Day 181

"A boy, mischievous to the imp degree." -Rea Murtha

Barnes Family Reunion 09

The Barnes Family Reunion was held June 21-26th near Pigeon Forge, TN in a cabin that accomodated the whole gang, which is no easy task. We spent a few days in KY prior to the reunion (to break up the drive) and Nate's family traveled home with us and spent a few days here as well, so it felt more like a two week reunion. TN was a beautiful location, but there was no yard with our cabin, so we planned activities to fill our days away. The slide show is a review of our week together. If you would like me to add additional pictures to my cd, please email or send them to me. Also, if you would like a copy of the scrapbook page below just let me know and I can add it to your cd.

DAY 180

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.” -Robert McCloskey

DAY 179

"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." Lance Armstrong

Today was the Hy-Vee Triathlon in DesMoines. 1.5K swim, 40K bike, 10K run. It all sounded like a good idea in the early stages of planning, but hindsite is always 20/20. I think it was too soon after the reunion and we should have allowed for more recovery time. This triathlon was by far the craziest and the largest I've ever been to. The course was sectioned off in such a way that pictures were near impossible. (And the thousands of people there didn't help either.) Someone even stepped on my toe. I didn't take many pics, but I'm proud of the few I was able to get. My brother, Nate, and Haldan both participated. Nate was so fast that somehow we missed his finish. He came in 42nd out of 158 in his age group at 2:33:49. He said he could have shaved some time off if he had started pushing himself right away. Ten minutes into the swim he said he felt good and decided to step it up. He's scheduled to do an Ironman next year, so I think he's relieved to have the olympic behind him. Haldan was more tired than I've ever seen him at the end, but finished at 3:27:40. Way to go! There were 2600 participants and I'm glad we all survived.

DAY 178

"So much of life, it seems to me, is determined by pure randomness." -Sidney Poitier

DAY 177

"Home is the place where we grumble the most and are loved the best."

I never was as happy to see that Iowa sign as I was today after our 13 hour drive. Home sweet home.

The Barnes Reunion was fun, loud, busy, and extremely chaotic. Imagine 18 grandchildren, 17 of which are 12 or under all under one roof... that'll give you a little better picture. Not all of them could make it this time. Those not there were missed, but there were plenty of cousins to hang with.

Highlights include: the hike in the rain, Pokey being dared to do a swirly and actually doing it, killing a snake in the road while driving over one of the scariest mountain passes ever due to missing a turn, watching little man race a go cart with extreme passion and zip into 1st place at the very last second, my first rafting trip with the kids, the overly crowded aquarium, doing morning walks up the steep roads with my sisters, trying to get a wi-fi connection to post my pictures of the day, swimming with nieces and nephews, all 6 of us kids being together, celebration of father's day, wading in the river with giant boulders, Little Man storming off in the park by himself, and the log home that accomodated all of us in a picturesque setting. Thanks Nate for putting this together.

DAY 176

“Life gives us brief moments with others...but sometimes in those brief moments we get memories that last a life time...”

DAY 175

“Life is either a great adventure or nothing.” -Helen Keller

DAY 174

"Smoky Mountain rain, it keeps on fallin'." -Ronnie Milsap's "Smoky Mountain Rain"

"The name "Smoky" comes from the natural fog that often hangs over the range and presents as large smoke plumes from a distance. This fog, which is most common in the morning and after rainfall, is the result of warm humid air from the Gulf of Mexico cooling rapidly in the higher elevations of Southern Appalachia." -Wikipedia

DAY 173

“The family. We are a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another's desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” Erma Bombeck

We are all in Pigeon Forge, TN for a Barnes Family Reunion until Friday, June 26th. This morning started out rainy, so we ventured to the aquarium and found everyone had the same idea. It was packed and it wasn't really comfortable. The kids managed to have fun, but we didn't stay long. We went to The Smoky Mtn National Park for a hike. Parking was scarce and when we began the hike it started to thunder. The rains came and we all got wet. The trail was muddier than expected. We looked a little droopy by the time we made it to the falls, but it was beautiful and worth the walk in the rain.

