Fun times

 Everyone has had a super fun event lately.

Steven brought Michael and his friend Riley to the UK women's NCAA basketball game last Saturday in Lexington.  UK soundly defeated Wright State. 

Last night Elizabeth and Emily (I was also there, allowed to sit right next to them!) attended Grimms' Tales, a play written by one of my GC colleagues in the Theatre Department.  It was hilarious. Although you wouldn't know it from looking at the two girls in their summer frocks, it was 30 degrees and sleeting when the photo was taken.

Steven pulled out his research on HVAC systems from last year and finally got his dream furnace system installed.  Yes, it is frighteningly large and resembles a space ship.  I think neighbors suspect it is a small barn.  Our system was 10 years old and highly inefficient.  I know your favorite part of our blog is when I mention these home improvements.  Exciting!!!

I got to see Tiffany!  I was sad that the reason for her visit was her father's surgery, but I was so thankful to be on spring break and thus get to have lunch (and frozen yogurt, during which we posed with the Fro-Jo bear) with her.  Thankful her dad is doing well.  Love you, Tiffany!

And we are ready for the UK game this afternoon.  I have been whispering all day, so I can save my vocal chords for cheering and screaming, beginning at 5:05.  You're going down, Michigan!  Everyone knows it, and no one likes you!  Yeah!!!

Freedom Center Field Trip

Elizabeth's 8th grade class travelled to Cincinnati last week for their long- awaited field trip to The Freedom Center.  I write "long-awaited" because it was rescheduled three times due to snow.  It STILL snowed on the day we went (see yet another freaking snow photo), March 25th, but we went anyway.

Although expressly forbidden to do so, I snuck away from the group at one point to go to the gift shop.  Guess what I saw?!  Two copies of His promised land.  I bought them both and had to explain to the store clerk why I was crying as I paid for them.  "God bless your father", she said over and over again.  I donated one copy to Elizabeth's classroom.  Her teacher thanked me profusely and read the book the entire way home.  I know this because I was seated across from him, reading Tina Fey's Bossypants, an equally intellectually-stimulating book.

The Center is amazing.  The docents were incredible.  There are five videos of reenactments and explanations regarding the Underground Railroad.  It is a must-see!  I will go with anyone who reads this blog who wants to go.

One of Elizabeth's favorite parts was going to the Florence Mall for lunch - and riding on the carousel.  I'm sure she loved learning about our rich history of slavery and abolition as well, although I don't recall that part of our conversation afterward.

Still winter

 It's still snowing here in Kentucky, but I promise not to post any snow photos.  Just know we're still freezing and consuming hot chocolate by the gallon.  And installing a new HVAC system Friday.

Michael and I paid homage to Aunt Laura today by playing her favorite childhood game.  If you didn't see the photo, would you have known which game it was?  It wasn't try-to-cut-her-with-a-knife-under-the-door, if that is what you originally thought.  That was my favorite game.  Ha ha ha!

 
Everyone loves Granna.
 
Niki likes to lay her head on things.
 

Zoe can drive.

 

For charity, I got pied by my favorite women's basketball player.  As I turned around, blinded by cream, I received ANOTHER pie in the face.  An alum had called that morning and pledged $50 to have another pie for me.  Huh?  TWO pies?  Really?  You can see that rotten dairy product was still in my hair three hours later.  The student in the photo with me is not the basketball player; she is a very tall psychology minor in charge of the event.  See video for my overly-dramatic response to the second pie.  I sound kinda crazy.  Eeck.

E and Zoe shared a sweet good-bye moment before E left yesterday for a Christian concert at Rupp and a sleepover with her friend Madison.

Happy dry erase note from Elizabeth!

It's Game Day!!!

UK is getting ready to play #1 Florida in the SEC tournament championship.  We are ready!

Sad update: UK lost by one point.  We had the chance to win on a buzzer shot but our player slipped and fell on the sweaty floor and didn't get our shot off.  Big Blue Nation is Sad Blue Nation tonight.

February 2014

Snowed in.  No school again for E&M.  Even Georgetown College cancelled classes, for only the second time in the 18 years I have been there.  Michael spent the night at a friend's (although because Scott County didn't cancel school until very late last night, Michael and his friend had to go to bed early, just in case, which didn't please them!) and I stayed up way too late watching the Oscars.  This morning Niki, Zoe, and my daughter are all ignoring me, sleeping and sleeping.  At least pretending to.  Niki half-opens an eye if I stare at her long enough but E hasn't made a sound.  Steven had to go to work, without the benefit of gray or black roads .... everything was covered in white and he said this morning brought the worst driving conditions he's been in since he can remember. 

