prep him. Took him to surgery about 12:15. Didn't get out until 2:45 -- talked with the dr. Said he didn't find anything too bad, just lots of scar tissues and he "widened" a few spots. Hoping that will get him some relief, but will need to wait and see. It's now 5 and I am still waiting for him to come out of recovery. Shouldn't be too much longer (I hope). Then drive home, it's starting to snow here now, so it may be long drive!
Donna
11/30/05
Karen just called back--the doctor said everything went well. They'll take him to his room in about an hour. Karen plans to go home yet tonight and will have to drive back in that snow. No snow here yet either so hopefully she won't see any of it until closer to home. I can't believe they're getting hit with more snow again.
E&E, I'm glad you got to take off another day!
Donna
11/30/05
Karen just called. Brent went into surgery around 12:30 and the nurse came in while I was talking to her (at 2:30) to say he should be out in another 15 minutes. She'll call back when she knows more.
Gary
11/30/05
Emily, about the weather -- it's weird. On the weather map, the exact same blue blob is over Lincoln and Sioux City, yet you are getting heavy snow, and we are getting (at the moment, anyway) not a flake. I don't get it! :-) Hey, what are you and Erika having for dinner tonight?
Emily
11/30/05
Hey everybody! Mom and Dad left for Omaha around 7 this morning. Mom called around 12:30 saying that Dad was just going into surgery, thinking he should be out by 4.
Other than that not too much news. It started snowing pretty hard around here about an hour ago. I think we are predicted to get 4-6 more inches tonight and tomorrow, so not sure if Mom will be staying over in Omaha yet or not. How is the weather up there?
Erika and I took today off as well, but I will be taking us back and forth to school at least tomorrow and Friday. Not sure if we will make it to dance tonight.
We don't have to worry about getting to my debate tournament on Saturday anymore, because it has been cancelled for us anyway. Our only varsity public forum team got mono and a bunch of others had other activities going on. So, there were just going to be 4 of us. And, my coach called today and said 2 of them had to cancel, so we just decided to call it off. So, now we're done with all of that until state in the beginning of January.
Amanda
11/30/05
Here is a website that will explain it a little better than I can. It compares it to Stages 1, 2 & 4 so you can get a better idea of what Stage 3 is & its survival rate. It's a short little website so it doesn't go too in depth or have pictures, but it's not as trusted as perhaps a .org & .gov site would be. But, the info checks out compared to the others. (Sheesh, have I done way too much research in college or what, who cares about that stuff, or goes on & on about it like I do!)
Donna
11/30/05
Gary, the Christmas websites are very nice. I keep wanting to ask where the Santa site comes from but then I remember the North Pole of course. He must be keeping busy because I've only seen an empty chair so far. The Sweden site has been down when I've checked.
Anyone heard from Karen? I think Brent's surgery was scheduled for 11 today. Probably too early yet.
Donna
11/30/05
Amanda, what does stage 3 mean? I'm glad he gets to go home today.
Amanda
11/30/05
They are calling Steve's cancer Stage 3. I talked to them at 11:30 & they were awaiting a visit from the doctor for the official release today from the hospital. He is to take it easy for a few weeks & they expect to start things back up (chemo, more test, etc) in about 3 weeks.
Gary
11/30/05
You may have noticed that the Christmas webcam pages are up, as of today. Let me know if you have trouble with any of the cams -- they were all working just now, but things change...
One cam I wanted but couldn't get was Rockefeller Center. I did find one, but it's one that I can't "steal" and put on our page -- you have to go to that specific website to view it. Tonight is the night that the Rockefeller Center tree will be lit. The show is on NBC tonight at 7; but, if it's like the previous shows, you can skip the whole thing until about the last two minutes when they actually light the tree. The first 58 minutes is just a series of bad musical acts. Besides, at 7 you should always be watching Keith Olbermann on MSNBC!
P.S.: Advent calendar starts tomorrow!
Amanda
11/29/05
Holy cow... I'm glad we got out of the way of that storm. Tornadoes & crazy stuff in Kansas too! What the heck. Lots of damage here, too, from high winds. I'm telling you, we have the knack for picking BAD weather days to travel on!
Hope Brent's surgery goes well. Steve is doing well I hear. I haven't talked to him since Saturday night, but Ryan talked to him on Sunday & Monday & I have talked to Cathy. He should have gotten scrambled eggs this morning, which will be the most solid food he has eaten in a week! He is getting coffee, which he is ecstatic about. If all goes well (& there are a lot of ifs here) he should be able to go home Wednesday afternoon. We are all anxiously awaiting the pathology report as that will tell him what stage he is in & if it spread to the liver & then he will meet with his oncologist to determine a treatment plan. I'm just excited for him to be able to eat like a normal person again, he hasn't done that in months!
Karen
11/29/05
Well Emily and Erika now have the day off. Brent went out to shovel the driveway and move the truck. We had drifts of 2 feet, so he was working hard. The street still isn't plowed so he thought he would put the truck on the front yard so we could get the car out. Time was running out and still lots of snow to shovel, so we gave up.
