what a night

truly. did you watch it? obama stepped up and delievered a convincing and outstanding argument as to why he should be the next President of the United States. Do you think MLK really thought 45 years later that would happen?

obama proved he is more than just words, and not afraid to stand up for himself. how could any one think otherwise, anyway? do people really think he got to where he is by just letting things happen?

he and michelle are the American dream embodied. they work hard, they care about their kids and mine, they are faithful to each other, they did what was asked of them each step of the way: stayed in school, worked hard, lived honestly, & grace back to their community. amazing, because it is ordinary and what many of us try so hard to do each and every day.

it gives me great hope that the regular people in this country are able to recognize the truth of him. these are serious times and we need a leader who is thoughtful and serious and faithful. fortunately for us, he is here and ready- his name is barack obama!

Yes We Can...

Barack Obama has become the first African American in American history to be chosen as the nominee of a major party.

KNOW HOPE!

this is a great day for this country and i am so proud that my children witnessed this historic moment with me.

end of summer...

i am not particularly attached to the season of summer, i much prefer the fall, however, i do love the lack of schedule and long lingering days with the kids.

we have had a good summer- time at the ocean, time at the lake and time with some of our extended family. we went to sea world, kayaked, jet-skied, ran and played in the pool.

of course, summer means c. has a birthday. now she is two and it goes without saying that time just flies by! she is tall, talkative and funny! she is also stubborn and demanding. c. still loves to read and now she plays with legos, thomas the train and stuffed animals. her favorite things to say are "no", "i am a woman", "barack obama", "that is my toy", "i love you, ____", "mama's pretty", and "big girls wear diapers"...

that last one is problematic, eh?? she has zero interest in potty training and i have 100% interest. however, on this one she wins. this is new for me, the others were easy. oh well, i am pretty sure she won't graduate HS in diapers and she is just too much fun, so no complaints!

she does sleep in a big girl bed, so the crib has been packed away. that was a bittersweet summer day!

now we look ahead to a new school year. the mr. and i have been pouring over our test scores, seeing what we did right and where we can improve. we will be having a new sitter for c., we are excited about having markie join us, but nervous for the transition. the other mooklettes are more than ready to get the school year started. joe has a really tough schedule and is still finishing up his assignments that are due on the first day. k. begins with marching practice next week, is ticked that she has to wear a uniform, and will make every effort to keep her perfect 4.0 as an 8th grader. j.t. is rarin' to go to middle school- excited and nervous. we aren't worried, he is more than ready!

onward...

a week ago tonight...

well-it was definitely the things I thought it would be, plus even better...

we had a great time:

-saying hello to people and reflecting on how awesome we all look- LOL! ( i got- "you look the same, just grown up!)

-looking at old press clippings of ourselves

-getting a chance to talk about Chris H. and his life after high school

-seeing pictures of everyone's kids and wishing they were there in person

-watching a little break-dancing face-off

-taking a spin on the dance floor with Michael for old time's sake

-watching the mr. and kimberly's husband have a great time together

-heading home, content with my life!

counting down...

okay- tomorrow night is the big night- 20 year reunion, and all that. toes are polished, brows are waxed and outfit is chosen...will tell you what I think on monday...
(i can already tell you what I think- it will be great to be out with my husband, even for a chicken dinner. - it will wonderful to be with kimberly and michael; i'll post pictures. - it will be nice to talk, in person, to some of the people I have gotten reaquainted with on facebook. it will be really special to share my memories of chris h. and the good times we had together after high school. -it will lovely to share how happy i am in my life with my family& friends.)

memories continued...

forgive the photo of a photo- i don't have a scanner at home...

unfortunately, the person i would most want to see at the reunion won't be there. the pic above is of myself and my other best friend chris hales. we are headed out for a spin in a 67 mustang and my husband says i look like i am drunk with joy over being with chris (they grew to be good friends early in our relationship and marriage). he won't be there because he passed away in 1997 and there is not a day (for real) that goes by that i don't think about him and miss him.

it is true that he's always with me because i carry him in my heart, but i would give anything to feel his arms hug me or to see his awesome smile or to hear him tell me a joke in person,not in my head.

i will tell you that i think he is my youngest son's guardian angel, as there have been several times that i have felt chris' protective presence at times when j.t was close to being injured. (jt was born days after chris passed away)

i have spent most of today looking at some old cards and letters from chris and they are a gift to me- reminding me how very proud he was of me and how much he cared about me.

the thing i admired most about chris, and you would have to have known him to know that this is the total, 100% truth, is his unfaltering kindness. you have never met anyone who acted so completely out of love and was so slow to anger. that is the part of him i try to instill in my children and the part of him i hold close to me.

i miss him terribly...

20 years and many memories

here we are on graduation day- the kids think we all looked alike because of the big bangs and permed hair... i am thrilled to be able to say that both women are still part of my life.

while nan(right) and i have not seen each other in a long time, i hear from her occasionally and i am happy that she has a great family.

kimberly, and for this i am more thankful than i can express, is part of my daily life and has been for over 25 years. i have blogged about her before, but it bears repeating that i think she is fantastic and the best friend a girl could ever have. i'm looking forward to spending the night of the reunion in her company, with her awesome husband.

it is hard for anyone from the outside to understand how many hours we spent together on a daily basis in junior high and high school. we saw the world together, saw the best in each other (and, ok, sometimes the worst- but we got past it!), and love each other deeply.

it is really gratifying to watch your best friend go out into the world, kick butt, have a happy life and raise a beautiful family of her own!
so, here's to you kimberly!

beautiful girl...

c. is two today! what a wonderful two years it has been. we have such fun over the past two days relieving going into labor and getting to the hospital- it was a whole family experience! everybody got up in the middle of the night, got to the car and made the 30 minute trip to the hospital. the kids hung out with me and the mr. while i labored, coaching and rubbing my legs and back. then out into the hall for the delivery (their choice!)...and as soon as she was here (five hours later) back in to meet their long awaited c.

since that early morning she has brought us all closer together. she makes us kinder and more fun. each of us enjoys looking at the world through her eyes. she is a blessing, indeed!

energy plans

this is the part of politics i hate- the nasty, flippant attitudes...now, while obama DOES have a comprehensive energy policy, he pointed out one thing that we can all do that would make a big difference and the GOP is mocking it hard core. it is something that we, as citizens, are always asking for- something practical we can do to save money and the environment. obama remind us to keep our tires inflated to the correct pressure. now mccain's campaign is acting as though this is the totality of obama's energy policy- whatev...

from TIME magazine: (emphasis mine)

But who's really out of touch? The Bush Administration estimates that
expanded offshore drilling could increase oil production by 200,000 bbl. per day
by 2030. We use about 20 million bbl. per day, so that would meet about 1% of
our demand two decades from now. Meanwhile, efficiency experts say that keeping
tires inflated can improve gas mileage 3%, and regular maintenance can add
another 4%. Many drivers already follow their advice, but if everyone did, we could immediately reduce demand several percentage points. In other words: Obama is right.

happy birthday, to you...

Know Hope...