So I'm driving in to work this morning with my windows down (love this weather!) and I stopped at a stoplight. A guy in a white Lexus pulls in next to me, and through his own open window says, "Where'd you get your sticker?" "I made it," I said. He asked, "Do you sell them?" I said, "No, I just make them one at a time as they get stolen..." "You should sell them," he said, "It's exactly the one I need." So what do I do to make some money off this?? :-)
I will put up the next batch of pictures tomorrow, so spread the word to any interested parties who haven't seen the current ones yet. In fact, what I could do -- until the pictures run out, which won't be for a while yet -- is put up new ones on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. That will give each batch a couple of days to be seen. So check back tomorrow for some new ones!
So who's going to be the first with a Harry Potter review??? :-) I understand that book is selling 250,000 copies every hour.... Most books don't sell one hour's worth in a lifetime. Rowling herself will clear 35 million profit from this book alone. Yeesh! That's more than I will make all year!!
and more!
Karen
7/15/05
It has been quiet, we haven't been doing a whole lot around here. Brent took the day off. Put another window on, think we have only one left to order. The doors are ordered and should be in next week. Emily and Erika cleaned out the shed and the garage. Brent and Erika are planning a trip to the dump tomorrow (yes it will be fun, anyone interested in pictures?). Anyway, we are getting rid of lots of junk that has piled up. Tomorrow, (after the dump trip) Brent and I are going to check out the new Best Buy in town. Then a quick trip to the mall for a Harry Potter book at Barnes and Noble. I hate to add to the hype, but I have to see what happens next. I have NO desire to see Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Didn't care for the 1st movie or the book. Sounds like Tristen and Teghan are having a great time, it will be hard to get them home. Omaha Zoo sounds like fun, but oh my it will be HOT!!! Be sure to put on lots of sunscreen :)
Amanda
7/15/05
Hola! Another week of work done. It was a decent week. The first full week. I can definitely get through 3 more weeks of it. I am afraid though that I won't get a chance to meet Senator Hagel.
E & E, love the recital photos. It felt like deja vu, then I remembered Karen took some shots earlier! Erika, we would still like to see the group shot. I hate myself in pix though, so I can understand.
Ryan is doing OK at home. Lonely, but he has lots of stuff to do to fill his time. House stuff, school, truck stuff...
The Madagascar party just sort of happened. She wanted a pink & purple & blue party, so that's why we got lots of balloons. It really was a good time. I commented later that I am done planning for weeks & spending lots of money, I did all that in one afternoon & it was great. Gary has the pix now, so it is up to him to get them on.
The girls have been busy the last few days. We went to Steph's apartment to swim one night where Tristen jumped into the 8 foot repeatedly & loved every minute of it. Then they went to my moms to spend the night & stay there while I was at work Thursday. I met them at Star City Shores, one of the pools here. Then we went to my moms for dinner & hanging out last night.
Today they went with Cathy to spend the day & night. They were off to Steve's work & then lunch with him. Then Herbie Fully Loaded & Ihop for dinner. I think they are coming to farmer's market tomorrow. Not sure who else will go, it is SO hot!! I am bumming it this morning (shoot, its already 1!) laundry & cleaning up. Kind of enjoying the down time. We are planning a trip on Monday to Omaha for the zoo (Dad, Lori, Linz, Livy, Anna, me, T & t), can't wait for that!
That is all I know... Trying to fill the webpage a little!
Gary
7/15/05
Boy, quiet in here...! I'm writing this note mostly just to see if the system still works. :-) Too hot to write, I'm guessing, and maybe even too hot to read. And no relief in sight. The only good thing I can say about summer is that it makes you appreciate fall, winter, and spring all the more. The new Willy Wonka movie starts today, and the new Harry Potter book comes out tomorrow. I know both those things are on some of your "to-do" lists -- anyone got any plans along those lines?
Anna
7/13/05
Hey everyone! Today was a nice day. I am at Grandma's for pretty much the whole day. Lindsey has to work from 2:30-close. Livy has an over night birthday party. Amanda picked Tristen and Teghan up from Lindsey's because they stayed over night. So I came with them over to Grandma's. They had dinner plans tonight so those three left at about 4:30ish. So Grandma and me made pizza for dinner and it was really good. We've been around here not doing to much. It's a really nice night. Not sure what the plans are for tomorrow.