Brent is worn out!!
Yay, snow day! Take it easy, Brent!! --Gary
Karen
11/29/05
I am not planning to stay overnight. Would only if he has problems or if the weather gets bad. Still planning to head down first thing tomorrow morning, hoping that the weather improves by then. I'll keep your number handy and call if I need something, thanks.
Donna
11/29/05
Brent, good luck on your surgery tomorrow. Karen, do you know yet if you're staying overnight? I can drive tomorrow (or any day this week) if it would help to get you around or to Lincoln if you decide to stay there. Just let me know. I have no idea where the hospital is yet, but I can find out. Let me know if you need anything while you're here. Do you have my work number? 402-938-6408.
Karen
11/29/05
2 hour late start for all the schools in SC today!! The snow is still coming down, but mostly it's the strong winds that are causing trouble. Brent's mom called last night, they are getting it even worse. It was about 6 and her electricity was out and not looking for it come back soon. Both of his sisters had yesterday and today off of school. I'm guessing we got about 4 inches, but hard to tell because of the wind. We do have pretty good drifts.
Not nearly that bad here. Just a dusting really, but plenty cold. This storm is still going strong to the east of us, though. Looks like Lincoln was just grazed by it. --Gary
Karen
11/28/05
Nasty weather here. Started out as rain, then about 11 it turned to snow. Now it is blowing hard and snow is coming down (across). Just a bit of ice underneath so it will be a nasty night. Lots of cancellations already. Emily has a meeting at the S Sioux City city council, but Brent will be taking her. We all had a great time in Lincoln on Thursday. So glad we came. Didn't go shopping on Friday, but did go yesterday. Stores weren't very busy. Almost have all my shopping done. Marsha, I mailed your box on Saturday, should be there tomorrow or Wednesday. Gary, thanks so much for the games on the palm. Brent was loading them last night. Should make his hospital stay more pleasant. He is off starting tomorrow -- has to "prepare," then head down to Omaha Wednesday morning. Ryan how is your Dad doing?
Getting nasty here too. Snow was predicted all day, but it didn't really start until 5 pm, in time for rush hour. --Gary
Amanda
11/27/05
We are home! We left about 7:45 this morning & got here at about 5:30. In all, it was a good time. We had some rain & stuff from York to Wichita. In Wichita it turned into hail. Then it was WINDY the rest of the way home. But, we are here. Had a great weekend!
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, Olivia
11/24/05
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
11/24/05
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Grandma
11/23/05
Happy Thanksgiving, All!!
Nelsons
11/23/05
Happy Thanksgiving
Karen
11/22/05
Amanda, I'm not sure when we will be there. Hoping to leave here about 8 -- want to check out where the hospital is in Omaha on the way. So we should be there by 11:00-11:30. Plan to stay until about 4 or 5. Erika had a fun night last night. She was in the Holiday Parade. Got there about 6 and it started at 7. Wasn't a very long one and it was fairly decent weather. I stayed and watched most of it. Today is another fun day for her, her school is going to the new Harry Potter movie. I am so jealous. Brent is not having such a great day -- home sick again. Wish this whole thing was over!!!!
Amanda
11/22/05
Karen~ What time are you guys planning on getting to Grandmas? And what time is dinner planned for? We won't be eating there, I'm just curious. We will hang out for a bit in the AM, so I'm trying to figure out our schedule.
Emily
11/21/05
Well, I got my results back from Saturday. I actually didn't do too bad. I ended up getting 5th place overall, and I was only HALF a speaker point away from placing in the top 3 and getting a trophy!! grr. But, I am looking forward to the next tournament on the 3rd. We are doing the same resolution, so I am hoping to place there.
Donn, I have no clue why the kid ended up at the library. Our coach was pretty angry about it, and he lost his spot for state.
We're looking forward to Thanksgiving in Lincoln this year! See you all on Thursday!
Amanda
11/21/05
Well, it is looking like we will be back in town this weekend. Not for sure yet. Ryan got Wednesday off, so that is what was holding us back. We will once again be spending a lot of time with the Metcalfs--but hope to make a little more time for everyone else this time. If we come we will leave tomorrow (Tuesday) after school. I'm not sure if we will spend the night in Kansas again or not. Then we will head back to Texas early Sunday morning.
We would appreciate anyone who wants to donate to the cause, as we could use a van, SUV or even better: plane tickets! :)
Hope to see you all soon!
Donna
11/21/05
So Emily, what was he doing in the library? Is that close to where he was dropped off? Maybe he needed to do some last minute research???
