Along The Way

Ahh, I LOVE This Bath Soap (Homemade)

2012-01-30T16:12:00.000-05:00

This homemade bath soap recipe I found at Little Seed Farm isn't the cheapest, but it is cheaper than store bought bath soap and it is very thick, rich, moisturizing and just feels expensive. It also is good for your skin because it doesn't contain the harsh chemicals that store bought have in them. I love it! Initially the ingredients will cost a bit but all of them except the castile soap will last a long, long time. Castile soap is about $10 a Target and you should get two batches of this recipe (or 4 bottles of soap) out of it. As with all homemade products, the initial cost is the biggest. Once you have a supply, its all good from there.

Its also very easy to make and not too time consuming. The longest part is waiting an hour for the infusion to take place - but you can do something else while you're waiting for that. The rest is very fast and easy.

Here is how to do it:

Pour 1 Tablespoon of Steel Cut Oats into a glass measuring cup. (Irish Oats can be found at Meijer or Jungle Jim's)

Throw in a spring of fresh Rosemary (great if it comes from your garden)

Bring water in a tea pot to a boil and pour into the measuring cup with the oats and rosemary, filling to the 1 cup mark. Cover and let it steep for an hour.

After it has steeped strain it with a mesh strainer to separate the oats and rosemary from the water.

Put the following into a mixing bowl.

2 Tablespoons coconut oil (found at any grocery store in the Asian section)

1 Tablespoon honey (raw is best but I think you can use any)

1 Teaspoon non-corn based citric acid (found at health food stores or at Jungle Jim's) This prevent bacteria from growing in your soap.

The water from the infusion with oats and rosemary

Mix with an electric mixer

Add 1 teaspoon of Guar Gum and whisk. Immediately add 1 1/2 cups of liquid castile soap and stir until well blended.

Guar Gum can be found at Jungle Jim's near the Bob's Red Mill grains in the Organic Section) Castile Soap can be found at Target or Jungle Jims or a health food store.

At this point you can drop in 30 drops of essential oils for fragrance if you wish (I didn't) and then pour into your containers.

For containers I used two large water bottles with a flip top spout. They are plastic so they won't break in the shower and they were the right size. I filled two of these water bottles with this recipe.

This soap lathers a lot so a little will go a long way.

Tip: Do not use an electric mixer to mix in the castile soap or you will have a ton of lather. The electric mixer is good to mix the other ingredients but once you add the castile soap, use a spoon to stir it in.

Homemade Salve for Dry Skin

2012-01-30T14:37:00.000-05:00

I know people think I'm nuts, but I like saving money and if I can find a homemade product that saves money and is healthier for you, all the better. I personally don't like all the chemicals that are in the food we eat and the products we use, so anytime I can cut those out with something that works just as well or better, I'm in.

So, I found a recipe for a Homemade Salve for Dry Skin on the TLC site and decided to give it a try. It was surprisingly easy and inexpensive and for the most part, could be made with things you have around the house.

I know some people think its just too time consuming or too much trouble to make your own products, but really the hardest part of this was grating the beeswax and that took maybe 2 minutes. You can easily do this while you're doing something else around the house because the biggest time investment is waiting 30 minutes for the oil to infuse with the herbs.

Here are the steps:

Pour 1 cup of olive oil (or any kind of oil you like) into a saucepan.
Add 1 cup of flower petals or fresh herbs of the aroma you like. (I used Rosemary but you can use any flower or herb you have growing in your garden).

Heat to a simmer over medium heat. When it begins to simmer, remove it from the burner, cover, and let steep for about 30 minutes.

While that is steeping, grate 1/4 cup of beeswax. Beeswax can be found at health food stores. I found a small piece at Jungle Jim's for $1.99 and I should be able to get 5-6 jars of salve out of it.

After the oil has steeped, strain it through a cheesecloth into a small mixing bowl. (I used a coffee filter and metal strainer).

Stir in the grated beeswax until it melts. I had to reheat the oil in the microwave because it had cooled to much to melt the beeswax.

Then pour it into a jar (the small half pint Mason jars are perfect). Let cool until it thickens into a salve consistency.

So for the cost of the beeswax ($1.99) and oil (if you don't have olive oil on hand you can usually find it on sale for less than $5.00) you can probably get at least 4 jars of salve. AND its healthy for your skin because its natural and contains no chemicals.

The Junk Drawer

2012-01-28T13:43:00.001-05:00

Everybody's got at least one, right? I've got one small one that wasn't toooo awful bad, and then .... there was the monster. It was the drawer that everything that no one knew what to do with got stuck in. This morning I could barely get it open or closed because it was so full of clutter. Sadly, it was only about a year ago that I cleaned it out. Amazing that it can get so bad in a year. SO, today it was time to do something different.

Before

I made custom drawer organizers. If you buy then, they cost quite a bit. This was a cheap alternative. Here is what I did:

Dumped the drawer and washed it out.

With a garbage can nearby, I sorted through the pile, throwing away and grouping like items together.

Then I put things away that really had a home somewhere else in my house.

Then I layed out the grouped items in the drawer to determine what size compartments I needed.

Then I measured, twice. Then I marked the foam board according to my measurements and cut it with an exacto knife.

A little super glue held the cut pieces together.
For tiny items like saftey pins, I small Mason jelly jar placed in a compartment worked great.

After

Its not permanent. Eventually the foam board pieces will get messed up, but that's OK because my needs may change. I'm sure if you felt the need to be fancy and cute, you could cover the foam board pieces with contact paper or left-over wallpaper, but that just seemed like more work and expense.

Give Thanks??

2011-11-20T07:15:00.000-05:00

You might never know it for all the Christmas stuff going on, but Thanksgiving is almost here. Last year our family started a new Thanksgiving tradition. We have a white tablecloth and everyone at the Thanksgiving meal is to write on the tablecloth one thing they are thankful for. As the day for the family dinner approaches I've been thinking about what to write. This year has been a difficult year. Frankly, I can't wait for New Year's because I'm going to be glad to see 2011 come to an end.

BUT, the Bible does say to give thanks in all things, right? Why in the world would we be thankful for the painful and difficult things we experience? Well, over and over in my life I've seen that it is the painful and difficult things that God often uses to bring about something incredibly beautiful. We don't see it at the time, but eventually I believe the worst things in life are the times when we are closer to God and learn more about what it is to follow him. Here are a few examples ...

Getting kicked out of a church. That was a tough one. It sure looked like life as we knew it was over. We were literally put out on the street with a one year old baby - and the "good church people" that were responsible, had the audacity to tell us that God would take care of us. I never doubted that for a second but I sure didn't need to hear it from them. There's a long story there, but in the end, it was one of the best things that ever happened to us. I can't begin to count the times I've since been very grateful for getting kicked out of that church and not because there were bad people there - there were some really, really good and godly people there.

Going through recovery for an eating disorder. That was tough too - especially when your a pastor's wife and have to go through the recovery process (falling on your butt and all) in public. Time and time again I was told that God could deliver me out of that instantly if I just had faith. Of course he could. He's God. He can do anything He wants. I never once doubted that either, but you know what? I'm SO glad He chose NOT to deliver me instantly. I would have missed so much. Again, there's a long story here, but in the end, the recovery process was one of the best things in my life. I would not be who I am today or be able to do the things I do today if not for it. Deliverance happens instantly - growth and a deeper walk with God, does not. I would not have traded that experience for deliverance for anything. That's not to say it wasn't the most difficult thing I've ever done in my life or that it wasn't horrible at the time. It was.

That said, there are two things I can think of that might prevent God from working in difficult circumstances - 1, whining and 2, hiding.

Think about that... and have a good Thanksgiving.

My Problem With Charity

2011-09-29T15:24:00.000-04:00

Its that time of year when I begin to get people, many of them unknown to me, contacting me about how to give coats, clothes, heaters, blankets, etc. to the people on Pine Ridge Reservation. Winter is fast approaching and our minds turn to those who may not be able to stay warm this winter. I love that people care and are thinking of ways to help. That's pretty awesome and I don't want to discourage caring or giving, but I feel that I should attempt an explanation of why I don't get personally involved in that sort of thing.

I've been told by several people who work on the Reservation, and I think I've seen for myself, that a lot of our efforts at helping others are not necessarily helpful - at least not in the long term. Charity often sets up a mentality of expectation, and worse, dependence in those we are attempting to help. That can lead to a lot of behaviors and attitudes that are far from healthy. It may make us feel good, and it may in fact help for a short time, but in the long run, our charity can become part of the problem.

And then there is the sad truth that sometimes in areas where drug and alcohol addiction are rampant, the things we give are sold for drug/alcohol money. I hate saying that, but its the sad reality. They don't do this with the school supplies because they wouldn't get much money for them anyway so I feel its a safe, and effective way of helping.

I've also seen that often we give to the poor in ways that, how do I put it gently ... are disrespectful. It is easy to give our old stuff that we don't want anymore. Anybody can do that. Some people give stuff that should be thrown away and then feel good about giving it. It leaves the person we are giving to feeling small, and strips them of their dignity. That sort of "charity" is not charity at all. If we're going to give something, we should give our best - that's real charity (love).

I realize that other people will do other things in an effort to help. That's fine. But after nine years of visiting the Reservation, I feel confident that school supplies are the best way that we can help. Hopefully it will help some child choose to stay in school, get an education, and maybe, just maybe, work toward a better life.

A Quote

2011-09-21T18:52:00.000-04:00

"It is not the critic who counts:
not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles
or where the doer of deeds could have done better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena,
whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood,
who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again,
because there is no effort without error or shortcoming,
but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions,
who spends himself for a worthy cause;
who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement,
and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly,
so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat."

Theodore Roosevelt

An Email

2011-09-20T11:28:00.000-04:00

The following is an email I sent out to my REZonate planning crew this morning. I would also like to share it with you all who have supported our efforts these past four years. I don't have all of the volunteers names or any way to contact them and there is no way possible to contact every person who has attended the event, but I would say the same things to each of them.

----------------------------------

Hey guys,
THANKS so much for all of your help this past weekend - well, this past several months really. I appreciate the sacrifices you have all made to be able to see something good happen for the kids on the Rez. You have made a difference!
I believe this will be our last year for REZonate - at least as far as I will be connected with it. Some have expressed interest in going forward with it, but I am simply worn out. :)

I think some really positive things have happened because of REZoante.

We have been a witness in our community. Even this year we met a couple who expressed that they would like to attend our church because of what was happening at REZonate. In past years there has always been stories of people who were touched who would not have been if we had not been visible in the community. We are still contacted for prayer by some outside of our church.For me, that is the greatest benefit of all and was in fact, my goal in doing REZonate. You can't really put a price tag on a soul.

We have raised awareness in the community about Pine Ridge. In a district that uses the Lakota name for their schools, it is just good for them to have some awareness of what life is like for the real Lakota people.
We have connected with The Community Foundation which brings in about $1000 a year of unsolicited funds for Backpacks For Pine Ridge.
We have met some INCREDIBLE people. I can't begin to tell you how good it is to see people who are willing to sacrifice and give until it hurts to help a cause they believe in. In a world where it is the norm to serve self, these people give me hope and are shining examples that there are still good people in the world. I am often just blown away when I think of all that some of these folks have given. It just leaves me speechless. All I know is, God will bless them abundantly.
The Lakota people have been amazed that we do what we do to help them - and they showed that this year by driving from South Dakota to be a part of it all. That should speak volumes to us about the value of what we have done
And we have made money. Not much, mind you, but we have not ever spent more than we made. Bigger festivals in the community that look far more successful, have gone broke. We have always come out ahead. This year we made $600. Not much for all the work it was, but that's 60 kids that will get backpacks that wouldn't have gotten them otherwise. Those folks who stand and hand them out, know how HUGE that really is.

Beyond that, its just been fun. OK, its been a pain in the butt, but its also been fun. :) I know that I will cherish the memories and will smile often when I think of all the crazy things that have happened over the past 4 years.
We will of course, continue to provide backpacks for the kids. That will not change as long as I'm alive and kicking. The Backpacks For Pine Ridge fund still remains at The Community Foundation and we still have fundraisers happening - soon even- with the Trax For Backpacks 5k/10k this October. I am NOT quitting, just looking for other ways to take this forward.

Thanks again for all of your hard work. A simple "thank you" doesn't seem nearly enough. I'm not sure there is a way to express how grateful I am that a bunch of people willingly chose to follow one of my crazy ideas believing that something good could happen.
Now, on to the next crazy idea. Hahaha! I have no idea what that will be, but I do know that God has some wild and wonderful things in store for those that follow Him and so I can't wait to see what the next thing is.