Livy
7/13/05
Hey everybody! Yes your right Donna, you did win, but I couldn't sit on the lawn mower because I wanted to stand and I was leaning over it, and that's right, Tristen was cheering for me for the whole game! :) Later when Donna and Gary left me and my dad played, but we didn't have a score keeper, but it was really fun anyway! Then when Tristen, my dad, and me, we were going to the car and Teghan was sticking her head out of Lindsey's moon roof! Gary, you can cross out eat whipped cream out of a can because we did it last night and it was fun, and Gary brought over a game called, uh, I can't remember the name. But it was fun!!!
The game is called "Squint," and "whipped cream" is crossed off the summer list. Check it again (and click the "reload" or "refresh" button)! --Gary
Donna
7/13/05
I think you can take 'play air hockey' off the summer list. We had our first games last night. Thanks to Amanda, Anna, Lindz, Olivia and Tristen for cleaning out the garage and getting the table ready. It was a lot of fun. Tristen was the referee but she kept cheering for Olivia! I used the 'Livy lunge' and beat Olivia in our first game of the season. Of course she did have a slight disadvantage--she had to play while sitting on the lawn mower. But still...
Amanda
7/13/05
We had a nice night last night. The afternoon left a little something to be desired, but it was worth it. Olivia had been asking for Air Hockey & it has been buried. Also, I had been thinking that it would be nice to get my car in the garage. SO, on the hottest day of the year me Grandma, Anna, Lindsey, Olivia & Tristen cleaned out the garage. We really just reorganized & moved stuff around. But, we got my car in & the air hockey table into a position that makes it playable! It was SO hot though! Then we came in the house & collapsed (before even testing out a game or two on the table!) and then grandma made stuff for the nacho buffet. That was excellent! Then Lindsey helped Oliva, Tristen & Teghan trick or treat in the house. Big time fun, Teghan loved it, once she figured out we were trick or treating IN the house. Lindsey took her outside to go around the front door & she didn't want to go to grandmas house, she wanted to go across the street! So they are outside arguing a little while Teghan is in a red leotard & high heels & Lindsey has a crown on while carrying a septor, all Cinderella of course. Pictures to come soon! Actually lots to come soon, Gary just needs the CD I made. Then we finally played some Air Hockey later that night. I changed my work hours so today I start going in at 8 until 1. Tristen & Teghan are at my dads today, so I'm sure lots of fun will be had over there! That's all for now!
Gary
7/12/05
Those of you who are closely watching the summer list will have noticed a lot of items being accomplished and scratched. Yesterday alone took care of "swimming" and "eating whipped cream straight from the spray-can" -- which happened last night after dinner. Tristen, Teghan, and Livy schlurped down an entire can between them in about four schlurps! (Pictures to follow, as soon as Lindsey sends them in.) Also, an item got added which I think will be scratched off in just a few hours: Teghan requested "trick-or-treating," and I think that is tonight's activity.
Hang on! Halloween is only 110 days away, and this heat will then be only a distant memory. I hope.
Emily
7/11/05
Ok, we re-scanned the pictures. Still not sure if the scanner is all set up right, hopefully these work better!
They did! And here they are. --Gary
Gary
7/11/05
Emily, I did get the pictures you sent in, but you might want to check your scanner settings -- the pics were very small, like maybe two inches wide. I could enlarge them, but they would look grainy and out-of-focus. Could you try scanning them again?
Another hot humid day today -- a good day to go swimming. And that, in fact, is the activity of the day. I was at Grandma's over the noon hour, and Lindsey, Anna, and Livy arrived then too. The plan was for them (plus Tristen and Teghan of course) to go swimming this afternoon.
I got a new game -- called "Squint" -- and maybe we will play a bit of that tonight. Tristen and I practiced a bit with it at noon, and it could be fun!
Emily
7/11/05
Ok, I just scanned and sent in the pictures. I hope I sent them in okay! There was something funny going on with the scanner, so hopefully they look allright on here!
Erika did get a group and individual picture, and they both looked really nice! But, she didn't like her group picture and refused to let me sent it in!! So, thats why there is only one of Erika.
The only think I didn't care for about the pictures is that the photography place didn't put mine together right!! My group and individual was supposed to come in a frame type thing, but they just sent them out with plain with the wallets and everything! But, the studio said we should be able to call out to the place and have them send out a new one.
They are already cleaning up and organizing our dance studio, only a few more weeks and we will be starting another year. This summer has been going by really quickly!!!
And hey, didn't Lindsey (& Teghan??) get recital pictures taken too, it would be fun to look at those too!