So how did you do? I'm sure you didn't need any sympathy votes. ;-)
Emily
11/20/05
Hey everybody! Well, I had my debate tournament yesterday. I think I did all right. I didn't stay for awards, so I won't know for sure until Monday. But, it was a rather intresting day. It was just across town, so we were all just supposed to drive ourselves and meet there by 8. Everyone was there on time except for one of our kids, but a few others said that they had seen him walking into the other building while they were driving up. So, we weren't too worried, assuming he was just lost and on his way. But, about 15 minutes later rounds were being posted and he still hadn't checked in, we began to get a little worried. We called his cell and he didn't answer, so then our coach called his parents to make sure he did get dropped off. He definitaly had been and was seen going into the building. So then our coach went to check the room he was supposed to be in, thinking he may have just forgot to check in. A little after this time I had to go to my first round. But on my way to the room I ran into my coach, who was now quite frantic, he wan't in any of the congress rooms. But, I couldn't hang around to help, I had to go to my first round. So, about an hour later, when the round was over, I went back to the main area to find about 3 police officers and the kid's parents crying hysterically! I asked if we had any information on him, no one knew, but they had issued an amber alert for him.
So, that was the big news around the tournament for the rest of the day. Once any of my judges, or opponents for that matter, saw which team I was from, they all had to ask what was going on and if we were okay (so I am hoping that may have gotten me a few sympathy votes :) But, after 3rd round, about 5 hours after the initial chaos, the missing kid called his mom saying he was at the public library! Our coach was quite angry after hearing this and said she didn't even want to see him, and they should just go home. So, I haven't gotten quite all of the details. But, the day certainly wasn't boring!
Ryan
11/19/05
Ya know Sean, her first job after college is still better than your first job ever. Remember Mc. Flurries, Beany Babys, Special Sauce. I seem to remember that you were only old enough to sweep, mop, and take out trash. Oh well, everyone has to start somewhere. Come to think of it I roasted peanuts once!!!!!
I just got done putting in a flood light over the garage doors. We only had the fixture for 1 1/2 years!! Anyway pics to come. Talk to every one later!
Gary
11/19/05
Great pictures, Amanda!
And speaking of pictures, I got this note from Sean last night: "Gary, I took a few pictures of Amanda's first job after graduation last Saturday when they were in town. She worked at Little King for a few hours. Can you post her proud moment? Thanks!" I can, Sean, and did. Check it out! :-)
Amanda
11/18/05
This is a much better article, it talks more about Garth. He was finishing the mentioned thesis while we interned together.
Amanda
11/18/05
Linz~ What a cool experience. Not for me so much, I'm not into the medical thing, but some cool stuff indeed. What class is this for? I wonder if they are doing it to get HS students interested in the medical field because there is such a high demand for those jobs. That's 3/4 of the job ads I look at. The collapsed lung would be cool, I would like to see that. I had that when I was born. Still have the scars today.
Amanda
11/18/05
This article is about an East student who is a finalist for a Rhodes scholarship to study at Oxford. At the end of the article it talks about 2 other Lincoln students who are finalists, and the last one was one of the interns I worked with at Senator Hagel's. The intern, Garth Glissman, is also the one who played football at UNL. He graduated this August as well. Very interesting. I will be checking back on Saturday to see who made it into that great English town that I visited!
Lindsey
11/17/05
I had my Bryan LGH Career Day today. It was really interesting. We got there about 8:15 and then broke up into our groups. First I went to the STAN robot presentation and that was really cool. It's this robot that acts just like a human like blinks, has a heartbeat, they can draw blood, all that stuff. For the students at Bryan College they set it up in different situations and they actually have him hooked up and a person in a room next door talks and it's like the robot is talking to the doctors and he says what hurts and everything. Then we got to go over and just try stuff ourselves and we did our blood pressure and heart rate and that was cool. Then I went to Radiology which was interesting. One station my friend layed on one of the beds and I actually got to use the X-Ray machine and set it up as if they were going to take an X-Ray. Then there was a lady that actually worked in the radiology department and she was going to be having twins and they had the ultrasound set up and the lady was showing us how they do it and then she handed me the thing they use and I got to try it and look for the babies on the screen so that was pretty cool. Last I went to Respiratory Care and that was cool. They had these pig lungs there and they had the tubes in them like they would have in someone who couldn't breathe on their own and they had plastic gloves and anyone who wanted could put them on and feel the lungs and I did and it was pretty cool, you felt them move up and down and there was a hole and if you plugged it the beat started getting irregular. Also a part of it was collapsed so we got to see what a collapsed lung would look like. So it was a pretty cool experience. I had never really thought of doing anything medical but it was cool to get to see what all they did. Bryan has also added so much I got to see all the new parts of the hospital.
Tristen
11/17/05
Hey Gary is that a real aligater.Oh and I just forgot what I was going to say oh whell bye.
Yup, it is real, Tristen. Too bad you couldn't stay longer to play in our snow! Now it is almost all gone. See you later! --Gary
Amanda
11/17/05
If he has been officially convicted he can be referred to as her killer. It has been proven beyond a reasonable doubt to get a conviction.
Donna
11/17/05
Look at this CNN news alert I just got:
-- Joseph Smith is convicted of murdering Carlie Brucia, 11, who was last seen on videotape with her killer in a car wash parking lot.
They can't call him 'her killer.' I'm not defending him, he probably is guilty but he pleaded innocent and a jury convicted him.
Geez, I wish reporters would stop editorializing and just give the facts...
