Fall Festival 2008

We drove into Orion over the weekend to attend the 2008 Orion Fall Festival. I grew up in Orion and graduated from Orion schools. It's almost a class reunion of sorts seeing all my old classmates and their children in the park. Here are some of our favorite memories from the weekend...tractor pulls, candy in the hay, minnow races and face paiting were just a few.

Hope you all have a fabulous Labor Day Weekend. Drive Safe. Be Safe.

Another Mans Trash = Another Womans Treasure

As I was driving home from school with the girls this afternoon, I drove by my cousin's house and saw this sitting at the end of his driveway. It appeared to be set out for junk....but knowing how many antique lovers I have in my family I thought......hmmm, maybe he set it out for someone to come and pick up. As I looked at it, I could envision it stripped to its original wood and stained to use in my scrapbook room. NOTE: The top photo is actually a photo of the piece upside down, so use your imaginations. The large cubes showcasing my albums and the small openings for paper storage and such. It even has a little desk edge that i knew would hold my cricut and big bite. I was in love! I called my mom to see if she knew what he was doing with it....she didn't. Darn it. She said you'll just have to call him and ask. So I did, thinking if he was selling it, he'd want a couple hundred bucks for it. David called me back and I asked him what he was doing with that primitive mail sorter table and he said "Jamie is supposed to pick it up today with his trailer and burn it".....NO! I had waited an hour and a half to call......what if it was gone?!?!? Well, lo and behold, as fate would have it.......it was still there. I asked him how much he wanted for it and he said "take it". NO WAY!!!! I saved it from its death via cremation and all it cost me was gas $$$... :o) I will begin tomorrow stripping it and when I am done, Lance will have to replace one leg (so technically it will be an upgraded primitive antique) and I will showcase it in my scraproom! We'll see how long it takes me to post it new.........isn't it so true, one mans trash is another mans treasure..........WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOO!

"Who Let the Dogs Out?" Who Who Who Who....

Three weeks ago, my older sister Jen was reading meters in the small town she lives in when she was viciously attacked by a 4year old boxer. Jen was approaching the backyard of a residence when she stepped just inside the opening in the fence and the dog took off and ripped into her lower right thigh, making two large, deep wounds to the area. Wounds which required transport via ambulance due to the extent of the wound and a total of 12 stiches. There were two tears, one approx 2 inches wide and 1 inch deep. The second approx 1.25 inches wide and 1 inch deep. The dog was leashed, but had access to the entire perimeter of the yard and beyond the fence. That's a long leash!!! Now, while on the ride to the hospital, the volunteer ambulance service in her town was requested back at the house to tend to the police officer who had arrived to secure the dog and take a report. He was bitten in the hand! The owners were home and apparently have no control of the dog's behavior or aggressiveness. The dog was not up to date on shots. Initially, the owner said the dog was current, then said it was 4 years behind (so never, ever had had shots) and then about 6 months behind. Come to find out the dog has bit 4 times over 2 years and attacked 7 times in two years. I have always been leery of the "vicious dog" law, because I always have believed it should only be used in extreme cases. Like this,where the dog has no structure of discipline and is aggressive inside and outside of the home. I feel bad that someone could lose a family pet, but I would never keep a family pet if it had bit/attacked to that extent. It just isn't worth it for someone to get killed over it.....and that can happen.

So I guess my question is, what would you do? My sister has started a petition to deem the dog vicious and have it euthanized. Even at 37 years old, she is now very wary of large dogs, even the nice ones. It's something that will probably stick with her forever. Thoughts, comments, suggestions.............and as always, if I failed to explain something well, just ask! :o)

First Day of School = one sad mommy

For years, I knew it was coming. It loomed like a gray cloud in the back of my head. The first day of Kindergarten for my baby girl. I anticipated such joy at seeing her reach one of the biggest milestones in her mere five years of life with just a touch of mellowness on my end since she is the baby and the last to leave the nest. The day started off great, all the girls woke up minus crabbiness (musta been first day excitement times ten) and ready to eat a healthy breakfast and get on the bus. I took "first day of school" pics of all three of them seperately and together. The bus came, more excitement bubbled at the seams, and off they were.

I came in, sat down and had a Coke (my morning coffee) and a slice of toast. Checked email and then got ready to head in to school to meet them getting off of the bus. Took all three girls to their respective classrooms and got the "first day in my new classroom" shots. I met my sister hobbling on her crutches (dog bite, long story that I will post about later this week) and we walked down to Kindergarten hall. While passing Avery's classroom, I noticed a few mommy's in tears in the hallway and thought "hmmmm, okay" not really getting why they were teared up. I mean, this is supposed to be a happy time, right? I drove home thinking about those ladies and how that whole sadness just wasn't me. lol! Then, I picked up the mail and walked in the back door and I just kind of stood there in the kitchen. It hit me....my baby is all grown up and here I am alone. Tears began to flow and the more I tried to stop them, the more forceful they came. She's my baby. I haven't been "alone" in ten years....some little person has always been here. I finally came to realize they weren't tears of weakness, they were proud and sad mommy tears. Happy and sad all together is normal right? Riiiiiiggggggghhhhhhhhhht........

Here are my happy thoughts as Avery starts Kindergarten:

I wish you a lifetime of learning. A love of words and numbers. A love of reading and physical education. I hope you run with the wind beneath your wings and I hope you fly to places you never imagined. I hope you make lifelong friends and learn that is is a priviledge to be a friend. Show your friends you love and respect them. Honor your teachers. Listen and obey them. They will nurture you with their love of teaching. Nurture them back with your love of learning. And, always remember, mommy loves you with all her heart.