Michael's basketball season is over, culminating with a banquet (no parents allowed) last week.  The 8th grade coach asked if he could have one-on-one practice sessions with Michael to help him remain a super star player.  The 8th grade coach is a GC basketball player alum and they meet on campus.  I don't see how Michael does it, nothing but net over and over again.

Elizabeth and I have had some fun times together lately.  She may be surprised to read "fun times", but I'm sticking to that phrase.  Last weekend we went to the Belle of the Blue program on campus.  (No, you don't need an eye check-up; it's a terribly blurry photo.)  A psychology major named Elizabeth won!  She is the 5th one from the left wearing a purplish dress.  Afterward, Elizabeth (McKenzie) said, "I know the only reason you let me go to this is because it's a scholarship pageant.  I know if it had been a beauty pageant you wouldn't have said it was okay."  Give that girl some credit for being incredibly perceptive!  So glad something I say and/or believe sinks in every now and then.

Yesterday I took Elizabeth and two of her friends to the mall.  The three would not pose for a photo, so here's what you get instead.  I think Emily and Anderson enjoyed hearing Elizabeth and me jamming to not only Dancing Queen by Abba but also the Patridge Family Christmas DVD, complete with arm gestures and loud singing.

The puppies are excellent.  Zoe turned three!  Ice cream for everyone!!!  Michael still loves playing with both of them.  Zoe still loves attacking stuffed animals.  Poor rhino.

Last week Steven looked at our children doing homework at the table and whispered to me, "It'll be so sad when the kids are gone."  After we finished crying about that thought, I surreptitiously took a photo of them, working so diligently.  It may look like E is sleeping on her books, but she's just intently working.  If I had asked them to pose for a photo, they both would have stuck out their tongues and hid the rest of their faces.  Trust me.

Inspired by the link of Matt Cutts that Tiffany sent us a while ago, we are each doing a 30 day challenge during the month of March.  Elizabeth is exercising at least 15 minutes a day (she did the wii Dance Party 4 last night), Michael is eating "more healthily" instead of "completely healthily", Steven is reading more, and I am studying a country a day.  After two days, we're all hanging in there.

Snow, snow, go away

Unbelievable - more cancelled school days.  And delays on the few days they've actually gone to school.  This is the most missed school our county has experienced for as long as anyone can remember (and there are some fairly old people in our county with some fairly good memories).

Elizabeth spends the days in her room, texting and reading downloaded books.  That's her, the lump in the middle of the bed under the comforter - see her lovely new furniture.  So modern.  She's so cool.  She gets that from her parents.

Michael can be found playing outside in the freezing weather, watching reruns of The Middle, or clearing off the driveway so Steven and I don't slide into our home or mailbox on our way back from work.

Recently Steven realized our hot water heater was becoming less efficient and running out of its ten-year life, so he did a lot of research on replacements and we are now the proud owners (well, Steven is proud) of a hybrid hot water heater.  Notice the beautiful lattice work Steven did on our door to create airflow.

I am certain Zoe and Niki love the snow days, too, because they either lay with us or roam our
home and get into whatever trouble they see fit, as opposed to spending their time in the laundry room, protecting our clothing.

Snow Day 08

Mid-January and already eight snow days.  Steven and I still had work, of course, but the kids slept in and Niki and Zoe LOVED the weather!!!  I took their photo through the glass door because there was no way I was going to subject myself to those sub-freezing winds anymore than I had to.  Truth be told, they're lucky I let them in at all.  But it was fun watching them go nuts outside, playing, running around, wrestling each other, and dancing a happy dance together.

Michael and Steven have found a new, fascinating game to play - they lay down in the floor and make baskets into the goal 15 feet in the air with the Nerf basketball.

Elizabeth is so good to the puppies, always taking care of them when the rest of us are at Michael's games.  For example today Michael had two games in Lexington and Elizabeth watched the puppies for six hours.  She sent some cute photos during the games.

Here's a selfie of my good friend Laura (Languages chair) and me - please note the frozen snowflakes on my eyelash.  We are leaving the campus Departmental Fair, where we talked to prospective students and their parents about our programs.  Our smiles are frozen on our faces both from the cold and from attempting to make a friendly impression on the students and their families, ha ha.  Today was one of three days during the year when we have large groups of high school students visit in the hopes of recruiting them for next year's freshman class.  I was amazed at how many showed up, in spite of the weather.  Crazy kids.

Hope everyone else is keeping warm.
Addendum: It's a week later and the children haven't been to school yet.  Twelve days and counting.  They're getting lots of extra sleep and texting time, though.