Amanda
11/16/05
The position is as a Child Support Officer. See the website for more info. It is something I would enjoy I think. I qualify for one of the highest pay grades because of my degree, so the pay may end up being more than what the case worker position would have been. And it is closer to home and no military set up. Those are all pluses!
Nelsons, I did not pursue the case worker position much because I was really burnt with how they dealt with my surgery, so I told myself I would keep looking for something. I just did not have a good feeling about it. If it had been closer to home (45 minutes one way is not appealing everyday) and better hours (9-6 means I wouldn't make it home before 7PM each night) I might have put my personal feelings aside, but there were just too many things stacked against it.
Cross your fingers, as yesterday marked 3 months of officially searching for a job. I think its high time something worked out!!
Emily
11/16/05
Thanks for all of the birthday greetins everyone! And, Hatgidakis' thanks for the card, it just arrived in the mail!
I am enjoying having the day off for my birthday, it was nice to be able to sleep in for once!
Anyway, not a whole lot going on with us. Like Mom said it snowed here all day yesterday. I think I heard that we ended up getting 4 inches, but there isn't much of it left today.
I had Teen Court last night. I only had one case, & it was curfew like always, so pretty uneventful. But, after that we had a little meeting about the presentation that I and 2 others will be giving to South Sioux City Council next week, so that should be fun.
I have dance tonight, I don't remember ever having to go on my birthday in years past, so maybe we will get to do something fun for that!
I will give my in class debate tomorrow, since today's obviously got cancelled. But, I am planning on bringing special birthday treats for that class, so I am expecting to get the class win at least :) Then we have another tournament on Saturday, but at least it is also in town, so we won't have to get up at 4!
Thanks for putting up the cool site today Gary, I hadn't really looked at that one before. It was fun to read some of the stuff. I also meant to comment on the M.C. Escher cool site a few days ago. My art teacher was comparing something to Escher during a lecture the day before and I couldn't recall any of his work! So it was also fun to look around that one!
Amanda, why are you interviewing again, did you decide to not take the case worker job. We were thinking you were to start yesterday.
Marsha, sounds like you are having a fun time getting into the Christmas mood. It doesn't seem like it should be time for Christmas stuff to be coming out already!
Donna
11/16/05
That sounds like an interesting place to work. And if you ever got in trouble with the law, you know they'd take care of it. What's the job?
Amanda
11/16/05
I just got a call for an interview with the State of Texas Attorney General's office. I go in next Tuesday at 1. Probably won't hear much for a little while after that because of the Thanksgiving holiday, but an interview is a good sign.
Donna
11/16/05
Wow, Lindsey, John, Ryan and I all have sore backs? That's weird. Mine is better. I was able to drive in to work today but I felt like an old lady getting out of the car. Ryan, how was the drive home for you? That had to be really uncomfortable.
Ryan, Amanda, Tristen & Teghan
11/16/05
Happy Birthday Emily!
Marsha
11/15/05
We are sorry to hear about your Dad's health Ryan, we are all thinking of you and your family and hope he does very well with his surgery. We are expecting some snow tonight. The Bachman's Christmas party was on Sunday night so that helped us get in the Christmas mood. The decorations were beautiful and even Santa was there! Anna and I work at the 42nd Street Open House on Sunday and that is always a great time too. Mom, why don't you just let your living room walls go au natural until January? You know you will be looking for something to do then. Anna and I put 2 planters on the front steps with evergreens and redbark twigs last night...snow will make them look even prettier. John's back is just starting to get better, hope Donna's is feeling better too. Check out the new recipe, it's a winner.
happy bday emily!
Paul, Lori, Lindsey, Olivia
11/15/05
Happy Birthday Emily!
Lindsey
11/15/05
Glad you guys made it back home ok! Sorry you missed the snow but it's supposed to be mid 50's tomorrow so a lot of it should melt away. My back has been hurting too for the last week/week and a half so I have a doctor appointment for it tomorrow. Thursday I have a career day for my career ed class and we'll be at Bryan LGH from like 8-1 and we'll go to a bunch of different stations and a bunch of information. The stations I think I'm going to is STAN (the human like robot they work on), Emergency Care (the helicoptor on top of the hospital and ambulances), Radiology, and Respiratory Care so that should be pretty interesting. I'm pretty excited for it. I'll write about it when I get back!
Amanda
11/15/05
We are home... We got here at about 4:45. It was rough driving for about the first 4 hours. I think we are trying to set a record for the crummiest weather to drive in. We have had our share of it on these trips. We are all tired, but we had the neighbor girl bring home homework for Tristen so she will do that all night tonight & Ryan is going into work tonight to get some stuff done & caught up while no one is there to disturb him. I'm just trying to get the house back in order & then will spend some time tonight looking online for jobs. I usually look everyday, but have missed the last 4 or 5, so I need to get back at it. Don't know much about Steve, will know more after he has some surgery which could be within a week. Will keep you posted. Thanks to everyone who cleared their schedules this weekend when we had a few hours to spare, it was nice to see everyone! Oh, and no snow for us, it was crummy to see it for 5 minutes & then leave it.
The Hatgidakis Family
11/15/05
Happy Birthday, Emily!!!!!