DAY 172

"Their birth made you their father. Your love made you their dad."

Today's post is in honor of Father's Day. We actually celebrated with Haldan last Saturday. This is the front cover from the 6x6 book that I made for him. It was definitely a labor of love. It was about 60 pages filled with all kinds of pictures of him and the kids through the years. Some of those first pictures with the kids were taken before digital and I had to hunt through negatives and have them put onto cd to print.

Thanks, Haldan, for being such a wonderful father to our children.

I actually get to be with my own father on father's day this year with my entire family. I put together a photo collage of pics through the years and had it framed. They were even harder to dig up than Haldan's.

Some of you know him and some of you don't, but he's just Fred. He's a quirky man with a heart of gold. He'd give his own shirt off his back to any bum in need. He's never lacking energy and always has a project to do. Love you Dad.

DAY 171

“If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly, our whole life would change.” -Buddha

I went out in search of a picture tonight and I found this flower on the side of the road. As I was attempting to get the perfect shot I stepped into a deep hole in my high heeled flips. My left foot was entirely covered in mud. After using about a dozen wet wipes I finally unveiled my foot and realized that should have been my picture of the day. The things I go through for a picture!

DAY 170

“Humor is a spontaneous, wonderful bit of an outburst that just comes. It's unbridled, it's unplanned, it's full of surprises.” -Erma Bombeck

DAY 169

"A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous." -Coco Chanel

Tonight we had girl time making necklaces for our kids. Good times.

Day 168

Thanks to the Interstate Highway System, it is now possible to travel across the country from coast to coast without seeing anything. -Charles Kuralt

DAY 167

"I wonder what it would be like to live in a world where it was always June." -L. M. Montgomery

DAY 166

"You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance." -Franklin P. Jones

They look so cute and innocent and yet I wanted to wring their necks! Hopefully it's just a phase. It was one of those days today. It's only day 2 of summer break and I think I'm in trouble. We had a full day. Highlights include: chores, math, run at Cedar Lake Trail, pool, visit with new baby Rose and Garbetts, McD's and park. I'm trying to keep them busy and yet they still want to fight and pick and whine.

When I got up the kids were already playing Webkinz and no one was dressed, they hadn't eaten yet, Pokey hadn't made her bed, and no chores were done. Not a great start to the day. The run went pretty well this morning. Pokey actually rode her bike with Haldan and Little Man ran with me. It's pretty sad that a 36 year old woman can hardly keep up with her 9 year old son. It could be partially due to not being 100% yet. It was a good run. This was our 3rd day at the pool. We're trying to get as much use out of that pass before we leave as possible, but it was again cool and cloudy and not much fun. When I decided it was time to go due to rain drops I couldn't get Pokey to get out of the water. I had to literally leave before she would get out. The visit with Angie and Rose was mortifiying. It was probably only 30 minutes, but Little Man must have said he was hungry or bored at least a half dozen times. Then Pokey chimed in. I can't believe the B(ored) word has already come out so soon. Where is their resourcefulness and imagination? They are so spoiled. I don't remember my mom taking us to the pool everyday or worrying about entertainment. We had to find things to do. I shouldn't have treated the kids to McD's or the park, but I didn't feel like cooking and the sun had finally come out and it was a beautiful night. I hate punishments that punish me more than them. So, I promised them conseqences would come tomorrow, probably time in their room. Maybe I need harsher consequences or more immediate consequences. Perhaps I need to find time to finish reading the Love and Logic book my in-laws got me for Christmas. I got about half way through it and then life took over. Maybe there's more answers to come. After the park we stopped at Wal-Mart to pick up a couple things for the trip and I lost Pokey before we got out of the store. I was starting to panic right when she appeared. There are rules. Stay where I can see you. If you can't see me, I can't see you. How hard is this? I tried to give them shopping assignments and yet they still managed to fight and be disobedient. When does this end? Does it ever end?

By the way, all my pics today were taken with my point and shoot. While at the park in Hiawatha tonight I was glad to have it. I accidentally had it unknowingly set to a panoramic setting. And no, I didn't mean to line Little Man and Pokey up with the blue and yellow behind them. Just dumb luck. In fact, I didn't notice it until I downloaded them.

