Okay, I can't actually upload a slide show for you. Remember I'm on dial up; These pics took over an hour to upload all together as it was. For a lot of you that is a good thing.
I took over 80 pictures in roughly ten minutes the other night as the sun was setting.
Don't panic!
I only posted5 of those pics but they all were awesome if I do says so myself.
Of course the reason they are awesome has very little to do with me and everything to do with God's Creation.
Deanna called me the other night and said to get my camera because it looked like we were in for a pretty sunset.
I sighed, got out of my recliner and hit pause on the TIVO.
I've done this before.
You kind of get ho- hum about these things but if it makes her happy then it will pay out for me .. if you get my drift.
I'm really glad I did.
It was really windy but the temps were nice and I didn't have to wait long.
The clouds were really moving fast!
So was the sun at this point and the sky was changing radically as I watched.
The first couple of pics I think are only 1 mega pixel and the rest are still only 2 mega pixel.
If I did this right, you should be able to click on the pics to get a bigger image.
Try it and see if it works. Of course it was better in real life, but you know that.
After those pictures you will find some from this last Friday night.
We invited Dave, Dottie, and Carrie (Deanna's parents and her Aunt) over for dinner.
After Dinner we had a surprise as Deanna brought in seven pumpkins for us all to carve.
Deanna and I understand that as Christians we have to be careful about such things but our viewpoint is that for our kids, it's an education about this world they live in. Instead of celebrating all hallows eve we use it as a fun way to teach our kids the differences between fantasy, the dangers of true evil and the blessings of true love. The last was evident as we laughed together as a family and explored and enjoyed each others creativity.
Dave had ensconced himself in my recliner and was starting to feel the effects of what I call the alien suction device. (Thats what keeps your backside stuck to the chair when you should be doing something else.) So, when Deanna brought out the pumpkins it took some coaxing to get him involved.
When he did, well, he did it his way.
He walked past all of us and out to where we were installing a new fireplace (more on that later) and came back with his Sawzall power saw!
You will find pictures of that adventure and our finished projects below.
Lastly, Dave and I did get the new fireplace installed. I wouldn't have been able to do it without him. There were a lot of parts and pieces and no instructions. I still have some little things to do to finish up but we had a nice fire in it the other night. Those pictures are below as well.
Well, that should bring you up to speed for the moment. I pray the Lord Bless you and protect you all!
Will.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Scalpel!
clockwise from bottom left:
The back of my head; Jacob, Carrie, Dottie, the back
of Jessa's head. and more heads on the table...
The difference between a man and a boy...
...is the price of his toys. Leave it to Dave to break out
the power tools. (thats a sawzall)
Please excuse the look of the laundry room.
The finished Project
From left to right (I think):
Dottie's, Deanna's, Jessa's, Jacobs, Dave's, mine, Carrie's
Notice the Fire extinguisher lower right??
over confidence is not a problem we deal with...I still
have to trim the carpet and lay down more stone yet.
tale of two chimneys or chim chim cheroo!
The new chimney is up front and matches the old one
in back. On the ground are the parts and pieces we
didn't use. It was nice to have the selection but tough to
put the puzzle together. Dave will use the leftovers for a
chimney at his place. Thanks again to Bill and Linda
Callaway for this Birthday present for Deanna!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
Mathew 7:12
Okay, let's have some fun. The Saying goes: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you (It is not a direct quote).
There is a certain way I wish to be treated.
So should I treat others the way that I want to be treated
or,
should I treat them the way They want to be treated?
Wouldn't it be Presumptuous to assume that someone want's to be treated the way I want to be treated?
(I just like the twist)
So, in regards to this.
What is your pet peeve about how you are treated?
For example, I get "cussed at" all day long at work. It isn't personal,
It's just how they say Hello!
In fact its just how they say anything;
and everything.
It used to bother me a lot but after 14 years I've gotten used to it.
For the most part. Sort of.
Still, that's my pet peeve. What is yours?