Love you all!!
Amber

For What its Worth ...

2011-07-20T09:49:00.000-04:00

I don't post here often enough to maintain a following, but for the few family members or friends who want to .... I'm posting almost daily on the Pine Ridge Blog for the next few weeks.

I plan to post the pre-trip prep as must as possible and I'll be posting from the Rez. I'll try to get pics and maybe even video greetings from a few folks up on the blog from time to time.

The Twins. No, Not THOSE Twins

2011-07-11T19:29:00.000-04:00

Oh no, they'll never replace the twins, but they are fun.

For our anniversary we decided to do some things to enjoy our marriage ... you know, now that the kids are grown and gone .... time to have fun! We rarely take a vacation. In fact the last "vacation" Brian drove up to the Wright Patterson Air Force Base to look through it and I stayed home.

One day we were out riding bikes at Miami Whitewater Forest and stopped off at the lake for a picnic. As we sat there watching people in kayaks on the lake, Brian said, "I used to kayak all the time when I was a kid and I would LOVE to do that again".

My response - "You used to kayak??? I've been married to you for 28 years and I never knew that???"

So ... I figured I was going to have to give it a go. I didn't think I'd like it. In fact I was sure I would just tolerate it for his sake. I had fears of flipping it over, getting stuck upside down in the water and drowning - and looking stupid doing it.

Turns out ... I love it! I really love it! Its so relaxing and peaceful. Mind you, we don't do rapids. Lakes are good. Whitewater, not so good. At least not yet. :)

So when Dicks Sporting Goods had kayaks 50% off earlier this summer. We bought a couple. They were amazingly affordable and they will quickly pay for themselves and once they do, we have free fun anytime we want.

Ahhh ... now that's nice....

That's My Boy!

2011-06-24T15:04:00.000-04:00

Yeah, that's my boy and I'm not a bit proud. Ha! I'm actually so excited for him I can't stand it. Logan, my youngest has wanted to be a police officer since he was in 5th grade. A few days ago, that dream came true for him. On June 2nd, he graduated from the Butler Tech Police Academy and moved to Newcomerstown, OH on June 3rd.

Earlier this week he was hired as a police officer for the Newcomerstown PD.

So, I am now the mom of a cop! That is not something I was always comfortable with. I mean, no one really wants their son in a position where the bad guys might be shooting at him. But I've long since gotten used to the idea. Besides, I think he could handle himself pretty well. He earned the nickname from his commander at the Academy "the Squirrel on Cocaine" for his ... uh ... wildness in doing take-downs. Just to be on the safe side - we bought him a bullet proof vest for his graduation. :)

Logan's has been a great kid and the qualities he has (compassion, good judgment, and a strong sense of justice) will make him a good cop.

Congratulations Logan! We are very proud of you!

Logan's New Home

2011-06-03T21:40:00.000-04:00

For those who want to see, here are some pics of Logan's new home. We joke that he lives in a barn ... and, he kinda does. ... he lives in an apartment above a barn in a small town about a hour and half from Cleveland and has three horses to ride whenever he and Jenn want to ride, a pond to fish in, and 90 acres of rolling hills. Its beautiful there and life goes at a slower pace. The apartment above the barn is very nice and the view ... is priceless. You can click on the pics to see a larger view.

The view from the living room

(The furniture from the previous occupant has not been moved out yet)

Josh

2011-05-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

Josh. What do I say about Josh?

Well first, he's like one of my sons. He grew up with my boys and I think of him as one of "mine". That can at times include me wanting to kick his butt just like I would one of mine. :)

Aside from loving him like one of my own, he's been a great member of the Pine Ridge crew for several years. When he's not with us, we miss him. A lot. He's a hard, hard worker, he loves the kids like crazy, and he can be a lot of fun.

I'm also proud of Josh. Currently, in addition to working at Home Depot, he is going to school to be a commercial airline pilot. Crazy huh? This "kid" that chased me with the water hose and endured me freezing his underwear in retaliation, now flying planes?

Most recently though, Josh has something else up his sleeve. In April of 2012 he will begin a 5 month journey to hike the over 2000 mile Appalachian Trail. And he's doing it to help raise money for Backpacks For Pine Ridge.

Now as a sort of second "mom", I worry a bit about that. I hope he doesn't get eaten by a bear or something. But mostly, I'm proud of him. And I'm confident that he'll make it just fine.

Should you want to help out (help to encourage him and help some deserving kids get some school supplies), you can make a donation to Backpacks For Pine Ridge as a sponsor of Josh's hike. How? Simple, make a check out to "Backpacks For Pine Ridge Fund" and mail it to:

Backpacks For Pine Ridge

6468 Kimberly Drive

Hamilton, OH 45011

Backpacks For Pine Ridge is a non-profit fund set up through The Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty. 100% of the money will go toward the purchase of school supplies for children on Pine Ridge Reservation.

And check out Josh's Facebook page he's set up for the hike. "Like" it and keep up to date on how much money he is raising and then next spring when he's on the trail he'll check in with updates to let us know how things are going.

Yeah, I love that kid.

2011-04-20T16:00:00.000-04:00

Thanks to the Swinow Network here are some pictures of the damage in Petersburg, Indiana (my hometown) from last night's storms. As far as I know, no one was hurt but this isn't easy to see - especially after the town was hit so hard by a tornado in 1990. In Fairfield, OH we were more fortunate.

A Resilient Life

2011-04-09T14:06:00.000-04:00

In this little country church cemetery, my grandfather is buried. William Linzey Dyson was born July 21, 1884 in Gibson County, Indiana. He was a farmer, a man of good reputation, and most importantly to me, my dad's father.

What is so striking about his life is his remarkable ability to survive. To say he had a hard life would be an understatement. He worked hard all his life and lived to be 89 years old. He suffered incredible loss and hardship throughout those 89 years and yet, he maintained a positive attitude.

He married Ethel Truitt in October of 1913. Ethel also knew pain and hardship. She lost her father early in life. After the death of her father, her mother brought her and two of her brothers back to Petersburg, Indiana and placed them in the orphanage there.
The story goes that they were adopted by three different families with the baby, Ottis, recalling being whipped with a horse whip. Later they reunited as adults.

After Ethel and my grandfather married, they had 2 children (Paul and Beatrice) and then lost 3 children in 4 years, one being a set of twins.

Daughter of William and Ethel Dyson

Oct. 24, 1920 - Nov. 4, 1920

Orris Glenn Dyson

1923-1924

Lucile Dyson

1923-1924

Ethel died two years later of Influenza shortly after the great Influenza epidemic on the late 1900's.

The 1920 census places them living with my great grandfather, Thomas Granville Dyson. Thomas Granville was the manager of a farm and my grandfather was a laborer on the farm. Thomas was already a widower by that time and I suspect in poor health so that keeping the family together was a benefit to all.

My grandfather's second wife was my grandmother, Flossie McCord.
Life with Flossie was also full of difficulty and hardship. Flossie suffered from severe arthritis which made her an invalid for many years. My father and his siblings often took off school to care for her.

This marriage was also full of loss.
My grandparents lost two children and then my grandmother died of a stroke in her 50's.

"Bertie Lou Dyson

Dec. 31, 1929 - May 14, 1933"

There was also a Darrell Eugene Dyson but I've not been able to find dates or a grave for him. I believe he may have been born after my father.

And so in the span of 13 years, my grandfather lost 5 children and two wives. Incredible.

Unfortunately, that was not the end of the loss. He went on to lose two grandchildren, my sister Dana and my cousin.

My sister Dana was born on November 22 with spina bifida. In those days, the care that is available now was non-existent and she died a few hours after her birth. My cousin also lived only a few hours. His father, who loved kids so much, was proudly out handing out cigars at work while the family tried to get a hold of him to tell him the baby had died.

My grandfather was very old when I was born. I remember him as a quiet and sweet man who everyone seemed to admire.

My grandpa Dyson (Papaw Bill) holding me as a baby

I don't have memories of him playing with me because he was too old by the time I was born to be able to do that. I remember people talking of him as having a positive attitude. He was often quoted as saying, "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all". When I look at the difficulty he faced in life its amazing to me that he would remain hopeful and positive. That is to be respected. I will always remember him fondly and am proud to have this strong and resilient man as my grandfather.

I have to wonder ... what made him so resilient?

I know little to nothing of the family before him. There was my great grandfather, Thomas Granville Dyson. All I know of him is that he was born in 1851, was married to China Owens who preceded him in death and that he was a farm manager. His father was Thomas G. Dyson and was born in 1817. I've not been able to find out anything about his life. He is buried in Walnut Hills Cemetery in Petersburg, Indiana ... not too far away from where my dad is buried.

Those who knew my dad know that he was also a man of great reputation, that he fought cancer in his later day without any hint of giving up. In fact, he had talked about joining a gym just a few months before he passed away.

These people just don't seem to ever give up or quit. They keep moving forward and they do so with courage and positive attitude. I only hope I can live up to the legacy they've left for me.

1st Birthday Party!!!

2011-04-02T15:20:00.000-04:00

Eli and Owen had their 1st birthday party today! Here are some pics ...

Does he look like a grandpa or what?

They weren't quite sure what to make of all the fuss at first ...

But they soon figured it out

Grandpa Brian is teaching a new use for a party hat ...

and Eli learned quick

Sometimes you just gotta get on top of it

Their first cupcake

Eli grabs the whole things and in the mouth it goes

Owen take a little more time ...

Its a happy birthday!

until ... its not (I think the ice cream was all gone)

What a Day!

2011-03-25T14:42:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Eli and Owen spent the day with me. Their mommy is sick and needed some rest so ... we picked the boys up at 8am and took them home after dinner. Here is a glimpse of how the day went. :)

They LOVE books ..

and taking my bookshelf apart

I wonder which one can get the window the dirtiest?

Eli likes to share

Yup, they're guilty alright - guilty of getting into Bama's books

(of course I don't care at all)

"Where's the pictures??"

"Hmmm... this one looks ... interesting. At least there is a cartoon on the front"

"Wait, isn't Buriff MY name? I wonder if my grampa wrote this?"

"Grampa writes books you can really sink your teeth into"

"Now just what am I supposed to do with these things?"

"When it doubt, chew on it"

"Hey now THIS is fun!"

"This is better than a set of drums!"

"Now why didn't I think of that?"

Topping the day off with McDonald's

"May I recommend the fries?"

"yeah, I think I'm gonna like this place"

Spring Break?

2011-03-25T12:22:00.000-04:00

I think the only thing breaking this Spring are a couple of backs - mine and Brian's. His was sore yesterday after getting several truck loads full of cement, gravel, sand, and other stuff. Today I'm tearing out the brick patio - not a fun job. Why would we do something so stupid you ask? I've wondered a time or two myself during this process. But we have a drainage issue. When it rains, which it does often in the Spring, we have water pooled in the back yard and on the brick patio. Our yard sits lower than our neighbor's yards so all the run-off comes here. It gets much worse than this picture even shows. MUCH worse.

SO ... we're tearing out the patio, raising the grade of the yard, installing some drain pipes, and then re-laying the brick patio.

My part is to get the brick up and stacked. His is to finish the rest. Although I'm sure I'll be helping haul stuff from the wheelbarrow from time to time.

So far ... I'm not very far into my part of the deal and I'm already sure I might not be able to move tomorrow.

The Hills of Donegal

2011-03-17T14:54:00.000-04:00

It seems that most of my Irish ancestors came from either Derry (Londonderry, for those who prefer), and Donegal. Donegal is beautiful with hills, a rugged coastline, and oh yeah, sheep. Its what people think of when they think of Ireland. And its known for its tweed. When we were there we stopped in a little shop and since there were no other customers, we got a lesson in weaving from the owner of the shop. Granted, it was probably meant to encourage us to buy something - which we did - that's where my green scarf came from.

And its where James Blaine came from. James Blaine is my 6th great grandfather on my dad's side of the family. Before James, all I can find is "unknown Blaine" so I have no idea who his father was or anything about his family before. Mary Blaine, married Samuel McCord who originated from Scotland and was my 4th great grandfather.

On my mother's side, comes Robert Harris, my 7th great grandfather, Flora Douglas, his mother. They came through the Gray for any family reading that wants to know.

Through the Cole side of my mother's family come the Clingans, the Pattons, the McCrackens, and the Lynn families, all from Donegal.

Here are some pictures I took while there...

Who knew ... (Irish Roots)

2011-03-15T16:03:00.000-04:00

At the time, I had no idea ...

Really. None at all. I had already fallen in love with Ireland and there was a bit of hope ... that maybe, just maybe, somewhere back in history, I might have ancestors from there. But I didn't know.

