Gauthier Gang

Tennessee

2009-07-25T15:12:00.003-05:00

For those of you who aren't my Facebook friend I need to catch you up on the Gauthier happenings. This was the year for the Voth family reunion my moms side. My mom is 3rd oldest of 15 children. We have this reunion every 3 years in various locations. This year we traveled 1589 total miles to Fall Creek Falls, Tennessee. We started our journey on Friday evening when everyone got off work. We left Lawrence about 5:00 and drove to Paducah, Kentucky arriving there about 12:30AM. The next morning we headed to Chattanooga to see Darrell and Claudia Moore. Darrell is my 2nd cousin on the Johnson side. We had a wonderful visit with them. They took us out on there motor boat to show us around their beautiful lake. That evening we walked the river walk and had pizza. Then the next morning we went to an aquarium which was wonderful. Sunday after the aquarium we drove about an hour to Fall Creek Falls where the family reunion was. There are 140 people on this side of my family. There were 70 of us there. This is the first time a sibling of my moms wasn't there. And there were 2 that couldn't make the trip. An aunt from Virginia who is battling cancer and an uncle from Kansas who can no longer drive because of his eye sight and they just couldn't make the trip. This place was in the middle of nowhere. You hit the entrance of the state park and it took another half hour of winding roads to get to the Inn. And there was no cell service at all. It was a beautiful area with the mountains, waterfalls and the lake. We went on this hike to go see a waterfall. There was a swinging bridge, and 2 wooden bridges, rocks and a path that kept going up. Well about half way you get to an area that you can drive to and then hike down to the falls. Rachel was DONE at the half way mark. So we didn't make it all the way down to the bottom of the falls. I should say Rachel, Lindsay, dad and I didn't make it. All of Davids family, my mom and Bob went to the bottom. Bob was amazed how well my mom did at almost 76 years old. I will say she was pooped when she got back to the top. That evening we had a cookout with just my family and my uncle Myron. We had Bob's burgers and they were wonderful. The next day we rented a canoe and a paddle boat and paddled around the lake a bit and then Rachel went swimming in the pool while Bob and Lindsay rested. That evening we had a nice dinner with all the family. We left there Wednesday morning and drove 11.5 hours to get home. It was a very fun and relaxing vacation.

Worlds of Fun

2009-06-29T10:28:00.003-05:00

Here are just a few of my pictures from WOF. I didn't take a lot of pictures and those of you who are my Facebook friends can see them all. We did have a great time with all our family and friends. I guess the only friend was Phil because I consider Amanda family already. Bob cooked all the meals the only thing I did was make a dirt cake. So life was in the kitchen was good for me. Kenzie and Ethan are just so sweet and cute. i just love them to pieces. Oh and their mom and dad aren't too bad either. I do feel bad I didn't get any pictures of Don, Nancy, Jeff, Jodi and John. And the 1 picture of Jessica is pretty lame. Maybe next time. I wish Nancy had a blog so we could see the pictures she took. Sammie made her first Rip Cord jump or dive whatever it is this weekend. I think she almost broke Phil's arm holding on so tight. I do think everyone had a good time even though it was soooooo hot and we were there for 7 hours.

I did run into some old friends from home that now live in Chanute KS. Jerry and Anna Houston. They brought their great nieces there. I sat and talked to Jerry for a bit while Anna was taking the girls around on the rides. For those of you who don't know Jerry, he is blind. So he was sitting in the shade on a ledge just listening to the sounds around him. He was very happy I spotted him and came over to visit with him.

Prayer requests

2009-06-08T10:21:00.002-05:00

Today Bob's brother, Uncle Rod is having surgery on his heart. I'm not sure of all the details so I am not going to write why. I don't want to put anything incorrect about what they are doing. Anyway keep him in your prayers. Also my aunt Ruth had surgery a couple of weeks ago for cancer. She had a very rough week last week. Things were starting to look a bit better on Saturday but she has a very long road ahead of her. 6 weeks for recovery then chemo and radiation. So keep her in your prayers as well.

State Swimming and Track

2009-06-08T08:28:00.003-05:00

We spent Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Wichita for the State swimming and track meet. I only mention swimming and track because that is all Rachel did. There is actually weight lifting, tennis and cycling too. Actually we have a weight lifter that is unbelievable. He squats, dead lifts and bench presses all 550 pounds and more. He is extremely strong.

Day 1. On Friday we spent 4-5 hours at the pool. Rachel swam the 10m and 20m and got a gold and a bronze medal. We had about 20 total swimmers in our group. From swimming we head to the track for a cookout and opening ceremonies. Opening ceremonies was OK. They had a group of girls from KC that preformed on the trampoline. They were good but went on, and on and on. A drum line from Derby Kansas that was the best I have seen. They were really good. A singer who was ok but glad she only sang 3 songs. Then the fireworks. They were just awesome. They blocked off 21st street(for those of you who know Wichita) by the track and off they went. One right after the other. I thought last year was the best fireworks show I had ever seen but this was just as good if not better. It was a great ending for a long and hot day. I should mention we started this day meeting the bus in Lawrence at 7:00. So we were pretty tired when we hit the beds Friday night about 10:30ish.

Day 2 Saturday. We had to be up at 6 am showered, dressed, breakfast and on the bus by 7:30. Saturday morning events started at 8:00 and lasted all day long. Rachels first event was the 50m run. She took 4th place. From there we had the standing long jump and she got a bronze medal. Next up was the 100m dash and she took 7th place. (running is not her strongest event). She runs really hard just not very fast. Last was the tennis ball throw. She was so tired at this point she didn't even try. It was almost like just dropping the ball instead of throwing it. She got a 5th place ribbon. Part of the problem was there was so much staging and waiting to do the event and then staging and waiting for the award that everything was just one right after the next and she didn't have time for lunch. It was about 1 before she was able to eat. So about 1 and her events are done for the day and off to play in the olympic village. Lots of games with a punch card to turn in for prizes. This is the highlight for all the athletes and it was cooler with some wind where this was set up. She didn't get her card all punched off before it was time to load the bus so she saved it to finish on Sunday. We loaded the bus and headed back to the hotel leaving behind the walkers to finish up their events on Saturday. I was so thankful to go back early as we all got our showers done and Rachel and I took a nap! I am not a nap person but I took about a 2 hour one Saturday. Saturday evening brought the banquet and dance. This was in a hanger at Beech aircraft plant almost across from our hotel. The food was awful. The meat was like that pressed turkey. Most people didn't eat the turkey. The dance started and we(Coaches and parents) headed outside where there was a nice cool breeze. Inside it was hot, hot, hot! Our head coach pulled all our athletes outside and asked if they would like to go to McDonalds for ice cream instead of staying for the dance. I don't think anyone was opposed! So we loaded up and headed to McDonalds then back to the hotel for bed!

Day3. Sunday started about an hour later than Saturday which we were all very thankful. But we were checking out of the hotel today so we had to get packed back up and everything loaded on the bus again. Thank goodness most of the athletes have done this many, many times so they know the routine. At the track it is only track events, no field. Rachel only has a relay and it got scratched because 2 of girls from her team weren't there. She was disappointed but survived. She headed to the olympic village to finish up the punches on her game card. Finally 50 punches complete. The young girl helping with Rachels last game asked her if she wanted to start another card. I was standing behind Rachel shaking my head NO! Thankfully Rachel told her no. I don't think she realized she could keep playing. The more punches the bigger the prize. Anyway we came home with a real baseball (I don't know why she picked this) and some silly necklace that has already broken. All of our teams events are complete and we are heading for home. Arriving at home around 5:30 Sunday evening. We had a really great weekend with no rain and lots of wind! Thank goodness for the wind or we all would have baked. Temps were in the 90's. Lots of sunscreen and no major sunburns in our family!