Donna
11/15/05
Happy Birthday, Emily!!!
Grandma
11/15/05
Yep, we do have snow!
Should be high winds by this p.m. Not too cold yet tho, and should be ending by afternoon. The Metcalfs got on the road by 6:30 and the girls wanted to stay to play in the snow. (Not fair that Texas won't have snow.) It was a whirlwind weekend, and I will miss them. Don't know what I will have for lunch without their vegetable soup! Hope all you guys with bad backs are getting better, Ryan said his was about the same this morning, be a long trip home. Looking forward to Thanksgiving with the Nelsons. Have a bit of Holiday spirit this morning, until I look at my living room walls, so better get back at them. Nice to have your Birthday off, Emily, but what a sad thing to happen.
Happy Birthday, Emily!!
Dad and Mom
11/15/05
Happy 17th Birthday Emily :)
Karen
11/15/05
We have snow!! Started out as rain early this morning and soon turned to snow. Just beginning to stick to the ground.....
Gary
11/15/05
Hey, we got snow here! Woke up this morning, going through the usual routine -- flipped on the TV and heard the local weather guy saying "snow could continue through the morning..." Wha...? I opened the blinds, and SNOW EVERYWHERE. Really wet and slushy, but real authentic snow. Wow!
Karen
11/15/05
Cold and winter coming, weatherman said we could have snow tonight and tomorrow. Poor Erika is having cat troubles. Came home at 5 after running some errands. Walked in the back door and saw one of the kitties on the counter. One of the other ones was in the dinning room, weird thing is NO ONE noticed they were inside. After catching them and tossing them outside, we noticed that Nicky was missing. Found her hiding under the neighbors porch. Still not in after about three hours. Emily found out this morning that she doesn't have school on her birthday. One of the ladies in the office at her school was killed in a car accident this week-end. The funeral is Wednesday, so no school all day. She was actually disappointed because she was to debate in class. As Emily mentioned we are coming to Lincoln for Thanksgiving. Planning to come for just the day, but should be fun. What are everyone else's plans for the day? Ryan - how is your Dad getting along? We were all sad to hear the news about him, hope it all goes well.
Donna
11/14/05
What a great quote on today's trailer. Good ol' Abe. I'm working from home today--at least I hope I can work. I hurt my back this weekend and didn't think I could do the commute.
It was so nice seeing the Metcalf's this weekend. I wish it could have been under happier circumstances. Ryan, I hope your dad gets some good news today. Have a safe drive home.
What a nice surprise to hear Karen's are coming down for Thanksgiving.
That will be so much fun.
Feel better! I recommend Motrin IB. :-) For those who don't get the crawl, today's is: "The Lord prefers common-looking people. That is why he makes so many of them. --Abraham Lincoln" --Gary
Donna
11/13/05
Olivia came over to my house yesterday and as soon as we got there her friend called on her cell phone. We were outside a little while later and she said 'what did you do with my cell phone?' I told her I hadn't seen it but she was sure she had left it on my bench in the backyard. So we went in the house to get my phone so she could call her cell. I came outside a few minutes later to find her on my phone looking around in the mulch. She says I can hear it ringing and it sounds like it's right here somewhere. Then she stands up and says I can't hear it any more. Then she bends over and says I can hear it again, it's got to be right here. I look at her and realize it's in her jeans pocket. When I tell her, she says, 'Oh, I thought that was my lip gloss.' Definitely a blonde moment. Fortunately she had many brunette moments too. ;-) And she said it was okay if I put this on the newsletter page.
Emily
11/12/05
Grandma, thank you for the birthday greeting! I got it yesterday, and I was even able to go shopping this afternoon with the money that you and Donna sent. The debate rounds I had to judge today got over really early, about 1:30, and I was glad!! So Mom and I went shopping this afternoon. I ended up getting a really cute pair of shoes and a pair of kapris for dance. I will proably wear the shoes when we come down for Thanksgiving, so you will be able to see them them! Thanks again!
Livy and Big T
11/12/05
Hi everyone! We just got done making vegtable soup by OURSELVES! We also took off all the wall paper in Grandma's living room. Well almost done. We also got Juice Stop and made a whole resturant in Grandma's kitchen! But last night when we were taking off the wall paper, we saw some writting by Amanda. It said "Amanda Lee Anderson was here Febuary 28, 1993 Sunday here with my Grandma Mary Jo Anderson & my aunt Donna Beth Anderson. Why you take this lovely wall paper off we placed upon here is BEYOND ME. It is 44 degrees on 3:08 PM. Hasta Lugeo!" Tristen, Lindsey and I wrote stuff on it too today! Talk to you all later.
Emily
11/11/05
No school for Erika or I today either. Erika didn't even have to go in yesterday! We got off for conferences, we went to mine on Tuesday and Erika's on Wednesday. They both went well and looks like we will both be on honor roll for this quarter. Mom had to go in today, but Dad also got the day off, so I think we are planning on going out to HuHot for lunch!
I don't know that we have much else going on for this weekend. I have to judge all day tomorrow, but that shouldn't be too bad.