Just a little something to think about. Would love to hear your take on it!
2nd Corinthians 13:14
Will
There is a certain way I wish to be treated.
So should I treat others the way that I want to be treated
or,
should I treat them the way They want to be treated?
Wouldn't it be Presumptuous to assume that someone want's to be treated the way I want to be treated?
(I just like the twist)
So, in regards to this.
What is your pet peeve about how you are treated?
For example, I get "cussed at" all day long at work. It isn't personal,
It's just how they say Hello!
In fact its just how they say anything;
and everything.
It used to bother me a lot but after 14 years I've gotten used to it.
For the most part. Sort of.
Still, that's my pet peeve. What is yours?
Just a little something to think about. Would love to hear your take on it!
2nd Corinthians 13:14
Will
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Where do I begin?
Will just informed me that we have not posted in two weeks and that it is my fault. That figures.
I really don't know where to start so this will be a "for your information" post. I suppose that I should start at the beginning...
All of September was pretty much filled up for me with Cranfest. Well, actually it started for me long before that, but I deal with at least a small amount of the fest each and every month.so it kind of builds gradually. It's a good thing I love it, otherwise it could be a real pain.
The fest was the last full weekend of September and was great! Things went so very smoothly this year. We all just worked together to get everything done. The worst problem we had was "lost people". The crowds were just so large this year with the military tribute that people kept losing their kids and parents. I spent lots of time walking through the crowd looking for people.
Jessalyn's birthday was the week before Cranfest so she had two cakes on Tuesday. One for her class and one for her Crantastic Singers practise. Then the week after fest she had our family birthday dinner which she shared with her Grampy for the first time. That was special for all of us.
Will's parents were here for the fest which was special for me since this festival is a major portion of my life and I'm always anxious when it comes to seeing people's reactions.
A couple of weeks ago they had "Homecoming" at the High school. Jacob helped his class design the float and then walked in the parade as "Darth Vader" (a very skinny Darth Vader). You should have heard the little kids. You would see Jacob (complete with mask and cape) walking back aways and hear the kids murmuring and then yelling "Darth Vader, it's Darth Vader coming". It was a hoot for all of us, but I know Jake enjoyed it the most.
Speaking of Jacob, I went to his first parent/teacher conference and this is the first year in 5 that he has passing grades in all of his classes (well, except one, but that is due to missing work that he is making up). I almost stood there and cried when the teachers were telling me about my son being a great kid and working really hard. What a change! I just love his new teacher and how hard she works with him. He is in a class that he does most of his work at his own pace on a computer. He has a learning challenge that is hard for him to deal with. A type of attention disorder that makes his brain work faster than the rest of his body can keep up with. He learns best when he is multi-tasking. It causes his brain to slow down and let his body catch up. His new teacher puts him on the computer with headphones and music and he just goes to town. When he has to hand write something, we now have a recorder for him to record it "just saying it" and then he can use that to type out his report. Handwriting up until now has been misery for him because he is still writing the first two words and his brain is already on the third sentence. Lots of adjustments still being made, but it seems we are on the right track and the best part is "no medication". Thank you Lord!
Jessalyn is doing very well this year too. She is in a harder class which is different for her. She has not really been challenged before in school, so is working to adjust to harder assignments. She also is part of the safety patrol and is planning on taking the safety patrol trip to Washington DC. Gee, I guess they might need a chaperon. Oh shoot, what a bother. Of course with my love of history Washington is one of my first and foremost fun places to visit.
We had an "Appreciation Dinner/Bonfire" for my parents the other night here at the house. They have retired, sort of, from the ministry. Although, it looks like they are busier now than they ever have been before. Dad even preaches at the churches in Texas when they go there for the winter months. The dinner was a surprise for them and I think went very well. Everyone seemed to have a good time. It was really warm all day, but as soon as the sun went down it got pretty chilly. Great bonfire weather.
