Disney

I keep seeing the Disney commercials on TV - the ones with the kids who find out they're going to Disney World. Betsy and I got to go with Mom and Dad when I was about 15. I remember Dad pushing me around with his hand on my neck. Space Mountain was closed for repairs, or cleaning or something.

Amy was 13 and Jud 10 when we went. We stayed at that Sports place connected right to Disney. There was a pool and a foamy football field right there, and you could ride a shuttle to the park each day. We hit all the hot spots - Wild Kingdom, Epcot, Magic Kingdon. Amy and Jud were the perfect age - they could go on all the rides.

Well Jud wasn't always the perfect age - he got a little crabby the last day, causing me to melt down when he shoved an old person in Canada, the video at Epcot. Still, all was forgiven when he finally saw Donald Duck (in a serape and sombrero no less).

The laser show was very cool. We went on Tower of Terror several times as there was no line. Dad and Pat2 came up and visited for a day - it was the year after they got married. The 3D stuff was cool. I was glad we didn't have tiny little kids with us.

 Oh and Space Mountain was closed for repairs.  

Continuing Education

A shout out to my friend and neighbor Nancy. She is a testament to continuing education. When Nancy and Jim moved to Creston, I believe she was a hairdresser, along with being the parent of three lovely children.

Jim is our local Meat Manager at Fairway, our go-to guy when we want that great prime rib for Christmas. He also is kind enough to scoop our driveway when it snows, saving us backbreaking work, and saving me from working about Pablo having a heart attack. He refuses to accept payment, but said we can get him a gas card. What a reasonable guy!

Nancy decided to go to nursing school even while at least some of her kids were still at home. Creston has a good program at SWCC - the local community college. Since graduation, she's been a great asset at the hospital working in wellness. Many of my buddies also see her bright and early each Friday as she's the Weight Watchers lady - cheering them on to healthier living.

Now that she and Jim are empy nesters like we are, Nanc is considered what's next? So back to school she went, traveling to DSM several times a month to attend Upper Iowa University. I think she's going for her BSN this time. Their three kids have moved to the Kansas City area, and someday Jim and Nancy could move close to them. This way Nancy will have more job possiblities.

Kudos to you Nancy! Way to keep learning.   

The auction

You can't tell - it's a buttery color - leather. Note said $300 value - may be more like $285, but I paid dooo do do dooo $125!

Insert self-important memory here: I was instrumental in the birth of the St. Malachy Foundation Auction. I served on the Foundation Board back in the early 1990's. The board oversees a good sum of money donated by the good people interested in the wonderful little Catholic school here in Creston.

The board not only watched over the investment portfolio, we were tasked with growing the fund. the people of Holy Spirit Parish along with tuition pay for operation of the school, but the interest from the investments make a nice addition to the budget. Our dilemma - how could we bring money in without necessarily taxing the very people we already got money from? Our idea - a charity auction similar to one the Atlantic Rotary did. To check it out Paul and I went to the Atlantic auction along with Bob and Frieda Berner. Then, along with Dennis Hilger and Cheri Finken, we set about putting together out own version of this event - a Valentine's Auction.

All these years later, (and after I burned out some 8 years or so after I started) some of the same people are going strong. Bob and Cheri - you rock! Last night's event was great! Good crowd - and I think they made lots of $$. Some from me.

Back when we started, one of the things we came up with to auction were baskets - it was a "stone soup" idea. Everyone could bring a little bit so nobody was stuck investing a lot. (I'd like to claim that I thought of this idea...but I don't recall). One early year, when $ were tight for our fam, Paul and I purchased a "Holiday Basket" put together by the St. Malachy teachers. When the kids got up the next day, it was like Christmas all over again - they were delighted by going through the basket to discover each holiday representative item!

It had been a couple years since Pablo and I had purchased anything. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover a Dooney and Bourke purse on the silent auction! I tried to resist but my bidding hand worked independent of my body (it was like a scary movie...!) MUST HAVE.

I had to chuckle in bed last night as I tried to go to sleep. I was the proud owner of a lovely medium east/west satchel. And Pablo - soon to be birthday boy is the proud owner of a - dehumidifier. Yeah, didn't he score big?!? Awe. I'll make sure he gets something good. But prolly won't be tax deductible like this stuff was...

Benefit weekend

Last night's benefit Fish Fry and Dance at the Williamson American Legion Hall. We met up with the Mcs - McKims and McFees at Crestmoor for a drink before we hit the road in McKim vehicle. Donnie took on driving duties as it snowed right along. Thanks Mom Nature for that! (NOT)

They had a nice crowd for this event, benefiting the Rural Iowa Crisis Center - helping families who have had a rough time. Our friend Linda Kilgore, who has had some rough times herself was one of the organizers. I'd never been to Williamson, but it's a lot like many other old halls - 3 seater women's room with curtains for cubicle doors. Paneling exactly like our old house - before we painted it. Brown and dried out looking...built in booths with a stage and a large open area for dancing in the middle.