Happy Birthday Dad

2009-05-30T10:45:00.001-05:00

Today is my dads birthday! Happy Birthday dad! I love you.

My Baby's all grown up!

2009-05-29T08:34:00.003-05:00

Above is Rachel and Lindsay before the dance and below is Rachel at the recognition.

This week was the last days of Jr. High. Rachel had 9th grade formal and then the next morning was 9th grade recognition. I don't know if it is her growing up or me getting old that bothers me most?

Catchn' Up too

2009-05-26T09:15:00.005-05:00

The youngest of the 14 grandkids. He will be 6 this August. I thought this was such a cute picture of him shooting corncobs with his crossbow.

So Erin got us all caught up to date so I thought I better as well.

Today is Rachels last day of Jr. High. She is terribly sad to be leaving her teacher of 3 years making it hard to be excited that she will be going to high school next year. She really wants to be excited and then remembers Angela won't be there. So it is bitter sweet for her. Tomorrow morning will be 9th grade recognition and then she will be done! She starts summer school on June 16 - July 15 and will go to the high school for that. Her teacher in high school is wonderful. Anyway I think so. Rachel and her have butt heads already and the teacher has won everytime! She starts summer camp on June 1st and will go everyday 1/2 days and play, play, play! Swimming twice a week and all kinds of fun things. We have only track and swimming left for Special Olympics and the state meet will be in Wichita on June 5-7. SO takes a break through the summer and will start again with soccer after school starts again in August. So she has a pretty full summer.

Lindsay just completed her first year of college and did pretty well. We are very proud of her and all her hard work. She starts working at the same summer camp Rachel goes to but I think she will be working with the 5-12 year olds. We are very thankful to have an IN because summer jobs are pretty slim around here. Rachels teacher now is a lead teacher at the summer camp and asked Lindsay to work Fridays last year which led to everyday this year. She also volunteers for SO and will be going to Wichita too. It is quite an event and Lindsay will be very busy. She was asked by a friends mother to sing in a church choir last Christmas for a contata. She accepted and has continued to sing with them. This July 5th they will be singing a patriotic contata but with just 12 selected people. I'm looking forward to hearing them sing! She missing singing and is thinking of taking a choir class at JCCC this next year.

Bob is still at Allen Press and is staying very busy there. I am still at my awful job working the awful hours but am grateful I have a job even if it is awful. I did have a job interview last week and will here something this coming week but am not getting my hopes up as I'm sure 200 people applied besides me. I'm just happy I had an interview. I too am going to Wichita with Lindsay and Rachel for SO.

This past weekend we spent at my parents house with all my family. My brother from Michigan and his family were home. All 22 of us were together most of the time. I have added some pictures of the birds at my parents house. Right now the yellow finches are just beautiful. And there are lots of them. We had a wonderful visit with everyone and the time just went by so fast. It was sad to have to leave to come back home.

This summer is pretty full anyway through June. We have a free weekend coming up and then back to ElDorado for the Johnson picnic, then Father's day then our Gauthier nieces and nephews will be coming here to got to Worlds of Fun in KC. We are looking forward to this weekend as it is always lots of fun and we don't get to see these guys very often.

This year is the Voth family reunion. It happens every 3 years and will be in July in the Smokey mountains of Tennessee. We are hoping to go but if I get this new job we probably won't get to.

I think this wraps it up for us.

Rachel turned 16

2009-05-14T21:43:00.003-05:00

I just can't hardly believe it, but Rachel turned 16 this week. Where has the time gone?

Old Friends

2009-04-18T21:40:00.002-05:00

I got to see a very old friend today. When she introduced me to her husband she told him I was the first friend she had in ElDorado. They were our backdoor neighbors. Today her daughter ran in the KU relays so I went to the stadium to watch Molly run and visit with Sonja. I am so glad I went as I havent seen her in many years. We just sort of found each other on Facebook. It was fun today catching up with each other. Oh and Molly took 4th in the 1600 and had a best time.

Past due

2009-04-04T09:53:00.002-05:00

I know I have been slipping on my blog. I still get on and read everyone else's blogs but don't take the time to sit down and write on mine.

I'll try to catch you all up on the Gauthiers.

Lindsay is still in school at JCCC. No longer has a boyfriend. He broke up with her but she was happy it happened as she didn't want to hurt his feeling because he is a nice guy. She is volunteering for Special Olympics and is singing in a church choir, so she is staying pretty busy. She already has a summer job lined up. She will be working for the city of Lawrence at the summer camp Rachel attends. Lindsay will probably be working with the younger kids and not Rachels group. It is just 1/2 days but 5 days a week.

Rachel will be starting high school next year so she has been visiting LHS every Tuesday for about 3 hours. They are trying to make the transition easier for her. I think she will be just fine and the change will be great for her.
She just finished basketball and cheerleading. Her teams got silver medals at the Metro meet. The cheerleaders got a gold at state and her basketball team got a bronze at state. Lindsay and I both went out with the team to Hays and we all had a great trip. SO took and week off and today we are starting swimming and track. So any of you who are in the ElDorado/Wichita area you can see her in action on the track and in the pool the weekend of 5th, 6th and 7th of June. This is when the state swimming and track meet is at WSU.

Bob is Bob and nothing really new with him. Work is still the same and seems to be going just fine. He has been calling in this past week for jury duty but so far hasn't had to report. He has 1 more week and he is really hoping he doesn't have to go.

Me, well I am very thankful I have a job to go to everyday. I still don't like my hours but we all have adjusted and the kids love dads cooking. OK Lindsay really likes dads cooking and Rachel, just sometimes. I on the other hand love not having to cook. But if I could get different hours I would be happy to take back the cooking duties or at least share them. I love going with Rachel to Special Olympics and seeing all the joy the athletes get when participating. I also love Kansas Jayhawk basketball and am sad it is over for the year.

Megan and the girls spent a couple of days with us this past weekend and we loved every second they were here. We welcome any visitors to stop by. We are hoping for some visitors from ElDorado when Worlds of Fun opens again.

The Boys

2009-02-20T08:29:00.002-06:00

This is the first good picture of the boys together. They really look a lot alike. And they are doing much better around each other.

We have a busy weekend ahead of us. Saturday is all day in KC for the Special Olympics metro cheerleading and basketball tournament. They have new uniforms for basketball and cheer so the team is pretty excited. I will take my camera and get some shots of Rachel in action. Sunday I have to work 4 hours. It's the busy season right now so they have manditory OT starting this weekend through next weekend.

Everyone have a great weekend!

2009-02-15T10:32:00.002-06:00

I get on line about twice a week to check the happenings and the obits (I know it sounds morbid)in my hometown of ElDorado, Kansas. Although I don't know very many people there anymore we still have several family members and a few close friends that still are living in the area. When I got on this morning right on the front page was our beautiful niece and great niece enjoying Valentines day.