Like Mom said it is good to have all the garage sale stuff and clean up all done! I didn't feel too great yesterday or Saturday, thinking I proably did get a bit of heatstroke, no fun! But, I am feeling better now.
Glad to hear Ryan got back to Texas allright, I'm sure its going to be pretty quiet for him down there without Tristen & Teghan!!
Sounds like Teghan had a fun Madagascar themed "birthday" party. But, I thought she wanted a Pink Party?? Did the pictures Lindsey take come out?? I'd love to see them!!
Karen
7/11/05
Another hot, hot day! Saturday was the big garage sale. Had about 6 neighbors in our block all having sales, so there were a lot of people coming. Emily and Erika worked long and hard (in the heat). In fact I think Emily got a bit of sunstoke. Had people coming by 7 (even though it wasn't to start until 8). Didn't do great, but they did make about $75.00. Mostly we got rid of a LOT of junk. I have made 5 trips to the Goodwill to get rid of the rest of it. So now we can actually get into the basement. Just got back from the Dance Studio, pictures are in. Emily will scan them and send them in later. Amanda, how is that toe? Sounds painful. I have fallen down those stairs a time or two myself, not fun. Maybe when Ryan comes back he should put in a railing?? On our way home we stopped at Wendys for the mix and fix Frosty's -- yummy!!
Amanda
7/10/05
Ryan is home. The trip took him 9 hours, so at 5:15 he pulled into the house. A fine trip, from what I hear. He is tired though, but home until July 30th, we think (he is going to try to come a few days early, he should find out more tomorrow).
Amanda
7/10/05
Ryan left today at about 8AM. He should be over half way as I type this. We haven't done much since he left. We cleaned up around grandmas a little bit, then got cleaned up to come to my dads. We are here now, just getting ready to take Lindsey to work. Grandma is going to come over later & we will grill out. Sean will be here too, I think, working on guy stuff. We are talking about going swimming tomorrow, so that should be a good time. Hot enough for it, and Tristen & I need to get a tan booster, we are missing our pool & the Texas sun. My toe is feeling better (not sure if all have heard but I did a dumb thing & tripped down the stairs at grandmas & we think I broke my big toe) but I still can only wear one pair of shoes. That is all I have for now, more updates later!
Emily
7/9/05
Sounds like everyone has been keeping busy in Lincoln. Too bad the tattoo guy wasn't at Farmer's Market, that was fun to do!
It is HOT here too, mid 90s and supposed to be getting hotter! The heat didn't help the garage sale any. We finished it up about noon, I guess we sold a lot of stuff, but me and Mom have already made one trip out to Goodwill to get rid of everything else, I'm sure we will have to go 2 or 3 more times!! But, it is good to get all of that stuff cleaned out. I think we have all agreed to NEVER ever do another garage sale!!!
Hope you guys enjoy Hu-Hot!! Have you been before?? We haven't gone to ours in awhile, but Dad and I both LOVE it!
Gary
7/9/05
By the way the phrase I quoted in Emily's note below is Latin for "I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!"
Yesterday was a big shopping day, I understand, but someone else will have to describe it, as I was working and didn't go along. In the evening, however, we threw Teghan's "birthday" party, and it was a huge success. Donna and Livy took Teghan out to the park so the party could be prepared while she was gone. Lindsey and Anna both got light-headed blowing up enough balloons to completely cover the living room floor. You should have seen Teghan's face when she came in! (And you may get to, if Lindsey's camera caught it -- pictures should be arriving here soon.) The table was decked out with a "Madagascar" theme, and there was even a little mini-birthday cake with a musical candle in it. After she blew out the candle, we cheered Teghan and told her to just take a big bite out of her cake. She looked around a little uncertainly at first, but then she dived right in a got a big mouthful of frosting. Then everybody got into it -- especially Lindsey, whose head may have been accidentally nudged by Paul... Then she opened some gifts, including a fresh supply of Fairy Dust (maybe someone else can describe that substance). And then Teghan and Livy and Tristen went nuts breaking all of the balloons. Sounded like the 4th of July! To round out the evening, the girls bedded down in front of the TV and watched "Pocohantas" while Amanda, Ryan, Anna, Lindsey, and Sean played a marathon Monopoly game which lasted til midnight -- with Amanda finishing on top.