Looking back, its strange. While I loved all of Ireland, I felt particularly comfortable in Derry (Londonderry) and Donegal. Why, I couldn't have said. In fact, it might have seemed strange to say I felt comfortable in Derry because Derry is a city that has seen more than its share of strife and violence.

So I was surprised and delighted, when doing some family history on Ancestry.com, to find that I have Irish roots on both sides of my family - more than one line, in fact, and that they almost all come from, you guessed it, Derry and Donegal.

Today even, I was surprised to find that my 12th great grandfather on my mother's side was a surgeon who died in the battle of Londonderry in 1688. He died within these walls not long after they were built. A few years ago I walked the walls of Derry with Brian having no idea that I had such a personal connection with the city. Below are some pictures of Derry and the story of Lancelot Vance, my relative who died there.

Derry, Northern Ireland

walking up the steps of the walls

on the walls of Derry

one of the many canons that line the walls of the city

Reverend John Vance (1617 - ): England systematically removed the Irish Catholics from the north of Ireland and re-colonized it. Many of the new colonists were Scotchmen.

John was the first of the Vances to settle in Ireland. He was a Presbyterian minister and traveled to Ireland about 1660 to escape religious persecution and likely to search for new opportunities. He was also the first to use the name Vance. Under the Act of Settlement, John obtained the lease of a tract of land in the County of Tyon and there founded the village of Coagh. He married Sarah Williams, daughter of Ashe Reinty, Esq. of the County of Derry and had six children.
Their first son, Dr. Lancelot Francis Vance, died of at the siege of Londonderrry leaving one other son as heir, Patrick

Many Thanks to our Church Family

2011-02-28T10:53:00.000-05:00

We want to express our sincere gratitude for the thoughtfulness of our church family. The flowers, plants, food, and many acts of kindness truly made this difficult time more bearable.

I know Cliff would appreciate your kind gestures. I know you all meant a great deal to him. Being surrounded by people like you was a large part of what is special about Winton Road First Church of God.

Thank you all so much for your kind words, your generous gifts, and most of all, for your friendship with Cliff. Knowing you will miss him too makes our burden a bit easier to bear.

Sincerely, Judy, Amber, Brian, Cody, Allison, Logan, Jenn, Eli & Owen

Honestly, I don't know what we would do without the generous people at Winton Rd First Church of God. During my dad's illness and passing so many of you went above and beyond anything we could have asked or expected. Thanks to all of you who visited - special thanks to Jerry Hayes for going up to Hospice and sitting with my dad every morning. And special thanks to my Mom and Dad's "gang" of friends who showered us with food in the days before the funeral and to Lisa Morgan and the people of Winton Rd. who truly though of everything and worked endlessly preparing, serving, and cleaning up the meal after the funeral.

Thanks to each of you who came to the funeral. My family from out of town was blown away with the number of people who attended. Know that we will remember and not forget your presence and kindness on our most difficult day.

Stats for 2010

2011-01-12T11:38:00.000-05:00

The Daily Mile is a site for runners (and other athletes) that I joined back in September to help with my running. Today they sent me a "Year in Review" of my training. Here's what it looks like ...

In September I ran 12 miles

In October I ran 58 miles

In November I ran 21 miles

In December I ran 28 miles

Wow, I slacked in Nov. and Dec.
Sept. was only the last part of the month because I joined the site later in the month.

I had a total of 118 miles

An average of 8 miles a week

A total of 65 workouts

and expended enough energy to burn 4 pounds (I probably put those back on Thanksgiving and Christmas)

My average feeling was "good"

Bo, Dian and Johnathan were my biggest motivators on the site

and I love this one ...

I burned the equivalent of 87 donuts!

Wish I'd Known

2010-12-31T16:04:00.000-05:00

A few years ago Brian and I visited Ireland, having no idea that either of us had any ancestors there. I wish I'd known then what I know now.

There's a good bit of Irish on both sides of my family with my mother's side going on back to Scotland. In fact, that side of the family has a rich history that is closely connected to Scotland's history.

But ... on my dad's side there is a rich history in Ireland. I knew I liked Ireland. Below is a discription of my Irish roots. Just wish I would have known so we could have visited Killkenny Castle, pictured above, the home of my Irish ancestors.

Sir Theobald I Fitzwalter 1st Baron Butler of Ireland Walter (1165 - 1206)

relationship to you: 24th great grandfather

Theobald II, 2nd Baron Butler, Chief Butler of Ireland Le Boteler (1200 - 1230)
Son of Sir Theobald I Fitzwalter 1st Baron Butler of Ireland

Theobald III Le Boteler / Butler / Botiller (1223 - 1285)
Son of Theobald II, 2nd Baron Butler, Chief Butler of Ireland

Theobald, 4th Butler of Ireland, of Boteler (1242 - 1285)
Son of Theobald III

Edmund, Earl of Carrick, Justicar of Ireland, Butler (1282 - 1321)
Son of Theobald, 4th Butler of Ireland, of

1st Earl of Ormond James Butler (1305 - 1338)
Son of Edmund, Earl of Carrick, Justicar of Ireland,

James (2nd Earl of Ormond) Butler (1331 - 1382)
Son of 1st Earl of Ormond James

Joan Butler (1360 - 1383)
Daughter of James (2nd Earl of Ormond)

Maolruanaidh OCarroll (1225 - 1443)
Son of Joan

William Ely OCarroll (1325 - )
Son of Maolruanaidh

Roderic OCarroll I (1308 - )
Son of William Ely

Daniel OCarroll (1467 - 1567)
Son of Roderic

Roderic Carroll (1487 - 1587)
Son of Daniel

Donough Carroll (1510 - )
Son of Roderic

Donogh Fitzjohn Carrol (1555 - )
Son of Donough

Daniel Tiege Carroll (1580 - 1610)
Son of Donogh Fitzjohn

Charles Carroll (1599 - 1665)
Son of Daniel Tiege

Bridget Carroll (1631 - )
Daughter of Charles

Thomas Nowland (1648 - 1728)
Son of Bridget

Daniel Nowland (1695 - )
Son of Thomas

Augastine Nowland (1727 - )
Son of Daniel

John Nolan (1753 - 1819)
Son of Augastine

Nancy Nolan (1820 - 1865)
Daughter of John

China Owens (1849 - 1901)
Daughter of Nancy

William Linzy Dyson (1884 - 1973)
Son of China

Charles Clifford Dyson (1934 - )
Son of William Linzy

Amber Lynn Dyson (1961 - )
Daughter of Charles Clifford

On a funny note, Sir Theobald I Fitzwalter 1st Baron Butler of Ireland Walter was married to Maude Baroness Butler Vavasour, who later married Fulk FitzWarin. Fulk was the person that the legend of Robin Hood was based on and Maude was the person Maid Marion was based on. Maude is in my linage and, you guessed it, Fulk is in Brian's. I'm thinking we should dress as Robin Hood and Maid Marion next Halloween. :0)

The Butler dynasty refers to the several branches of the Butler family that has its origins in the Cambro-Norman family that participated in the Norman invasion of Ireland in the 12th century. Variant spellings include le Boteler and le Botiller. The surname has its origins in the hereditary office of butler of Ireland. The family originates with Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler.

Butlers of Ormond

This is the senior branch of the family and later produced, Earls, Marquesses and Dukes of Ormond. Since 1391, the family was based in their stronghold of Kilkenny Castle. From this position, they were able to control the surrounding Gaelic kingdoms of Ormond, Éile, Ikerrin and part of Osraige. The last Butler quit the castle and Ireland permanently in 1935.

Titles

The family held the titles of Chief Butler of Ireland and Baron Butler. Prior to the creation of the Earldom of Ormond, the 1st earl's father had been created the first Earl of Carrick. However, this title did not pass to James Butler. After a gap of 7 years following his father's death, James was rewarded with an earldom in his own right - Ormond. Subsidiary titles for the earl in the Peerage of Ireland were added: Earl of Ossory (1538) and Viscount Thurles (1536).

Created Marquess of Ormond in 1642, which title became extinct in 1758.

Created Duke of Ormonde in 1661, and created the Duke of Ormonde in the Peerage of England in 1682. After 1682, the spelling "Ormonde" was used almost universally. The title was forfeit in 1715. Subsidiary titles for the duke in the Peerage of England were added: Earl of Brecknock (1660) and Baron Butler (1660).

In 1715 the second duke was attainted and his English peerages declared forfeit. In 1758 the de jure third duke (Irish) died and the dukedom and marquessate became extinct.

The eighteenth earl was created as Baron Ormonde, of Llanthony, in the county of Monmouth in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1821 on the coronation of George IV. Later, he was created the Marquess of Ormonde in the Peerage of Ireland in 1816. On his death in 1820, that title became extinct and the earldoms passed to his brother, for whom the title "Marquess of Ormonde" was re-created in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1825. That title became extinct in 1997, while the earldom became dormant.

Lands

The Lordship of Ireland in 1450

Norman Lordships and native kingdoms.The patrimony of the Butlers of Ormond encompassed most of the modern counties of North Tipperary, South Tipperary, Kilkenny and parts of County Carlow. Only the earldom of Desmond would have had more extensive land holdings than Ormond in the Lordship and Kingdom of Ireland. Following the successful Norman Invasion, the ancient Gaelic lands would have been annexed to the crown and passed as baronies or fiefs to the supporters of the crown (the victorious barons). These (administrative) baronies corresponded to the (Irish) túath ("country") or trícha cét ("thirty hundred [men]") of a Gaelic chief, for example Éile. However, sometimes baronies combined small territories, or split a large one, or were created without regard for the earlier boundaries. In the Norman period most Gaelic chiefs were killed, expelled, or subordinated by the new Norman lord; in the Tudor period, many Gaelic and Hibernicized lords retained their land by pledging allegiance to the Crown under the policy of surrender and regrant.

In 1837, the remains of the following Bulter castles were recorded in County Kilkenny alone by Lewis.

"Granny or Grandison Castle, in Iverk, is one of the most considerable: it was the residence of Margaret Fitzgerald, the great Countess of Ormond, a lady of uncommon talents and qualifications, who is said also to have built the castles of Balleen and Coolkill, with several others of minor note. The Butlers owned the castles of Knocktopher, Gowran, Dunfert, Poolestown, Nehorn, Callan, Ballycallan, Damagh, Kilmanagh, and Urlingford..... The castles of Drumroe, Barrowmount, and Low Grange, are said to have belonged to Lord Galmoy;"[1]

Early figures

Theobald Walter, 1st Baron Butler

Theobald le Botiller, 2nd Chief Butler of Ireland

Theobald Butler, 3rd Chief Butler of Ireland

Theobald Butler, 4th Chief Butler of Ireland

Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick, 6th Chief Butler of Ireland and second son of the 4th Chief Butler .

James Butler, 1st Earl of Ormond and 7th Chief Butler of Ireland.

My 20th Great-Grandfather Was A Rebel

2010-12-25T10:45:00.005-05:00

And that's not a bad thing. There are some things you should rebel against.

(This is primarily for my family to see so sorry if I bore everyone else with the family history stuff)

Apparently our family has a rich Scottish history and are related to some Kings of Scotland as well as the patriot William "Braveheart" Wallace.

William Wallace (1272 - 1305)
relationship to you: 20th great grandfather

Elizabeth Wallace (1295 - 1320)
Daughter of William

Lord Richard Galloway Ball (1320 - )
Son of Elizabeth

Sir William Knt Ball (1360 - 1420)
Son of Lord Richard Galloway

LORD John BALL (1405 - 1465)
Son of Sir William Knt

Lord WILLIAM Joseph BALL (1450 - 1480)
Son of LORD John

Lord Robert William Ball (1475 - 1546)
Son of Lord WILLIAM Joseph

William Ball (1505 - 1550)
Son of Lord Robert William

John Paris Ball (1525 - 1599)
Son of William

John Ball (1548 - 1628)
Son of John Paris

William Ball (1573 - 1648)
Son of John

Colonel WILLIAM Atherold BALL (1615 - 1680)
Son of William

Richard Ball (1645 - 1677)
Son of Colonel WILLIAM Atherold

John Ball (1670 - 1742)
Son of Richard

George Ball (1720 - 1801)
Son of John

John Ball (1756 - 1809)
Son of George

Kezziah Ball (1790 - 1856)
Daughter of John

John Gray (1818 - 1856)
Son of Kezziah

Albert Commodore Gray (1845 - 1909)
Son of John

Roy Gray (1884 - 1921)
Son of Albert Commodore

Fern Lorene Gray (1909 - )
Daughter of Roy

Judith Lynn Davis (1938 - )
Daughter of Fern Lorene

Amber Lynn Dyson (1961 - )
Daughter of Judith Lynn

There are some pretty interesting stories of several of the people in this line but the one most American's are aware of (thanks to Hollywood) is that of William Wallace. Here is his story.