Lindsay's new hair

2009-02-08T16:45:00.005-06:00

Lindsay finally got rid of the awful curls she had. Her new cut and color are very nice and I like it much better. I think she does too. She had a slight tint of red added and it makes it darker to match her eye brows better. She was born with black hair and black eye brows. The hair fell out and came in a lot lighter but her eye brows are still very dark. Here are just a few pictures I took of her and Rachel. Grandma Gauthier, Rachel is wearing another outfit she bought from Christmas money.

We had 3 days of wonderful weather. 50 and 60 degrees. I am so ready for Spring time. I have never liked winter and the older I get I dislike it even more.

Our new cat Cubby has adjusted very nicely now. Jake and Cubby can now walk past each other without one of them hissing. They aren't really friends but they at least tolerate each other now. Cubby has grown so much I sometimes can't tell them apart. Jake's white spot on the front is bigger than Cubby's but when you are looking at the side or back who knows which cat it is.

Happy Kansas Day

2009-01-29T08:11:00.003-06:00

I know it has been awhile since I have blogged. I am getting as bad as EMILY! I still get on and read all the other blogs. Today is a normal day of going to work so I have a little time this morning to do this. Some you you may not know but we have a new addition to our family. His name is Cubby. Grandma Gauthier named him that because he looked like a little cub when he was a KITTEN. Yes we have another cat. He actually looks like Jake and many time I can't tell them a part. He was Grandma and Grandpa Gauthier's cat so some of you may know him already. He is Lindsay's cat now. He loves her and her room is his room now. At Christmas when we were at G and G's house Cubby snuggled right up to Lindsay. Of course she melted as Jake hisses at her when she walks by him. G and G were trying to get us to take him home then but we didn't have anyway of getting him back with us at that time. Well Bob and Lindsay made a quick trip down to ElDorado and picked him up. He was totally freaked at first. He has adjusted now and doesn't seem to mind not going outside anymore. Oh and Jake has adjusted too. Cubby being young and wanting to play and Jake being old and not wanting to play sometimes creates a bit of a cat fight but never lasts long. Oh and he has got a few swipes at the bird too(he is declawed). He runs around the cage chasing the bird. Silly cat. The picture is from the first day Cubby was here. Bob has Jake and Lindsay has Cubby.

Rachel has started basketball and cheer for Special Olympics so she is staying busy. Lindsay is helping with basketball. We have a meet in KC in Feb. and the state meet is in March. I am in hopes of going out to Hayes for the state meet this year. Rachel is wearing one of her new outfits she bought with her Christmas money.

Lindsay started her second semester of college and seems to like it ok. I think she likes the semester better than the 1st. Again her classes are Monday, Wednesday and Friday getting Tuesday and Thursday off. She loves this set up. She still ride the K-10 connecter bus that goes from Lawrence to the school so she doesn't have to drive.

Bob and I are both good and seems like all we do is work! OK I have now caught you all up with the happening here in Lawrence. I will try to do better with my posting.

Happy New Year 2009

2009-01-04T11:11:00.002-06:00

I just want to wish everyone a very happy New Year. I just have this gut feeling it is going to be a great year. Last year, losing my job was so stressful. Now that I have a new job and I still like it I just think it is going to be a good year.
We had a great Christmas and New Year's Eve. We spent Christmas at home for the first time. The kids got up on their own and then we opened our presents. Then it was just a lazy day all day long. The next day we went to ElDorado and saw both sets of Grandparents and I had my yearly lunch with my best friends from high school. We keep in contact via e-mail, Facebook but I only see them once a year. When we do go to ElDorado it is usually for a family gathering or something like that and is so hectic it is just hard to see them them too. New years I worked until 8:00 and worked New Years day so I was in bed and asleep by 11:00. Bob stayed up with the TV on and welcomed the new year. He has had a very bad cold with a terrible cough. He is much better now and is back to his OLD ornery self. He still has a bit of a cough but has his voice back now.
Rachel started Special Olympics up again yesterday. Cheerleading and basketball both started so she is going to be a busy girl for awhile. Lindsay is helping so she is going to busy too. School starts back for Rachel this Tuesday and I do think she is ready to get back. Lindsay doesn't start until the following week and she is not looking forward to starting again.
I am going to take Rachel shopping this afternoon. She wants to buy a new dress with her Christmas money. I will try to post pictures if we find something.

Santa Party

2008-12-23T08:29:00.003-06:00

We had our annual Santa party this past Saturday. There were 27 of us most of them between the ages of 14 to 19. There were no little kids and the only believer was Rachel. I have told her Santa is really mom and dad and she just doesn't believe me. Every kid had a gift and had to sit on Santa's lap to receive it. One young man who goes to K-state got a piece of coal. It was pretty funny when Santa took his gift back and gave him his coal. You know this is Jayhawk country. The house erupted with laughter. Sean was a good sport and played along. The food was great and we just had a really good time. Actually I think this was the best one so far and we have had a lot of these. The Hanson's and the Gauthier's started this when David and Lindsay were 1 1/2 and Abby was almost 1. They are now 18 1/2 and almost 18. We have grown to 4 families and now have a huge buffet supper. We have boyfriends, girlfriends and just friends that come. It seems like the older they get the more fun they have. And they don't really care about sitting on Santa's lap. Most of them have fun playing along.

Tagging Happiness

2008-12-15T08:03:00.002-06:00

I was tagged by Emily to share 6 things that make me happy.
1. My mom and dad. They are the most loving and generous people I know. They have loved me know matter what stupid thing I did. And if you have never eaten at there home you are truely missing a wonderful meal.
2. My Family. I love when we all go to a movie together. Now that Lindsay is "grown up" we don't do it very often. We did do it this weekend!
3. Lindsay's singing. I can watch and listen to her sing for hours. She has so much expression when she sings and you can tell she loves it.
4. Rachel's singing. Well it is hard to listen to but she also has lots of expression and truely loves to sing. She belts it out at her school chorus concerts.
5. I love sappy movies that make you cry. Right now all the Christmas movies/love stories that always end happy!
6. I love the Spring flowers. After a hard cold winter and that first bud pops through the ground.

OK I am tagging Donna and Lori.

New Job

2008-12-09T20:33:00.003-06:00

Thought I would catch everyone up on the new job. I have now been in a week and a half of training. And I actually like it. I went into it thinking I was going to hate it. Now I haven't started my night shift yet so I may change my tune then. I start evenings on this coming Monday. This is a call center and I will be working with students and parents calling in with questions about the FAFSA(Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Student loans, grants and that sort of thing. It has been pretty interesting so far. I have taken about 15 calls now. All have been with someone there helping me. Monday I will be on my own winging it. I am in hopes that someone with good hours will quit and I can get their hours. You know the job I really wanted and everyone was praying for, they had a layoff. Kind of glad I didn't get that job after all.

Thanksgiving and Christmas all wrapped into 1

2008-11-19T12:27:00.002-06:00

Well I thought I'd let everyone know I did not get the job I wanted. They are giving it to someone who already works there. SO I am still looking. Well I guess I have a job that starts 12/1 but I don't really want it but because of the economy and lots of people without jobs I am going to take it and keep looking. I will be working 12:30 to 9:00PM M-F. To work days I would of had to work Saturday and have a weekday off.

