I've Got a Fever! And the Only Prescription is......

The Olympic Trials, baby!

I have scored tickets for Braden and I to go see the Olympic Swim Trials in Omaha this week. (M. has graciously agreed to stay home with the littles that night.)

We'll be at the Qwest Center in Omaha for the evening session on Thursday. We'll get to watch the finals of the Men's 200 Breast and 100 Free, and the women's 200 Fly. We'll also get to watch 4 semifinal heats. Braden's excited about watching Michael Phelps swim that night - twice.

(Phelps)

Tonight we watched the first evening session on NBC. At first, it was just Braden and I on the couch. But after all the screaming we were doing while watching Phelps and Lochte race for 1st place (and a world record in the 400 IM !!), Colson and Brogan came out to join us.

Tomorrow we'll watch live online as Shara Stafford, a girl on our local swim team, will compete in the first of her 4 events.

(I like pictures of people swimming the fly.)

Shara has helped coach Braden's group during the summers, and helped Braden with his butterfly a bit. It will be fun watching and cheering for someone we know. Go Shara!

Our conversation in the car today:

Colson: Mom? Wouldn't it be great if, every time I did something, everyone said, "Aaaahhhh, such cuteness!"

Me: Do people say that to you now?

Colson: No.

Me: But you want them to say it to you?

Colson: Yes!

Me: What kinds of things would you need to be doing for people to tell you you're cute?

Colson: One time, when I was at Braden's braces doctor, I asked the lady there for a cookie and she gave it to me. That's when I knew I had the cuteness ability.

Me: ........................

Colson: When I was just born, I didn't know what I could do. But now..... now I know what the cuteness can do.

"The Purpose of a Man..."

Quick! Do you know what it is???

What is the purpose of a man?

Two weeks ago Braden started learning pieces from a book of rock and roll songs. (I must say, I am enjoying listening to him practice these songs more than I thought I would!) One of his first songs was "The Game of Love." I did not recognize the song from the title, but after he played the first measure I raced into the living room to sing along.

Aunt D. and I *loved* this song in college. It was on the "Good Morning, Vietnam" soundtrack, which was a regular in our cassette tape rotation that year.

One of the things I love about my college roomie, Auntie D., is that I can call her early in the morning, nearly 20 years after our freshman year of college, and ask her this question.

And I know that she will answer, without doubt or hesitation, with the first line of the song: "The purpose of a man is to love a woman."

So here's a flashback to college for Auntie D., and a flashback to high school for Mom and Dad! :)

I Love Me a Good Quiz!!

Here's one I can do well at!!

75 As a 1930s wife, I am Superior Take the test!

Dorothy? Get in the Storm Cellar!

We've had storm after storm over the past two weeks, and between staying up until 1:00 am watching for weather updates and getting up at 5:45 am to make the morning swim practices, I'm wiped out..

Wednesday night was the longest. Tornadoes touched down in a nearby college town, and slowly moved our way. At midnight I dragged the boys downstairs as the tornado sirens wailed. The funnel was heading directly toward us, (watching the radar was alarming!!) but thankfully ended up veering to the north a few miles before it reached us. It made for a long, stressful, sleepless night.

Thursday another storm system moved in. It wasn't supposed to be bad until after dark, so about 5:00 the boys and I ran to WalMart to get a few things.

Yes, there were scary clouds but, the weathermen weren't predicting any severe weather until much later that night. Yes, it was raining heavily, but there was no lightning. Any Kansan will tell you that all outdoor activities -ball games, parades, swim practice -proceed as scheduled, unless there is lightning nearby. So our shopping trip went on as scheduled.

Remember that book from several years ago about an young, unmarried, pregnant girl who lives in a WalMart? "Where The Heart Is" was an Oprah book club pick and eventually a movie was made.......is this ringing any bells? Anyway, that girl living inside a WalMart? Well, that was almost me.

Well, not the pregnant part.

And not the unmarried part.

And not even the young part....sigh.....

But the living in WalMart part- THAT was almost me. And the boys. The boys would've been living there too.

We were in WalMart when the tornado sirens went off.

WalMart workers in the front of the store directed all of us to the back. When our crowd got to the back of the store, the workers there told us we had to go to the middle of the store. We kind of milled around there, listening to the wailing siren, while the store workers tried to figure out where we were supposed to be. Listening to them argue about the safety protocol did not inspire confidence.