Way to go on being top seller Tristen!
Lindsey
11/11/05
No school for me today! East is hosting the volleyball tournament again this year so they need the school and school parking lot for space so we are the only school out today.
Gary
11/10/05
Erika's been busy! Thanks for the reviews, Erika!
Donna
11/10/05
You're welcome, Emily! I'm just glad I got it there early for a change. Have fun shopping!
Emily
11/10/05
Donna, Thanks so much for thr birthday card! Although, I do have to agree that cat is just a little creepy looking. I don't know when we will find tme to go shopping with my next 2 weekends tied up, but I will be sure to let you know what I get!
Amanda
11/10/05
Excellent grades Erika, nice work!
Donna
11/10/05
Erika, those are fantastic grades! Nice job!!!
Erika
11/9/05
Hi everyone we just got back from conferences and I got my report card and this is how it goes,
Band: B
P.E.: A
Reading: A
Geography: A
Math: B-
English: A
Life science: B
Choir: A
Music tec.: A
Wow, excellent grades, Erika!! --Gary
Lindsey
11/9/05
Congratulations Tristen!
And Teghan....you might not want to say that at your Mom's graduation ceremony!
Donna
11/9/05
Way to go, Tristen!!!
Livy
11/9/05
Way to go Tristen! First in your group for the nut sales, and the magazine sales, WOW! Sam, I felt bad for your accident when I heard about it. Thats why I think people do that because they are mad at Bush and blame it on other people. True story ;). Ryan that's so funny! And yes, it did put a smile on my face after all the homework I've been getting this week :). Well I don't really have a lot of news, so talk to you all later!!!
Amanda
11/9/05
So the numbers are in, Tristen did finish first in our troop for nut sales! She also was the top magazine seller!!! Go Tristen!
Donna
11/9/05
That reminds me of the time Olivia said she loved wedgies. ;-)
Gary
11/9/05
Hey, apologies to anyone who has been trying to post a message here today. I'm having a major email problem here at work, and haven't gotten into my email system at all, all day long. I am able to do updates from my home computer, so I can add anything you may have sent to this page tonight after work.
Sorry about that! I know you're all dying to comment on Teghan's story below. Hoo-ha! :-)
Later: OK, email is working again -- feel free to send in your newsletter items!
Ryan
11/8/05
Does everyone recall our little saying about Petee? "Petee licks butts!!!!" (We started this because the girls used to let Pete lick their faces.) So during dinner tonight we were reciting it again and Teghan added a new twist. She went around the room saying "Mommy, Daddy, Tristen, ect. licks butts!!" And she finished with "I lick butts!!!" We all busted up laughing!!! Hope this puts a smile on your face.
Erika
11/7/05
Donna I don't think I will come down to Lincoln while dads haveing surgery, but if it is longer than the 3 days we think it will be or some other unexpected event I might come down. He will have surgery the 30th (11/30/05) in Omaha.
Emily
11/7/05
Donna, I highly doubt taping would be allowed in one of my debate rounds. They get to be pretty strict about recording anything, even taking notes out of the room! Although, anyone is always welcomed to observe a round as long as you're not competiting ;)
It would be fun to spend some time in Lincoln while Dad is in Omaha, and we might decided to just come up anyway. The only reason I would really rather stay here is just because I've already missed one day of school this year, and if I miss over 2 I have to take semester exams. I would really rather not have to take the final especially in my 2 college credit classes!
Anyway a pretty easy week coming up for me! No school for me on Friday and and early out on Wednesday. Although I do have an MYC exec. meeting tonight we are going to be going over applications for new people. Then I have to give my first debate for the new resolution on Wednesday, and I will be judging on Saturday. So it should be good!
Amanda
11/7/05
Sam~ I'm sorry to hear about your experience too. Maybe you guys should all move to Lincoln, its smaller, so there is a little less crime. :) When does Brent go in for surgery?
Karen
11/7/05
Yipee, out two hours early today!! St Pauls had parent/teacher conferences so I was done at 12:45. Picked up Brent and we went to Red Robin for a delicious lunch. Our first time there. Another beautiful fall day, must be at least 70. I sent my check to Tristen too, so you should be getting some mail this week. Donna, I talked to Erika again about staying in Lincoln. She really doesn't want to miss any school. We are really hoping that Brent will only be in the hospital for 3-4 days so it shouldn't be as bad as before. I don't think Emily would allow me to tape her debates -- I haven't even seen her compete.
Donna
11/7/05
Samantha, I was so sorry to hear about your rotten day last week. I'm glad you didn't get hurt. How are you doing?
Erika, I really think you should stay in Lincoln when your dad has his surgery. We could keep you busy with Christmas decorating, baking cookies, movies...
Tristen, the check is in the mail. ;-)
Emily, I wish you would tape some of your debates. I would love to watch you in action. Is that allowed?
Amanda
11/7/05
Hello everyone... Just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who bought nuts & magazines from Tristen! She did really well, and her proudest accomplishment is that she received orders for 12 items to be shipped in our care package for the troops! She was very excited for that. Not sure if she made top seller or not, will let you know details later.