William Wallace was born on 1272 in Ellerslie, Scotland. He was the second of three sons of Sir Malcolm Wallace (a minor laird possessing little political power and nobility) and Margaret de Crauford (the daughter of Sir Reginald de Crauford, the Sheriff of Ayr).

Edward I 'Longshanks' succeeded the English throne on 16 November 1272 at the age of thirty-five while in Palestine and crowned on 19 August 1274 at Westminster Abbey, London, England. King Edward I was later to become William Wallace's deadliest adversary.

During this period Scotland was a peaceful and prosperous kingdom under the rule of King Alexander III.

Initially William Wallace was educated at home by his mother, then given schooling and religious education by the monks of Paisley Abbey. Though William Wallace could read and write he was probably more interested in activities such as horsemanship, hunting and swordmanship - sparring with his elder brother Sir Malcolm Wallace Jr. and younger brother John Wallace (later to become one of his trusted comrade-in-arms).

On 19 March 1286, King Alexander III's death plunged Scotland into a state of turmoil. The main perpetrators were Robert Bruce 'the Competitor', 5th Lord Annandale (grandfather of the future king of Scotland - Robert Bruce) in the South and the Comyn's in the North, they were both fighting for rights to claim the Scottish Crown.

The situation escalated when Robert Bruce 'the Competitor' was excluded from being one the Guardians of the Peace (consisting of two earls, two barons and two bishops, appointed by the government of the child monarch, Queen Margaret of Scotland 'the Maid of Norway'). Therefore Robert Bruce 'the Competitor' together with his eldest son, Robert Bruce, the 1st Earl of Carrick (father of the future King of Scotland - Robert Bruce) and co-conspirators instigated the revolt of the Turnberry Band in September 1286. The Guardians of the Peace sensed a challenge to the Scottish Crown and mobilized an army to its defense in the spring of 1287. By the time of the army of law and order were fully mobilized the revolt of the Turnberry Band had lost its momentum. Then Scotland lulled into an uneasy peace for about three years.

When William Wallace was seventeen or eighteen years old he traveled to Dunipace to further his education and lodged with an uncle (a younger brother of his father), a cleric at the chapelry of Cambuskenneth Abbey. At this stage William Wallace demonstrated an aptitude for a career in the Church (a typical role for landless younger sons), e.g. expressing his intellect by showing his command of French, Gaelic and Latin. The credit for initiating William Wallace's passionate desire for liberty goes to his uncle-priest; this can be summed up from his favourite phrase:

Dico tibi verum, libertas optima rerum;Nunquam servili sub nexu vivito, fili.

My son, I tell thee soothfastlie,No gift is like to libertie;Then never live in slaverie.

During 1289, protracted negotiations occurred between King Edward I and King Eirik II of Norway. The negotiations were about the marriage of King Edward I's five years old son, Edward, the Prince of Wales (later to become Edward II) and the six years old Queen Margaret of Scotland, King Eirik II of Norway's daughter. These negotiations resulted in the Treaty of Birgham being ratified on 28 August 1290.

Then Queen Margaret of Scotland traveled from Norway for her arranged marriage with Edward, the Prince of Wales. During the voyage she succumbed to an illness and on 26 September 1290 she died, shortly after landing on Orkney.

Then the main contenders for the Scottish Crown were John Balliol and Robert Bruce 'the Competitor' (both factions were prepared to seize the Scottish Crown by force), in total there were thirteen contenders.

Then a naïve William Fraser, Bishop of St. Andrews (one of the Guardians of the Peace) invited King Edward I to assess each contender's rights to the Scottish Crown. King Edward I agreed, but he had to be regarded as the Lord Paramount of Scotland in order to act as the adviser on the successor of the Scottish Crown. Finally all the contenders readily acknowledged King Edward I as their Lord Paramount and were willing to receive his judgement. A factor that might have influenced their decision was the fact that the majority of the contenders had substantially larger estates in England than in Scotland and therefore would have lost their English estates if they defied King Edward I.

Then on 11 June 1291, acting as the Lord Paramount of Scotland, King Edward I ordered that on a "temporary basis" every Scottish Castle to be placed under his control and all Scottish officials to be replaced by English ones. Two days later, in Upsettlington, the Guardians of the Peace and the leading nobility of Scotland gathered to swear allegiance to King Edward I as their superior and direct lord of the kingdom of Scotland. All Scots were also required to pay homage to King Edward I as their Lord Paramount, either in person or at one of the designated centres in Ayr, Dumfries, Inverness and Perth by 27 July 1291.

Sir Reginald de Crauford in his capacity as the Sheriff of Ayr administered the homage to be paid to Edward I and would have immediately noticed that his son-in-law's name didn't appear in the list that complied. Then Sir Malcolm Wallace and his eldest son fled north to Lennox to avoid the imposed penalties for not complying to swear to the oath. This resulted in Lady Wallace and her younger sons (William and John) having to be sheltered by her father, Sir Reginald de Crauford.

Then Sir Reginald de Crauford sent the eighteen or nineteen years old William Wallace to Kilspindle in the Carse of Gowrie, together with his mother and younger brother to reside with an uncle of Lady Wallace. William Wallace then attended the nearby church school in Dundee, to be doctrine in the ways of the priesthood. It was at this church-school that William Wallace met John Blair, who later becomes a Benedictine monk then Wallace's future chaplain and comrade in arms.

In the latter months of 1291, an English knight called Fenwick murdered Sir Malcolm Wallace at Loudoun Hill, because of his unwillingness to yield to King Edward I's authority.

Yes, There is a Santa ... or at Least a Bunch of Elves

2010-12-24T19:49:00.005-05:00

Oh my ... what do I even say ....

After coming home from the Christmas Eve service tonight I was sitting at my desk when Brian kept insisting that he needed to take a picture of me beside the Christmas tree.

I told him he was nuts and that it wasn't going to happen.

He persisted. Never mind that I had already changed into my grubby pj's.

(Whitlock will appreciate the Ohio State shirt though.)

So ... I walked in to see what all the fuss was about and saw this ....

a huge box, accompanied by a smaller box and an envelope with my name on it.

I gave him a dirty look because we agreed not to do this.

That's when he began clicking pictures and blinding me with the flash.

this is me, trying to save my sight.

Then I opened the envelope and saw that the gifts were from

the Pine Ridge crew.

Next question - "do I dare open it"???

I did.

and found a mouse.

The good kind of mouse, not the kind that run through your house eating things.

And in the big box ...

was a printer.

A nice printer.

A really, really, really nice printer.

Their original plan was to buy me a laptop but they told Brian this two days after we ordered one with Brian's Christmas bonus.

So they got a printer.

And if they only knew .....

My current printer is SO ghetto. It can only print ONE piece of paper at a time and with that I have to physically put my fingers halfway into it and hold the paper down so that it will feed through - otherwise it jams.

But with this baby ... oh wow ...

I bet they expect me to work now, huh?

Seriously - THANK YOU guys. You really shouldn't have. No really, you shouldn't have.

But I'm glad you did.

You still have bathroom duty on the trip though. ;)

Family History from England

2010-12-16T12:59:00.006-05:00

Thomas Palmer is one of my relatives that came over from England. Below is an account of that trip. Apparently he, his wife, and 6 year old daughter boarded the ship for America in November of 1621.

Thomas Palmer, born 1590 in London England and died either in N. Farnham Parish or Accomac Co., VA 1633.

Thomas married Joane Jordan, born between 1608 and 1613 in England.

Thomas, wife Joane and six year old daughter, Priscilla arrived in VA aboard ship "Tyger" in Nov 1621;

This is a copy of the original Muster Roll (click to enlarge)

They lived at "Jordan's Journey " in Dominion of VA near City Point, Charles City Co. Feb. 16, 1622/23; 2. Oct. 16, 1629

This is a map of the area (click to enlarge)

Member of House of Burgesses; represented Shirley Hundred Island; 1622-29

Commander & Captain of Company of Shirley Hundreds Island troop

This document shows him living there (click to enlarge)

1630 Represented Shirley Hundred Main.

Mar 1630/31 appointed Justice for the monthly courts for upper portion of counties of Henrico & Charles City, VA;

Died 1633. Only wife Joane & daughter Priscilla are mentioned--Joane listed as head rights under John Baker as patentee.

Here is the link :

Thomas Palmer (1580 - 1633)
relationship to you: 10th great grandfather

John Palmer (1633 - 1686)
Son of Thomas
Robert Palmer (1662 - 1731)
Son of John
Parmenas Palmer (1719 - 1761)
Son of Robert
Joshua Palmer (1747 - 1835)
Son of Parmenas
Parmenus Palmer (1790 - 1840)
Son of Joshua
Susannah Palmer (1800 - 1849)
Daughter of Parmenus
Elizabeth McCafferty (1825 - 1876)
Daughter of Susannah
Albert Commodore Gray (1845 - 1909)
Son of Elizabeth
Roy Gray (1884 - 1921)
Son of Albert Commodore
Fern Loraine Gray (1909 - )
Daughter of Roy
Judith Lynn Davis (1938 - )
Daughter of Fern Loraine
Amber Lynn Dyson (1961 - )
Daughter of Judith Lynn

Roots

2010-12-16T10:10:00.004-05:00

For Christmas I gave Brian a subscription to Ancestry.com. While he's been busy researching his genealogy, I've been busy working on my side of things ... and what I've found is interesting.

It seems that family on my mother's side goes back to England with some funny stories to go along with it. Today I found this particular link back to Edmund Moodye in England in the early 1500's. Who was Edmund Moodye, you ask? Well, basically a nobody. Edmund was just a lowly knave in King Henry the 8th's court. While out running along the sides of the horses of the titled men, Henry in full armour was crossing a creek and the horse slipped, thus dumping the King into the water. He could not get up without help, being a tad heavy in weight and with armour. Edmund ran over and held the King's head above the water until everyone could dismount and help right the King. For this bravery, he was awarded the title SIR EDMUND, given a manor at BURY ST EDMUND (a town), and a pension. The manor is STILL around and several generations later was "sold to George Washington's ancestors". A heraldity shield was also given.

A more humorous story suggests that King Henry the 8th was out Hawking (a sport) and tried to pole vault the creek when he went head first into it and got his head stuck in the mud.

Either way, our dear old Edmund saved the life of the king and was given all the honor due him.

Edmund Moodye (1499 - 1562)
relationship to you: 15th great grandfather
Richard Moody (1528 - 1574)
Son of Edmund
George Moody (1560 - 1607)
Son of Richard
Samuel Moody (1592 - 1657)
Son of George
John Moody (1640 - 1679)
Son of Samuel
Frances Moody (1663 - )
Daughter of John
Elizabeth Man (1659 - 1735)
Daughter of Frances
Thomas DRAPER (1699 - 1743)
Son of Elizabeth
Mary Ann Draper (1718 - 1761)
Daughter of Thomas
Joshua Palmer (1747 - 1835)
Son of Mary Ann
Parmenus Palmer (1790 - 1840)
Son of Joshua
Susannah Palmer (1800 - 1849)
Daughter of Parmenus
Elizabeth McCafferty (1825 - 1876)
Daughter of Susannah
Albert Commodore Gray (1845 - 1909)
Son of Elizabeth
Roy Gray (1884 - 1921)
Son of Albert Commodore
Fern Loraine Gray (1909 - )
Daughter of Roy
Judith Lynn Davis (1938 - )
Daughter of Fern Loraine
Amber Lynn Dyson (1961 - )
Daughter of Judith Lynn

The shield given to Edmund

The letter pronouncing him "Sir" Edmund Moodye

Other tales that I've heard for years are also apparently true. I've always heard that we were related to Sir Francis Drake and lo and behold, we did find this link:

Sir Francis Drake (1540 - 1596)
relationship to you: 1st cousin 12x removed
Edmund Drake (1520 - 1566)
Father of Sir Francis
John Drake (1460 - 1554)
Father of Edmund
John Drake (1500 - 1588)
Child of John
Bernard Drake (1528 - 1586)
Son of John
John Drake (1566 - 1628)
Son of Bernard
William Drake (1596 - 1640)
Son of John
Thomas Drake (1687 - )
Son of William
William Sr Drake (1707 - 1770)
Son of Thomas
John Drake (1732 - 1792)
Son of William Sr
William Drake (1756 - 1829)
Son of John
Abram Abraham Drake (1799 - )
Son of William
Johnson Drake (1828 - 1898)
Son of Abram Abraham
Susie Lizabeth Drake (1876 - 1930)
Daughter of Johnson
George Lovest Davis (1902 - 1972)
Son of Susie Lizabeth
Judith Lynn Davis (1938 - )
Daughter of George Lovest
Amber Lynn Dyson (1961 - )
Daughter of Judith Lynn

Who was Sir Francis Drake? Well, that depends on who you ask. To the English he was something of a hero - to the Spanish, he was a pirate. He was an English sea captain, privateer, navigator, slaver, a renowned pirate, and a politician of the Elizabethan era. Elizabeth I of England awarded Drake a knighthood in 1581.