The winners are...

May 1st place Nature/Scenery Category is:

May 1st place People/Other Category is:

May 2nd place Nature/Scenery Category is:

May 2nd place People/Other Category is:

Thanks so much to all of you who took the time to vote. And a special thanks to Shag for breaking the 5 way tie on the 2nd place people category.

DAY 165

"Don't set your wit against a child." -Johnathan Swift

I cheated a little on this picture. It was actually taken yesterday while shopping. Pokey was having a fit in the middle of Wal-Mart. I meant to get a picture today, but my body had other plans. I'm not sure if I got food poisoning or a stomach bug, but I was up puking last night and still not feeling well today. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

DAY 164

“Any man can be a father, but it takes a special person to be a dad.”

Today we celebrated Father's Day here since the kids and I will be gone next weekend. It was a full day. We made a trip to Dick's and Haldan finally got a set of weights to go with that bench he's had sitting in the basement. The kids enjoyed playing golf, trying out the treadmills and boxing gloves, and timing themselves around the mini track located in the shoe department. Great free entertainment. We had lunch at Jiamen. The kids had shrimp, plain mind you - no breading. Side note: no kid's menus or kid's pricing. We saw "Night at the Museum 2". Not as good as "Up", but better than I thought it'd be based on the splat report. Haldan opened the homemade 6x6 book I've been working on for the last two weeks. The hardest part was digging up old pictures. I had some put on cd and others I scanned in. I used about 60 pictures of the kids and him together through the years. Still not sure he loved it, but I think they all had fun looking at the book together. We went for a walk together and then went out for a little treat. I hope he had a fun day. He sure made Mother's Day special for me and I although I could never top it, I just wanted him to have a nice day too.

DAY 163

Oh, what do you do in the summertime?

1. Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you fish in a stream, or lazily dream on the banks as the clouds go by? Is that what you do? So do I!
2. Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you swim in a pool, to keep yourself cool, or swing in a tree up high? Is that what you do? So do I!
3. Oh, what do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green? Do you march in parades, or drink lemonades, or count all the stars in the sky? Is that what you do?

-Children’s Songbook, 245

Today I was reminded of this song I learned as a child. It was a beautiful summer day. We got some projects done around the yard, Little Man caught a dragon fly, Haldan made pork ribs on the grill for lunch, and the kids and I hung by the pool. Summer is officially here and I'm excited for the change of pace. We have lots of fun things planned, but hopefully there will be some lazy days as well.

For those of you who are worried about week 2 or 3 of summer when the word "bored" creeps in... I ran across this wonderful idea. It's a summer event calendar. You can find instructions for it here. Each day of the month corresponds to the numbers on the ice cream cone. Take turns pulling out the slips of paper to see what activity is planned for the day. You can find a giant list of activity ideas here. If you aren't up for making the calendar, just jot down some of the ideas or stick them in a jar.

Happy summer!

DAY 162

"Friends are the most important ingredient in this recipe of life." -Dior Yamasaki

Today was the last day of school- finally!! I went in to get pics of the kids with their teachers and friends. The school was a little chaotic and the class rooms were bare. Little Man's class was signing each other's autograph books and t-shirts. It took me back to my grade school days, such a long time ago. I'm glad I was able to go in and capture those last few moments with their friends.

DAY 161

"Chalk is a form of limestone which is distinguished by its relative purity and close, fine grain. The chemical formula for chalk is CaCO3. Its primary ingredient is ancient fossilized sea organisms, so chalk deposits often occur in areas which were once underwater, as the mineral forms through centuries of deposition of dead sea creatures at very high pressure. Rocks which form through the deposition of sediments and other materials are known as sedimentary rocks. Although we think of chalk as a very soft mineral, it is in fact remarkably resistant to weathering. This trait led to the formation of the famous White Cliffs of Dover." -wisegeek.com

Today was the kid's last full day of school. We are almost there. Dang those snow days. The rain held off and the kids were able to walk home. This was a cute site seeing them sprint to play with their neighbor friend.

