We Are The Champions

Luke's Team won the Mississippi Valley NIT. We got by our first team the Tri-County A's and then we had to face the Clinton Comets again, who beat us the day before. We beat them 4-1 to make it to the Championship game. The Clinton Comets were also the State Champions last year, so we are fired up.

Luke at bat.

The boys waiting to get their trophies :)

The weather was much nicer today, I even took my hands out of my gloves to eat a few sunflower seeds.

Luke-Baseball Tournament

Perfect Game 10U-Mississippi Valley NIT

This was our first tournament of the Baseball season due to cancellations because of the weather. The weather was 16mph winds with gusts up to 28mph and a wind chill temp. of 40 degrees and sunny. Doesn't that sound like the perfect weather for baseball?? Well, let me answer that, NO! We had our winter coats on with blankets on us and we still froze.

Anyway, First game was against the Quad City A's who we beat 7-3. Luke played catcher, 2nd base and one inning in centerfield. He had 1 hit and 2 RBI's.

Luke at Catcher

Luke at 2nd

That is all the pictures I got because I was too cold to take more. We finish up play tomorrow and flurries are in the forecast, can't wait:)

Esther McManus

I was a Caregiver to Esther McManus, for the last 7 months. She passed away last Sunday, she was 91 years young. Here is a link to her obituary, she was a beautiful woman inside and out.http://www.cedarmemorial.com/_mgxroot/page_10899.php

I remember when I had to go over and fill in for another Caregiver. I was told that Esther's Husband, the Judge, was pretty particular, so I was a little nervous. Esther and I got along great, from the start. The Judge came home and I stuck my hand out gave him a firm hand shake, and introduced myself. So, far, so good......then I had the most wonderful visit with him and before you knew it, it was time for me to leave. Anyway, he called the office and wanted me back. You have to understand they had went through 20 plus caregivers since June, and it was the end of August.

The months went on, and I enjoyed sitting with Esther and watching tennis. She was an avid tennis player and knows the game. She also enjoyed watching Game Shows, and would always be there with the answer. No matter how she was feeling, she was more concerned about how you were doing. She loved her chocolate and her cookies. I could always bribe her with chocolate or a cookie, to get her to take meds that tasted awful, or to get her to work a little harder at moving in times of pain. She loved her Husband, because you could see the gleam in her eyes everytime he walked by, or touched her arm. As, she began to fail, I wasnted to make sure she was not in any pain or discomfort. I would sit and just rub her arm and hum a song to her. When Hospice came in, we set it up for her to have a massage, weekly, and she dearly loved it....the smile and peaceful look on her face would make me cry. I could go on and on because I enjoyed every minute with Esther.

I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to care for Esther, and have her in my life, even though it was for a short time. She was full of wisdom and I will cherish the memories forever.

If we share with caring, lightheartedness, and love,we will create abundance and joy for each other.And then this moment will have been worthwhile.

Deepak Chopra

Kindergarten Friend

I met my friend Sally Zimmerman(Pentz) when I was in Kindergarten. She also lived in my neighborhood so we played with each other alot. Anyway, her Dad passed on the spring of our 1st grade year, so that summer her family moved to Tennesse. We wrote letters to each other, but as we grew older we stopped. Email would of been great back then, huh? Barb, her mother, would come back up to Iowa and give us updates. I stopped by to see her once on our way to Florida. Thursday afternoon I was just resting because I had a long day, and the phone rang. It was my Mom and she said Sally, Mary Ellen and Perry were in town. So, we went out to see them at thier Hotel. They had brought their Mother's ashes up to be buried next to their Father. Anyway, it was so nice to see them and you would of never thought any time had passed between us with all the chatter going on. The only thing that has really changed is our looks but we are still beautiful :)

Sally, I am so glad you called Mom. It was so nice to see all of you. I feel like I could of talked forever. Now with email and my Blog we can keep in touch again. True friendships never die :)

Luke's 1st Baseball Game of 2008

Luke had his 1st Baseball game on Thursday, so I am a little behind at posting this. It was rained out after 2 innings so I thought why should I post any pictures but the more I look at them...he is just so darn cute...I love him in his uniform.

Luke is walking in after pregame warm ups, with the pitcher.

I made Luke pose for me before the game, and he wasn't too happy with me. He thinks I am such a nerd sometimes, with my camera, but its a Mom thing. It was his 1st game with his new team.

Luke's favorite position is Catcher, and he is very good at it. He also, plays short, 3rd base and anywhere the Coach needs him. I love watching him catch though :)

I love this time of year, so this weather has really put a damper on baseball. I am ready for bleacher butt, sunflower seeds, sunshine and sweating in my seat while I cheer the boys on!!

LET'S PLAY BALL!!!

Wild Turkeys

When I arrived home, this morning from working out, this is what I saw in our backyard.