Tonight I have a final wrap up Cranfest meeting that will probably last 5 or more hours and then we are pretty much done with 2007's fest and are on to 2008.
My 25th class reunion is on Nov 1 & 2 in Florida, but I will not be there. I really wanted to be, but work is busy. There are family obligations and I have meetings with the Wisconsin Tourism Board and Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureaus those same days. Prior commitments and all that junk. I'm hoping they will send me copies of pictures of everyone and what they are doing.
It doesn't seem like I should be this old. Think about it. By the time you graduate you are sure that it took you 30 years to get through school. The birthday that you really "want" to get to is your 21rst. After that you don't pay much attention. It's even easy to forget how old you are because they never ask you your age after that, only your birth date. Will and I have actually had to sit down and count out my age because I'm so used to going by my birth date and not my age. Now here I sit only 5 years younger than my mother was when I married Will. There is something just not right with this scenario. Aren't we supposed to stop getting older when we hit 25? Maybe even stop at 30? How in the heck did I hit 43? An even better question is how does my body know that I am old when my brain had no clue? Things are falling apart and I don't ever remember seeing a warranty.
Why don't your parents ever warn you about the weird things that happen as you get older? Is it some sick way at getting revenge on you for all of the trouble you caused? Do they not tell you, because they don't want to scare you? I mean weird things happen.
Take for instance the friend who bought Rog**n hair restoring shampoo for her hubby. He used it in the shower. No problem, except that now he has no hair on his head and his shoulders and back are covered! Coincidence?
What about the stray hairs that show up in very strange places? No one warned us! Think of all these men walking around with hair in their ears? No warning!
What about the sags in places that you didn't even know were places?
Think about these people that get tattoo's in places and 20 years down the road the tattoos have slid into unrecognizable piles of wrinkles in strange places. Where do the people that have these tattoos on their lower backs think they are going to end up when age and gravity take hold?
After you have children you can get back to your original weight, but it's never in the same place.
When do you stop being the one that weird stuff is happening to and start being the one to keep secrets from your children on what will happen to them?
Well, I have managed to ingress, egress and digress from any and all subjects. I hope you have a blessed day. I am off to work, then home to work, then to Cranfest to work.......do you notice a pattern?
God bless,
dea
I really don't know where to start so this will be a "for your information" post. I suppose that I should start at the beginning...
All of September was pretty much filled up for me with Cranfest. Well, actually it started for me long before that, but I deal with at least a small amount of the fest each and every month.so it kind of builds gradually. It's a good thing I love it, otherwise it could be a real pain.
The fest was the last full weekend of September and was great! Things went so very smoothly this year. We all just worked together to get everything done. The worst problem we had was "lost people". The crowds were just so large this year with the military tribute that people kept losing their kids and parents. I spent lots of time walking through the crowd looking for people.
Jessalyn's birthday was the week before Cranfest so she had two cakes on Tuesday. One for her class and one for her Crantastic Singers practise. Then the week after fest she had our family birthday dinner which she shared with her Grampy for the first time. That was special for all of us.
Will's parents were here for the fest which was special for me since this festival is a major portion of my life and I'm always anxious when it comes to seeing people's reactions.
A couple of weeks ago they had "Homecoming" at the High school. Jacob helped his class design the float and then walked in the parade as "Darth Vader" (a very skinny Darth Vader). You should have heard the little kids. You would see Jacob (complete with mask and cape) walking back aways and hear the kids murmuring and then yelling "Darth Vader, it's Darth Vader coming". It was a hoot for all of us, but I know Jake enjoyed it the most.
