Monthly Archives: May 2010

05.31.10
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The Matthew Freeman Project

Today, we attended a ceremony kicking off the national campaign for The Matthew Freeman Project. Matthew Freeman was a Marine Captain who died last year in Afghanistan. Two days before he was killed, he talked to his mom and asked her to collect pens and paper for the kids of that country. Despite his death, she accepted his challenge and began this project.

I am always inspired and amazed by people who heroically turn life’s sorrows and trials into hope and meaning for other people.

The mission of The Matthew Freeman Project is: To honor the memory of Marine Captain Matthew C. Freeman by realizing his vision of helping children in Afghanistan and other war-torn countries worldwide, principally where American armed forces are, or have been present, by delivering school supplies, especially pens and paper, to help continue their education and improve literacy; to honor God by promoting communities of promise, prosperity, and peace.

It was a nice ceremony.

The website does not yet have information on how to donate supplies, but the project is aimed toward school children. There is an email address for any military personnel who are deployed and wish to distribute school supplies to children in their area.

I hope your Memorial Day was lovely. Please remember to pray for the souls of all those who died for this country, and also for those who are currently in harm’s way.

05.30.10
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We needed a long weekend

So far, the weekend has been great.

We cleaned the garage. This is a big deal. We’ve been here for 4 months now and the garage was the last major mess left. My husband can now park his car in the garage. And I ordered two of these bike stands, because several bikes do not have kick stands, and those that do rarely seem to be upright. Hoping that the kids will properly store their bikes vertically which will help to keep the floor clear.

Bill has been working with the boys on scouting projects. They have enjoyed working together immensely. I’m happy to have an improved, sturdier shelf in the back of my van to aide in carrying 30 bags of groceries home.

Bill also took the older girls out to a lunch date yesterday, and then he ran errands with Mary in the afternoon so she would have her special time with dad. Peter got to play catch one-on-one. And I had a lunch date with him today. Everybody has wanted – and gotten – their piece of the most popular man in the world…well, in our world, at least.

I baked zucchini bread and walnut date bread. I ran errands. I ran 4 miles. I biked 10 miles (2 yesterday and 8 today – ouch).

Bill replaced the left turn blinker on my van. It’s been out for 4 months. It’s amazing how a simple 5 minute job can make you feel so good when it’s finally done.

And we bought a classical guitar today. I didn’t really wake up this morning and say, “I think I’ll buy a guitar,” but somehow that’s what I ended up doing. Now I need to learn how to play it.

And I still have tomorrow. Wonder what trouble we’ll get into then.

05.28.10
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Late night

How many ringpops does it take to keep the under 5 crowd amused through double header playoff games? I stopped counting after 3. I only wish that I had realized how effective they were and bought them at the grocery store instead of at the snack bar for $0.50 each.

The boys won. I’m happy for them. I’m happy that the season is over.

Now I need to look into fall ball.

05.27.10
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Following my own orders

We didn’t get home from baseball until after 9 pm last night. It was 10 before the kids were bedded down and I remembered that I needed to change the dates on some documents for my husband. He would have done it himself, but one was a JPEG file I had created, so it was complicated.

It didn’t take long to complete the job. I printed a copy of the changes, emailed him the new versions, and showed him my work. Finally feeling “done,” I sat on my chair next to his chair to relax for a bit before bed. It had been a long day with a field trip to an organic farm, ballet class for the girls and then the baseball game.

After a minute, his GI Blackberry buzzed telling him he had a new message. “Go to bed,” I growled at the electronic leash. “It’s nearly 11 o’clock at night. Why would somebody be up this late sending you emails? Don’t these people ever sleep?”

He picked up the thing and looked at it. “That would be your email,” he said.

“Oh, go to bed,” I growled at the phone again. And then I did.

05.26.10
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Flashback

Yesterday I had the opportunity to have lunch with my husband (and no children). I insisted on checking out the DFAC (dining facility aka cafeteria) near him, since I had heard how great it is. And it was great. I mean, it’s a cafeteria, but it’s a low, flat price for whatever you want, the salad bar had an acceptable number of toppings and dressings (the spinach was fresh), and there were plenty of choices of hot entrees and desserts. I would eat there again.

We selected a bar-height table. There was a TV with CNN on.

Suddenly, eating cafeteria food in that setting brought back memories of sharing meals with my husband, long before he was my husband, at our college’s dining facility, at a bar height table, with CNN on the TV.

A decent salad bar and a tab of $8.50 for two people are definitely incentives to frequent the DFAC, but the real reason I’d go back is to imagine, for a half hour, that I am 20 again.

05.24.10
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Monday Monday

For breakfast, I had a huge bowl of sliced apples (with a side of fruit dip). For lunch I think it will be pineapple and strawberries.

I have tons of leftovers here, so if you’re hungry, come on over.

Party seemed to go well. Funny that the BBQ chicken – no recipe – using homemade leftover sauce – is all gone. I didn’t even get a piece.

I didn’t get any margarita cupcakes either. I will definitely make a double batch next time. My bottle of tequila is half gone.

And our stock of Jack Daniels, Maker’s Mark and vodka took a hit. If we have this crowd over again, I think we’ll need to restock.

*****

Public schools down here ended last week. My school still has some lingering material. Motivation is sorely lacking this morning, but, nevertheless, off we go.

05.21.10
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The Trouble with Email

I received this email from a good friend (note that I have have cut and pasted in its entirety):

Going through the pit of despair (a.k.a. my closet). Surfaced with two pairs of size 14 pants from you. Wondering if you need them right away? One tan and one navy. Will get them in the mail to you soon if so or (my husband) can bring them when he comes to the conference the second week of June.

I was a little confused. We had traded clothing as friends cycling through these child-bearing years are apt to do: pre-baby clothes, maternity clothes, post-baby but not yet pre-baby clothes. Sure, it was nice of her to want to return any post-baby size 14’s I may have loaned her, but it certainly wasn’t urgent. Did I complain about my weight on our last phone conversation? Probably. Did we discuss mid-cycle guesses about the possibility of conception? Yes, isn’t that what women talk about? Or is she just being snarky and reminding me how she is only a few pounds away from her goal weight? Hm. Not likely. I decided to respond thusly (again, I cut and pasted…note that neither of us use salutations or sign our names):

hey. I admit that the size 8s are still just a bit too tight, but I have a LONG way to go to get to 14, and I really didn’t think I was heading in that direction. Yet. After the food at my party on Sunday, I may be, but I plan to not eat the rest of the week. So, really, take your time on returning the pants. thanks.

Her reply:

BOYS size 14. Sorry.
LMAO.

Oh. Yes. That is pretty funny.