WILD TURKEYS

I have never seen them spread their feathers like this. I thought it was the most beautiful thing to see this morning. I wonder if this means something, like warmer temperatures are upon us :)

The Final Season

Today the movie The Final Season came out on DVD. I was not one of the people who tried to make my movie debut as an extra BUT I was excited to purchase mine because I have had the pleasure to get to know Jim Van Scoyoc. He is the Norway Coach who had 19 State Championship Teams, so he must know something about Baseball. http://www.finalseason.com/indexFlash.php?page=index - link to the site.

In January, we had some decisions to make as far as who Luke was going to play baseball for this spring. It was driving me crazy so I decided to investigate. I stopped in at The Perfect Game, this is an indoor practice facility, and NO ONE waited on me. So, I went into the cages and I saw this old man in bibs. I went up and introduced myself and it was Jim VanScoyoc. (He is the man in the red shirt in the picture above.) He said he had heard about Luke...I know he is only 9 but his baseball mentality, drive and play, is way above others his age. Jim, talked to me, answered all of my questions and thanked me for being a concerned Mom. He said "I have never had a Mom come with such great questions and concerns in all of my years of coaching." I was so excited for Luke when I left, that Jim VanScoyoc would be one of his Coaches and mentors. Jim VanScoyoc said" It's not all about him, its about the kids he mentors to become Men Of The Game."

Schulte & Swann from Z102.9

This morning when I was driving home, st 6:45a.m., from my Kick Boxing Class, I heard on the radio that Schulte & Swann were at Walmart promoting the DVD. The only time I listen to 102.9 is in the morning because these two are soooo funny!! I am lucky I stay on the road at times. Then there are times I will sit in the garage until they are done with a story, and my family comes out and just laughs at me. Sorry, to go off on a tangent but this morning was one of those days......so I had to go out and say Hi to Schulte & Swann and chat for a while. Actually I was taking Luke to school and he heard them talking to Jim VanScoyoc and he said "Mom can you go get me the DVD and have Grandpa VanScoyoc sign it." How could I say no and isn't it cute that he calls him Grandpa....the reason for that is because Jim's two grandsons play ball with Luke.

I haven't even seen the movie yet but I am hoping to find time this week to get it in :)

"We grow ball players like corn" Jim VanScoyoc

I Have Been Tagged

I am new to Blogging and I have been tagged so here goes:

What was I doing 10 years ago?
I was pregnant with Luke and had Connor who was three. I was a stay at home Mom and we were living over on Knoll St. S.E. Connor was in Preschool at All Saints and I volunteered there quite a bit.

5 things on today's to do list:
Workout
Pick up a few items at the grocery store
Take Connor to Basketball Tryouts
Laundry
Read later in the day

5 snacks I enjoy:
chips and salsa
s\f carmel nonfat latte(from Brewed Awakenings)
homemade cookies
Veggies and dip
smoothies

5 things I would do if I was a billionaire:
Payoff all debt\retire Brian so he could be a Dad full time.
Build a recreation center in all quadrants of Linn County for EVERYONE to enjoy regardless of economic level.
Build a home or two in a warm climate for Family and Friends to enjoy.
Donate money to the Cedar Rapids School District, for Teacher pay raises and any improvements needed.
Build a Senior Center in Cedar Rapids, with a pool, theater, crafts, music, etc...and a well Qualified Staff to work with the Seniors so they can enjoy life when they are there.

5 Bad Habits:
Eating ice cream at 8p.m. right before bedtime.
Being very critical of myself
Procrastinating
Surfing the Internet
Diet Pepsi

5 Places I Have Lived
Iowa City
Burlington
Pekin, IL
With my Parents
With my In-Laws

5 Jobs I have Had:
Younkers(High School)
RT's Bar and Grill(waitress\bartender-Iowa City)
Jack's Discount(Area Manager)
Parsons Technology(Technical Support Specialist)
Home Instead(Senior Companion)


Since I don't have many Blog Friends I tag Clare :)

More Photos at the launch of the Shuttle

Grandpa Chic & Grandma Sue, were there to see the launch of the Shuttle :)
Grandma Aggie, also enjoyed congratulating Luke on a successful mission!

'That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind ... Neil Armstrong'

Shuttle Take Off 2008

Luke's 4th Grade Class had the opportunity to build a Space Shuttle and simulate a take off. With the help of the Rockwell Retired Engineers, this mission was a success.

Here is a view of the Space Shuttle. It is inflated by two fans and is large enough for the kids to get in it. There are two sections that they can pass through too.

This is Mrs. Kucera, Kue's Teacher. She had the opportunity, 5 years ago, to go to Space Camp and brought this idea back to PIerce Elementary. Thanks to her and the partnership with Rockwell, this had been a great learning experience for the kids.