Speaking of Jacob, I went to his first parent/teacher conference and this is the first year in 5 that he has passing grades in all of his classes (well, except one, but that is due to missing work that he is making up). I almost stood there and cried when the teachers were telling me about my son being a great kid and working really hard. What a change! I just love his new teacher and how hard she works with him. He is in a class that he does most of his work at his own pace on a computer. He has a learning challenge that is hard for him to deal with. A type of attention disorder that makes his brain work faster than the rest of his body can keep up with. He learns best when he is multi-tasking. It causes his brain to slow down and let his body catch up. His new teacher puts him on the computer with headphones and music and he just goes to town. When he has to hand write something, we now have a recorder for him to record it "just saying it" and then he can use that to type out his report. Handwriting up until now has been misery for him because he is still writing the first two words and his brain is already on the third sentence. Lots of adjustments still being made, but it seems we are on the right track and the best part is "no medication". Thank you Lord!
Jessalyn is doing very well this year too. She is in a harder class which is different for her. She has not really been challenged before in school, so is working to adjust to harder assignments. She also is part of the safety patrol and is planning on taking the safety patrol trip to Washington DC. Gee, I guess they might need a chaperon. Oh shoot, what a bother. Of course with my love of history Washington is one of my first and foremost fun places to visit.
We had an "Appreciation Dinner/Bonfire" for my parents the other night here at the house. They have retired, sort of, from the ministry. Although, it looks like they are busier now than they ever have been before. Dad even preaches at the churches in Texas when they go there for the winter months. The dinner was a surprise for them and I think went very well. Everyone seemed to have a good time. It was really warm all day, but as soon as the sun went down it got pretty chilly. Great bonfire weather.
Tonight I have a final wrap up Cranfest meeting that will probably last 5 or more hours and then we are pretty much done with 2007's fest and are on to 2008.
My 25th class reunion is on Nov 1 & 2 in Florida, but I will not be there. I really wanted to be, but work is busy. There are family obligations and I have meetings with the Wisconsin Tourism Board and Wisconsin Chamber of Commerce and Visitor's Bureaus those same days. Prior commitments and all that junk. I'm hoping they will send me copies of pictures of everyone and what they are doing.
It doesn't seem like I should be this old. Think about it. By the time you graduate you are sure that it took you 30 years to get through school. The birthday that you really "want" to get to is your 21rst. After that you don't pay much attention. It's even easy to forget how old you are because they never ask you your age after that, only your birth date. Will and I have actually had to sit down and count out my age because I'm so used to going by my birth date and not my age. Now here I sit only 5 years younger than my mother was when I married Will. There is something just not right with this scenario. Aren't we supposed to stop getting older when we hit 25? Maybe even stop at 30? How in the heck did I hit 43? An even better question is how does my body know that I am old when my brain had no clue? Things are falling apart and I don't ever remember seeing a warranty.
Why don't your parents ever warn you about the weird things that happen as you get older? Is it some sick way at getting revenge on you for all of the trouble you caused? Do they not tell you, because they don't want to scare you? I mean weird things happen.
Take for instance the friend who bought Rog**n hair restoring shampoo for her hubby. He used it in the shower. No problem, except that now he has no hair on his head and his shoulders and back are covered! Coincidence?
What about the stray hairs that show up in very strange places? No one warned us! Think of all these men walking around with hair in their ears? No warning!
What about the sags in places that you didn't even know were places?
Think about these people that get tattoo's in places and 20 years down the road the tattoos have slid into unrecognizable piles of wrinkles in strange places. Where do the people that have these tattoos on their lower backs think they are going to end up when age and gravity take hold?
After you have children you can get back to your original weight, but it's never in the same place.
When do you stop being the one that weird stuff is happening to and start being the one to keep secrets from your children on what will happen to them?
Well, I have managed to ingress, egress and digress from any and all subjects. I hope you have a blessed day. I am off to work, then home to work, then to Cranfest to work.......do you notice a pattern?
God bless,
dea
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Whew! We're Tired!
I feel like I've been running for a week straight. Worse, it feels to me that poor Deanna has been running without rest for the past month; Imagine what it must feel like to her!?! We are both just sitting with our eyes glazed over. We have a few hours before we have to re-enter the real world and catch up on everything we put off for the last couple of weeks.