We will be heading to ElDorado for Thanksgiving and Christmas all in the same visit. My brother David and his family are coming this year at Thanksgiving so we have to get it all in at once. Rachel is very excited for Christmas to be here early and we are all very excited to see David's family again.
We are going to miss seeing Katie, John and McKenzie but we know they are going to have a great Thanksgiving with all their family in Minnesota. But hopfully we will see the rest of the Gauthier's at Grandma's house on Thanksgiving.

I need everyone's prayers!

2008-11-04T09:05:00.003-06:00

OK I have another job interview Tuesday morning. I need everyone's prayers! This would be a good one if I could get it. It's not just one I applied for because I have to for unemployment.

Oh thoses Dentists

2008-10-31T08:46:00.002-05:00

I have been having a tooth ache, Oh for about a month now. This past weekend it got so bad I couldn't hardly stand it. Early Monday morning I called our dentist and I couldn't get in until Wednesday. I found some pain drugs leftover from when Lindsay had her wisdom teeth removed earlier in the year so I started taking them. These got me to Wednesday. I get to the dentist and I had a broken filling. Let me tell you there was a couple of times I thought I dying. Just put me out of my misery. He numbed me up and drilled out that old filling and decided I needed a root canel. I have to say that I can now eat on both sides of my mouth, I can swish cold water in my mouth and it not hurt. I feel so much better. How can 1 little filling cause so much pain.

Busy Weekend

2008-10-26T10:17:00.002-05:00

First of all let me say that what I thought was a junky computer problem was a bad modem problem and we are back up running full force again. YEA!! Nothing is more frustrating then computer problems.

It seems our weekends just keep getting busier. Saturday was Rachel Special Olympics metro bowling tournament in KC. We had to be there at 8:30 in the morning UGH. This means we leave our house at 7:30 AM. Anyway we made it and Rachel bowled a 26 and a 51. She should have gotten the bronze medal but for some reason she was left off the last of bowlers in her lane so they made a new list of bowlers consisting of 1 bowler, Rachel. Rachel got the gold medal. She was thrilled. She had lots of fun and doesn't get as mad as she used to when she gutters. I think this is her favorite sport. Of course it doesn't require much physical ability either. Yesterday Lindsay worked concessions at the KU football game and Bob worked. Then my parents came around 3:30 to ride with us back to KC for a wedding. The wedding was for my 2nd cousins daughter Kellie. Oh my she was beautiful. The wedding was on the Plaza in KC. I wish it would have been after Thanksgiving so my parents could have seen the Plaza lights all lit up. The reception was downtown KC, MO and the food was wonderful. We weren't able to stay very long as my parents had to get back home and it is a 2 hour drive from my house. They had a pretty nice jazz band that played. Rachel was ready to get out there and dance but nobody was dancing so she didn't either. For those of you who have been to my house, you probably have seen the many things I have made out of wood. Like the Wheel barrel on my coffee table and other things hanging on my walls. They were all made by Buzz Moore. His wife is my dads cousin. He was a wonderful man and a very good friend to many of us. His grand daughter was the bride. At the part in the wedding where you exchange your rings the preacher told a story of when Buzz was stricken with an unknown virus. Buzz had met Ryan(the groom) twice and really liked him. At the point when they knew he was dying he asked to talk to Kellie by herself. He took off his wedding ring and gave it to Kellie and told her she could use this for Ryan at her wedding. I tell you there was hardly a dry eye in the church. It was a very touching moment.

Well I'll try to do better with my blogging now that the computer issues are fixed.

It's been awhile Sorry

2008-10-14T08:48:00.002-05:00

I am so sorry I haven't blog in awhile. Nothing new really. I had to have another birthday and at my age you just wish they would go right on by. Anyway it was a good one. No job yet but I am still hopeful something will come along SOON. We are having a garage sale this weekend so we have been pulling out things we don't want anymore. Well except for Bob. He says not to sell anything of his. Silly boy is such a pack rat. Lindsay is taking after me in that respect. If I don't use it anymore, get rid of it.
We went to Hesston Kansas this past Sunday. My mom is 3rd oldest of 15 children all living but 1. They are spread from Colorado to Pennsylvania and they were all in Kansas over the weekend. We had a big get together with a big dinner. If I figured right there were about 56 of us. At the end my mom's cousins and the 2 aunts and 1 uncle still leaving came to visit too. It was good to see all of them again as we usually don't see them but every 3 years at the Voth reunion which is next year. Because of the job situation we probably won't get to go.

Rachel's soccer

2008-09-28T15:24:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was the state soccer tournament for Special Olympics. Rachels team went 2-0 and won the gold medal. They were pretty excited. Rachel played super and I was so proud of her. We only had 1 sub so the first game she played the entire time. The second game she got a short break. She didn't score but she took the ball away, kick it down field and played great defense. Lindsay and our friend Abby help coach her team so it was a double treat for me. Since this was the state tournament there was a dinner a dance afterwards. Once the boys spotted Lindsay and Abby there was hardly time to rest. Rachel had a great day and I think Lindsay and Abby enjoyed themselves too.

Don't have a title

2008-09-18T10:49:00.002-05:00

Well for those of you wondering I still don't have a job yet. And yes my stress level is rising! Other than that everyone is good. I am waiting to see a new blog for Erin that says how things are going for her now that she has moved and Miss Emily hasn't blog for awhile either. Katie, Megan and Donna thanks for blogging because it makes me happy! I do have some pictures of Rachel playing soccer but I don't even have them down loaded on to the computer yet. I'll get them up soon. She has the state meet on the 27th so I guess I better get these up first. She did get a silver medal. .
In all this rain my parents had more problems. The lines going into their sump pump clogged which caused all the rain to seep into their FINISHED basement. They have had some pretty rotten luck with storms lately. They have some people out trying to get it all dried up and stuff. Then to top things off mom thought she was on the bottom step of the deck stairs only to be on the next to the bottom step and fell. She twisted her ankle. She was on her way out to pick pears. She picked 6 flats of pears, up and down the ladder before stopping to take care of her ankle. She's OK just swollen, black and blue and sore!

Cousins and great cousins

2008-08-22T08:28:00.003-05:00

Finally my computer let me upload these pictures. It was being very stubborn.

Anyway we were so happy to have the Toney, Schreiner and Rice families for a visit. I do hope they come again soon. It has been a long while since we have seen Erin and we so enjoyed seeing her again. We are in high hopes that since she has moved down to the lower 48 we may get to see her more often. Katie, I'm sorry I didn't get any pictures of Kenzie. So that means you guys have to come back up.

Back To School

2008-08-15T10:59:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Rachel's first day of 9th grade. She hopped right out of bed without any problems. Today she asked me not to talk but when I reminded her it was music day she willing got out of bed. So far so good. Thankfully the bus doesn't come until 7:40 so she doesn't have to get until 6:45.

Today Lindsay starts college. That just feels so strange to say my daughter is now in college. She has grown up way too fast.

Job Search

2008-07-23T09:29:00.002-05:00

Well this job searching is just not one of my favorite things to do. In fact I hate it. I do believe I have a new job though. Still working out the details but I think I will start August 18th. First Monday after Rachel goes back to school. I'll update again as soon as I know more. Only other news is Lindsay has a boyfriend. His name is Scott. He just graduated too but from the other high school here in Lawrence. He is going to KU next year majoring in Industrial Design. He is 6' 3" tall. He even makes Bob look short. Anyway he seems nice and we are looking forward to getting to know him better.