This morning, in spite of the 90-degree heat, a trip to Farmers Market. Sasha went along and met...how many dogs, Livy? Seven or eight? (She was keeping count.) No tattoos today, though -- the tattoo guy wasn't there!
This afternoon Amanda and Ryan are going out to lunch (at Hu-Hot!) with Ryan's parents. And tonight I think we might be going to the cinema-plex for both "War of the Worlds" and "Madagascar." And that's pretty much it up to the minute!
Oh also, the summer list has been updated! And how is the Sioux City garage sale going??
Emily
7/8/05
Hey everybody! Mr. Debbie is still getting better, he still has a little bit of a limp, but, he isn't letting it slow him down any!
Erika and I have been working on getting the garage sale stuff ready for the past 2 days, I'm starting to get really tired of it!! Its starting bright and early tomorrow morning at about 6:30, hopefully it will go well and we will get rid of most of our stuff. There are about 3 or 4 other houses on our block that are doing it too, so that should bring in some more people.
But, thats about all that has been going on here lately. We went to sidewalk sales on Thursday and did some shopping, so that was fun. And, our dance pictures are finally in! But, we haven't been able to get down to the studio yet to get them, but we should soon and send them out!
Sounds like everyone is still having fun in Lincoln! Are Donna & Gary planning on getting a tattoo at Farmer's Market this time?? :)
I can't speak for Donna, but if they have some Latin tattoos I might get one! How about "Clamo, clamatis, omnes clamamus pro glace lactis!" --Gary
Gary
7/8/05
Good plans, Erika and Livy & Tristen. It's a full-grown Siamese-looking cat, and actually I haven't seen it for a couple of weeks now. I'm not sure, but it probably had a collar on and has an owner somewhere in the neighborhood -- it was probably just making the rounds, looking for snacks. And besides, I don't think we can have cats or dogs in my building. Yeah, that's the ticket! :-) It was a well-fed and well-cared-for cat, so I'm sure it has a home. Meanwhile, how's Mr. Debbie today, Erika? Are you keeping him out of the trees???
Fun night last night. Grandma made a great spaghetti supper, and then we played a few games of Facts in Five. Ryan was at Sean's for the evening, but Donna, Lindsey, Anna, Livy, Amanda, Tristen, and Teghan (and me) were there. Anyway, we all played Facts in Five, except for Teghan, who spent that time taking a soothing bath and then caught a little "Princess and the Pauper" after a long day. Tonight I think is Scary Movie Night, and then tomorrow morning is Farmer's Market -- where I understand Sasha and Pete will be joining us!
Erika
7/8/05
Gary today after work or whatever go buy some Alley Cat (What we give the outside cats) Get a box and put a old blanket or towel (Like what we did for Mr. Debbie) Put on your deck (or in your Apartment) And at the very least give it some water!!!!!! If you don't want to even buy the cat food table scrapes. Can you have cats in your apartment? What does the cat look like? How old is the kitty ours are about 14 weeks old (3 and 1/2 weeks).
Livy & Tristen
7/7/05
Erika, sorry about the cat that climbed the tree and fell, I feel sorry for Mr. Debbie. Donna, not any cat in the world is cuter or smarter than any dog in the world!!! Please reaspond :) ! Gary, instead of adopting the cat, why don't you take a picture of it and put up FOUND sighns all over, then adopt a dog :) .
Marsha
7/7/05
Such bad news out of London today. Mpls. has all the dog sniffers out at the MOA and light rail. That was some crazy water balloon fight...how many days did it last!?! It is pretty quiet here without Anna! We MISS you! Question...why did the duck cross the road? Answer..to show the possum it could be done. My friends from 42nd Street gave me a nice little farewell party last night, had a wonderful time. John has been feeling really good this week, had a rough weekend, but is doing fine now, thanks to everybody for asking. Mr. Debbie: we are glad you are feeling fine (does he like Little Debbie cakes?)
Amanda
7/7/05
Hola! Well, I just finished day 2 at Hagel's office. Now I have a 4 day weekend. I could really enjoy this schedule. The work there was a bit boring yesterday, just lots of intros & reading manuals on the type of work performed there & just gaining some insight into the office. Today I learned the phone system (they have no receptionist, so everyone answers the phone) and began taking calls. I sat in the front office so I greeted the few people that came in today.
SAD news about London. It really hits home for me of course, but it is also creepy because while we were there I often commented that the tubes would be the perfect place for a terrorist attack, especially at rush hour times. It was SO packed underground at those times, it felt uneasy to me. It also affected me because my roommate in London (who is now a friend) is flying out today for 4 weeks of study in London. Sheesh. Makes you wonder if Paris would have gotten it if they would have recieved the Olympics nod yesterday.