In case you aren't sure what I'm talking about, last weekend was
Cranfest. It was our 35th anniversary and our biggest yet! It was our salute to the U.S. military, the veterans and the families who've lost loved ones in service to our country. So, it was also the most emotional Cranfest we've had in while.
I didn't take any pictures this year but I have posted some (in the past) from previous years, so feel free to check out the archives. I can now say with more than a little conviction that the photo's can't prepare you for the truth.
We've been telling my parents about the phenomenom that is Cranfest. This year they got to experience it for themselves. Our sleepy little town of roughly 250 people turns into a spectacle that more than 100,000 people will experience over the course of 3 days. We have officially been declared the Largest Cranberry Festival in the world. With over 1,500 vendors we are much larger than the majority of "festivals" and to prove my point:
In the Volunteer Firehouse they have a "beer and Brat" meal available inside. Otherwise there is NO alcohol. We are a "family" Festival, so we regulate what kind of booths can enter and what they can sell. We regulate when they can open and when and what they can sell...and we have a waiting list of vendors wanting their chance. See, we don't have room for anymore so we don't put up with crude or unruly vendors. There are too many others who want their spot.
In spite of all our controls, not only do the vendors love us but evidently so do the customers. In Wisconsin, home of the "Beer and Brat" We have even surpassed the "Octoberfest". That is saying something if you ask me...
As proud as I am of our "family" atmosphere, I am even more proud that other than the two women who do the clerical work in our office, The CranFest committee and it's board of directors are all Volunteer.
As in UnPaid.
All profits from this festival goes right back into the local community. We buy computers and playground equipment for the school. Buildings, Sidwalks and even the streets themselves on occasion have been purchased by the relatively few year-round volunteers that make up the Cran-Fest committee. Who knew so few could do so much.
Anyway, my parents came and got to experience a small part of it and I think they enjoyed it. Dad was partnered with a local as the Auto and Tractor judge for our parade and did a great job. We are all grateful he could fill in on such short notice.
I did all I could to try to be son and tour guide while also fulfilling my duties as Father and Cranfest worker. I think I pulled it off but only time will tell. I was especially glad Mom and Dad were able to experience Jacob and Jessalyn in the Crantastic Singers group and the Gospel sing on Saturday night. Both my kids did a great job (of course!) and Deanna also sang with her dad and cousin and even did a great solo. I don't have to tell you how proud I am.
It was even better when on Sunday morning, 50 motorcyclists with flags flying from their bikes led our parade. Following them was a large wagon carrying decorated Veterens. They all stopped in front of the reviewing stand and the motorcyclists all turned off their engines.
Silence.
Then they all dismounted their cycles and stood for the sining our our national anthem.
Sung by Deanna, her dad Dave and her cousin Kris.
They were fantastic! Goosebump stuff!
The applause almost drowned out the simultaneous starting of all 50
bikes.
It was great! I felt so Blessed By God to have been there and able to share that with my family. For the next 2 hours (!) Watching the parade that turned out to be our best ever; It was great weather and great times with great people.
Monday was a little different.
Clean up time! Yuck. Still, it's Wednesday now and you can hardly tell there was ever a festival here except for the dead grass.
Here is an interesting note: Every year you will find several members of the Board of Directors out picking up garbage and raking lawns doing all kinds of menial clean up work after Cranfest. For the Whole Village!
I know I spent all day Monday with one of them just picking up trash. The old fashioned way: Bend over, Pick it up, stand up and put it in the bag. (sharp sticks and grabbers wouldn't work. too many things like cut open zip-ties to pick up). To tell you that Tuesday I was sore would be too obvious...
I had to work Tuesday, and that brings us to today. The Day we winterized my parents camper and sent them on their way (sniff!)
I just woke up from a well needed nap and paused long enough to give you this update.
The kids have youth group at church in a few minutes. So again, I won't have time to edit this into something more coherent, but I didn't want to leave this too long with out posting something!
May the Grace and Peace of the Lord be with you all!