Being Christmas, its also quite interesting to look at the genealogy of Jesus. He has some interesting folks in his linage too. I do believe there's something to family influence through both nature and nurture but ultimately, who we are is up to us and it is our mission to be the person God created us to be.

Christmas 2010 (Part One)

2010-12-12T15:14:00.009-05:00

We celebrated Christmas at our house yesterday. It was a good time but we missed Logan and Jenn. Logan is sick with a high fever and is in fact, very close to having meningitis. Pray for him. He doesn't have insurance, is in the Police Academy and working. He's feeling the pinch to need to work to pay bills but is way too sick to go in. We'll celebrate Christmas with them on Christmas Day.

At the risk of having waaayyy too many baby pictures ... here is our first Christmas with the twins.

Owen opening his gift

Eli opening his gift

First visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus

(thanks Toby & Maxine)

Owen thinks this guy is a little strange

Mrs. Claus is cool though

Eli is checking him out

.... thinking about it ...

and decided that he's one of the good guys

Eli also likes cold, hard, cash

Cody made me a stable for Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus

and Brian gave me a cycling helmet to keep my head from being splattered.

It has tattoo designs on it and the wording ... well ... seemed appropriate.

Merry Christmas!!

I Think I Like This

2010-12-07T18:18:00.005-05:00

I was so impressed with the homemade laundry detergent that I began researching other homemade cleaning supplies.

And I found a homemade toilet bowl cleaner. I've tested it and it works well, is cheap and easy to mix up.

Here is what I did:

Bought an empty squeeze bottle (this one happens to be tilted too to make it even better)
Bought a bottle of Castile soap at Target for $9.99 (pictured) Its cost a bit but it will last a very long time
And used some Baking Soda that I already had.

In a glass mixing up with a spout, mix 3/4 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of water. Stir so that its thick. Add 1/2 teaspoon of the castile soap to this and stir again. Pour into the squeeze bottle and you're done!

To use it, just squeeze it around the inside of the toilet bowl like you would the store-bought stuff, let it sit a few minutes and scrub with the toilet brush. It clings to the bowl just like the store-bought stuff. Baking soda has been a well known cleaner and deodorizer for many, many years.

You should note that while the toilet bowl is clean and smells clean, it is not disinfected. To do that you can pour in some bleach after you clean it.

While the castile soap was about $10, you only use 1/2 teaspoon of it so it will last a long time.

I like it because it works, its cheap, and it doesn't take but a few minutes to make - and its "greener" and non-toxic to pets or kids.

Crazy Love

2010-12-05T13:16:00.003-05:00

We've been going through the book, Crazy Love by Francis Chan on Sunday mornings. Its a great book. I'm not easily impressed, but I came across this book quite by accident and well ... I was impressed. I still don't know what the book is about because I've not read it all. I'm only on Chapter 3 and I've only watched the videos that go with the chapter I'm on ... so ... I'll let you know if I change my mind about it when I finish. ;)

Today's discussion was interesting. The question we were discussing was, "when did you 'get it' and realize that you LOVE God - not just believe in Him or serve Him, but LOVE Him?

Some were honest and said they didn't think they'd ever really "gotten it". I imagine that if most people who fill pews on Sunday were honest they'd admit the same.

Having kids and/or grandbabies helps. I think it would be tough to imagine a "crazy love" without kids. I know when Eli and Owen were born I watched them sleeping in their crib and thought "I'd die for these babies. And I'd kill for them too ... and not think twice about either".

Crazy love to me means that you think about the one you love all the time. You can't wait to see them. Can't wait to spend time with them. And you look completely silly too - but you don't care. You do weird things - things that people who don't understand, don't understand. People shake their heads and you and say things like, "oh she's one of those (grandma)".

I suppose its no different when we're crazy in love with God. Does your relationship with God look like this?

This post isn't meant to be legalistic, as in, you'd better be like this or you're not a good Christian. Its just something to think about ...

Parenting 102

2010-12-05T06:34:00.005-05:00

Before I continue with the parenting topic, let me reiterate that I do not think I'm in a place to give "advice". I consider this more of a "what I've learned" topic rather than advice. Things tend to look different when you're a little older and I'm not sure I would have not had the same opinion when I was a young parent. I think that may be due to the fact that by the time you get older you've sorted out what things are important and what things aren't.

For instance one of my big regrets in raising my two boys was that I too often punished them for being too loud in church. I'm not sure what's "too loud" and what's not but I am pretty sure that the only people who get really bent out of shape about a kid being a kid in church is their parents and really cranky people who are just going to be cranky no matter what. I've discovered that most people really don't mind a young child playing in the seat or even talking quietly. Now if they're crying or talking loudly they probably should be taken out of the service but DO NOT punish them for that. They're doing what they're supposed to be doing - being a kid. Its simply not fair and not healthy and not right to expect a child to sit quietly throughout an hour to an hour and a half service. I know when I punished my kids for being too loud in church, it was because I was concerned about what other people thought of my mothering. It had little to nothing to do with my kid. I bet I'm not the only young mother who has fallen to that .... and folks, that is not a good reason to punish your child.

I noticed something else the other day. I was sitting in the narthex at church when a young mother was showing her very young child the Christmas decorations at church. For those who don't attend our church, we have several trees that make up a forest with snow along the sides of the narthex and in those trees are placed several little ceramic animals. The mother wanted her child to see the pretty decorations but kept tell her not to touch them. And of course, the child was determined to touch the animals as many times as possible. Her mother would smack her little hand every time she did, which was so many times I lost count. I sat and watched and laughed inside at how people are so different. I remember a few years ago when I was babysitting a small child for a friend and how we had sat in the floor of that same narthex, next to the same display, pulled out the animals and played with them.

You see, kids learn at church in different ways than we adults do. They learn by touching, exploring, holding, and by how we adults respond to their childlike ways. Ever seen how a baby will touch your face all the time? Its his way of learning about you. Its hard for kids to connect with something if they can't touch it.

When my kids were born I traded in my white ceramic nativity set for a plastic one that they could pick up and play with. I wanted them to be able to have their hands all over that thing if they wanted to. And they did. I particularly remember how baby Jesus would always go missing every year - until we would discover him in Mary's arms. Logan was not content to let him lay in a manger - he apparently felt that Mary should hold her baby and every year would take him out of the manger and put him in Mary's arms. It was his way of being a part of the Christmas story. He wasn't aware of that at the time, but that's exactly what he was doing.

Let your kids touch things. If they break, fix it or replace it. Whatever it is, its not more important that you're child.

Now you say, that's all very well and good Amber but children need to learn to respect other people's property. Of course they do. I just don't think that church is the place for that. Teach them that when you visit other people's homes. Church is God's house. And he welcomes those little one's and so should we.

If we're really all about souls, we should consider that our most likely place to reach people for Christ is right there in our children.

Oh and speaking of church - take your children to church, don't send them. Kids learn way more from our actions than from our words. The world if full of people who regret not taking their kids to church. I know of few if any who regret taking them. Whatever it is that is taking you from church ... its not worth your child's spiritual development and its certainly not worth their soul. But the church isn't what it should be, ou say? Well neither are the schools, or little league games or anything thing else in life. There will be plenty of time to teach them how to deal with all the imperfections and disappointments that you've experienced at church when they're older. When they're little - take them. And make sure its a kid-friendly church you take them to.

If you missed my first post about parenting it can be found here.

Being Grandparents is the Best

2010-12-04T08:31:00.007-05:00

This one is hilarious!

The Verdict is In ... And ...

2010-12-02T15:18:00.002-05:00

So, what do I do in my "off season", when I'm not running crazy organizing and leading mission trips and fundraisers, and pulling REZonate together? Well ... I do other crazy things.

First I've got to thank my friend Rhonda for this bit of info. She posted a link about how to make your own laundry detergent on Facebook and ... well ... I was curious. I HATE spending money on laundry detergent when it could be spent on FOOD, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Brian thought I had completely lost it. I think his actual words to me were, "go ahead and wash your clothes in it first and see if it eats through them". Nice.

So, I did. And ... I like it! It works very well and its WAAAYYY cheaper than the store bought detergent.

So, if you're brave, here's the recipe and some tips for how to make your own.

Needed:

1, 5 gallon bucket with a lid

1/2 cup of Borax

1 cup of Washing Soda (not baking soda)

1 bar of soap

A large pot

What to do:

Put about 4 cups of water in the pot on the stove and heat to a boil. While it is heating grate the bar of soap into small shavings. When the water is boiling, lower heat and add soap bits a little at a time, stirring until the soap is dissolved.

Next, pour the Washing Soda and the Borax into the 5 gal. bucket and add about 3 gallons of warm water. Stir and add the soapy water from the stove. Stir well, cover with the lid and let it sit for 24 hours.

When you take the lid off it will look AWFUL. It'll look like a bunch of globbly goop, or as Rhonda said, "snot".

Now its ready to use. Be sure to stir it well before use and then use 1 cup per laundry load.

At this point I had real doubts, but I went ahead and used it and was surprised!

I tested it on my very, very sweaty running shirt and it came out clean with no bad smell at all.

So, I can say I'm happy and will be using this from now on. Its easy to make, it works, and its CHEAP! The materials make enough for several 5 gal. buckets of this and I only spent about $7 on it. I should easily have 300 loads of laundry from it.

Some of my suggestions:

I would suggest is to put a cup of soap into the wash as the washer is filling up and let it fill before adding your clothes so that those glumps are broken up better in the water.
I also put part of the detergent into some old tupperware cereal boxes I had because they have lids that make it easy to shake before use and to pour. (pictured above)
If you like a nice fragrance to your laundry you can go to a Health Food Store and buy Essential Oils in whatever scent you like and add that to your mixture. Google it to find out how much.

Christmas at Our House

2010-12-02T12:07:00.001-05:00

Parenting 101

2010-11-30T12:58:00.005-05:00

Its hard to imagine but from time to time I have people ask me for parenting advice. I've always been kind of hesitant to give it for a few reasons - for one, I don't think its wise, second, I haven't done everything "right" myself, and third, while parenting has a huge impact on children's lives, its not the only thing that determines "how they turn out". Other factors, that parents have no control over have a pretty big impact on our kids too.

But, since parenting does have a big impact, and since I've been asked, and since I do feel I've learned some good stuff over the years of raising my kids, I'll share some of that here for anyone who cares to read.

Being the Perfect Parent

Don't try to be the "perfect" parent. Trying to be perfect is, in my opinion, almost as bad as abusing your kid. It puts unbelievable pressure on your kids and it teaches them that its not OK to screw up, and we all know that we all screw up and need grace. Set a better example by giving yourself some grace when you screw up. That does not mean that you let things slide. It means when you screw up that you admit it and make amends as necessary. Making mistakes in parenting is normal. All parents make mistakes and have regrets. Own them and take responsibility for them and admit them to your kids. As far as perfectionism goes, check yourself - are their other areas in your life where you demand perfection of yourself? Your kids see that and trust me - it makes a huge negative impact. It sends the message that if you're not perfect (no one is) then you're not acceptable and your children will internalize that and live it out in their lives.

Teaching Kids to Give

Since I've been leading mission trips I see two basic responses from parents about missions and both are a little scary to me. Some parents say that their children are too young and can't be left at home for a week. Other parents want to take children that are too young on the mission trip. Both of these responses give me nightmares at times.

Let me address the first issue - Kids are not as fragile as you think. As long as they know that they are the most important things in your life, they'll be just fine without you for a week or two. In fact, they'll be better than fine. They'll see that helping people is important - so important that you'll give up a short bit of time with them to go do it. That will teach them more than any words you have about the importance of helping out others and giving. Words are cheap, actions are not and kids know this. That's not to say it'll be easy. I left for a two week trip to Romania when Cody and Logan were very young. I think Logan was just three at the time and Cody was old enough to worry about me getting hurt "over there". It was stressful for all of us. When I dropped them off at my mom and dad's I cried all the way to the airport and then all the time until we boarded the plane. Are my kids OK? I think so. Both of them have chosen careers that help others. One is a missionary and the other preparing for a career in public service. Both have been on mission trips themselves to Pine Ridge, Haiti and the Philippines and both have a desire to go on other mission trips. As far as I know they are neither one scared for life. In fact, I think it was a good thing. And really, it's only a week. Its what happens all the other weeks that matter to your child's development.