No plans for tonight as of yet. Which is OK by me (I'm on the verge of very tired!). Ryan is going to Sean's tonight to work on cars. We told Ryan we were going to have the biggest party this block ever saw (to make him feel left out while turning wrenches). I'm sure the party won't get too big though.
Ryan has been fixing little things at grandmas all week, so I think he has earned his keep.
Anyhow, I am home from work & girls are crazy downstairs, so I better get going to get this big party started!
Donna
7/7/05
Two Omaha Gallup employees that are from London originally will be on 10/11 tonight at 5:00 and 6:00 talking about the bombings in London. One of them has a friend that was walking across the street when the bus blew up. He got 32 stitches but is otherwise okay.
Amanda, I'm curious to know what you think of all this and how well you know the areas that were hit.
Donna
7/7/05
Erika, I am so glad Mr. Debbie is okay. I'm also glad you took him to the vet. I'd say he's your cat now. ;-) Hey, did you know there's a cat that's been trying to adopt Gary? He waits outside his back door in the mornings hoping to get invited in--or at least fed. Don't you think Gary should let it in? Cats do make great pets and they are so much cuter and smarter than dogs.
Karen
7/7/05
Mr. Debbie is doing much better today, still limping and getting LOTS of attention from E & E. We all went to the mall for sidewalk sales today. Got a few good things and had fun. Last night Brent and I ordered the final (I hope) project for the house, doors. Got a new storm door for the front and another one for the back door. Geez, I think this may be the most expensive job yet!! Both had to be special ordered and that doubled the price! We will have to wait about 4 weeks before they are ready and can be installed. Trying to get ready for the garage sale. We will need to do lots tomorrow to have everything out. Had a pretty quiet 4th, Brent did get only legal fireworks, so it was boring. Amanda, how is the internship going? What are the big plans for everyone else today?
Erika
7/7/05
Gary, Debbie is doing better, but this morning I caught her climbing a tree!!
Sounds like he/she is doing better, but it also sounds like she/he never learns! --Gary
Gary
7/7/05
So how's the cat this morning, Emily & Erika? Hope he/she is doing better.
Lindsey, thanks for your review of "The Jacket." Sounds very good, and I had never even heard of it before. Adrien Brody, for those who don't know, is starring in this December's "King Kong," and Keira Knightley is probably best known for her role in "Pirates of the Caribbean" -- of which parts 2 and 3 are being filmed right now. And while on the subject of movies, you may be interested to know that "The Da Vinci Code" began filming just last Friday. Tom Hanks was seen doing some scenes in and outside the Louvre, and this week they are filming the big car chase scene through the streets of Paris.
Emily & Erika
7/6/05
Well, we didn't have a very fun day today. This morning Mom went outside and saw one of the baby kittens, Debbie, laying in the driveway with her leg bent funny and meowing in pain. We think she proably fell out of the tree that she loves to climb. The neighbor boys, that take care of them too, came over and we all thought she broke or dislocated her leg. She couldn't even walk and was dragging her leg behind her. We didn't know what to do for her. We called the Humane Society and Animal Control but they said they wouldn't fix her and would just have to put her to sleep, which REALLY upset Erika. So we called Dad and he said we should take her to the vet just to see what was wrong, and we even offered to put our garage sale proceeds into the vet bill. So we took her in and they checked her out, the first thing we found out was that she is actually a he. So, now we are calling her/him "Mr. Debbie" But, anyway, the vet said she proably just sprained her leg pretty bad, but she should be better in a few days with lots of rest and love. So, today really did turn out to be a good day!
Gary
7/6/05
Not much I can add to the great reporting below, and I can't wait to hear about PAYBACK TIME! Paul and Lori and Sean were at Grandma's last night too for a great meal of grilled chicken and baked potatoes. Teghan and Tristen spent the night at Lindsey and Livy's, but first Teghan ran around Grandma's front yard catching lightning bugs -- which she is very good at! And today is Amanda's first day on the job, interning for Chuck Hagel between 9 and 3. Tonight I think they're going to Amanda's mom's for dinner.
