Drinkin' the Kool-Aid

Someone told me about the Band Mom Kool-Aid.  Drink it, they said.  You'll love it, they said.  Here in the Other OC, the POD Kool-Aid is especially sweet.  They were right on all counts.  From the first sip, I was hooked.

POD stands for Pride of the Dutchman Marching Band.  It's potent stuff, folks. Children are lured to the streets by the sounds of "Championship" and the hypnotizing "shoosh - shoosh" of wooden shoes skimming the pavement every year at Tulip Festival in May. Most can't wait to someday join the ranks. Marissa has always been quite taken with the POD. She marched in TF parades in the 6th grade and junior high bands. This year as a high school freshman, her band geekage was allowed to fully blossom. Marching down the street in wooden shoes, making 4 right turns in straight lines is all well and good, but street marching is the gateway drug to the field show. We're talking ship formations that plunge themselves against the rocks when lured by the sirens, triumphant ghost ships, and jazz runs - all present in the 2014 POD Field Show, The Flying Dutchman.

Here is what I was never told, or fully understood:
1. How incredibly proud I would be of my child participating in something I had never done myself.  You know this starts on day one. Your child toots and its amazing; smiles and you are over the moon.  Surely yours is the the most brilliant, most talented of them all.  However, as my children have gotten older and are doing things that I have little context for understanding, I find I have moved from being just proud of them to being in total awe.  Marissa showed me her set list for her positions and movements within the show and it looks like a foreign language.  HOW DO YOU DO THIS AND PLAY AN INSTRUMENT (CORRECTLY) AT THE SAME TIME? I am seriously wowed!

2. It's not just your kid, it's all of them. Marissa spent a good 3 weeks prior to her first day of high school at band camp learning the field show with freshman, sophomores, juniors and seniors.  We have a small high school - about 400 kids - and about 150 of them are in band.  I think band camp sort of transforms them into this weird, albeit dysfunctional, family with odd tan lines.  Of course, no one has names last names in band camp.  I heard tales of Jake the baritone, and Claire the bass clarinet and she's guard or he's in the pit.  Say what? Anyway, when I saw their first show, I couldn't help but root for every single one of them and got tears in my eyes while doing so. I also had the reassurance that she wasn't going to parts unknown that first day of school.  Her weird little family would be there to look out for her.

3.  When the season is over, that show is done. Forever.  This is the part that is so very bittersweet.  The Flying Dutchman had an incredible run.  We placed well in all our competitions, but more than that it was just an incredibly fun show to watch! First I thought it was just me, because my kid was marching, but we had strangers from other schools that we were competing against tell us what a great show it was.  People emailed our band director out of the blue to compliment us.   But now it's gone and can never be the same again. That group of kids will never play that show, with that music, with those sets ever again.  It kinda breaks my heart. On the other hand, we can hardly wait for next year's season!

Somehow, I can't help but think this is a strong analogy for having a child in these crazy, magical, high school years.  They wake up, grab some breakfast, and go out and quietly change the world as you know it.   Four years and the season is over.  So as much as I dread coming to the end of my glass, I plan to linger over it, let it loll on my tongue, and get the full flavor so I can appreciate every single drop, all the while looking forward to the next show.

You knew I had to give you the link! Enjoy!

First Recital(s)

Maren's first piano recital: (notice how she is trying to cue her teacher...hmmmm.)  Princess Maren you did a GREAT job! So proud of you!

And here we have Harry's first recital. The first one caught on video that is.  He does it every.single.time. Lizzy comes over.  I think her sweet little high pitched giggle gets him going. Silly dog.

And only four more recitals to go.  Marissa has two viola recitals to perform at and Maren has two dance recital performances to do yet.  Whew!! Is your May this crazy? I might be howling at the moon just like Harry by the end of it.

The Other OC

Here in this OC we are having a snow day of considerable proportions.  Just last week Thursday at this hour in the day we were in stand-by passenger h-e-double-hockey-sticks en route to LAX via Philadelphia.  The longest six hour flight EV-AH! Was the trip out to Cali worth it? Yup. We had a mighty fine, although, very short, time.

Of course, we had to do Disneyland.  Not being much of a theme park person myself, we felt strangely compelled to make sure the girls were given this experience.  Odd, huh?  No offense to Mr. Disney or any of that, but it costs a bit of money, it was crowded, and Maren mildly freaked after the last drop on Splash Mountain and we were hard pressed to get her on another ride after that.  Oh, and it costs a lot of money.

But, I will have to say the look on the girls faces during the fireworks was pretty priceless.  The minute Maren spotted Tinkerbell swooping by on her way to the castle, she was enthralled.  Even Marissa in her middle school disdain for just about anything, was utterly fascinated.  And so was I. Beautiful, beautiful fireworks.

So here's a few pics just to make things legit:

I think I saw Marissa visibly cringe when we headed into ToonTown.

Gotta get an airplane pic for the Captain!

It truly is a Small World when there are that many people out and about.

Awww!  Nothing brings two sisters together like a good ride and some centrifugal force.

Did I mention the weather was just gorgeous?