Now let me say this - if you're kids don't know that they come first, you will have some resentful kids if you leave them for a mission trip. In fact, you're going to have some resentful kids regardless if they feel something else comes before them. As I said above - its what happens all the other weeks that matter to your child's development. Wondering if your kids know they come first? They know. And so do you.

As for the second issue with mission trips. Sometimes parents want to get their kids involved in missions. That's awesome! BUT, you've got to be careful here. The maturity level of your kid is a really, really important factor if you want them to have a good experience rather than a bad one. I'm assuming people want their kids to have a good experience so their kids will learn about giving. But taking a child who is too immature on a mission trip can backfire and leave them with a really bad taste for "giving". Mission trips are tough. They're mentally and emotionally tough for adults and they're just that much harder for kids. Aside from the physical toughness of these trips, you have to be able to put others first, do without privacy, and tolerate people who may rub you the wrong way at times. That's a tough thing for most adults. Some kids are exceptional and can handle that beautifully. Others, most ... not so much. That does not mean they are bad kids. It simply means that they're kids and they're supposed to be immature. Its OK. They'll grow up and there will be other opportunities. Not sure about your kid? Ask someone who will tell you the truth.

Well, I'm out of time and I bet you're out of time reading, so I'll continue this topic in future blog posts.

Thanksgiving 2010 Video & Pics

2010-11-26T02:23:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a lot of firsts here at the Buriff house. It was the first year we've had Thanksgiving at our house, Eli & Owen's first Thanksgiving, and the first year we started a new tradition (thanks to Pati Germany for sharing the idea). I bought a simple white table cloth and a laundry marker and each of us wrote something we were thankful for on the table cloth. Over the years we'll be able to look back and see all of the ways God has blessed our family. This year we traced the twin's hand prints on it.

We had a great time together and WAY too much food. Below are some pics and a video of us trying to get Owen to "talk". He has a way of squealing that sounds just like he's saying "hi". I'm not sure we captured it but we did get a cute kid on video.

In this one we were laughing at Allison

who was trying to get the twins to look toward the camera

"What are we supposed to do with this bone?"

They know what to do with it

Twin Pics

2010-11-19T09:18:00.002-05:00

Click on the pics for a larger view

Eli riding the Harley

Owen loves "cookies"

Eli can really work the pout

Goodbye to a Very Good Friend

2010-11-14T17:49:00.004-05:00

I am just absolutely shocked ... and stunned. Just a while ago I got word that a very good friend of mine passed away very suddenly yesterday morning. Many of my blogging friends will know Gary from his own blog and we will all miss him terribly.

I first met Gary years ago on an online recovery forum. Over time he became a very good friend and walked with me every painful step of the way through the recovery process.

There are so many things I will always remember about Gary. First and foremost is his compassion. Gary always cared deeply for those who struggled. That was evidenced in so many ways, whether it was just a willingness to listen to someone vent, or whether it came across in the words he carefully crafted on his blog, or whether it was his willingness to donate his time and talent to a great cause. Gary cared. No one who ever knew him would doubt that for a second.

I will also remember him for his wisdom. He would laugh at that, I'm sure because he probably never thought of himself as wise, and yet, most truly wise people don't. Just take a few minutes to read through his blog and well... you'll see what I mean.

I will also remember him as an irreplaceable member of the Backpacks For Pine Ridge team. Although he lived on the other side of the country and although we never actually met in person, he was a valued contributor to our work. Gary was a hugely talented graphic designer and he freely gave of his time and talent to create the beautiful logos for Backpacks For Pine Ridge and for the REZonate Music Fest. Then there were the countless fliers he created for REZonate. Every year I dreaded asking him if he was up for it one more time but every year he replied that he felt it a great honor to be a part of what we were doing. And he never did just one flier. He did several - he was a perfectionist like that and wanted to be sure we had his very best. There are other people who will be able to put a flier together, but no one will ever be able to replace Gary.

It just seems so strange to be writing this. It all seems so unreal. Gary, you will be missed ... greatly. Rest in peace my friend.

A Trailer Full of Coats

2010-11-10T21:31:00.002-05:00

Click over to the Pine Ridge Mission Blog to see all about Ray and Kathy's coat drive and what happened this week when Brian and Ray delivered them to the Reservation.

Crazy Little Story

2010-11-03T15:09:00.004-04:00

Ever have one of those times when things are just ... weird? Well, here's a story like that. For the past few months Ray and Kathy have been collecting winter coats to take out to the Rez. In fact, they leave next Monday to take them out there. Well ...

It so happens that Ray was in Middletown ...

and it so happens that he wondered into a thrift store ...

and it so happens that he came upon a box of winter coats that had a sign that said "Half Off".

The coates were marked anywhere from $2 - $4.

So Ray asked the manager if that was the half off price or the regular price and found out that it was half off of the price marked. So he bought them all.

It so happens that then he was telling the manager what he was doing with the coats and so the manager said, "Come see something ..."

And it so happens that the back room of the store was filled with coats. Maybe a few hundred of them.

And it so happens that the manager told Ray that he could take them all.

Not all of them are in good shape. They'll have to be cleaned before they take them out to the Rez, but still.

Then it so happens that Ray mentions the church he attends ...

and it so happens that this manager said, "So is Howard Eliott still the pastor there?"

It so happens that this manager used to attend our church and knew him.

Then ... the other day Brian was sitting at Panera working on his message and a man walked up and said hello and asked if Brian remembered him. Brian was a bit embarrassed but said, "Can you give me a hint".

It so happens that this man was the same manager at the thrift store who used to go to our church and remembered Brian and just happened to run into him again.

Is that crazy or what?

The Hardest Physical Challenge I've Ever Done

2010-10-30T16:44:00.006-04:00

In April of this year I started running with the hope of being able to do a 5k. There have been many, many, MANY times I thought I must be crazy to take up running at age 48. I ran in my 30's but, trust me, it was a whole different thing then. If you happen to read this and your in your 30's and run - don't stop. Its WAAAYYY harder when you're older.

Running is hard. Some make it look so easy but training for the 5k is the hardest physical thing I've ever done in my life. I've gone to bed with ice packs more times than I can count & I've ran more discouraging runs than I can remember. It has seemed like 3 steps forward, 2 steps back all year long. But I'm happy to say that I ran my first 5k this morning! My time was 36 min. 10 seconds. That's slow for a runner but for me, its great! I'm not worried about time - the thing was to just do it.

It's been a long haul. A normal person is supposed to be able to go from being a couch potato to running a 5k in just 6 weeks. HA! Its taken me 7 months. Oh well, I never claimed to be normal. Clearly, I'm not very good at it. But I'm not about to stop. Not for a minute.

Thanks to Brian Whitlock for the pics!

Eli & Owen's First Halloween

2010-10-28T12:28:00.005-04:00

Eli and Owen's first Halloween. Owen is the lion and Eli the elephant.

Logan with the boys

At the church Harvest Party

Fred holding Owen

Grandpa and Eli

Eli has a habit of sticking his tongue out - just like someone else we know

Thanks to our friend Judy for taking these pics

All About the Nike+

2010-10-11T07:49:00.003-04:00

Three weeks from today I will have finished my first 5k. I will have finished it either by running all of it, running part of it and walking the rest, or running it partway and being carried off on a stretcher. Anyway I do it, I'm going to do it SLOW. I'm looking forward to it with a sense of both excitement and fear. Those four hills in the course have me worried. If it weren't for them, I think I could do this thing.

I was really, REALLY discouraged last week. I've been running (see my stats from the Daily Mile site at the side of this blog) and I thought I'd been running further than I had. I mapped it out with my Jeep and thought that from my driveway to the main road and back was a mile. Since I'd been running that twice I thought I had been running 2 miles. Last week I went on google maps and found that according to them, it was more like 1.5 miles. UGH! I'd been nearly killing myself for a mile and a half??? On Saturday though I felt much, MUCH better when I ran it 3 times. That was nearly 2.75 miles no matter how you count it and further than I've ran before (this decade anyway).

SO yesterday I bought the Nike+ system. Now let me be clear I do not like Nike. Sure they have cool stuff but they also have one of the worst reputations for child labor and sweat shop practices. I just HATE to support that. But no one else makes a system like this. It comes with a little chip thingy that you put on your shoe. Nike shoes have a special pocket inside the shoe for it - way cool BUT I do not like Nike and it CAN be used with other shoes. Then you plug the other part of the gadget into your iPod nano, iPod Touch or iPhone and you can not only hear your favorite music while you run but you can also hear feedback from your run so you know your distance, time, pace, calories burned, etc. Very cool right? But there's more.

If you're lucky enough to have the iPhone you can also get an app that allows you to post on Facebook when you go out for a run and your friends can cheer you on by posting a comment on your Facebook status. You will hear these comments through your iPhone while you are running. Crazy huh?

And if you have a 5th generation iPod nano there is the "Power Song" feature. If there is one song that really gets you going and motivates you you simply press on the center button when you are running and starting to feel a bit draggy and it'll play your power song for you.

I don't have either the iPhone or the 5th generation nano but its good enough for me to get feedback about distance/time/etc.

Crazy stuff.

So why am I doing this "commercial" for a company I hate so much? Well ... because to be fair, Nike HAS recently done a bit better - at least they have teamed up with the One Campaign to make Product RED shoe laces and a shoe that will go toward fighting AIDS in Africa. AND they do make the LiveStrong products that benefit cancer research. They could do a lot more but I've gotta give them credit for doing what they are doing.

Hard To Get

2010-10-03T19:36:00.001-04:00

You who live in heaven
Hear the prayers of those of us who live on earth
Who are afraid of being left by those we love
And who get hardened by the hurt
Do you remember when You lived down here where we all scrape
To find the faith to ask for daily bread
Did You forget about us after You had flown away
Well I memorized every word You said
Still I'm so scared, I'm holding my breath
While You're up there just playing hard to get

You who live in radiance
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in skin
We have a love that's not as patient as Yours was
Still we do love now and then
Did You ever know loneliness
Did You ever know need
Do You remember just how long a night can get?
When You were barely holding on
And Your friends fall asleep
And don't see the blood that's running in Your sweat
Will those who mourn be left uncomforted
While You're up there just playing hard to get?

And I know you bore our sorrows
And I know you feel our pain
And I know it would not hurt any less
Even if it could be explained
And I know that I am only lashing out
At the One who loves me most
And after I figured this, somehow
All I really need to know
Is if You who live in eternity
Hear the prayers of those of us who live in time
We can't see what's ahead
And we can not get free of what we've left behind
I'm reeling from these voices that keep screaming in my ears
All the words of shame and doubt, blame and regret
I can't see how You're leading me unless You've led me here
Where I'm lost enough to let myself be led

And so You've been here all along
I guess
It's just Your ways and You are just plain hard to get

~ Rich Mullins

How We Spend Money

2010-10-03T07:34:00.005-04:00

I found this visual about how the average American spends their money. Do you agree? Does this represent you or those you know? If so, what does that say about us? If the graphic is too small you can see a larger view here

Eli's getting ready for Winter

2010-10-02T11:03:00.001-04:00

Over the Rhine & Underground Walking Tour Pics

2010-09-25T13:47:00.005-04:00

This morning Brian and I went on an underground walking tour in Cincinnati. Its about a 90-minute tour that includes a lot of historic places in the Over the Rhine area of Cincy. We even got to go through some of the underground tunnels and visit a crypt and we learned a lot about the area. I would highly recommend Queen City Underground Tours! They do a ghost tour too ... which we may have to look into. Over the Rhine is the largest historic urban area in the U.S. but it has become known as the most dangerous area of Cincinnati because of the low-income and high-crime rate there. There is hope for this unique area though ....

This building used to be a beer garden where some high profile people used to meet.

One was the president of the Reds. It was here that the idea of a World Series was sparked.
The orchastra that played in the beer garden became the nuclues of what is now the CincinnatiSymphony.