Livy & Tristen
7/6/05
Hey everybody! Yesturday in the morning (when Linz and Anna weren't there) Tristen and I went to go look for something and when Tristen was looking in the basement she found some water balloons! So we went out front trying to fill them up but that didn't work. Neither of us knew how to tie balloons, so when we filled them up, we got wet. So we asked grandma if she just knew how to tie balloons, and when we where getting started, Ryan came out to help us instead. So then we ended up with 38 balloons. Well actually, we let Teghan through a few at Tristen before the fight. So then we ended up about 36. So then after lunch, Linz and Anna came out the front door, and we came out the door by the porch and carred two behind each back and when we showed them the balloons and we ran after them, they took off like a lightning bolt! Lindsey ran across the street and Anna ran like half way down the block. But when I stopped chasing Anna, I went for the last balloon and when I turned around, Tristen was running after Linz, and she was running towards me so I through it at Lindsey and hit her right in the stomach and the legs! So then later, thet night, we asked Donna, Gary, and Sean to come on the front pourch to help think of ideas. When all of a sudden, Tristen goes off the pourch and pulls Anna to show everybody on the pourch. She was caught red handed eavesdropping on us! So then a couple of minutes later, me and Tristen went back because we heard voices and we got sprayed with the hose all over so when we went to my house, I was wearing Sean's new GE shirt and a pair of Tristen's shorts, and Tristen wore a Lizze Miguire shirt and some shorts. You might not believe this, but I thought it felt pretty good on a hot summer day, but Tristen didn't like it. So then we went in the living room and wanted to give Linz and Anna a hug! So when we did I rolled over on Lindsey and gave her a hug, and Ryan picket Tristen up and put her on Linz as well. It was a funny yet nice mommet, but mostley funny! :) So then we realized it was PAYBACK TIME!! We will tell you the plan we did when Linz and Anna figure it out.
Amanda
7/5/05
We had a nice 4th of July. We had the previously mentioned breakfast burrito picnic and hung out all morning at grandmas and that was nice. Then about 2 we packed up and headed to Raymond, where Ryan's parents live. We hung out in no air conditioning (compressor is out & part is on order) and bought some fireworks. The weather was nice, so the no a/c was OK. Probably the best 4th of July weather for a no a/c house. At 10 I had a blanket on me while watching the fireworks. We had steaks, corn on the cob (apparently AKA: Roasting ears-- though these were boiled ears) & potato salad stuff. It was a nice time. We didn't get back to grandmas until about midnight. When we got back here we saw her crazy neighbors playing with fire & listening to VERY loud music & chasing their dogs down the street while screaming. It was interesting. When I say playing with fire I'm talking torches, it was odd & dangerous. Anyhow, not much planned today. Olivia is supposed to be coming over this morning, but no sign of her yet. I need to do a little shopping & then dinner tonight here. I start work tomorrow at 9. More details to come on that.
Emily
7/5/05
Sounds like a nice 4th in Lincoln. We didn't do too much here. We got our fireworks on the 3rd, mostly all legal ones (sparklers, snaps, snakes, and smoke balls) But, they were handing out free lady fingers so we had to get a few of those and some strobes. Erika was terrified that we would be arrested crossing the border! :) But, we didn't really see any police at all, even while we were in the front yard doing legal ones, and I was hearing and seeing a lot of other fireworks around the neighborhood that were definitely NOT legal, so maybe next year we will have to get some bigger ones!
Gary
7/4/05
July 4th update: We had a very nice breakfast picnic at Grandma's this morning. Weather was perfect (pretty nice all day, in fact) and we had scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, potatoes, and a big batch of Ryan's salsa, all of which could be assembled inside fajita wraps. Then in the afternoon people went their various ways -- among them, the Metcalfs to Ryan's folks, and me to a movie! It's just getting dark now as I write this, and fireworks are starting to pop off all over the neighborhood. Happy 4th once again, everybody!
Nelsons
7/4/05
Happy 4th of July!!
Gary
7/4/05
Happy 4th of July, everybody!
Gary
7/3/05
Ok, I've got Emily's caricature up on the photo page. Thanks for sending it again, Emily!
Emily
7/3/05
Hey everybody! We did have fun at Saturday in the Park yesterday. We got there about 1 just in time for lunch, so we (me, Dad, and Erika) ate delicious gyros and lemonade and watched some bands. Then we looked around the shops/booths and we waited for about an hour at the caricature line, but I finally got mine. I think it looks cute, I will try and scan it in this afternoon. Then we went on some rides, and listened to the bands for awhile more, and come home exhausted and sunburned. But, it was a fun day!