Luke was in the Command Center, as a Propulsion Operator

Here is a self portrait for my cousin Clare :)

This is a continuation of the Mom & Daughter haircut day. I never got a picture of the finished cut....so here it is :)I have never tried taking my own picture before. I can't get the back though.
At least now my Boys will know they had a Mom because there aren't too many pictures of me since I am the one taking the pictures all the time!

Mom-Daughter Haircuts :)

Mom and I get our hair cut & styled by Heather at Artistic Strands.

Today my apt. was a 1\2 hour after my Moms.

So, I decided I would surprise them with my camera.

Heather wouldn't even look at the camera.

Here is Heather trying to shoo me away with a blowdryer! Mom & Heather, are talking shop here about some issue Heather has going with her hair. Have you ever seen a Hair Stylist with anything wrong with their hair? If Heather would of posed for me you could of seen how cute she is :) Thank you Heather for being a good sport!!

Then I have to apologize for the absence of the Finished cut & style but my camera batteries died. This really make me mad because I can NEVER get my hair to look as nice as when Heather does it. If she was any kind of stylist, don't you think she would offer to come to my house every morning and style it :)

"Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open." John Barrymore

Luke Enjoying the April Snow

Luke with our cat Criddle
Luke twirling around. . . .
We thought it was so cool how big the flakes wereWe should be at Baseball practice, but it was

cancelled due to rain and snow.

Randy Pausch

I came across this story in Sept. of 2007. I was watching the news and Randy Pausch was the person of the day on ABC News. So I watched his lecture and I just cried. I read his Blog daily to see how he is doing. http://download.srv.cs.cmu.edu/~pausch/news/index.html

Today in the Sunday paper, in the Parade, they had a article on his Last Lecture. If you can make time on Wednesday, April 9th, at 9p.m. central time Diane Sawyer will have an interview with Randy on his Last Lecture. It is a very heart warming and inspirational story. You can also check out this website http://www.thelastlecture.com/aboutr.htm. It is called the Last Lecture, and gives information on a book.

We should all live by "The Lessons I'm Leaving Behind" by Randy Pausch:

1. Always Have Fun-I believe we get to busy with schedules that we forget to have fun.

2. Dream Big-"Give yourself permission to dream. Fuel your kid's dreams too. Once in a while, that might even mean letting them stay up past their bedtimes."

3. Ask for What You Want-"Ask. More often the you'd suspect, the answer you'll get is, "Sure"."

4. Dare To Take a Risk-"Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted. And it can be the most valuable thing you have to offer."

5. Look for the Best in Everybody-"If you wait long enough, people will surprise and impress you." Sometimes we get frustrated and angry with people because we haven't given them enough time but "people will show their goo side. Just keep waiting, it will come." This one I think is so true, because I feel we write people off to quickly with a first impression.

6. Make Time for What Matters-"Time is all you have. And you may find one day that you have less than you think." If you have relationships with anyone, especially Family, I believe you need to take advantage of the Quality time you can spend with them. I have seen this in my life, so much, in the last few months. Your children grow up, your parents age, and you have unexpected losses that can just throw a loop in your life. Then and only then do you realize that you should of spent more quality time with that person.

7. Let Kids BE Themselves-"Kids, don't try to figure out what I wanted you to become. I want you to become what you want to become. And I want you to feel as if I am there with you, whatever path you choose." This is a hard one because I feel as parents we want the dreams WE have for our children to be their dream also, when we should actually be helping our kids foster their own dreams and give them the tools to fulfill their own wishes.

I hope you all find time in your day to enjoy it and the people that surround you.

Extreme Bodyshaping

I love to workout BUT this winter just killed me with the weather. I wasn't motivated to go out in the cold and snow to drive to the gym. So a friend of mine talked me into signing up for a 10 week TRANSFORMATION at Farrell's Extreme Bodyshaping, the link is below. (http://www.extremebodyshaping.com/index.asp
It is a combination of Kick Boxing and Resistant Band strength training. I was a little nervous because I have never done any time of martial arts and I am not a exercise class type of person. Well, I completed my first week and I am totally addicted and excited.
Today was a Kick Boxing day. The class before mine left all excited and said it was Fun Friday. There instructor had mixed it up and did some fun stuff. Well, when I saw this little short guy, all buff with a couple tatoos on his feet and this doo-rag on his head...I thought "we are going to get our butts kicked, this is not going to be Fun Friday". Guess what? I was right. He was so intense but I loved kicking that bag and punching it today :) and just drippping with sweat by the end of class.
As the day goes on my legs are getting so sore, its hard to go up the stairs but my motto for now is "Pain is just weakness leaving the body"

Snow in April

The snow is beautiful, it is really big flakes

but haven't we had enough?

Maybe, will beat the record now. The ground is covered. I think we have at least an inch.

Clare, I bet you wish you were here :)

Baseball Practice 3\2\08

Does anyone know who is pitching to Luke?
Who is that Coach out there??