Maren rockin' the ears. Had to do the ears.

Another reason we headed out Cali was to see the Captain's brother and his family.  The Captain had seen them at various weddings and birthdays and such, but our whole family and not seen their whole family for about three years.  Which, as kids seem to grow up in the blink of an eye these day, was way too long.

Madisen's the movie star in the fam.  Maren was pretty star struck.  She has already informed me that our next vacation should most definitely include Madisen, Rylie and Declan.  Pretty sure the feeling was mutual for Marissa.  We hung out at Huntington Beach with them on Saturday afternoon.

Maren loving the sunshine and sea breeze.

Obviously it was a bit too cold take a dip sans wetsuit, but Marissa informed me that she "would so jump in the ocean" if we weren't there watching.  She was in water up past her knees before we knew it.

Christmas card for next year?

What a good looking group!!

The kids had a good time together.  Even Declan seemed to tolerate all those girls pretty well.  We made them take a "nice" shot.

But really most of the shots looked something like this.

Yeah, they got along just fine.

As I look out the window at our 6 (and counting) inches of snow, it all seems like a dream.  A California dream.  Yes, that pun was very much intended. We'll be baaaack. Arnold voice.  Get it? Yeah, I'll stop now.

Very Very Merry

We had a wonderful Christmas, but somehow I feel a bit like this.  I think Harry has the right idea.  Maybe I will crawl under the tree and join him.  Yeah, sounds good.  I'll be back....

Perfect Pairings Psalms 100:5

 I couldn't find the "I saw grandma kissing Santa Claus" verse, so I"ll have to go with this one instead:

Psalm 100:5

 ⁵ For the LORD is good and his love endures forever
his faithfulness continues through all generations.


It's good to see the "generations" get together and Grandma got it all started with a little help from, well, not Santa (that's MY Santa). Just in case you were wondering. 


Joining up with Baloney today. 

I Heart Faces - King Harold

I Heart Faces is having a "Furry Face" challenge this week.  I have always been a fan of this website, but have never submitted a photo.   I like this picture of King Harold the Great.  I was just starting to understand a bit what was meant by the whole depth of field concept, and was excited when it sort of worked!  I took this in February of 2010, aka the winter we had snow up to our eyeballs for four months straight. Anyway, here we go.

Everyday She's Hustlin'

After much prodding and cajoling by the Captain and yours truly, we talked Marissa into going out for basketball this year.  Yes, she is only in 6th grade, but thanks to IBL (Instructional Basketball League) they get 'em started young 'round these parts. Some of the girls she plays with have been doing this since 4th grade.  She was a bit behind on the learning curve and quite honestly, in the first couple of games, it looked as though she had been gifted with her father's coordination and her mother's raw speed.  Poor thing. In fact when one of the coaches told her she needed to hustle down the court to play defense, Marissa honestly replied that she did not like to hustle.  She was not sold on this whole basketball thing.

Now, in defense of the Captain, give him a skateboard, bike or snowboard and he is golden.  Ball and stick, as he likes to say, not so much.  As for me, I played Iowa style half court 6-on-6 for my basketball years, so my contributions to this whole full court thing is worth,well, only two dribbles.

One of the things that made the Captain and I so persistent in getting Marissa to try basketball is the fact that the girl is tall, and she just keeps getting taller.  I am 5'9" and she is looking me in the eyeballs.  We share ginormous size 10 (sometimes 11) shoes.  The Captain's dad and brother are well into the 6'4 range and my younger brother is 6'3" or so. So there is some height to be had.  And she is only 11. As in eleven, people.

Anyhow, her team played in a tournament this weekend, and something seemed to click for Marissa.  After a good few weeks of consistent practices, Marissa became a rebounding machine.  Of course, it helps that she is a good half foot taller than most of her teammates. Granted, her shooting needs help, her game sense needs lots of work, her ball handling skills leave much to be desired, but the girl likes to REBOUND.

Coach Tony let her know she was doing a good job.

To which she responded with typical Marissa - like enthusiasm.

So, we are proud of her for sticking it out and hope she continues to learn and improve. She was more than ready to head to practice tonight and just a teeny bit excited about it.  That's our girl!

Perfect Pairings Job 37:6

We got our first snow here in Iowa.  As much as I lament winter, which is especially true the older I get, this snow was also especially beautiful.  The flakes were big, fluffy and picture perfect.  

I think God uses the beauty of His creation to give us these tiny glimpses of how incredibly awesome, powerful and beautiful He is.

Job 37:6

New International Version (NIV)

He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ 

   and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’

Head on over to Baloney's, where all the pairings are perfect.

When Lizzie Comes to Play

When Lizzie comes to play there's usually lots of silliness going on.

Toys and dress-up clothes get drug out that haven't been played with in months.  There's usually lots of imagination happening too. Maren loves to have her around.

 So does Harry.  He has this weird little half yelp, half whine that he only does when Lizzie is around.

Lizzie likes Harry too.  I always haul out the camera and take lots of pictures.

Sometimes she has to tell me to stop. Like in this picture.

