Family at Thanksgiving

A is Thankful for...

Olives... and she ate way more than one per finger!

BTW... don't her eyes look bluer than blue in her new contacts? And no, they are NOT colored!

Happy Thanksgiving

I've spent my morning baking Apple Pies! Heading to my parents in about an hour to enjoy a Thanksgiving feast - capped off with some homemade pie! If you are interested in my recipe - I posted it last November - here's the link.

So - I started this post this morning when the pies were in the oven - but then got distracted into the hustle and bustle of getting ready to go - and left it sitting here all day.

I wanted to do a list of what I am grateful for - so before the day is completely over - here goes my list:

- I'm thankful for this blog - I completely let the 1st anniversary of posting pass me by - it was the 16th of this month... I can't believe I've kept this fairly regularly updated for a year. I guess my experiment was successful!

- I'm thankful for my family - even when they are in my way in the kitchen when I'm baking pies! Actually, they were a big help in the pie department today!

- I'm thankful for J, my husband. I love him more today than I did 18 years ago when I said I Do.... and I wouldn't have thought that possible... because I was pretty well smitten back then!

- I'm thankful for E and A, my wonderful daughters, who make me laugh far more often than any other emotion - and I'm grateful that we have been able to remain close, even through these teenage years.

- I'm thankful for my parents, who we visited today. My dad's health issues loom larger and larger, but he is certainly an example of how to keep going, and how to approach even the worst times in life with a sense of humor. My mom -- I'm so thankful to have such a great relationship with her, and can only hope that E & A and I have as great a relationship throughout their adulthood.

- I'm thankful for John's parents, who we missed today! I'm so grateful to have "in-laws" that I truly love!

- I'm thankful for my huge family - who was pretty scattered this Thanksgiving - but whom we will see several times in the coming holiday season - I have the greatest siblings, and the cutest and smartest nieces and nephews ever!!

- I'm thankful for our home - our little ranch that was just supposed to be our "starter" home - which looks like it will be our "finisher" as well! It brought us into a community where we have made great friends, whom I am also very thankful for.. (Posse, you know who I mean!)

- I'm thankful for John's job, which is not dependent upon the auto industry - which is in such dire straights, and I pray for all those whose jobs are in jeopardy this year.

I could probably think of lots more - but it's late, and this hits the big ones.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Twilightopia

When I should have been tucked in my bed... when E should have been tucked in her bed, because she still has an early morning at school tomorrow (well, I guess today at this point!), we were at the theater, along with every other teenaged girl in the metro area!!

That's right, we were at the midnight premier of Twilight... and we had no trouble staying awake, and I'd even say it was worth the $9.50 a ticket!

The film adaptation is very true to the book, and although some details are cut (how could they not!) the flow of the story is not affected. It's already set up for the sequel. Twilight fans will not be disappointed - I wasn't!

I do have to say, though, that the actor that plays Edward Cullen reminds me JUST ENOUGH of my nephew TIII that I had trouble mooning over Edward... but my daughter was able to set aside images of her cousin and see Edward for Edward!

In analyzing the 2am crowd post-movie - I would guess it was 80% teen girls, 5% moms, and 15% boys - most of whom I'm guessing were dragged there by girlfriends! While there was lots of giggling and carrying on during the trailers - once the movie started - the theater became hushed - and only erupted a couple of times during the movie - usually in appreciation for a kissing scene!

If you haven't read the books - I recommend you do - and then take yourself out to see the movie - you won't regret it!

MOP - MVP - Whatever you call it - a proud moment!!

Tonight was the Fall Sports Banquet. (Well, they call it a banquet, but it's more of a snack and an awards ceremony!) Each of the Fall teams are recognized for their seasons, and each team selects a "Most Valuable Player" - or in the case of the Dance Teams - a "Most Outstanding Performer". We were so proud tonight when E was selected the "MVP" of the JV Dance Team for the Fall Football Season! Here she is showing off her medal! She was also recognized as a Student Athlete for having a GPA above 3.0 - this gains you a t-shirt (which I didn't take a photo of!).
Finally, a shot of the back of her Varsity Jacket (earned for Marching Band - but notice that there is a space on the bottom... hoping to fill that in with Dance eventually!) You can't really see it in the shot of the front - but she also has figure skates embroidered on her jacket!

My how time flies....

How many of you remember this young skater? These are photos of E in her very first Ice Show, after she'd been skating about a year. I looked for photos of her first skating lesson - but was reminded that J took her to those early "Parent/Tot" classes, because he could skate, and at the time, I could not! He is not the family photographer - and I was not an OCD scrapbooker! So, this is the best I could come up with!



That sweet little tot, who marched around the ice grew up into this young lady, who just got her first job teaching Learn To Skate! This time, even though I couldn't be there - I did get my non-photographer husband to take the camera to get some photos ... I think he did a great job, and she didn't even know he was taking them until after they got home! (We're guessing the other parents probably thought he was the parent of a tot out there!!)


Her favorite quote from the youngest "Snowplow Sam" skating class that she taught first was "This ice is really slippery"! She had a great time, and will be a wonderful teacher to these kids!

I got my sticker.... how about you?

Go on out and vote today! I republish here, an essay that was forwarded in an email to me a few weeks back - I do not know the source, and I was unable to bring over the photos successfully - but the message is still powerful. Wouldn't you know that this is the exact era of history my daughter has just been studying in her US History class?

WHY WOMEN SHOULD VOTE

This is the story of our Grandmothers and Great-grandmothers; they lived only 90 years ago. Remember, it was not until 1920 that women were granted the right to go to the polls and vote.