Erika and I just got in from cleaning out the garage a little while ago. Getting ready for the garage sale next week. Hopefully it will all go well.
We are going to go get our fireworks tomorrow, and I am going to make my annual 4th of July cake. It should be good!
Is Lincoln doing anything special for the 4th, Dad has said he will only get legal fireworks, but I'm sure he will have to sneak in some big ones.
Gary, it sounds like you had a fun time at Claires, we are going to be calling that store "Crack for Little Girls" forever now!
Well, it does seem to be highly addictive! Hey Emily, I did get the email with your caricature, but the attachment didn't work. Could you send it again! Thanks! --Gary
Tristen
7/3/05
Hello everybody! I am going to the lake today. Tomorrow is 4th of July! We are going to have a breakfast picnic. I will write more later.
Bye!!!
Amanda
7/3/05
Hello all! We are here, and this is the first time I have been on the computer since Thursday morning! Ryan got the laptop all hooked up for me upstairs, so I am set.
We are having a great time so far. Our time has been jam packed- but in a great way. Gary has given a great synopsis, so there is no need for further explanation. I haven't really seen Tristen much, especially when Olivia is around.
The reunion was fine. Ryan was nervous, but it got better as the night progressed, but if I am being honest beer helped ease his pain. :)
I guess we are going out to Ryan's parents for the 4th, though we are not quite looking forward to it, as their air conditioner is currently out of service.
Out to Bluestem Lake today for some boating, that should be fun, though for the first time (and I'm sure the last) I wish it were hotter, that would make boating more fun.
Anyhow, that is all I know for now, talk to everyone soon!
Erika
7/3/05
Oliva how could you not know the balance on your cards when I was in Lincoln that lady printed out the balance for every card. This is just a suggestion when your cards are drained why don't you throw them away or better yet take the scissors to them. Gary why are you taking them to "Crack for little Girls" Your just contributing to their bad habbit.
Erika, I will answer for Olivia: It wasn't just a problem with the balance, there was something else wrong too -- including a cashier who didn't know how to put money back on the card. And I had to take them to Claire's; they supported my bad habit when we went to the computer game store. :-) --Gary
Gary
7/3/05
So, last night, while Ryan and Amanda were out, the rest of us watched "National Treasure" -- except for Teghan, who had dressed up in one of her dance outfits and was bouncing off the walls. A major-league twirler, that girl! Today, if I've got this all right, the Metcalf group is spending the day with Amanda's mom on a lake (I forget where, sorry!), and Olivia is working all day in a fireworks stand. (No smoking, Livy!) Lindsey is working in the ice cream shop; and I'm not sure where Anna is headed -- either the fireworks stand, or hanging with Lindsey at work, or something else.
And here's the Claire's story from yesterday: Livy and Tristen and I were at the mall, and they both wanted to go to Claire's -- or, as I called the place yesterday, "crack for little girls." I said ok, I'll just wait for you out here (which earned me a few "bawk bawk" chicken noises from Tristen...), and in they went. After a while, I peeked through the window and noticed they're both at the register. But several minutes went by, so I looked in again and saw them both still at the register. Nobody, even the cashier, seemed to be moving; and my first thought was, Well, that's nice -- they get a lot of really young shoppers in here, and they patiently help them through the purchase process. That turned out to be not the case. I looked in again after several more minutes, and this time Tristen caught my eye: and she mouthed "almost done!" to me. That also turned out to be not the case. Several more minutes with no apparent activity, so I walked in. I said, "Soooo, what...uh...?" and none of them, even the cashier, was able to really spell it out. It seemed that Tristen and Livy were combining their purchases and using a combination of cash and a gift card that Livy had; and further, that there was a problem with the card; and further, that after the purchase was begun, they had decided to not buy one or more of their items. The cashier told me it was her first day, and she didn't know how to credit money back to a gift card, so the manager had gotten involved -- while I stood there, she (the manager) left the store twice with the card in hand, then would come back and make notes on three separate sets of paperwork. This was all taking time, naturally, and there was a line growing behind us of little girls twitching for their Claire's fix. Finally I said, in words to this effect, "What's it going to take to make all of this go away?" The cashier said, "Well, there's still a balance of $8.03." Livy and Tristen both turned their heads to me looking like Ceaser when you open the dog food bag. So I paid the ransom and we got out of there, back into the real world. I said, "Ok, are you ready to go back to Grandma's?" They both said no, we want to go to the Cookie Company. "But you don't have any money," I pointed out. "Oh, we've got money!" And they both started pulling cash from every pocket -- Livy's got a handful of quarters and Tristen is waving a wad a bills wrapped in a five.... So off to the Cookie Company we went, where they both very kindly offered to buy me one. :-)
