Last weekend we had a nice time in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Jake had a basketball tournament, and we took advantage of the close proximity to our family in Ohio. It was so nice seeing everyone. I wish we could do it more often!
Eli was very excited about the trip, and was especially excited about staying in a hotel. As we were riding in the 9-seater Suburban, getting close to our destination, Eli asked if we were going to “hell.” “What did he say?” After some investigation we discovered that Eli’s word for hotel is “hell.” We had quite a laugh. Later that night we ate dinner in a restaurant. The waiter was boxing up the left-overs. Eli got up from the table and took his macaroni and cheese to the waiter. The waiter was enjoying Eli and talking to him as he boxed up his mac ‘n cheese. He handed it to Eli and said something about being able to take it home. Eli proclaims, “We’re going to hell!” The reaction of the waiter was priceless. All weekend Eli was asking, “Are we going to hell?” When he got tired of watching basketball games he would say, “I want to go to hell.” What a perfect age!
This weekend is busy. Jake and Isabella have basketball tournaments in the Twin Cities (same time – different locations). Sophia has a practice 4-H horse show. Luke has baseball practice. Lydia has a baby-sitting job. Gabi and Eli are free!
Yahooo! Lydia successfully graduated from high school! I’ve seen the diploma! It has been a tumultuous and bumpy journey. High school has not been an enjoyable time for Lydia, and she is very glad to have it completed. She did not want a grad party, she isn’t in the yearbook, and she didn’t even participate in the graduation ceremony. Lydia is ready to move on with that next stage of her life. Congratulations Lydia!
(Warning: Editorial regarding Ohio State Football – Skip this paragraph if not interested in football, The Ohio State University, or my opinion!) Anyone read that SI article on Jim Tressel? Now I admit that I am biased. I love Jim Tressel and I still believe he is a man of integrity and high moral standards. He is a good man and a good coach. Is he flawless? – No! Did he make a mistake? - Yes! Does that discredit all the good he has done for years? NO! That article presents accusations as facts. The author lays out rumors as though they are now truth. The author uses Coach Tressel’s outward faith, his offers to pray for his player’s, and his participation in a Bible study as a way to try to discredit him. Already one parent of a player that the author accused of trading memorabilia for tattoos has gone public and stated that his boy does not have one tattoo, and has never traded his memorabilia for anything. He is going to sue Sports Illustrated. Coach Tressel made a big mistake, and more might surface, but OSU is not going to find a better coach, or a better man for the job. I am sad to see Coach Tressel leave.
After all these years of going without a pet, we now have a dog. It is a small cross between a dachshund and a poodle (doxiepoo) … but this one looks like neither. His name is Leo and he has been a great dog. I actually really like him! He still has one problem that is really getting on my nerves. I’m sitting in my office trying to get our internet to work and I smell this awful stench. I turn-around to discover what it might be. Right behind me in the doorway, Leo left me a nice little present. Aaaaaaaaaaarg!
Our internet connection and our home Wi-Fi have been down for several days. I thought I had it fixed, but after a very short time I lost the internet connection and can’t get it back. You don’t realize how dependent you become on the internet.
Well, I got another call from the school regarding an incident with Luke. This time my dear sweet boy had another boy lock the stall in the restroom. The boy crawled out. Luke then kicked open the door. When I asked Luke about it, he said that he’d seen other boys do it. Of course I gave him my version of the “if other boys jumped off a bridge would you?” speech. It’s a timeless speech! I also pointed out that it was bad of him to get the other boy in trouble by having him lock the door. Luke’s reply? … “I didn’t tell him to climb under the door after he locked it.” I’m not sure how that vindicates Luke, but he thought it did.
Lisa has the stomach flu today, and has it bad! I was shaving and Lisa was standing in the bathroom. All of a sudden her legs crumbled, and she fell flat on her face with a thud. It was scary! Fortunately we have a rug in the middle of the bathroom, and her face hit that. So no floor tiles were damaged!
But seriously … she was out for a few seconds and then came to. Now she has a rug burn the size of a 50 cent piece next to her eye and another smaller one right above her eye. Her nose and cheek hurt and her nose has been bleeding. I stayed home today and have been taking care of her. You’d think she would be appreciative, but noooooooooo. You know what she said to me? She said that I better be good the next few days or she will tell people that I beat her.
Love,
JR