The food was good - fish and chicken, slaw, beans, cookies - all donated along with the labor arranged by Linda and other organizers. Tickets were only $10. The did an auction around 9 PM followed by a DJ - who played mostly country, but later in the night he broke loose with some rock. We had fun dancing on the slick wood floor.

Drinks flowed and I had to go for a Vodka Tom Collins - enjoyed watching the ancient barkeep guy mix it up. First some mixer, then Squirt, then Seven Up, Vodka, Grenadine and mixed it all with a big spoon. Took about five minutes. Pretty sweet, but the show was good! Later I switched to vodka tonic, but no citrus in the house so I was forced to utilize a green gummy bear as a substitute, just to make my drink pretty.

I laughed harder than I had in a long time last night. It was fun to see my friend Linda Kilgore, who lost her husband Rudy a year ago, enjoying her new honey my friend Mick Landers. I spent a great deal of time with Mick when we worked together on the household hazardous materials program. It was nice dancing with my honey. And all for a good cause!

Switch-a-roo

Today, when I finally got home after a long week at work (I usually get to go home on Thursday...but not this week), I made whiney noises, jumped around, and licked Odie the weiner dog's face. No...not really, but I wanted to! I was thrilled to be home and to see my little puppy dog, the kitty, my very special chair, relaxing bath tub, beddie bye - welp, you get the picture. I was homesick. My pool boy didn't get home from work until 5ish. I missed him too.

I stayed in DSM to attend a workshop put on by the Iowa Recycling Association at DMCC (the community college in Ankeny) on Social Networking - learning to use stuff like Facebook, Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and more (Four Square? - that was a game we used to play a recess with one of those rubbery red balls) to market one's product/business/non-profit etc. Even though I had to stay away from home an extra night, it was worth it.

The presenter was Nathan T. Wright (ISU grad so he's got that going for him..) an interesting and knowledgeable speaker on the topic. Check out his biz website here: 
http://www.lavarow.com/
Nathan is the guy with the tiny little head under the "meet the team" heading on the right side of the page. His head is much bigger in real life.
(this website and information could be especially helpful for someone living in Denver who is a graphic design major and may be thinking of future career moves...there must be stuff like this in the Mile High City..).

I learned a great deal - just hope the folks at work might be open to the opportunities presented by these technologies. I would love to see Iowa DNR as a place Iowans can go to in order to find safe disposal information for - well...whatever they need to get rid of! On my drive home to Creston, I couldn't help but think about the ways small businesses in town could utilize Facebook and blogs to keep their names out there. Interesting stuff! Now - I have some dancin' to do at a benefit for Creston's Women's Shelter.

Isn't it cute?

It's so cute how people close to us (our children) underestimate our powers of deduction. They fail to recognize that we (their parents) have known them all their lives. The mommy is much like a lil Nancy Drew - detecting clues of her children's lives. So our children just need to realize that they can't fool us. We know ALL.

Next topic:
Jud Goldsmith caused me to have one of the larger library fines I've had in a while - a whopping $2.10. The scariest part was I didn't even know he had the book! We took him to lunch last Saturday in Ames before the ISU Men's bball game, and casually, after he got out of the car when we dropped him off he said,"Do you want that book back that I have?"

I'm like "Whatchoo talkin' bout Willis?"
He said, "I think it has Waukee on it." And he ran up and got the book, which indeed said Waukee Library on it. I remembered what happened - I took it to Creston and finished it. Jud was home and I thought he might like to read it. Hmmm guess he did and just took it on back to Ames to finish it, unbeknownst to me. Crazy that I lost track of it. So there is a case of something I didn't detect....

Children - my wildest joy and frustration!

A couple funny things

Last night at the mall as I walked out of the ground floor of Von Maur, I went by a group of three guys - around thirty something. Youngish with camo on. At least the lead dog guy was wearing camo. I heard him say, as he pointed skyward "hey, there's another level on this place!" Great white hunter...can't find his way around a mall...too funny.

My dream early this a.m. It woke me up. In it I was sitting in a bar with Jen my supervisor and another person. A waitress was delivering a tray of Bloody Marys to us - and I took one look at them all red with celery and olives and said "How nice a little stew in a glass with ice and vodka!" I chuckled all day thinking about this. I'm very clever in my sleep!