The crypts under St. Francis Seraph Church

many of the graves are of Irish immigrants

One of the tunnels under Cincinnati

A very cool ceiling in one of the old beer gardens

*Interesting note - the tours started as a way for a couple of school teachers to fund service trips to other countries. They also hoped to be a part of the revitalization of this area of the city. They were laughed at when they told the city officials what they had in mind and that they hoped to bring 100 people through the tours. Today there were 200 in our group alone. :)

How to Dress For Church

2010-09-19T06:57:00.012-04:00

Just how "should" you dress for church? Does dressing for church mean wearing your "best" to church? Does the bible say something about that somewhere?

I don't believe it does, at least not in the way someone asking that might think.

I was discussing this issue with a friend recently and it got me to thinking ... and searching scripture to see if it in fact did address the issue.

It doesn't ... and it does.

Shew! Good thing it doesn't say we have to dress up and look a certain way because I'd be in trouble. If you go to my church you know I'm always in jeans.

1 Peter 3:3 "And let not your adornment be merely external-- braiding the hair,
and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; 4 but let it be the hidden
person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit,
which is precious in the sight of God.

Let me break this down into two parts and then throw a thrid one in just for fun.

Part 1

From what I can tell from scripture, the people who believe that we should wear our "best" for God are mistaken. Its an example of people following the traditions of man rather than what the Bible really says. Traditons are just that - ways of believing or acting that the majority of people follow. Traditionally people believed that you should dress up for important thing - like church, or a date, or an evening out. Traditionally people believed that smoking was a cool thing to do too - until we found out it was killing us at an alarming rate. The thing about traditions are that they are hard to change. Being creatures of habit, we hate change.

So what's wrong with the traditon of wearing your best to church? Nothing really. I can see how it might become a problem, but in and of itself there's not a thing wrong with it.

Where it might become a problem is when we start to make it an issue. That happens when we get more concerned about what's on the outside than what's on the inside. And that's an easy thing to do - just look at where we're at - people judging others for how they dress when they come to church - can there be anything more absurd? And yet its so accepted in a lot of church circles.

I think this is especially difficult for women, which is probably why scripture seems to address women on this rather than men. Women like to compare. And that leads to all sorts of bad things.

And I've got to wonder about people who can't afford nicer things. What about them? Would they really feel comfortable (welcome) in a place where they can't fit in because of the clothes they wear?

I made the decision a long time ago that I would never wear a dress to church on Easter Sunday again. I did so for a number of reasons but one of the main ones was that Easter seemed to be more about a new dress than about a risen Lord. I got tired of that and chose not to be a part of it anymore.

That leads me to Part 2

Its all about what's on the inside. Shouldn't that be obvious by now? I mean really, why are we still having this discussion? Shouldn't we have grown up past this by now? Its not about the temporary things like clothes - its about the internal and eternal things. If it can rot, its not important. Clothes, hair, tattoos - they're all going to rot. Our souls however will be around for eternity in one place or another. We really should care a whole lot more about what we're wearing on the inside. And people wear some pretty crappy stuff to church. They wear bitterness, jealousy, hurt feelings, big egos, and gossip to church all the time. We've got too much nasty stuff all over our insides to be worried about what's on the outside.

Now for the third part ...

Whoever said the church was a building anyway? I've always found it sadly funny that people feel like they can't say or do certain things in the sanctuary but they can say or do them outside of the sanctuary. What's that about anyway? I know, I know, its about respecting God. But doesn't it make sense that if you really respect God you won't have the change your behavior depending on the place you are at? The church has never been a building - its always been a Body. The church is YOU and ME. You are the church at work or at the Reds game, or anywhere else you take yourself.

Skydive Video

2010-09-17T20:55:00.001-04:00

Yesterday Brian and I went skydiving. Unfortunately his pics were "lost" but the video is here. Click on the link below and when the box comes up, type in bburiff@aol.com for the email and 45011 for the postal code and you can see him jump.

Skydive Video: "Skydive Video"

Its All Over Now

2010-09-13T15:30:00.008-04:00

I can breath again. For a while. Saturday was a good day. As usual there are stories to tell. You just can't immerse yourself into the lives of so many people from so many walks of life and not have stories to tell. Some funny, some very moving, all memorable.

And really, that's what its all about. Yes its a fundraiser, but its so much more. Frankly, if it was only about money, I wouldn't do it. Its not worth all the hard work and sacrifice to just make a little money. But factor in the lives ... the souls, that are affected, and well, I'd do it all again just to touch one of them.

For you numbers people, we made almost $1000 above expenses on REZonate. It took a lot more than that to pull it off, but we came out well in the black. We had about 750 people attend. It grows every year. If we have the energy and desire to keep going, this may well go to bigger places someday. But that's not our goal. Our goal, as far as I'm concerned is to just take the next step and see where God leads and who He puts in our path. Its more exciting that way, and it keeps us focused on the things that matter rather than just numbers and dollars.

The Cincinnati Teamsters Motorcycle Association did incredibly well with their bike raffle ... I'll let the pics tell that story. :)

The Cincinnati Teamsters Motorcycle Association ride

The Nuclear Penguins

8KOunt

West Chester Police Department Honor Guard

doing a 9/11 tribute.

Jenny Rodriguez sang the National Anthem

Amazing Grace on bagpipes

Shelly Bently from Pine Ridge Reservation drawing the winning ticket

for the Harley-Davidson raffle

Dan Tackett calling the Darryl Vaughn, winner of the

2010 Heritage Softail Classic Harley-Davidson

Scot Witskin, Vice President of the Cincinnati TMA presenting

Backpacks For Pine Ridge a check for $10,180

Me and some of the Cincinnati Teamsters Motorcycle Association members

(Nicky was told to make that face)

Karyn Williams

Brian White

Blessid Union of Souls

That Girl

2010-09-06T13:00:00.001-04:00

Well, he did it. Logan asked "the" question and Jenn said "yes".

They've dated for a little over a year... sometimes off, mostly on. And they were friends before that via Myspace, Facebook and text messages.

So who is this girl?

She's Jenn Baker, granddaughter of a couple in our church (guess how they met) and, you guessed it, a pastor's kid. What can be worse than one PK ... two of them married to each other. Wish them luck on that one.

Jenn is a girly-girl ... but then not really. She is better at working on cars than Logan is and until recently had a classic Firebird that was her baby. It came complete with a VERY loud exhaust system. We always heard her coming a few miles away. She's a big time animal lover. Logan is jealous because our dogs run to her rather than him when they come over. Jenn hates to see animals abused - and yet she hunts. In fact, she can dress a deer. How she can love animals and kill Bambi is beyond me but she does. She likes to go fishing too.

She's shy ... most people think she's stuck up or something (I can sympathize) but she's really just shy and a little bit unsure of herself. But make no mistake about it - don't you be giving her any lip because she knows how to take care of you if you do. Once a boy in school called her a "bitch" and she hurdled a couple of rows of desks, had him in a headlock and was punching him in the face before the teacher even knew what was happening.

She's from a little bitty town north of Columbus and I expect they'll be moving up there after they get married.

No date is set yet - they need to get school finished first. Logan begins the Police Academy next week and Jenn hopes to be a nurse someday.

Welcome to the family Jenn!

Well, I've Done it Now

2010-09-06T09:21:00.003-04:00

I've just signed up for my first 5k! Nope, its not the Trax for Backpacks 5k ... that'll come later and yes, I'm signed up for that one already too, but this 5k is one I will run before ours. I'll run it on Oct. 2nd. Well, truth be told, I'll walk/run it. I'll try to run as far as I can with it but I doubt I'll be able to run all 3.1 miles by then.

This 5k is special to me. This 5k is the one that I originally wanted to run. People may think that the 5k for Backpacks is what got me started but they'd be wrong. You see, about a year ago I read my friend Karin's blog about her first 5k. Now if anybody has reason to rightly say they don't have time to exercise, it's her. She has three kids. Her youngest, Esther-Faith is a little red=headed firecracker with more personality than anybody has a right to. Esther-Faith also has Spina Bifida - which is what this 5k is all about. Even though her plate is full by anybody's estimations, Karin found time to ride her exercise bike every day ... for something like over 700 consecutive days! She also added running to her exercise routine and then, last year, ran her first 5k!

Needless to say, I was inspired.

And I had secretly planned/hoped to run the Walk, Run, Roll 5k for Spina Bifida this year as well.

See, I have a sister. Her name was Dana and she was born before I was and died shortly after her birth. I've never met her, but one day I will. She was born with Spina Bifida. She was born back in the late 50's when survival rates of babies born with Spina Bifida were only 10%. I suppose its because of dollars that have been raised by things like this 5k that have helped to improve greatly the ability to treat Spina Bifida and make it possible for babies born with this horrible condition to not only survive but thrive.

So, I've been running. I'm not very good at it, but I'm hanging in there. And I'll be in Columbus on Oct. 2nd to run/walk my first 5k!

I'm a Runner

2010-09-04T08:34:00.003-04:00

I've always wondered when I would feel like a runner. I've been running since April but I've never felt comfortable calling myself a runner. I'm not sure what the criteria is for earning the title "runner". Is it the number of miles you run? Or the length of time you've been running? Or maybe its after your first road race? I don't know and I'm sure its different for every runner.

I can now say that I feel like a runner but it has nothing at all to do with my performance. I don't look like a runner. I'm still a little chunky. I don't run well. I don't run fast and I can't run very far. So basically, I suck at running.

So why would I feel like a runner? Well, because yesterday it dawned on me that I've had every reason to quit. Its been a hard year. I started out very out of shape. And I'm old - only a fool would start running at age 48. I used to run. I ran 6 miles a day. But that was in my 30's. Once you hit 40, everything changes and it changes again every year after 40. They're not kidding when they tell you its a downhill slide. So running now is very, VERY different than it was in my 30's.

And I keep injuring myself. It started out with knee problems. I have a bad knee but that was not the one that gave me problems. Go figure. My "good" knee became my bad knee to the point where I literally couldn't walk after a run. I dealt with that by running at night and then going to bed with an ice pack. By morning it would be OK, at least until I ran again.

I got past the knee problem and then the incredible heat kicked in. Last year we had 4 days with a Heat Emergency. This year we had 30. Its been horribly HOT and HUMID this summer. At 6am it would be 86 degrees out and so humid breathing was difficult even when you weren't trying to run.

Then I missed out on running for a week before, during and the week after the Pine Ridge trip. Running my usual mile after not running for 3 weeks was tough but I did it and then added another half mile. That was when I got shin splints and my Achilles tendon felt like it was going to snap. Again with the ice packs.

But I've been determined to stick with it and yesterday I ran 2 miles. Not all that far, but for me, its great! I may be able to do that 5k in October afterall.

Eli & Owen Videos (for grandparents & anyone else)

2010-09-02T16:05:00.002-04:00

The "S" Word

2010-08-31T14:06:00.003-04:00

I'm all about Grace. I like Grace. I need it. All the time. But, too often Grace is misunderstood. Grace with out Truth is no longer Grace. Truth without Grace is no longer Truth for that matter either but, that's another post.

The thing is, I'm a little weary of hearing people dismiss the idea of sin. That's right, sin. That's an "S" word you don't hear too often. Seems people want to take it pretty lightly ... call it a mistake or some such thing. A mistake it is, but it is also sin and its not to be taken lightly. There's Grace to cover all of it, but that doesn't mean we just brush it off as a mistake. Jesus took it seriously enough to die because of it so I'm thinking if we say we follow Him, then we should take it pretty seriously too. I'm not sure what that ought to look like but maybe a start would be calling it what it is and realizing what it cost. There's always a cost. Always.

Just saying ...

Teething is So Hard

2010-08-23T19:08:00.001-04:00

Happy baby

Why can't they make Orajel taste better?

The teeth that cause so much pain

My Dilemma

2010-08-05T12:23:00.002-04:00

Its time to shop for school supplies ... again. Am I losing it or did we just do that? Ah, time flies when you get old I guess. Anyway, its time to stock up on school supplies for the kids on the Rez. A couple of weeks ago we delivered backpacks full of school supplies for 611 kids on the Rez!

This year my little private goal is to be able to take 1000 out next year. Problem is - right now I only have $3000.00 and that will only buy 300. That's half of what we did this year. I'm not sure why funds are lower this year. The economy maybe? Maybe people think we rake it in big at REZonate? I don't know, bur for whatever reason, we're down. There will of course be more $$ coming in next month after REZonate but I have no way of guessing how much more. And school supplies are at the best prices NOW. They''ll be pretty much gone by mid-September. I can buy backpacks any time of the year for $6 each, but no so with school supplies.

