Memorial Day

A holiday to remember loved ones who have passed away. A holiday to remember veterans who gave their lives while serving our country. Memorial Day weekend, I try to take my kids to the cemetery to visit graves of loved ones and to talk about what I remember about them. It's a trip they usually grumble about but don't seem to mind too much once we get there. We visit gravesites of great grandparents and I talk about what I know or remember about them, also, sadly, we visit the graves of young people who passed away in their prime. It reminds me to spend time with my kids while they are here and it reminds them that sometimes we don't get to grow old and to be more careful with life. The above picture is from Mt. Hope Cemetery - seeing all the flags flying always brings a lump to my throat. It's such an impressive sight.

Apple Blossoms

I love to watch the crab trees bud and blossom around town. We have the beautiful dark pink on our farm and every year I anxiously await the blossoms. We also have three Regent apple trees on the farm that John's parents planted and lovingly tended. This year the blossoms seem to be lasting a while. Some years between the strong prairie wind and driving spring rains, the blossoms can fall like snow and cover the green grass. I like springs like this one better. The weather seems to be cooperating and the blossoms are hanging on long enough for the pictures you see above to be taken and the beauty to be enjoyed. Happy spring!

Birthday Coffee

Happy Birthday Kim!

For the past year or so, we have gotten together over early morning coffee at the Stray Cat to celebrate each other's birthdays. Friday, May 23rd was Kim's turn. It's nice to be able to get together in the morning and talk about our day or our week and honor the special birthday person. I hope it's a tradition that continues for a long time for us! Wonder if they'll eventually put in coffee bars in nursing homes?? Hope you had a great birthday Kim! See you all when the next birthday comes along.....

Maddie's Birthday

It's Maddie's birthday today. She would have been four years old. She passed away on Monday, March 3 and we miss her everyday. The rabbits and squirrels have taken over the farm since she's been gone. The birds fly overhead and no one barks at them anymore. Macy and Daniel took her death pretty hard. John and I told them when they came home from school and Macy had to walk away. Daniel started crying right away. We had left her in the barn and he went out to say goodbye. He walked slowly across the yard with his head down, paused at the door and went in. He was in there for several minutes and when he came out of the barn he looked up into the sky. I could almost read his mind. I watched him through the laundry room window and cried with him. It was the saddest thing I'd ever witnessed. We miss her everyday.

3rd Grade Track and Field Day

Daniel participated in the standing long jump, the 50 yard dash, the 100 yard dash and the hurdles. He also did a relay at the end of the field day event. It was a beautiful day and it looked like everyone had a lot of fun!

Teri's College Graduation!

May 10, 2008

My friend, Teri, graduated from college with a teaching degree! She's an amazing person, graduating Summa Cum Laude and inducted to the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society which requires you to be in the top 10% of your class. She worked really hard to reach her goal of becoming a teacher all the while taking care of four kids and raising a husband! She and her family sacrificed a lot during the past three years and I know that it will pay off a thousand times over in the coming years. She is so excited to be a teacher and will be an awesome one! We held a party in her honor on the day she graduated and it was so fun and relaxed and so great to see her so happy! Congratulations, Teri! We are so proud of you!

More Science Museum Pictures

Daniel's 3rd Grade Field Trip

Daniel, Ben and Nick
Shuttle Simulator
Digging for dinosaur bones
Daniel and Mom
Daniel and Nick putting together a dinosaur puzzle

On Wednesday, May 7th, I got to chaperone Daniel's field trip to the science museum in Sioux Falls. It was a lot of fun and I always enjoy going along on field trips. I love the bus ride, the excitment from the kids and getting a chance to spend the day with my son! Thanks, Mrs. Bosshart, for letting me go along!

Daniel's 10th Birthday

My baby is 10 years old. Can he be that old already? We didn't do a big birthday party. We opened his cards from family (that's were the money came from) and had birthday cake with Grandma and Grandpa Ratzlaff. I bought him a Wii game, Grandma Ratzlaff baked him chocolate chip cookies and cards came in the mail from Grandma Coleman and Aunt Marlene with money inside. We'll do a friend birthday party later this month when everyone has more time to get ready. May is a busy month for field work and graduations and proms. Poor Daniel. He tends to get the shaft when his birthday comes around and birthday parties just don't seem to happen. I'll make it up to him later this month. Two years ago his birthday was on Emily's prom and last year we were pretty absorbed with her graduation. Poor kid....

Solo Concert

Monday, May 5th was the high school solo concert and Macy and her boyfriend, Zach, decided to sing a duet from the movie "Juno". Zach played the guitar and they sang "Anyone Else But You" that was sung at the end of the movie by the lead actors.

The anticipation was really nerve wracking for me because I wanted them to do well and they nailed it! They sang perfectly and the audience exploded when they were done! I was so proud. I wasn't sure if I would make her more nervous by making eye contact with her and snapping pictures while she was singing, but she was the one who made eye contact with me and I started to cry! I was so proud of her! They were later asked to sing it one more time during the end of the year grill-out during lunch. Zach and his band were performing for the students and she said some friends started shouting for her to go up there and sing too. She was surprised that they remembere the words! Way to go Macy and Zach!

My Sister is 50!!

Me and my sister, Sheila
Sheila and her birthday cake

My mom and my sister

When we asked Sheila what she wanted to do for her birthday, she said she wanted to go to Old Country Buffet in Mankato. My brothers and their families drove down from the cities and two of our aunts and uncles came from Mt. Lake to celebrate. We had good food and good fun! Exactly what fun birthdays are made of! I'm having a little difficulty with the fact that I have a 50 year old sister but she's handling the milestone with grace and ease. It just doesn't seem like we should be that old... my memories of sharing a room with her in our old house on 8th Avenue are very vivid. We had a typical childhood with two working parents and plenty of sibling rivalry! I remember being bored in the summer time, not having enough fun things to do, not doing our chores and getting into trouble with mom for it and family vacations where the six of us unhappy people were crammed into a car and driving for hours and hours and hours. I also remember when we got an air conditioning unit in the car so that tells you I was pretty old when that happened! The van I drive now has a dvd player in it and Daniel is always asking if he can take a movie along when we go to Mankato which is only 40 minutes away! Talk about changing times!

I found the perfect card for my sister for her birthday. It tells her how brave, strong and courageous she is. And it's true. There is no one else in my life that is stronger than my sister. There is no one esle in my life like my sister, period. I have many close friends that I love very much but no one can take the place of my big sister! Love you, Sheila!

A Blog to Share with you

This is a blog that was shared by my friend, Deb. It is an amazing, heartbreaking story and it's one that will leave you changed and in awe. Please take some time and look at this. There is a link on the left-hand side to view the blog in chonological order. It will take some time, but it's worth it.

www.audreycaroline.blogspot.com