The women were innocent and defenseless, but they were jailed nonetheless for picketing the White House, carrying signs asking for the vote.

And by the end of the night, they were barely alive. Forty prison guards wielding clubs and their warden's blessing went on a rampage against the 33 women wrongly convicted of 'obstructing sidewalk traffic'.

They beat Lucy Burns, chained her hands to the cell bars above her head and left her hanging for the night, bleeding and gasping for air.

They hurled Dora Lewis into a dark cell, smashed her head against an iron bed and knocked her out cold. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, thought Lewis was dead and suffered a heart attack. Additional affidavits describe the guards grabbing, dragging, beating, choking, slamming, pinching, twisting and kicking the women.

Thus unfolded the 'Night of Terror' on Nov. 15, 1917, when the warden at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia ordered his guards to teach a lesson to the suffragists imprisoned there because they dared to picket Woodrow Wilson's White House for the right to vote. For weeks, the women's only water came from an open pail. Their food--all of it colorless slop--was infested with worms.

When one of the leaders, Alice Paul, embarked on a hunger strike, they tied her to a chair, forced a tube down her throat and poured liquid into her until she vomited. She was tortured like this for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/suffrage/nwp/prisoners.pdf

So, refresh my memory. Some women won't vote this year because--why, exactly? We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining?

Last week, I went to a sparsely attended screening of HBO's new movie 'Iron Jawed Angels'. It is a graphic depiction of the battle these women waged so that I could pull the curtain at the polling booth and have my say. I am ashamed to say I needed the reminder.

All these years later, voter registration is still my passion. But the actual act of voting had become less personal for me, more rote. Frankly, voting often felt more like an obligation than a privilege. Sometimes it was inconvenient.

My friend Wendy, who is my age and studied women's history, saw the HBO movie, too. When she stopped by my desk to talk about it, she looked angry. She was--with herself. 'One thought kept coming back to me as I watched that movie,' she said. 'What would those women think of the way I use, or don't use, my right to vote? All of us take it for granted now, not just younger women, but those of us who did seek to learn.' The right to vote, she said, had become valuable to her 'all over again.'

HBO released the movie on video and DVD . I wish all history, social studies and government teachers would include the movie in their curriculum I want it shown on Bunco night, too, and anywhere else women gather. I realize this isn't our usual idea of socializing, but we are not voting in the numbers that we should be, and I think a little shock therapy is in order.

It is jarring to watch Woodrow Wilson and his cronies try to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane so that she could be permanently institutionalized. And it is inspiring to watch the doctor refuse. Alice Paul was strong, he said, and brave. That didn't make her crazy. The doctor admonished the men: 'Courage in women is often mistaken for insanity.'

Please, if you are so inclined, pass this on to all the women you know. We need to get out and vote and use this right that was fought so hard for by these very courageous women. Whether you vote democratic, republican or independent party, remember to vote.

History is being made.

Halloween Party

Both girls had a 1/2 day for Halloween, as it was the end of the card marking. E got the brilliant idea that we should host a party for she and A and their "closest" friends! I think in the end we had close to 20 HS and MS kids at the house all afternoon and evening... and while some might think I was crazy to agree to this... I can tell you that all the kids had a great time, and so did I! I was able to "infiltrate" the party, by posing as a photographer... and pretty soon I was laughing as hard as the kids. By the end of the night, I was thanking them all for letting me "play" with them.

I took over 300 photos - and then the photo scavengers added more to take me up to over 400 photos of this party! I just picked one representative photo of each activity to share with all of you!

Things got off to a slow start - we fed everyone pizza and salad for lunch, and then the HS kids all disappeared to the basement to watch a movie (yes, it was a bit cozy down there!) The MS kids decided to record a video (which will probably be making an appearance on A's youtube account sometime soon). They hosted the "Reekus and Smelly" talk show, and I'm not sure how, but they convinced several of the HS students to come up from the movie and be their "guests". I didn't take photos of this - but, I'm sure I'll be able to link the video in soon!


When the movie ended, I enlisted one of E's friends to motivate everyone to come upstairs and go outside (it was an absolutely GORGEOUS October day) and everyone played the "eat a donut off a string" game. Here's A, being fairly successful with her donut!



Then the MS kids kept things rolling by taking the galvanized tub and washing and filling it for apple bobbing. Once two of the HS guys carried the full tub into the backyard - it was bobbing time! It took E a few tries - but she finally got her apple!


The next activity was completely spontaneous. One of the guys was dressed as Darth Vader, and one of the gals (who just lives 2 doors down) thought that they ought to have toy light sabers - so off she went to "borrow" her brother's. Pretty soon the backyard was filled with 15 and 16 year old boys having highly choreographed, and acrobatic light saber battles! We all laughed ourselves silly!


Next up was the "Balloon Battle". Two teams - one orange and one black, battled to see who could keep from having their balloons popped! This took place on the circle in front of our house, and drew many of our neighbors out to watch - especially as the first trick-or-treaters were starting to arrive!


The whole gang poses for a photo, before once again dividing into two teams (Team Edward and Team Jacob.... we have a group a little obsessed with Twilight!) and heading out for the Trick-or-treat photo scavenger hunt! They all had a great time with this, as did the neighbors who dug up raisins and warned them "don't eat these", and posed for all sorts of pictures! My favorites are each teams photo that fulfilled the requirement "Take a photo at a house with scary decorations"! They each found different houses, and took great photos!

Team EdwardTeam Jacob