Now that the elections are over, things are starting to get back to normal around here - that is if you call the following normal:
Our oldest son loves super heroes. Loves to talk about them, pretend like he is one, dress like them; you get the idea.
I was visiting with a friend this morning and out comes Jonathan wearing a cape and his clothes. Sounds okay, right? He had also decided to wear a pair of underwear on the outside of his clothes so he can fully grasp that super hero look.
Picture this in your mind: 7-year-old wearing a normal shirt, pants, a red Superman cape, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle underoos on top of his jeans.
Thankfully he took them off almost immediately. They got in the way of fighting bad guys.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Friday, November 03, 2006
I get it
First of all, I want you all to know that I understand the lengths people go to in order to get a person elected. I have made phone calls, organized fundraisers, walked door-to-door, and put my fair share of yard signs out there. We've worked on both the legislative side and the political side during the election season.
When we first started down this road, I couldn't believe I was going to be one of "those people". You know the kind, they know who is running for an office - on both sides - and they have a pretty good grasp of what issues are relevant to winning a campaign. They enjoy watching poll numbers come in and become gleeful on election night when the returns come in.
I know that we're sick and tired of getting the phone calls and the mail and just basically hearing about candidates so many times that we feel we know them personally.
But there are many out there who have no idea what Amendment 2 is all about in the state of Missouri. They don't know that there are some people running for office that actually think gay marriage is a-okay. And, even more scary, they aren't going to inform themselves about these issues and make the biggest difference.
That's right, they aren't going to vote.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we all stayed home and the entire election process could be decided by one or two people? What if those people didn't look at the world the way you look at the world? What if those people thought abortion was a right?
As someone who has had some doors politely slammed in her face and more than one person yell over the phone that they don't want anymore calls, I want you to know that I'm tired of it too. I'm tired because we have to go through such hoops to make sure people are as educated as possible when they go to polls.
It's so much more than voting for a particular party anymore. It's voting your values.
So please, the next time someone comes to your door or calls to take a poll remember they're doing this because they believe in the process. They want everyone to go the polls as informed as possible. They really believe they can make a difference - and usually they do.
When we first started down this road, I couldn't believe I was going to be one of "those people". You know the kind, they know who is running for an office - on both sides - and they have a pretty good grasp of what issues are relevant to winning a campaign. They enjoy watching poll numbers come in and become gleeful on election night when the returns come in.
I know that we're sick and tired of getting the phone calls and the mail and just basically hearing about candidates so many times that we feel we know them personally.
But there are many out there who have no idea what Amendment 2 is all about in the state of Missouri. They don't know that there are some people running for office that actually think gay marriage is a-okay. And, even more scary, they aren't going to inform themselves about these issues and make the biggest difference.
That's right, they aren't going to vote.
Have you ever wondered what it would be like if we all stayed home and the entire election process could be decided by one or two people? What if those people didn't look at the world the way you look at the world? What if those people thought abortion was a right?
As someone who has had some doors politely slammed in her face and more than one person yell over the phone that they don't want anymore calls, I want you to know that I'm tired of it too. I'm tired because we have to go through such hoops to make sure people are as educated as possible when they go to polls.
It's so much more than voting for a particular party anymore. It's voting your values.
So please, the next time someone comes to your door or calls to take a poll remember they're doing this because they believe in the process. They want everyone to go the polls as informed as possible. They really believe they can make a difference - and usually they do.
Saturday, October 28, 2006
GO CRAZY, FOLKS, GO CRAZY!!!
One of my favorite tv shows is 24. I have a huge man crush on Jack Bauer.
Twenty-four years ago, my Cardinals...yes, my Cardinals...won their last World Championship. Kids I teach in my classes weren't even alive the last time they won. They look at me, tilting their heads sideways, when I talk about the last World Series championship, hearing Jack Buck excitedly announce the words "World Series Winner" and watching as Bruce Sutter and Darrell Porter hugged each other on the mound, celebrating 15 years of pent up St. Louis baseball frustration from 1967 to '82.
Now, flash forward nearly a quarter of a century. Three World Series disappointments later ('85, '87, and '04), we all sat downstairs together, watching Adam Wainwright pop that fastball into Yadi's glove, and we WON!!! WE WON!!! I'm sure they heard me scream "STRIKE THREE!" all the way to the Arch from here in Hannibal.
Man, was this a great night, a great week, and a great month!
Twenty-four years ago, my Cardinals...yes, my Cardinals...won their last World Championship. Kids I teach in my classes weren't even alive the last time they won. They look at me, tilting their heads sideways, when I talk about the last World Series championship, hearing Jack Buck excitedly announce the words "World Series Winner" and watching as Bruce Sutter and Darrell Porter hugged each other on the mound, celebrating 15 years of pent up St. Louis baseball frustration from 1967 to '82.
Now, flash forward nearly a quarter of a century. Three World Series disappointments later ('85, '87, and '04), we all sat downstairs together, watching Adam Wainwright pop that fastball into Yadi's glove, and we WON!!! WE WON!!! I'm sure they heard me scream "STRIKE THREE!" all the way to the Arch from here in Hannibal.
Man, was this a great night, a great week, and a great month!
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Yet another Fall Classic
I've never played professional baseball in my life, and yet I sat Thursday night "reliving" some old feelings as I watched my Cardinals - yes, MY Cardinals - squeak out a win over the Mets to get to their 17th World Series.
I'm spoiled. In the 80s, I thought we had it good when we went to the playoffs (and the World Series) 3 times in the decade. Now, we've been to the playoffs (counting this year) six out of the last seven years, and to the World Series two out of the last three. Unbelievable.