Livy
11/5/05
Hey evryone! Tristen, you look ssssoooo cute in your school picture!! Wow, 28 socks, that must've been fun! About a week or 2 ago was spirit week for me and my school! And let me just say, there were some pretty good costumes, and or wierd ones!:) Tue= twin day, Wed= royalty day, Thur= hat day, and Fri= Halloween day! Oh, I entered a raffle at my school the other day. I can win $100 to Southpoint mall, $75 to Betsybuy, or a GE Cd/Radio/Clock. But I don't really know what that is.yet.;) I also got my I.D. card for school. But the day before fall break, (Halloween, 4 day weekend) I had 3 parties in school! One in 2nd period (Health), One in 3rd period (math), and one in 6th period (history). On monday I start science again, it's magnetism! Talk to you all later!!!
Gary
11/5/05
The contact page has been updated with Sean's current info. It includes a link to his PictureTrail page, and note that he has a new email address.
Lindsey
11/4/05
Good luck on your exam Ryan!
Ryan
11/4/05
I wanted to say Hi to everyone because I will be out of pocket for a while studing for a big History exam. We ate at El Chico's tonight to see Amanda's friend Natalie. AAAANNNNYYYYWWWWAAAAYYYY we got home tonight and started Anna_ahh's way of talking_ngaaa. Now we are missing home and would like to see everyone togather again. See everyone soon!
Amanda
11/4/05
Actually, Sean told me about the site. He has his own: www.picturetrail.com/layinflat93. It is a free site that is pretty easy to use. Your address is always easy to remember, its just www.picturetrail.com/(username) in our case: www.picturetrail.com/metcalf403. You can do all the customizing to it, and add & take away pictures and text.. Pretty cool. I'm glad Sean told me about it!!! THANKS TO SEAN!!!
Karen~ love the meds comment!
Karen
11/4/05
Amanda, nice photo album -- is that something that you set up on your own? So glad that it is finally Friday, been a tough week!! What is the story with Laura Bush? Those pictures are weird! I think she is wearing the watch so she knows when her next medication is due. It's been so nice here, broke a record on Wed for a high of 81. Most of our leaves are gone, really should do some raking this weekend.
Gary
11/4/05
Dang, I forgot once again to mention tomorrow's game on today's front page. It starts at noon, in Kansas, but not televised. Sorry for that oversight!
Donna
11/3/05
Tristen, what a great school picture. Your new haircut is so pretty!
Did you have fun on sock day? And what did you wear to look cool today?
Donna
11/3/05
Good lord, she's a Stepford wife.
Those pictures are getting a lot of viewers today... my original links below (Pic1, etc.) aren't available at the moment because the site is being flooded with users! :-) The link to Getty Images below stills works, though. --Gary
Amanda
11/3/05
You know what else is funny? She is wearing a watch. Who wears a watch when you are the first lady of the US partying with the future king of the UK? Who cares what time it is? She could have worn a nice bling-blinging bracelet instead like Camilla.
Donna
11/3/05
Those pictures are creepy! Where did you find them, the Onion? Surely, they're not real.
They're real. They're from Getty Images, but I can't link to it directly; go here, then type in laura bush + camilla and click "Begin Search." --Gary
Check out this site: The Gallup buses are for sale on Ebay! Bids start at $100,000. Is that tacky or what?
Amanda
11/3/05
Holy cow, do you think she had a Botox specialist into the White House that day or what?
Botox is one theory -- my own theory is either alcohol and horse tranquilizers, or she's a vampire. --Gary
Gary
11/3/05
Wow, another beautiful day. The fall leaves in Lincoln right now are spectacular. Most of the leaves are still on the trees, and every tree seems to be a different color. Best-looking fall in a long time!
And making the day even better is the fact that Bush's approval numbers are now at 35%, an all-time low (Cheney's approval rating is a laughable 19%), and today Scooter goes into the courtroom to plead.
And speaking of the royal family, Charles and Camilla were in Washington last night, and what-in-the-bleep drug was Laura Bush on?? Did you see the pictures of her? Here are a few sample images, and view them at your own risk--they're scary! Pic1, Pic2, and Pic3. Yow!!
Amanda
11/2/05
Olivia~ Bob Barker is the host of Price is Right, a cheesy daytime show, I bet you have seen it. Anyway, at the end of each show he says, "help control the pet population, have your pets spayed or neutered" and occasionally I think he has his local humane society bring dogs onto the show to get people to adopt them. But, I thought he would be good to send it to, maybe he would invite you to his show! :)
Donna
11/2/05
Tristen, you look very cute in all those socks! I bet if you fell down, it wouldn't even hurt!
Olivia, I think we really need to give equal time to the cats so you should print your poem. I read it and I thought it was very good.
Gary
11/2/05
I would bet that all the Metcalfs, except one, are barefoot today... and here's why! Happy Sock Day, everybody!