50th birthday

2008-07-08T09:31:00.004-05:00

Well, today is Bob's 50th birthday. I am thrilled as he has caught me for just a few months. He says he will never catch me but in my mind I am going to think that he did. We woke up to buzzards in the yard this morning from our Yard Card friends. Pretty funny stuff. I peeked out the window when Bob left for work to see what he would do. He back up in front of the house to read the sign and to what our friends had left him. Tonight they are all coming for dinner. Tacos, cake and ice cream. Thanks to all you birthday wishers. He really appreciates it.

Hanging in there

2008-07-01T10:25:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to let all of you know my job was terminated at The Strive Group. They had a major staff reduction and one of the cuts was mine. I'm already getting bored and have only been off 2 days. I am actively looking for another job and will keep you posted if I land a new one. So fpr now the laundry is all caught up and the dishes all done. Supper was made when everyone got home last night which is not the norm. I guess I should try and enjoy the time off while I can.

Don't want to be a slacker

2008-06-26T10:14:00.002-05:00

I haven't blogged for awhile but really our life has slowed down since graduation. And I am very thankful it has. We are all good and are looking forward to a short week next week. I don't think we are going to ElDorado but who knows. I think we will just hang here in L-town.

My parents storm

2008-06-13T12:52:00.005-05:00

A few blogs back I wrote about a storm that hit my parents place. I now have some pictures to share with you. They are very thankful that there wasn't more damage as Kansas has been hit pretty hard with storms this season leaving towns almost destroyed.

This is the corn cob that was stuck in their siding. They thought they were getting pounded with hail.

Same cob just showing where in on the house it stuck.

These tree's were planted 25 years ago when they moved out to the country. They were about 30 feet high. 3 of these trees uprooted. These 4 here are cut off about half way.

The tree at the corner here is cut off about 1/4 down. And of course all of these are in the front of the house.

Men and their toys

2008-06-13T12:41:00.004-05:00

My dad got this big mower with lots of power. Bob was having way too much fun mowing my parents place. He was having so much fun dad thought he was going to mow the brome. :-) He thinks he needs one now. My parents have acres to mow and, well we don't. He would get dizzy from turning all the time.

Johnson Picnic

2008-06-12T13:51:00.013-05:00

This Past weekend we traveled to ElDorado to the yearly Johnson picnic at my brother Ron's house. There were about 40 people there and lots of food. We have been doing this for several years now and it is always nice to see our cousins that we don't get to see very often.

Darlene my dad's couson and George's mom

Aunt Jan and Mom Rachel and Aunt AnnDad, Lindsay, Bob, Becca(George's daughter), George(my 2nd cousin) and Vickie his wife
Cousins Cindy and Carmen Their husbands Ken and Rick

Little guy Trevor, cousin Darren's son Steven with ball, Lois(niece),Ron(brother), Daniel(nephew), Phil, cousin Darla, Trevor and Austin. Phil, Steven and Austin are Darla's kids

Elizabeth and Rachel. Rachel looks very guilty as she was just about to give her bunny ears

Dad and his siblings. Norma, Richard and Ann

Special Olympics

2008-06-04T12:48:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Rachel and I spent in Wichita at the state swimming and track meet. Rachel rode the chartered bus and I rode in a 12 passenger van that was very quite! Friday Rachel swam her 2 events and took the bronze medal in both of them. That evening was opening ceremonies and they had the parade of athletes. Rachel was picked to help hold our banner as the team was announced. They had a live band from Houston that played about five or six songs and then they had a huge fireworks display. This display was absolutely wonderful. Best fireworks show I have seen. It was a late night and we had an early morning and everyone was tired. Saturday started off very stormy with lots of rain and some pretty good sized hail. The track meet was delayed about 2 hours and they cancelled all the field events but the tennis ball throw. Rachel got a silver medal in this event. Now the track part we only got ribbons as running is not our favorite or strongest events. They have what they call Olympic Village and it is filled with games of all sorts. Each athlete is given a card that is punched at each game. Depending how you do on the game as to how many punches you get. No matter what you at least get 1 punch. Then you turn these cards in for prizes. Well they had this big slide that Rachel just loved and she went on it over and over and over. She didn't care that she only got 1 punch and it was taking forever to fill her card of 50 punches. I finally convinced her to do something else so she could at least fill her card up. The day was almost over and I knew that when it was time to pick a prize she would want a big one not a small one. She ended up with another recorder and a princess wand. I told her she could not play it on the bus as it would be taken away from her. The evening ended with a banquet and a dance. On Sunday there are only relays and some long walking events, but just like Saturday the storms came again delaying things for about an hour. So they only ran the relays. Rachel's team was in 2nd place when the batton was handed to the anchor boy. He was passed by everyone but one team so her team took 6th place. I was so proud of Rachel as she ran her little heart out. All in all it was a pretty good weekend and Rachel had lots of fun.

Graduation

2008-05-27T15:20:00.004-05:00

Right before Graduation
Right after graduation
John, Katie, Jonathon, Andrew and Lindsay playing Mexican Doninoes

This weekend was Lindsay's high school graduation. It was at Allen Fieldhouse on the KU campus. And of course it was the hottest and the most humid day of the year. Oh and did I mention the fieldhouse has no AC. Other than the heat it was a wonderful day. We had 16 family members that came. After supper and before the after grad party Lindsay taught Katie and John how to play Mexican dominoes which is a favorite game at the Johnsons. My little girl is all grown up now. And now she has to go out into the real world!

Rachel is FINALLY 15

2008-05-15T13:12:00.002-05:00

This is Rachel's teacher Angela

If you would ask Rachel she would tell you it took forever for her birthday to get here. Then when it did get here we couldn't celebrate it because of a Senior awards ceremony for Lindsay. She didn't want to go and insisted she was 15 now and could stay home by herself. She did go and complained the whole time. But last night we did have a small party and it was all about her. She had a great time with some friends and her teacher came too. We watched the DVD of her last play High School Musical and had cake and ice cream.

Prom 2008

2008-05-12T13:30:00.003-05:00

My beautiful daughter all dressed up for Prom. This is not her boyfriend, just a friend. He is the same boy she has gone with to all the dances but 1.

Our very last band concert

2008-05-09T10:02:00.003-05:00

I have been down all week at work with no INTERNET! It has been terrible! I haven't been able to post or even read anyone's blogs. I know I could get on at home but our computers are soooooo slow. So much easier to do it here.

Wednesday was our very last band concert. I do believe Rachel is very happy about this. I on the other hand am sad. Monday will be the last choir concert and I do believe it will be pretty emotional for ME! Tomorrow is prom so I will post some prom pictures on Monday. Happy Mothers Day to all you mom's.

Special Olympics Track and Swimming Metro meet

2008-05-05T10:47:00.004-05:00

She thinks she was stretching and warming up for her race.
50M run 4th place
After her 1st place 20M swim
Gold medal award.

This weekend was the KC metro meet for track and swimming. Rachel came away with 1 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze medals and 1 4th place ribbon. She was pretty proud of herself. Especially in swimming where she got gold and silver.