Will
In case you aren't sure what I'm talking about, last weekend was
Cranfest. It was our 35th anniversary and our biggest yet! It was our salute to the U.S. military, the veterans and the families who've lost loved ones in service to our country. So, it was also the most emotional Cranfest we've had in while.
I didn't take any pictures this year but I have posted some (in the past) from previous years, so feel free to check out the archives. I can now say with more than a little conviction that the photo's can't prepare you for the truth.
We've been telling my parents about the phenomenom that is Cranfest. This year they got to experience it for themselves. Our sleepy little town of roughly 250 people turns into a spectacle that more than 100,000 people will experience over the course of 3 days. We have officially been declared the Largest Cranberry Festival in the world. With over 1,500 vendors we are much larger than the majority of "festivals" and to prove my point:
In the Volunteer Firehouse they have a "beer and Brat" meal available inside. Otherwise there is NO alcohol. We are a "family" Festival, so we regulate what kind of booths can enter and what they can sell. We regulate when they can open and when and what they can sell...and we have a waiting list of vendors wanting their chance. See, we don't have room for anymore so we don't put up with crude or unruly vendors. There are too many others who want their spot.
In spite of all our controls, not only do the vendors love us but evidently so do the customers. In Wisconsin, home of the "Beer and Brat" We have even surpassed the "Octoberfest". That is saying something if you ask me...
As proud as I am of our "family" atmosphere, I am even more proud that other than the two women who do the clerical work in our office, The CranFest committee and it's board of directors are all Volunteer.
As in UnPaid.
All profits from this festival goes right back into the local community. We buy computers and playground equipment for the school. Buildings, Sidwalks and even the streets themselves on occasion have been purchased by the relatively few year-round volunteers that make up the Cran-Fest committee. Who knew so few could do so much.
Anyway, my parents came and got to experience a small part of it and I think they enjoyed it. Dad was partnered with a local as the Auto and Tractor judge for our parade and did a great job. We are all grateful he could fill in on such short notice.
I did all I could to try to be son and tour guide while also fulfilling my duties as Father and Cranfest worker. I think I pulled it off but only time will tell. I was especially glad Mom and Dad were able to experience Jacob and Jessalyn in the Crantastic Singers group and the Gospel sing on Saturday night. Both my kids did a great job (of course!) and Deanna also sang with her dad and cousin and even did a great solo. I don't have to tell you how proud I am.
It was even better when on Sunday morning, 50 motorcyclists with flags flying from their bikes led our parade. Following them was a large wagon carrying decorated Veterens. They all stopped in front of the reviewing stand and the motorcyclists all turned off their engines.
Silence.
Then they all dismounted their cycles and stood for the sining our our national anthem.
Sung by Deanna, her dad Dave and her cousin Kris.
They were fantastic! Goosebump stuff!
The applause almost drowned out the simultaneous starting of all 50
bikes.
It was great! I felt so Blessed By God to have been there and able to share that with my family. For the next 2 hours (!) Watching the parade that turned out to be our best ever; It was great weather and great times with great people.
Monday was a little different.
Clean up time! Yuck. Still, it's Wednesday now and you can hardly tell there was ever a festival here except for the dead grass.
Here is an interesting note: Every year you will find several members of the Board of Directors out picking up garbage and raking lawns doing all kinds of menial clean up work after Cranfest. For the Whole Village!
I know I spent all day Monday with one of them just picking up trash. The old fashioned way: Bend over, Pick it up, stand up and put it in the bag. (sharp sticks and grabbers wouldn't work. too many things like cut open zip-ties to pick up). To tell you that Tuesday I was sore would be too obvious...
I had to work Tuesday, and that brings us to today. The Day we winterized my parents camper and sent them on their way (sniff!)
I just woke up from a well needed nap and paused long enough to give you this update.
The kids have youth group at church in a few minutes. So again, I won't have time to edit this into something more coherent, but I didn't want to leave this too long with out posting something!
May the Grace and Peace of the Lord be with you all!
Will
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