Eventually, they decided that we needed to be in the layaway area in the back of the store. We squeezed in (I was thankful that they didn't send us into the bathrooms), wondering what was going on outside the store. We only knew that the sirens were sounding. Employees locked the store down and no one was going to be allowed to leave until the tornado warning was lifted.

At first, it was kind of funny watching 20-30 shoppers pull out their cell phones to call people on the outside. We dialed and listened. Then we hung up, dialed, and listened some more. Most calls weren't going through, and when a call did go through, the receivers didn't pick up because they were taking cover in their basements like sensible people.

To fill the time, Brogan found a safe hiding place under the layaway counter. He sat there, chatting with a man (also under the counter) about thunderstorms, while Colson worried out loud about the fact that Brogan was talking to a stranger. I strained to listen to the tvs in the electronics department, trying to hear updates about the funnel cloud touching down on the south side of town. Braden, ever practical, was planning what we would eat and drink, and where we could sleep if we needed to be in the store overnight. WalMart has pretty much everything we'd need!

I got to know several of the people standing around us, as we chatted trying to lift the tension created by being herded into a room with many strangers and blaring sirens. The boys did a great job of being calm, despite the uncertainty of the situation. Me, possessing a somewhat snarky personality, I took note of the fact that if I ever need some self-esteem boosting, I need only drive as far as the local WalMart. After spending time observing people there, you'll feel so much better about your weight, your clothes, your hair, your parenting skills ....whatever issue is plaguing you at the moment will be an issue no longer after you've left the store.

Periodically the sirens would stop, and we'd leave the shelter area, only to return when the sirens blared again 5 minutes later. After spending nearly an hour and a half in the store, much of it spent listening to sirens, the lockdown was lifted and we were able to leave.

It was an interesting experience, and kind of fun, actually, once we were outside the store again. But next time we get stuck inside a store during a tornado warning, I want it to be someplace more pleasant: Barnes and Noble........ maybe a furniture store so we can at least sit down...... Baskin-Robbins......

Hmm.. I think I'll have to plan my next lockdown in advance.

In what store would you want to be trapped?

Hablo Espanol.

Thankfully, you don't need to speak (much) Spanish to follow this next song. It's called the "One Semester of Spanish Spanish Love Song."

If you've ever taken a Spanish class in high school or college, or taken a vacation to Mexico (or even Southern California), you probably have all the Spanish you need to understand.



And for you francophiles ("Francophile"= "Someone who like France or French things/people," for those of you who went to state college.) the following is similar, but completely in French.

I've never taken French, but my roommates in college did, and I apparently picked up enough to follow this song, at least.

Whew!

VBS is done. Check out what we did all week!



I need a nap!

'Tis the Season.

In our neck of the woods, spring is the season for storms. With the storms come tornadoes.

Our state has already had nearly 400 tornado watches issued this year. (I'm not sure how many actual tornados have been spotted.) We're all very accustomed to tornado and severe thunderstorm watches, the constant radar displays in the corner of your tv screen, and the box of emergency supplies continually kept in the basement.

Tonight we're being told to prepare for a doozy of a storm system that will hit Thursday afternoon or evening. It's so big and nasty that area meterologists have had several conference calls with National Weather Service officials. It's so big and nasty that storm spotters from other states are coming here to help out.

Tomorrow morning (after VBS) I'll be shopping for food that will keep if/after we lose power. I'm pretty sure we have all the batteries we'll need for flashlights and radios, but I'll probably check anyway.

This time of year, safety and preparation are important. Thankfully, "The Onion," an online magazine, has provided a handy chart detailing safety measures during tornado season.

It started out so innocently: a weekend trip to the big city to watch a movie.

It ended up as a long, long, afternoon misadventure involving Indian Gaming, terror on the interstate, truckers (well... ONE trucker), and a trip into a slightly scary, redneck state that is not Arkansas.

Suffice it to say the boys and I made it home safely.

But the details will have to wait. This is VBS week at our house. This is also the first week of morning swim practices. Colson and I need to drop Brogan and Braden off at the pool by 7:00. AM.

I should've gone to bed long ago.

Sorry to leave you in suspense. Keep checking back!

Mwahahaha!