We survived the weekend

2008-04-29T09:46:00.002-05:00

My stress level is back to normal again. For a few weeks anyway. We survived Showtime and we are so happy to have shared it with Don, Nancy, Josh, Katie, John, my Aunt Ann and my mom and dad who all came from out of town. We also shared it with our very close friends Mary and Lori from here in Lawrence. Lindsay was wonderful with huge smiles. She got a bit teary eyed after the show on Saturday knowing it was her last Showtime. This is her last full week of school and I have noticed she is getting up later and later every morning. I think that is called seniorites. Tonight is the senior band banquet. I'll try to remember my camera.
Rachel has the KC metro track and swimming meet this weekend. We will be in KC both Saturday and Sunday. It just doesn't slow down.

Dress Rehearsal

2008-04-24T12:26:00.003-05:00

Ballin The Jack (above)
Red High Heel Shoes Please Mr. Postman

Last night was dress rehearsal for Showtime. Parents could go a take video and pictures. Here are just a few that Bob took of Lindsay.

It's Almost SHOWTIME

2008-04-16T10:55:00.003-05:00

Showtime is next week and I can hardly wait. Nancy, Don and Josh are coming on Thursday and my Mom and Dad and Aunt Ann from Emporia are coming on Friday. Lindsay is most excited for Josh coming. Sorry Nancy and Don you know how kids are. I told her she needed to introduce him to her friends Jenn and Kristi twin sisters going to WSU next year to run track. She thought I was goofy. Anyway if anyone else is interested let me know ASAP so I can get more tickets. We would love to have all of you!

Kansas Storms

2008-04-11T13:28:00.002-05:00

After the game on Monday night a storm went through Butler County(ElDorado KS area). My mom called me the next morning at work and says " Hi pauses and cries". I hate calls like that. Anyway I guess they got 95-100 mile an hour straight line winds. They lost their roof(shingles), 3 of their big pines uprooted, and 4 more were cut off halfway. Some of their fruit trees were uprooted too. Also their old car and truck sit out and they were moved several feet, the truck into a tree. It broke some of the windows out of these vehicles. There was a corn cob stuck in the siding of the house. And it took the fence down around their lagoon, bending some of these poles. It hadn't started raining yet when this hit so it blew dirt everywhere. They had a foot of straw inbetween the screen and the sliding glass door. The screen was never opened. Just really strange things almost as if it was a tornado. Mom said they have shingles and corn stalks everywhere. We are going to try and go down next weekend to help them clean up and fix the fence. The roof is getting fixed this coming week. My brother Ron and his family also got hit. I know they have lots of tree damage and they lost a window on their porch. Their pole barn was damanged and will have to be torn down. Some of mom and dad's neighbors lost their out building and a cell tower came down. I called Bob's parents and they are fine with no damage. I am ready for spring but not this kind of weather!

It's a great day to be a JAYHAWK!

2008-04-08T11:34:00.002-05:00

Wow what a game! Lawrence Kansas is rocking! Bob and Lindsay went downtown Lawrence and were part of the 40,000 people celebrating. They didn't stay long because Lindsay has school today but they wanted to see all the happenings. I know Bob got several hugs by people he didn't know. They were very excited when they got home. Today is a big celebration at Memorial stadium(football field). We are planning to head down there to welcome the team home. 20 years ago was the last time KU won this title. Danny Manning was the big man of that team. Today he is one of the KU coaches so this is his second title!! Also for all you Alaska family members how about your boy Mario! He was great last night. MVP of the tournament!!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK GO KU!!!

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK GO KU

2008-04-04T14:25:00.001-05:00

We made it to the final 4. We play North Carolina tomorrow night! GO HAWKS!

I'm a Slacker

2008-04-02T07:58:00.004-05:00

Sorry I haven't posted for awhile. Work is pretty slow right now so you would think I would post everyday. We had Easter with our good friends the Hanson's at Grandma Mary Hanson's house. Kim and Kirk came from St. Joe and another friend of the Hanson's, Rusty was there. Lots and lots of good food. We had an Easter egg hunt but I don't think the big kids enjoyed it very much. Rachel had fun. Not much new around our house. Lindsay's wisdom teeth came out with out any problems. Showtime is 3 weeks away so Lindsay is pretty busy. Plus she is singing a solo at the state festival this year so she has been working on that too. We have a band concert tonight. I'd rather go to a choir concert but can't complain because this is the last year of band and choir concerts and I know I am going to be terribly sad when it is all over. Truly we have enjoyed both choir and band throughout Lindsay's high school years. (maybe not Rachel so much). Rachel did go to all the concerts and at first after the first song she would say "I go home now". Now she just takes her backpack with stuff to do and waits for the cookies after the concerts. Rachel's play is in 3 weeks too. They are putting on High School Musical and the show is Monday of the same week as Showtime.

Special Olympics Basketball and Cheer

2008-03-25T08:20:00.004-05:00

There is always a dance at the state meets. This is a huge event for all the athletes.
Rachel and her basketball coach John.
The cheer team and coaches
We have several families of athletes dealing with cancer right now. A couple other parents got together and had these pink shirts made to wear at the state meet in their honor.This is who Rachel stayed with at the hotel.

Rachel went on a trip all by herself at the same time Lindsay and I were in St. Louis. It just happened that Special Olympics basketball and cheer state meet was the very same time as the choir trip. I debated a long time whether to send her with the team or not. I'm glad I let her go because she had a great time. They chartered a bus this time instead of getting big vans. This meet is in Hays and it is a long way out there from Lawrence. It was much easier for everyone doing it this way. They got a gold medal in cheer and a 4th place ribbon in basketball. She stayed in the same room with her basketball coaches wife and 2 daughters. The only problem I know about was they couldn't get her out of bed in the mornings. That's nothing new. She is just not a morning person. This weekend she starts swimming and track and field.

Trip to St. Louis

2008-03-24T12:21:00.003-05:00

The whole choir in front of the Cathedral
At Hard Rock Cafe singing YMCA. The song came on and our entire group stood up and started doing the motions with the HRC servers.
Each of us has a senior and we have been chaperoning since Lawrence Childrens Choir in Jr. High. This was our final trip together. We had these shirts made.
All dressed up before The Wedding Singer.
Lindsay and I at the arch.

I went with Lindsay and the A Cappella choir from Lawrence High School to St. Louis on the 13th. We boarded our busses early Thursday morning and returned Sunday around noon. It was a very fast trip but we had a great time. We went to the theatre(The Wedding Singer), the symphony, the arch, the bowling museum and the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis. This Cathedral has an 8 second echo so when we sang it was just amazing. The Cathedral was beautiful too. If you haven't been it is worth seeing and it is free. On the other hand I wouldn't go see The Wedding Singer. It was nothing like the movie. The language was down right disgusting. The choir sang almost every place we visited. We did a choir exchange with 2 different high schools. One was in Columbia MO and the other in St. Louis.

Gone for a few days

2008-03-12T15:46:00.002-05:00

I am going with Lindsay on the choir trip to St Louis. We leave early in the morning. So I won't be doing any blogging until next week some time. You all have a great weekend! Oh and it is 72 here today! Oh and Happy St. Patricks day and happy birthday to Emily and Erin.

My Singer Girl

2008-03-12T15:38:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to post these couple picture of Lindsay before a concert last Saturday evening. Chorale sang at Lawrence Childrens choir concert. It brought back memories for me because she started singing with Choirsters and then on to LCC and then on and on until now her final year of high school and singer in the best choir there is at her school. If you couldn't tell she makes me very proud.