Livy
11/1/05
Hey everyone! I love the webpage picture Gary! Amanda, who's o'l Bob Barker?:) But my mom and dad also said I should send it to the Humane Society. Gary thinks I should put it in the newspaper. Last night when I was at my friend Kylie's house we went to bed at oh about 12, 12:30. 1:00 at the lest. :) And this morning we woke up at about 7. But it was fun! Do you guys want me to put the cat poem I wrote on here. But I must warn you if I do put it on here, it's pretty bad. Talk to you all later!!!
Livy
11/1/05
Hey everyone! Thanks Donna! I wrote one other poem about cats. I can tell it to you at Grandmas tonight. I might put it on the news letter, but I think it's kind of bad. I couldn't figure out words that rymed with playin', or ain't. ;) Oh, and Donna, I was a pirate this year with my friend Kylie, she was a zombie cheerleader! :) One little kid that was like a ninja, or something came up to us and said to Kylie "What are you suppost to be." and "You don't scare me!" and ran away. You kind of had to be there. ;) Talk to you all later!!!
Amanda
11/1/05
Olivia, I think you need to send your poem to the Humane Society. And, as goofy as it sounds to ol' Bob Barker.
Gary
11/1/05
Ooops, small blunder on my part... Here it is about 4:30 pm and I was putting together the front page for tomorrow, but I messed up and copied everything right on top of today's page. So tomorrow's page is up already! And will stay up all day tomorrow. Hope you enjoyed today's page -- 'cause it's already gone! :-)
Donna
11/1/05
Olivia, that's a great poem!
Emily, what's the line Erika is quoting, I know it has something to do with tuna...
I ran out of candy last night. I only bought one bag and thought that would be plenty. Well, there aren't that many in a bag and I had a lot more than I expected. I shut the lights out at 7 and still had a few come to the door. I had to turn them away, darn it.
Amanda, I think you should hold out for a job in Lincoln. ;-)
Gary
11/1/05
Hey, don't push yourself to fit their deadline. If it doesn't work out within your comfort zone, maybe you are being given a message that this was not your best path, and that something better is still out there. You may feel totally ready in two weeks (I was amazed at how fast I got over mine), but if you're not, and they're not willing to make allowances -- let it go, and good luck to 'em! :-)
As for sock day, how about a necktie (or a scarf) made from a couple of socks? Would be funny to see a sock-toe hanging down where a necktie should be...
Amanda
11/1/05
I agree, I know I can't lift 45 pounds today... So, it is for the better that I not start today. Even though the first 3 weeks is desk type training, but whatever. And I KNOW they won't wait for me past November 15th, they told me that yesterday. If I can't start November 15th, that is it. And I thought that too, that they wouldn't want to go through the hiring process again, but then I remembered there were about 9 applicants for this job, and they hired 3 of us. I bet they just go down the list & call the others to see if they want the job. Argh, I get more mad about it as I think about it.
Karen
11/1/05
Amanda, for sock day -- I would try to just take safety pins and pin socks to an old t-shirt. For "too cool" day -- maybe a summer outfit? sunglasses.... Emily and Erika did those days for years, now they just ignore them. I think they were to do that last week for their schools. Too bad you have to wait before starting your job, but you sure don't want to rush it. I bet they will wait for you, it would still be to their benefit to wait for you rather than to have to go through the hiring process again.
Karen
11/1/05
November already, October really went by fast. We had another busy night with trick or treaters. Almost 400 kids came last night, Erika handed out all the candy. Perfect night for it, not too cold.
Amanda
11/1/05
We had a good Halloween. Tristen had a friend walk with us. They only went down our block and then one other block (Lincoln street) & they were fine with that. We came home to dump & warm up a little & we offered to keep going, but her friend went home. And Tristen said she had enough candy and that she would rather stay home & pass out candy. We were in the house by 7. We got quite a few to our door.
This week is "Red Ribbon Week" at Tristen's school, its in memory of a DEA officer who lost his life for a drug free America. So, each day there is a theme. Yesterday was "Say Boo to Drugs" & they got to wear their costumes to school. Today is "Color Me Drug Free" and they had to wear as many colors as possible. We did pretty good. I will get pictures when she gets home. Tomorrow is "Sock it to Drugs" & she is to turn socks into any piece of clothing. Thursday is "I am too Cool to do Drugs" & they are to dress cool. Friday is "Hawks Soar without Drugs," basically spirit day to support the Hawks last high school football game. So, today was easy, Friday will be easy--BUT if anyone has any suggestions for Wednesday & Thursday that would be great!
I was supposed to start work today, but because I am unable to fulfill the physical (a doctors physical that is required for the position) I couldn't start. I can't lift over 15 pounds yet, so they don't want me yet. If my doctor will sign off to lift 45 pounds on November 15th, I will start then. If he won't sign it, because I'm not able to yet, or it is unsafe, then I have lost this job. They won't wait that long for me. I'm a tad angry to say the least..... Like it was my fault I had to get surgery... Like I wanted it right now... And I waited 2 months for them to sift through resumes, interview, decide, do their tests, etc. & now they can't wait for me. I think it is indicative of the kind of place it is to work for. And what if I had started working there before the surgery & then found out in a month I needed it--would they fire me?
Anyway, its November already!!!