But, I can't resist.

The subject matter is just too cute.  At a time when Princess Maren seems to be growing up so fast, it does my heart good to see her act like a little girl again and who better to do it with.  Play dress-up, play store, and watch Nemo.

See you next time Lizzy!

Thankful

Our pastor likes to say if you were born in the United States, in the Midwest, during this century, you have pretty much won the lottery.  I don't think he is saying this proudly or with any other intent than to say that wow, we are blessed with so much, with so much more than many others have and we haven't done one single thing to deserve that.  Yet, we have the nerve to complain about the long pick up lines at school while we are sitting in our nice warm cars, picking up our healthy, well-fed children as we check the weather on our cell phones.  And believe me, I am guilty as charged.  I don't think I will ever have enough appreciation for the blessings I have or for the God that has given them too me.  But, today I'm gonna try.   Happy Thanksgiving!  

I've Been Pinspired

The Captain says I am addicted to Pinterest. That may well be.  I argue, better Pinterest than Twitter, which he enjoys immensely.  I'd rather be a pinner than a twit. Regardless, the internet is full of goodies and pinterest just sort of gathers them all up in one place for you.  Then you can decide what you like and don't like. What you like, you can pin.

I liked this haircut, so I pinned it to my board and then sent it to my email to show my hairdresser and that turned out pretty well.  I like her boots and her scarf too, but Rachel did not deliver on those.  If only it were so easy.

There's a humor section too, just silly stuff that makes me giggle the hours away.  Sometimes I guffaw and snort a little bit, it is that funny.  Some of these I pin, and some of these I save in my download file to reference later.  See, your "boards" get shared with others who are following you. I wonder if this is "appropriate",  but it makes me giggle for some odd reason. And who knows, maybe I'll need it someday.  A love note to the Captain or something.

Ok, so did you know that you can put warm chicken breasts into your mixer, use the paddle attachment, run it on 5 for a few seconds and get beautiful, juicy, restaurant style shredded chicken??? I KNOW!  I did this the other night and it worked like a charm.  The Captain asked me if he could lick the paddle.  That made 

me gag.

.

But mostly, I get inspired.  There are oodles of pins about home decor, cute outfits, crafty little such and suches, and the list goes on.  I even busted out the sewing machine.  I had some sad, sorry, outdoor pillows that I had picked up for $2 at a flea market.  They were just OK.  We have used them for a good two years and they were just tired.  Here's the before made even more gruesome with the orange shag carpet and dark brown paneling in the background. 

Dreadful, right?  

And here's the after, times two.

Side A

Side B

Bought me some reasonably priced fabric at Walmart, and got to stitching.  I like.  I pin.  

So go on over and join in the fun.  You do need an invite to start pinning, so leave me your email in a comment if you want and  I'll send you one. Happy Pinning!

What Pumpkin Carving Requires

Take note:

You need your Daddy to be home.

One missing front tooth is preferable.

Pumpkin carving also requires much concentration,

an occasional over-bite,

and a good tongue rolling.  Go ahead, you try it.  I'll wait.

It may require some unbridled Halloween excitement

and Ninja-like need to stab something. 

Then, if you're lucky, it may turn out something like this.

Hope your Halloween was happy!

Mas Musica!

I think the title means More Music! Just brushing off my Spanish II brain cells.  Not that Spanish has anything whatsoever to do with this post. More Music! does though.

So my Dad has been in a nursing home for over a year now.  As a family we have wrestled with this choice, and though we feel have made the right decision, I think we still think through the "what-ifs  and "if-only's".  It is not easy to have your Dad/Husband/Grandpa in a nursing home at age 73, but that doesn't mean the nursing home is a horrible place.  I refuse to call it such.  Parkinson's is a HORRIBLE disease, and that is where the problem lies, not in the nursing home. At least not Dad's nursing home.  

I know we have it good here.  Most nursing homes leave a lot to be desired.  But here, we have pretty darn good nurses, a nice facility, good doctors, fresh popcorn most hours of the day, and a large basement where the grandkids can all get together and play hide-n-seek or sardines if they choose.  Oh, and we also have Judy.

Judy. Judy. Judy.  She can call a Bingo game like nobody's business.  She dresses up like Mario for her grandson's birthday party ( I know this because I work with her daughter and have seen the photographic evidence). She also directs a pretty mean handbell choir and makes us cry like babies whenever she puts on a special program for the residents and their families.  So this past Saturday she did both.  My dad plays in the handbell choir and he does a great job.  They all do.  It amazes me how good they sound!  They played some traditional hymns, and ended with "I Love You Lord." Not a dry eye in the place - let me tell you.  I'm sure it was a sweet, sweet sound in His ear.

And so the nursing home provides me with an experience that I probably would have never had.  I got to see and hear my Dad perform - to loud cheers and clapping no less! I am so proud of him! Maybe it is just the smallest opportunity for me to repay the countless hours of concerts, track meets, basketball games, and school plays both he and mom attended in the years we were growing up.  They always let us know how proud they were of us too.  Sometimes you find your blessings in the darnedest places.