Beautiful Day

2008-03-10T16:10:00.002-05:00

Just thought I would let all you cold state people know it is 44 here today and looking to be close to 60 tomorrow. Yea for Spring! I am soooo ready for it to get warm and stay warm. Only thing I hate is it is now going to be tornado season. Boooooo!

And life goes on

2008-03-07T13:29:00.003-06:00

She wanted a Kansas dirt cake. She helped me make it and it was good!
18 candles made a lot of smoke

Well I survived Lindsay turning 18. We went to dinner last night and had some cake afterwards. Our friends the Hanson's went with us to help celebrate. The party has been cancelled!! YAH! Lawrence High boy's and girl's basketball teams are still in the state tournament and are playing tonight. So instead of having a teenage party at our house we are going to Emporia tonight to watch the boys play basketball. The girls play this afternoon so we can't see them play.

It is really cold here today. It has been snowing all morning. It is finally about to stop. It isn't sticking, just making it a yukky day. It is supposed to be 60 on Tuesday and I am so looking forward to that.

Yard Card for Lindsay's 18th Birthday

2008-03-06T11:22:00.003-06:00

This was at 6:65 this morning before Lindsay left for 0 hour. The sun isn't quite up yet.

We woke up to this in our front yard this morning. Good friends of ours are doing this as a business. Happy 18th Birthday Miss Lindsay.

My Biggest Baby will be 18 tomorrow

2008-03-05T08:38:00.003-06:00

I am just so sad about Lindsay turning 18. She is such a great kid and I just want her to stay little. Anyway Bob and I agreed to let her and a friend have a party at our house Friday night. They wanted to do it at our house because we have so many toys in our basement. When I asked how many kids were coming, they don't know. They have just spread the word. WHAT HAVE WE DONE. I did tell her she would be in deep poop if anyone even thought about bring any booze to this party. I know I don't have to worry about her and Audra(the other birthday girl) but you just never know about some of the others. Lots of these kids know Bob since he drove the equipment truck for the marching band so I think that will help. I'll have him go work our right before the party so he is all buffed up before they all come. Hee Hee! Anyway wish us luck and I'll try to get a few birthday pictures and post them. Tonight is a big choir concert so maybe I'll try to take a picture or 2 of that too. Oh and today is Nick Gauthier's 18th birthday.

Showtime

2008-03-03T09:13:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to let all of you know when Showtime is this year. If you don't know what Showtime is, it is all Juniors and Seniors in the choral department at Lawrence High. It is a mixture of old, new, pop, country, jazz, barber shop, anything! They put on between 35 and 40 songs and the show is excellent. It is April 24, 25 and 26. Out of the 5 songs Lindsay tried out in, 3 of them made it. So you will be in Beat it, Mr Postman and Red High Heel Shoes. Chorale will do 2 songs and A Cappella choir will do 1. So she will be in 6 total this year. She was in 3 last year. No solos that I know about. You all are invited to come. Just let me know what night so I can get your ticket because it will sell out all 3 nights. I am so not ready for her to be out of high school. I have really enjoyed choir and band and all the concerts and shows she has been a part of.

Jonas Brothers Concert

2008-02-29T13:01:00.003-06:00

Lindsay really likes the Jonas Brothers. They are a boy band who got their start on The Disney channel. Now she has Rachel hooked. This past Wednesday they were in concert in KC. The day the tickets went on sale Bob, Lindsay and I went to the Sprint Center in KC so we could get floor seats. Everyone got a wrist band and then they drew a number and that person started the line to get the best seats. Well, The 3 of us split up to mix our numbers up in hopes that 1 of us would be close to the first number. There were about 480 people there and the number drawn was 382. They start there and go up to the last number and then start at 1 and go to 381 being the last person. Lindsay had number 176. I had 217 and Bob had 274. So Lindsay had the best number. Well the girl Lindsay was standing by was split from her group too. But 1 of their group was around the number 1 area. They were only getting 3 tickets so they got Lindsay's ticket with them and then we used Lindsays number and got 4 tickets. Lindsay sat in the 7th row center. Rachel, her friend Haley Hanson, Bob and I sat in row 15 not quite center just slightly to the side. We all ended up with really good seats. Lindsay took over 200 pictures. Silly girl. Bob and I had our ear plugs and with the extras we had, we passed them out to our fellow parents around us. I have never heard so many I LOVE YOU....... as I heard at this concert. Then to top off the evening one of Rachel's teachers son in law is a manager for the opening band called Rooney. She gave us 4 back stage passes to meet Rooney. The lead singer played Michael in The Princess Diaries. Lindsay was in hopes of meeting the Jonas Brothers but that didn't happen.

Special Olympics Basketball and Cheer

2008-02-25T13:23:00.004-06:00

You can see in the above picture how big the other team was

Doing the Gator chomp. We are the Douglas County Gators
One of the largest cheer groups. The 3 in front are our leaders and of course Kenny the team Flirt.
Gold Medal
She dribbles pretty well. The coach had her bring the ball up several times
2 coaches and the team. Poor Kodie is the only boy on our team.

This past Saturday was the KC Metro meet for Special Olympics basketball and cheer. It was at JCCC so we didn't have to go far. In the cheering there were 3 teams in our group. We took the gold medal. I do believe it was because we have 1 boy on our team and he is a huge flirt. When you have a group of high school cheerleaders as the judges and he is winking and big time flirting with them, you have an advantage. Basketball was a different story. There were 2 teams so we played the same team both games. They were the size of college linebackers on the football team. Oh and mostly boys and we are mostly short girls. SO we got stomped on the first game 30 to 4. We really only had 2 points because one of the baskets they counted didn't really go in. In fact it only hit the bottom of the net. The second game was a little better. We lost 8 to 18. Rachel did make 1 of our baskets and she was thrilled. They do have a good time and are thrilled to get a medal. We got the silver medal. Usually at the metro meet everyone gets a medal. There aren't as many teams so they don't put more than 3 teams per division.

New Hair Cuts

2008-02-21T11:28:00.002-06:00

Lindsay has been begging for a perm. She wanted some wave or light curls. So last night we went and she had her first perm. I was a bit nervous because you just never know how a perm is going to turn out. I told her she could use her straightener everyday for awhile if she didn't like it. As it turned out it is pretty cute. Rachel decided her hair was too long so she got a hair cut.

Wisdom Teeth

2008-02-13T08:52:00.002-06:00

Lindsay's wisdom teeth are coming out March 17th! Happy St. Patricks day, Happy spring break and Happy birthday to Emily and Erin!

Erin is crying for a post!

2008-02-11T09:52:00.000-06:00

Erin is whinning because Emily, Katie and I haven't posted for a few days. I have to say I have posted way more than Emily has. She is still stuck on THE FLU! Really nothing exciting at our house. We played Bingo last night for a Special Olympics fundraiser. Saturday the Jayhawks won and they play again tonight. GO HAWKS! Rachel has acting class tonight. Lindsay goes to see an oral surgeon tomorrow. She needs her wisdom teeth out before they move her teeth after braces. We are hoping to get this done over spring break. She can't miss anymore school or she has to take finals. She has been sick with a cold and fever so she missed a full day for that. And then she has missed a few hours here and there for doctors this and doctors that. She can only miss 3 days or it will be finals for her. Wednesday is a band concert. We are busy but nothing exciting. There were no drunks in the back yard this weekend. Oh Bob and I did go out Friday with our friends Mike and Lori for our monthly dinner out with NO KIDS! As always we had a good time. OK here is a rambling post to start this week.

