County Fair 2009

We hadn't been back in Indiana very long and we realized one of the best things about getting back when we did was it was county fair time. The first night we tried to go - we loaded up the grandkids and as we were driving to the fairgrounds, the heavens opened up and starting raining--no, pouring! Needless to say, we ended up at McDonalds that night and tried again the next day. It was beautiful weather, not too hot and not too cold.

Of course we indulged in the three basics of fair going - ANIMALS

Everyone was a little timid about petting the animals.

We got to see them all, horses, cows, pigs, chickens, goats.

FOOD

David and I decided on corn dogs and while I went to get Rachel some french fries Jacob devoured my corn dog. Then he started in on my corn.

Jacob had some issues with noise. The Himalayan ride had a giant air horn that would blast and the disco music was really loud. So this was his response.

AND RIDES!

Rides for the little kids and the big kids.

And we had to finish the evening off with a sno cone.

BOOT CAMP 2009

We had a great time at girls camp this summer in Arkansas. Okay, if you look at Lynnette's face you will understand that we had terrible storms and had to spend the first night there in the kitchen. Then after the lightning

past we divided the girls up into 3 cabins, a kitchen, some vans and motorhomes. To me, this felt like a disaster, but the girls remember this the most, it did get us to bond very quickly. Thank goodness I had Bruce's suburban there, Lynnette slept in the front seat and I actually had an air mattress in the back.

The next day was spent drying out. My tent was totally soaked, including my blanket, pillow, clothes, etc. Luckily we had great sunshine during the day. Not much damage to any one else's tents. Mine took the brunt of it.

Our camp is right on the Sugar Creek so the girls like to pitch

their tents right down on the rocky beach. It's beautiful but

your tent stakes don't stay anchored in the ground very well.

We found that out during the storm.

You always have time at camp for swimming and crafts. Lynnette was such a great help with crafts. She also made things to give our ward girls each day we were there.

Since the theme was Boot Camp (military) we decided to have a USO show each afternoon. The youth leaders were in charge and we had songs and skits.

Lynnette and I decided to do HANS AND FRANZ (SNL) - WE ARE HERE TO PUMP YOU UP!

Moroni's Maidens
Each ward had to do a march cadence and ours girls decided

to add some choreography to theirs. It turned out really good.

We got a treat on the last day of camp the bishop came down for testimony meeting. He spent the night and treated our girls to breakfast the next morning. WHAT A TREAT! We had blueberry pancakes; hashbrowns; bacon and eggs. WOW!

LOOK AT THE SIZE OF THAT WOK! Special made just for Bishop Scott. And Brother Atherton - I can't say enough about the man. He took a week off from work to go to girls camp with us and we

couldn't have gotten it down without him. He was amazing. Any job we needed done, he found a

way to do it. Even even helped fix us breakfast.

Lori Dobson met me at girls camp last year and she took a liking to me right away. When they released her she was worried she wouldn't get to go to camp this summer. CRAZY LADY! I know a good thing when I see one. She came to work with the Youth Leaders and I was glad to have her there to help me out.

This picture is of Goliath - I gave a talk about David and Goliath and what are some of the Goliaths in your life and the 5 stones David chose to slay Goliath.

This is a self-portrait of me on the last day -- it couldn't wait until we were gone -- oh, no. It had to start raining during our closing exercises. This didn't give us a chance to say goodbye the way we wanted to. I'm very thankful for all the help I had with camp. The leaders were awesome and I loved the girls and their attitudes through the week. It was a great experience for me and I'm thankful for the opportunity.

Tyson Tigers

Caroline was the librarian I worked with. We sure had a good time working together. She has the energy of 10 kindergarten kids. Now she is retired and spending more time with her husband.

Jim is the computer technician. We can always count on him for a great story at lunch time. The best part is the facial expressions to go along with the stories. He always has a hug and smile for you if you need your spirits lifted.

These are the most amazing people to work with and I miss them dearly. It was bittersweet to move home to Indiana after two years in Arkansas.

This group here is the exercise class we started. They always complained about the pain I put them through, but we sure enjoyed ourselves.

Some of the fifth graders from our school. They are just old enough to have opinions of their own but they still are fun to be with. They just want someone to care about them.

Carrie and Terri are the secretary and treasurer and I couldn't help thinking about how much like Kathy and Melinda they were. Kathy and Melinda are the secretary and treasurer I worked with in Indy before Arkansas. They were a hoot to work with.

Jennifer and I had bus duty together quite often and we always kept it interesting. We had this weird connection because her daughters name is Meredith which is my maiden name.

Maureen was another one I had bus duty with. She and I always kept tabs on each other during the "biggest loser" contest we had at school. She was a driven woman and looking great. I miss her funny stories.

Debi is an amazing 3rd grade teacher and loved to exercise... the harder, the better. She and I didn't find out how close we lived to each other until about 3 months before I was leaving. We were sad to find this out.

Karen teaches 5th grade and once she got started on "the biggest loser" there was no stopping her. She told that she gained it all back after she got the money. She always has a smile in the hall and I miss seeing it. Love them all!

HALLOWEEN 2008

Halloween in Arkansas - you never know what's going to happen.  Even Elvis showed up in the library.  This girl was just way too cute to not get a picture of her.  How many girls do you know that would want to dress up as Elvis.  Down here the whole school dresses up in costume.  It's a big deal.

We also had our monthly Tiger Pride Assembly - ROARRRRRING WITH PRIDE! - on Halloween so of course we had to sing the 12 Days of Halloween.  

We decided the kids couldn't have all the fun so the special area teachers decided to dress up as sailors and we sang the Gilligan's Island song.  Our Captain is our computer lab teacher.  He is a hoot.  Of course he is the only male in our building so he enjoys the spotlight.  

APPLE FESTIVAL 2008

Well, we decided to go to Lincoln to the Apple Festival.  Everybody here said it's the biggest thing that goes on in the fall around here.  The day turned out to be beautiful and around 70 degrees and we took off for Lincoln.  When we got to town, which is about the size of Cissna Park, IL or Danville, IN and is built the same with a square in the middle of town, we were just in time for the parade so we grabbed a brat and a soda and sat on the curb to watch the parade.  Little did we know the size and grandeur of this spectacle.  WOW!!!  Can you hear me snickering?

Yes, this was a big as it got, the typical antique cars, tractors and horses, oh yes, and superman.  SUPERMAN?

Every festival needs a superhero.  The square was loaded with tents full of crafts and things to buy, but where are the apples?

Finally, in the corner of the square we found this tent where you could stand in line to get an apple.  This old hand operated machine would core the apple and slice it at the same time.  These were the only apples we saw the whole time we were there.  On the way home we stopped at a roadside stand to some apples and apple cider.