And DON'T FORGET TO VOTE for May favorites!!!!

DAY 160

"Sibling relationships - and 80 percent of Americans have at least one - outlast marriages, survive the death of parents, resurface after quarrels that would sink any friendship. They flourish in a thousand incarnations of closeness and distance, warmth, loyalty and distrust." -Erica E. Goode

DAY 159

"Cleanliness is indeed next to Godliness." -John Wesley

A momentous occasion happened today. This is the first day Pokey voluntarily got in the shower of her own free will. She came home and removed her socks right away and put on new. Then she called me into her room to let me know she needed a shower. She had a funny face and I thought perhaps she had maybe had an accident. She replied, "My feet stink. I put on new socks and they still smell." So she showered. She scrubbed those things several times and they still smelled after her shower. This has her very concerned. Perhaps I should try some fungal cream? Hygiene has never been up there on her list of priorities. Maybe there's hope after all.

DAY 158

"We lost because we didn’t win." -Unknown

Somhow this team made it to the final 4 tournament. I'm not sure how it happened. Little Man was very excited about the idea of getting a medal. They were number 4 going in playing the number 3 team for the 3rd slot. It was a very evenly matched game. We thought we had it. It was a nail biting, sit on the edge of your seat, shout things you don't normally shout sort of game. At the end of the first half the score was 2-nothing. Somehow the other team managed 2 points towards the end of the 2nd half and tied us up. We ended up with penalty kicks. Each team chose 5 boys and a goalie. They all kicked and we were still tied. Then they had to choose different kickers, alternating teams. It was very intense, but the other team ended up getting the first kick in (even though we all think the ref called 2 wrong). It was a good strong game to end the season. They still got their medal and everyone was happy at the end of the day.

Haldan also finished his second sprint triathlon today. It was a little slower than his first due to transition areas being farther apart and a hillier terrain. He finished strong and I redeemed myself by getting a picture of him crossing the finish line this time. I made sure not to miss it again. The weather even cooporated for us today. There was a chance of scattered storms all day, but somehow came before the tri and after Little Man's game was over.

DAY 157

"The trouble with weather forecasting is that it's right too often for us to ignore it and wrong too often for us to rely on it." -Patrick Young

DAY 156

"Every so often, I like to go to the window, look up, and smile for a satellite picture.” Stephen Wright

DAY 156

"Photography, as a powerful medium of expression and communications, offers an infinite variety of perception, interpretation and execution."

-Ansel Adams

I love this photo most because it is taken through the eyes of my 9 year old son. He was so proud of it. As I was trying to get a photo of the day, he grabbed my other camera and started taking pics. This is definitely not the angle I would have thought to shoot from, but it's how his mind works and it captures the moment beautifully from his perspective.

Later as we were in the car together Little Man and Pokey were discussing the pictures he'd taken. There was one in particular that they were both laughing about. It captured me with a strange facial expression. As they discussed me further, it was interesting to listen to them. Pokey said I was "pretty and beautiful". Little Man chimed in with "short, blonde, and bland". Yes, bland. I asked him if he knew what that word meant. He tried to describe it, but I was unclear if he understood the meaning, so I told him it meant plain. He said, "Yeah, I know. You're bland." Uncontrollable laughter. I'm not sure what to think. I'm lots of things, but I'm not bland. To me bland would be someone that lacked emotion, which is not something that I've ever been short of. So, my 9 year old thinks I'm bland. Still processing.

Moments by Months May 2009

It's that time again. Please vote on your favorite May pics. There are now two categories, nature/scenery and people/other. You can vote for one or both. My favorite nature picture is the 9th, the tulips and my favorite people picture would have to be the 18th, Pokey under water. What's yours?





You can vote on the blog in comments or email me at lish@mchsi.com.

DAY 154

“The sun illuminates only the eye of the man, but shines into the eye and the heart of the child.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson

DAY 153

"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." -Ernestine Ulmer

DAY 152

Anna Lisa Rasmussen was married to Jason Stedman on May 30, 2009

Haldan was able to attend. It was in Belfair, Washington in a small ceremony by the sea. Congratulations! We wish you every happiness.