I have never been so scared

2008-02-04T12:10:00.000-06:00

Sunday morning Lindsay's alarm went off at 5:45AM. Of course it woke Bob up. He grumbled, tossed around for a bit and decided to get up and get in the hot tub. As he was opening the blinds on the back door a man was opening the screen door. Startled, Bob yelled very loudly and shouted at the guy "what are you doing here?" Then he yelled at me to call the cops! I jumped out of bed with no glasses on trying to get myself together and dial 911. I hit something on the phone and it starts dialing someone elses number(I don't know who). I quickly turned the phone off and hit 911. At this point I was a mess. The 911 operator couldn't understand a thing I was saying. So I told her very slowly 2421 Missouri St. She says yes, I have your address. What is your phone number. I had to stop and think a second before I could tell her. She was trying to calm me down so she could understand what was going on. She asked if there was a medical emergency and I told her no, someone was trying to get into our home. She asked if I could give her a discription? No I had not seen the guy only my husband. By this time I was shaking so bad I could hardly hold the phone. I yelled at Bob to see if he could tell her what the guy looked like. The operator finally said, Can I speak with your husband. Bob took the phone and told her he really didn't get a good look at him as it was dark and it all happened so fast. He walked back to the door and the guy was still there! Bob said well I guess I can tell you because he is still sitting on the deck in one of the patio chairs. This guy was so drunk he thought he was at his own home. 3 police cars responded not knowing what was actually happening. They walked around to the backyard and escorted him to the street. They didn't arrest him, in fact they let him walk home as 2 of the cars followed him. The police didnt really talk to us. One officer came into the house because the guy knocked over our grill. He wanted Bob to go out to make sure it wasn't damaged. I have never been so scared in my entire life as I was that morning.

Wet start to the day

2008-01-31T14:44:00.000-06:00

Wednesday morning I was trying to get Rachel out of the bathroom so Lindsay could take a shower. Of course because it was something for Lindsay she was mad. She stomps to my bathroom turns on the hot water as high as it will go, and can't get it off. I had gone to the kitchen to get her breakfast going. I walked back to my bedroom wondering what she could possibly still be doing in the bathroom. I opened the door and the sink was overflowing with water. The floor had about a 1/2" of water all over it. And she was soaked. I quickly turned off the water and sopped up the floor in hopes of not too much running down to the basement. I was MAD at this point! I took her wet school clothes off and sent her to her room to get dressed again! Good thing for her there wasn't much time before the bus came. Did I mention I was mad? I was afraid to look at the basement so I waited until she left. It wasn't nearly as bad as what it could have been down there but it was bad enough.
Today was a much better start of the day!

Special Olympics with the KU Men's Basketball Team

2008-01-28T14:08:00.000-06:00

Rachel was selected to participate in the Special Olympics basketball training at KU this past Sunday. Lucky for us because we have some really great players this year and next year they will all be gone. So Bob and I took her up to Allen Fieldhouse loaded with the digital camera and the video camera. We had so much fun. Rachel was excited about going to this event too, but I have to say that I had the most fun. I was like a kid in a candy store. We got all the autographs of the big time players. We only had 10 minutes at the end to get autographs so I was like dragging Rachel around. If you know Rachel she only has 1 speed at that is very SLOW. I was trying very hard to make sure she(I) got all the good players to sign her picture. Here are just a few of the 140 pictures we took.

Nice Surprises

2008-01-24T09:03:00.000-06:00

Bob called me before I got off work and told me his sister Mary Jo was coming to visit and spend the night with us. Last time she was in Kansas we didn't get to see her(too many kid things going on). I have to say she had a beautiful glow about her and looked wonderful. I haven't seen this look on her in a long time. We are very proud of her and her accomplishments with her new job. We are hoping for a return visit tonight!

House Keeping 101

2008-01-23T11:11:00.000-06:00

Well these aren't the greatest pictures, but they are what Rachel wanted to take. She did a pretty good job of cleaning her room for her class. Actually she keeps her room picked up and makes her bed more often than not. Actually better than I do. We did get some toys tossed out and old clothes ready to go somewhere.

Rachel is Busy, Busy, Busy

2008-01-14T10:04:00.000-06:00

This weekend started Special Olympics basketball and cheerleading. I was shocked at practice as she can really make a basket. They will have 2 tournaments. One is in KC and the state meet is clear out in Hays, KS. They are chartering a bus to get all the athletes out there this year. Tonight starts another acting 101 class. This time they are doing High School Musical. Rachel wants to be the lead girl. I keep telling her you can't come out on stage and cover your eyes if you are going to be the lead girl. She always gets a bit of stage fright and covers her eyes so you can't see her. She is fine after a few lines and then starts cutting up. She has lots of fun!
This semester she is taking FACS (Family and consumer science) class. They cook, sew and have to clean their room. She has to totally pull everything out of her closet and organize it, organize her chest of drawers, wash the windows, curtains and walls. This should be interesting to watch her do all of this. She is really great about keeping her room picked up and her bed made. This project will take a week for her to get it all done. She is very pokey! I'l try to remember to take pictures along the journey and post them.

Basketball

2008-01-10T09:45:00.000-06:00

I love college and high school basketball. (Not so much pro). Someone gave my friend Lori some free tickets to the KU mens game Tuesday night. Lori and I went and had a great time cheering on our great KU Jayhawks. KU travels to Lincoln this weekend so I wanted to put in a huge plug for the JAYHAWKS just for Megan and Jason. GO HAWKS!

Rock Chalk Jayhawk GO KU!

2008-01-04T12:06:00.000-06:00

Jayhawk land is booming right now. Our football team won the Orange Bowl last night! YIP EEEEE! Now the Basketball team has to keep on winning! GO JAYHAWKS!

Christmas with the Johnsons

2008-01-04T11:55:00.000-06:00

The Johnson's love to sing! So for the past several years we sing Christmas Carols before we open up our gifts.

Christmas with the Gauthier's

2008-01-02T14:57:00.001-06:00

We had a great time in ElDorado during the Christmas break. Here are just a few photos for you.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-21T12:30:00.001-06:00

This will be my last post until at least the 30th. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and safe new year. We have an Santa party every year with some very good friends. The kids are all big now and Rachel is the only believer. Know matter how old they are they all have to sit on Santa's lap to get their gift. This year was the best party yet. We had 27 people total and 18 were teenagers. We had a great time.

Rachel as Chip the cup

2007-12-21T09:35:00.000-06:00

Lawrence has great programs for special populations. One is an acting class called Acting 101. This semester was Beauty and the Beast and Miss Rachel was Chip the cup. All the actors have special needs. It was very cute! I laughed until I cried!

Lindsay's Winter Formal

2007-12-20T12:08:00.000-06:00

Here are some pictures of Lindsay's winter formal a few weeks back. The boy is just a friend!!!

2007-12-19T13:39:00.000-06:00

OK Miss Erin Here you go. I don't know what I am doing here but I will give it a shot. I know I won't be as funny as Megan but I will try to keep you all updated on the Lawrence happenings.