As usual, I am wearing my bright red Jack Buck vintage sportscoat wherever I go these days. It got me to thinking about days ago and when I was first introduced to Cardinal Nation. It wasn't through a family member or friend; it wasn't by being taken to a game. The first time was through the description and from the eyes of John Francis Buck. I remember listening to Jack through my summers, listening to he & Mike describe the games through the static off of the powerhouse "Voice of St. Louis" KMOX. During west coast swings, my small radio was pressed up against my ear while I had my head under the sheets of my bed. I still remember some of the calls like they were yesterday...in 1987 versus LA in a mid-summer game...
"A 1 and 1 count as (Jack) Clark stands in against (Bob) Welch here in the 9th. The pitch...swing and a long one! Would you believe it? Would you believe it? Another home run by Clark against the Dodgers. And the Cardinals LEAD in the 9th against the Dodgers, 3-1. That's his 29th of the year; 91 runs batted in. He did it again!"
His vintage home run call in a tied World Series game 6 between the Twins & the Braves in 1991...
"Puckett swings and hits it deep into left field...and we will see you...tomorrow night..."
The Cards' first World Championship in 15 years (and their last, to date) on a cold October night in St. Louis in 1982...
"Sutter comes set, and the pitch to Gorman Thomas...swing and a miss! And that's a winner! That's a winner! A World Series winner for the Cardinals!"
Jack loved his team, loved his family, and loved life. His son, Joe, spoke so eloquently at his funeral back in 2002, remembering some phrases from Jack's life he passed along to his eight children.
"Worry? I'll tell you when to worry."
"Don't holler til you're hurt."
"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out."
His son, Joe, is such a reminder to Cardinal fans - and to all those who considered Jack the voice of their childhood summers - of days gone by and a quick glance over our shoulders to the way things used to be; a less complicated time when all that mattered was what's for supper and what am I doing this weekend.
As I sat there Thursday - in the midst of running the most important state campaign in Missouri according to many - I was able to take just a few moments, shut out the world, sit with breathless anticipation, and relive the summers of my childhood. As the final curve pressed into the back of Yadier Molina's mitt, 20 years were shaved off of my life, if but only for a moment. I was a kid again, and I couldn't have been happier.
I'm spoiled. In the 80s, I thought we had it good when we went to the playoffs (and the World Series) 3 times in the decade. Now, we've been to the playoffs (counting this year) six out of the last seven years, and to the World Series two out of the last three. Unbelievable.
As usual, I am wearing my bright red Jack Buck vintage sportscoat wherever I go these days. It got me to thinking about days ago and when I was first introduced to Cardinal Nation. It wasn't through a family member or friend; it wasn't by being taken to a game. The first time was through the description and from the eyes of John Francis Buck. I remember listening to Jack through my summers, listening to he & Mike describe the games through the static off of the powerhouse "Voice of St. Louis" KMOX. During west coast swings, my small radio was pressed up against my ear while I had my head under the sheets of my bed. I still remember some of the calls like they were yesterday...in 1987 versus LA in a mid-summer game...
"A 1 and 1 count as (Jack) Clark stands in against (Bob) Welch here in the 9th. The pitch...swing and a long one! Would you believe it? Would you believe it? Another home run by Clark against the Dodgers. And the Cardinals LEAD in the 9th against the Dodgers, 3-1. That's his 29th of the year; 91 runs batted in. He did it again!"
His vintage home run call in a tied World Series game 6 between the Twins & the Braves in 1991...
"Puckett swings and hits it deep into left field...and we will see you...tomorrow night..."
The Cards' first World Championship in 15 years (and their last, to date) on a cold October night in St. Louis in 1982...
"Sutter comes set, and the pitch to Gorman Thomas...swing and a miss! And that's a winner! That's a winner! A World Series winner for the Cardinals!"
Jack loved his team, loved his family, and loved life. His son, Joe, spoke so eloquently at his funeral back in 2002, remembering some phrases from Jack's life he passed along to his eight children.
"Worry? I'll tell you when to worry."
"Don't holler til you're hurt."
"Things turn out best for those who make the best of the way things turn out."
His son, Joe, is such a reminder to Cardinal fans - and to all those who considered Jack the voice of their childhood summers - of days gone by and a quick glance over our shoulders to the way things used to be; a less complicated time when all that mattered was what's for supper and what am I doing this weekend.
As I sat there Thursday - in the midst of running the most important state campaign in Missouri according to many - I was able to take just a few moments, shut out the world, sit with breathless anticipation, and relive the summers of my childhood. As the final curve pressed into the back of Yadier Molina's mitt, 20 years were shaved off of my life, if but only for a moment. I was a kid again, and I couldn't have been happier.
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
7
Today is our oldest son's 7th birthday. I can't believe it. It seems like yesterday we were praying fervently that a child would bless our home and now we're celebrating his 7th birthday! Hard to believe.
Some of you may be wondering what a 7-year-old boy does when he's celebrating. Well, his teacher and principal got together and decided to cancel school today (a plus to homeschooling) and we went out with his classmate (his brother) for a nice breakfast.
He is now playing video games. That will pretty much be his day.
Sometimes I find myself wondering what happened to those days when I could just SIT DOWN and not worry about laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking - just put it all aside and say forget it; I'm going to play a mindless game and not worry about all the other stuff.
Maybe it's because I'm not 7.
Some of you may be wondering what a 7-year-old boy does when he's celebrating. Well, his teacher and principal got together and decided to cancel school today (a plus to homeschooling) and we went out with his classmate (his brother) for a nice breakfast.
He is now playing video games. That will pretty much be his day.
Sometimes I find myself wondering what happened to those days when I could just SIT DOWN and not worry about laundry, dishes, cleaning, cooking - just put it all aside and say forget it; I'm going to play a mindless game and not worry about all the other stuff.
Maybe it's because I'm not 7.
Monday, October 09, 2006
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