Gary
7/2/05
Sorry for the slow updates today, but it was a busy one -- and not over yet! Started off with an early morning trip to Farmers Market, where we had a great time. Weather was indeed nice, as Emily mentioned, and we saw everything, and ate everything, we wanted. More tattoos (including a little ladybug for Teghan), some jugglers, a string quartet, and dogs, dogs, dogs. Back to Grandma's for a rest-up (except for Tristen and Teghan, who put on a excellent program of singing and dancing). Then we took two cars to Eyes of the World, and after that we split up -- one car to Kohls and other spots (not sure where), and the other one -- with me, Livy, and Tristen -- to my house for a quick round of Rollercoaster Tycoon, and next to Gateway, to the toy store, Claire's, and the Cookie Company. Claire's was an adventure I don't have time to go into fully at this time; for now I'll leave it at Tristen's comment: "We had a problem." More later. Tonight Amanda and Ryan are going to his class reunion, and the rest of us are having pizza at Grandma's, then watching "National Treasure." Oh, and last night, Grandma provided a great cook-out supper for a whole crowd of us. Anyway, having big fun here. I think Tristen will be writing in later. Hope the Nelsons are having fun at the park today!
Emily
7/2/05
Gary, I love the front page. Hopefully we won't have to pay bail this year! I like the quote on the crawl too, I used it as an opening for one of my debate speeches last year.
It has been a lot nicer here lately, that should be good for today. We are going to go out to Saturday in the Park aroung 1 this afternoon, it should be fun!
Today's crawl, for future reference, is "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. --Benjamin Franklin." Thanks, Emily! -- Gary
Karen
7/2/05
Cool background picture today :)
Thanks. I'm leaving it up all weekend, through the 4th. :-) --Gary
Karen
7/1/05
A perfect summer day here too. Only highs of 80s and not nearly as humid. I could almost enjoy summer if it stayed like this. I did get the bathroom painted. Took a whole lot longer than I expected. such a small room, wouldn't think it would take all day. Most of it needed to be done by hand. But it does look nice and clean now. Emily won't be in the parade tonight. They had too many others sign up and didn't need more. Brent and the kids are heading to Saturday in the Park tomorrow. Not going to do much else this week-end. Staying home, being on a Monday does make it harder to go back to the office the next day. Brent is insisting that he will only buy "legal" fireworks this year, but we'll see... Hey, does Lincoln have a new firework law this year? I thought I saw where Nebraskans were allowed most anything again. Glad to hear that Metcalfs made the trip safely. Keep us posted on your fun days :)
Gary
7/1/05
July 1st and a beautiful day out there! Only in the 60s now, and not supposed to even get to the 90s for the next several days. I guess we made it through summer! (I wish...)
I think our main Lincoln reporter Olivia is probably still asleep at this hour, so I'll answer your question, Emily. :-) I understand the Texas delegation arrived late yesterday afternoon; after a little rest-up they went out to a birthday dinner with the Metcalfs. There was also time, I hear, for a trip to the new park -- which Teghan hurried to get ready for, putting her shoes on the wrong feet. :-) So I will scratch that one off the summer list!
That will be the list policy, I guess: the first time any of those things are done by anyone, I'll line it out. That doesn't mean these activities won't happen again; so if something you wanted to do gets crossed off, please don't have hurt feelings! That just means we will do it again when you are there. I'm sure yesterday wasn't the only time the new park will be visited!
Welcome to Lincoln, Metcalfs!
Emily
7/1/05
Donna, there have just always been curfew laws in Iowa and some of the Nebraska cities around here. I don't really think there is much of a need for the curfews, since no one really follows them anyway. But, I don't think we would have much success in doing away with cufews all together, just beacuse they have had the laws for so long. In Sioux City the cufew for 16-17 year olds is midnight, 11 for 15 year olds and and 10 for 14 and under.
The bathroom does look really nice, we're still getting all of the little things put back in, but we all like it!
I think you should rent Hotel Rwanda. I didn't think it was that sad. I thought it was really intresting and it ends good :)
So, are Metcalfs in Lincoln now?? Hope you guys are having a fun time!