So my dilemma is this ... h0w in the world do I even begin to buy school supplies? Do I buy for 300 and then take a chance at having to pay more for supplies later? Or do I buy for my goal of 1000 and then maybe not have enough to buy backpacks? I think I'm going to shoot for 600 and hope somehow it'll all work out later. That and I'm buying the supplies that are really cheap now but I know will cost more later. Some things I can always get pretty cheap. I'm not buying those things ... yet.

Don't Give Me Jesus

2010-08-03T09:44:00.002-04:00

as shared by Matthew at Devos on the Pine Ridge trip. I like it so I'm repeating it.

Don't give me Jesus, if giving me Jesus means telling me about your
beliefs, then walking away.

Don't give me Jesus if giving me Jesus means judging me by appearance but
never trying to see who I really am.

Don't give me Jesus if giving me Jesus means you're right no matter what
and I'm wrong no matter what.

Do give me Jesus if giving me Jesus means walking beside me just like Jesus
walked beside lepers and losers

Do give me Jesus if giving me Jesus means laughing with me when I need to
laugh and crying with me when I need to cry.

Do give me Jesus if giving me Jesus means letting me know when my actions
are harmful and destructive

Do give me Jesus if giving me Jesus means being my friend

If you give me Jesus wrapped in your friendship I may be more ready to
listen to what you have to say.

Now, not to be self-promoting because believe me, this has nothing to do with "me", but there is a good opportunity for people who claim to know Jesus and want to share him with people to do just that on Sept. 11, 2010 at the REZonate Music Fest. That is exactly what REZonate is about. Its not just a fundraiser. It's meant to not only raise funds to provide the poorest kids in America with school supplies - we could do that in other ways - its about reaching out to our community too. And all you have to do is SHOW UP and be kind to people and NOT judge them because its not the kind of music you like or because they have a t-shirt on that offends you. If its about Jesus, then its not about you! I get tired of people who go to my church and claim to follow Christ and say that "its all about souls" not supporting the event because its not a "Christian" event. Its is not a "Christian" event but it is a chance for people to be Christ-like and I can't think of anything more genuinely Christian than that.

There, I said it.

Fear Not

2010-08-01T19:29:00.002-04:00

Telling somebody not to be afraid is, well, pretty pointless. I'm not sure what the angel thought he/she was accomplishing when they appeared to people in the Bible and told them to "Fear not". Did they really think that would work? I don't know. I do know that fear is normal, and natural, and that it is in fact a God-given emotion. How we handle that emotion is what makes it good or bad. There are some things we should be afraid of. But I've learned that when fear keeps us from living life it can bring about a much worse kind of death.

Me? I am afraid of heights. I know, I know - I have gone skydiving - jumping out of airplanes isn't something people who are afraid of heights would do, right? So how does that figure? Well, I don't know but somehow jumping out of a plane isn't nearly as scary to me as doing what we did yesterday. Yesterday a group of us went Ziplining. Is ziplining a word? I don't know, but at some point some of us thought it would be a good idea to tie on a harness, clip ourselves to a cable and swing through the treetops at over 150 feet in the air. I was excited and couldn't wait to go. Then after getting back from the Pine Ridge trip I was both exhausted and overwhelmed. There is so much after-trip stuff to do to finish up the trip and then REZonate is just around the corner and there is a ton of work to be done for that. I was so stressed and going to zipline just seemed like one more thing on my "to do" list. I decided not to go.

But as time got closer I knew I would regret it if I didn't do it. We got there and it was raining. By that time the butterflies were in full gear in my stomach. I had started thinking about the rope bridges and wondered what I'd gone and gotten myself into now. Normally when I see a rope bridge I just dig my heels in and refuse to go further. My hope was that maybe, just maybe, they wouldn't let us do it in the rain. But when I suggested to the lady at the counter that we surely couldn't do this in the rain she just smiled and said, "Oh yes you sure can". So we harnessed up and went. I hugged a few trees, but I wasn't about to give up and quit (although the thought crossed my mind). And I'm glad I did it. I may or may not do it again, but I'm glad I did it yeseterday. I would have really, really regretted it if I hadn't gone.

Here are some pics ...

Me crossing one of the many rope bridges.

Yeah, I'm probably not supposed to post this pic but I don't have any others

and buying these still won't let me download them

Me zipping

Me hugging a tree

(Thanks to Sherri for this pic)

One of the platforms and rope bridges. Standing on these platforms was WHY I hugged

the trees. Imagine 13 of us on that little platform. Yup, I was plastered to the tree.

(Thanks to Sherri for this pic)

The whole group "After" helmet hair and all.

So yeah, don't be afraid of living life. Be afraid of not living it.

Simple Life

2010-07-26T18:06:00.008-04:00

"Let me tell you 'bout my home town ... "

That's a lyric from my cousin Jason's song "Simple Life". I went back home this weekend. There was a big deal going on back home. Jason and his band was opening the Pike County Fair with a concert and most of my family were going to be there ... so, it was a good time to go back. Besides, I knew it would be kinda cool to sit with my family at the fairgrounds in the little town where I grew up and hear my cousin sing Simple Life - a song about our hometown. And it was. cool. I've got to admit though, it felt strange ... me and my cousins sitting there with grandkids. My grandparents are long gone, our parents are old, and now we watch the happenings of Pike County with not just our children but our grandchildren. The last time I was at that fair I was a little kid myself. Its funny how time goes by so fast and things change and yet they still stay the same too.

Jason's doing OK for himself. He's touring, playing with Brooks and Dunn, Kenny Chesney and who knows who else. His song is being played on radio stations around the country and he's been on CMT. Not too bad for a Pike County kid. It was also cool to watch a hometown parade in my hometown. Its been ... well, a long, long time since I've done that. They even passed out Popsicles as we watched. And of course there was lots and lots of candy for the kids.

So, let me tell you about my hometown ....

Main Street

(two stop lights and an IGA)

My Dad's old store.

(The Hallmark store used to be "Cliff's Clothes for Men and Boys" and we lived in the apartment above the store.)

The road to my Grandma's house

The house I lived in when I was a little girl. It still looks pretty much the same as it did. Its got new siding and windows and probably a new roof, but other than that, its the same as it was when I was seven.

The barn at my Grandma's house

My Grandpa's old Dairy barn

The clock at the Courthouse

The Parade!

My cousin Greg's restored car

My cousin Brian is running for County Commissioner

My cousin Alden driving one of the Miss Pike County Contestants

My cousin Jason was the Grand Marshal and my other cousin drove him

The concert

And here's a video of Jason performing "Simple Life" at the fair. I apologize for the poor quality of video. Its really bad, but ....

My Thoughts on the Trip

2010-07-24T20:50:00.003-04:00

Well, the Pine Ridge team got back home last Monday evening. It was a physically draining trip. Once home we had one with broken ribs, one admitted to the hospital with inflammation around his heart and pneumonia, one with a injured knee, and one with blockage in the carotid arteries. As usual, there are lots of stories to be told but I have a hunch we're all to spent to tell them. At least I am. I just can't quite get over the tiredness.

To be honest, I've had a hard time readjusting to being home. Aside from just being really, really tired, I just don't feel "right". It was a good trip and yet I don't feel any excitement about it. I can't think of a bad thing that happened and there were many, many good times. Lots of touching moments and lots of laughter ... and yet .... the joy seems to be missing.

I was tired, emotionally tired anyway, before I even started planning this trip. I just didn't feel up to it. Last year was a great year. We did some really great things and when it was over I felt like it was our best year yet. But that changed pretty quickly. There were two team members who were not happy and unfortunately chose to handle their issues in a way that was ungodly to say the least. Dealing with that just took away all of the joy of an otherwise wonderful trip. I don't think I've recovered that joy yet.

I've always heard that its the enemy's job to steal your joy. I was never really sure what that meant. Actually I'm still not sure. If its to discourage me, well ... I don't do this for the joy it gives me. At times it does bring me joy, but there are other time it does not. That's not why I do it.

I don't do it for the happiness either. At times it does bring me happiness but there are other times it most certainly does not. It doesn't matter. I don't do it to be happy.

And I don't do it to be praised or to feel good about myself. Occasionally those things happen but just as often I feel like a failure and just as often someone has a complaint. That's OK. I don't do it for that reason either.

Neither do I do it for the kids. I love the kids out there. No question about it, they are worth all of the work and hassle. But if we didn't put in the work and hassle, someone else would. That's not why I do it.

I do it simply because its where God has me at this point and time. No other reason than that.

So ... about the trip ....

There were three things that stood out.

1. God's provision. You can read stories about that on our Pine Ridge Mission blog. If you're in need of a faith builder I can think of no better thing than a mission trip. Its a way to see God move up close and personal ... at just the right moment.

2. The relationships we've built. I remember well when we started these trips 7 years ago. There were some teens back then that I was sure hated us. They were tough. Really tough. It never even occurred to me that they must like us a little bit or they wouldn't come. So it is really cool now to have those teens who are now no longer teens but young adults with babies of their own, make an effort to come and visit us where we're out there. Even one of the boys who still comes each year but is very standoffish asked why we only stay a week. Now when we go to the PowWow there, its almost like coming home because we know so many of the people there. I guess Hammer said it best. When I picked him up for VBS he ran to the van, climbed in and gave me a big hug then made his way to the back of the van. One of the little girls said something to him (I couldn't make out what) but his response was "she knows me". And he said it with such pride.

It really is my home away from home and the people there really are my extended family.

Which is why the 3rd thing was so special to me. During the week some of the kids told me that one of the little girls who I'm particularly close to was going to receive her Indian name in a naming ceremony at the PowWow. I asked if that was something we could see or if it was a private thing. They weren't sure. But on Friday evening at the PowWow we got to witness the naming ceremony for not just one, but several of "our kids". These are kids that we've watched grow up. Most of them have known us their whole lives. To see them at such an important time in their lives partaking in one of the ceremonies of their culture was simply the most rewarding thing I've been a part of out there. And when it was over and we were leaving, the missionary came running up to our van and gave me a gift of two beautifully made pillows - a gift from one of the families that they gave as part of the ceremony. I don't even know what to say about that.

Shelly and me ( I LOVE this lady. I don't know how she does all she does. She's my hero!)

Latest Baby Pics

2010-07-07T20:48:00.001-04:00

Owen

Just Another Day

2010-07-06T14:44:00.004-04:00

This morning John and I went to Walmart to purchase the last of the food for the trip to Pine Ridge. The food situation will definitely be different this year, but from the looks of things, we'll still be eating pretty good. I'm doubting that anyone will starve to death next week. So, I've spent the afternoon getting it packed and making phone calls ... and then more phone calls.... and then more phone calls.

The company that is donating some of the food emailed that we can pick that up on Thursday between 8am and 1pm.

Problem - I may or may not be available for that. There are any one of three things that may or may not take my day on Thursday. I won't know till Thursday. SO ... John is going to take care of that.

Problem: The coolers the food goes in are all at my house. John said he'd get someone to take care of that as long as I leave them in my garage. (he along with half of Hamilton have the code to get in to the garage)

That is not a problem. No one would come into my house and risk the wrath of my dogs. :)

So ... I went upstairs to carry the coolers down and guess what? They were all full of bottled water! Now where did that come from?? I don't know for sure but we can use it for REZonate. Coolers are now empty and sitting in the garage. Back to packing stuff ...

I still can't find my bean bags to get the game box packed up. I guess if we don't find them we'll just not play cornhole out there. We can however still play the toilet toss game ... and maybe we'll get creative and find something to toss through those seats.

I've also got to run over to a neighbor's house and drop something off to help make sure the missionaries out there receive some financial help. I'm sure that line doesn't make sense to anybody but me, but that's OK.

At some point I need to pack my own stuff. That means I'll need to do some laundry too. That will probably be a last minute thing though.

I think there's another load of materials being dropped off at my house tonight too. I won't be here, but like I said ... everybody knows how to get in. And Logan is probably going to be around here since he's sick as a dog with step throat.

Tonight we're off to soak up some grandbaby time! It may be the last time I'll get to see them for 3 weeks or so. Ugh! I may not survive that. Hmm ... the mission team comes through Ill. on the way home .... I wonder if I could hijack them and run past Allison's parent's house?

What a Week!

2010-07-03T10:53:00.003-04:00

Well the weekend is finally here. Tonight we go over to mom and dad's for a big cookout and fireworks. About 30 people will be there. Ha! Should be fun.

Last night I built a fire in the backyard and Brian and I made Smores and watched lightening bugs. It was nice to have some time to relax from the week - its been a most crazy one.

Let me recap ....

Last Sunday Ron, Gary, and Scot from the Cincinnati Teamsters Motorcycle Association joined with me and Cathy at Bridgewater Falls Shopping Center for their Bikes and BBQ event. We had a booth there for Backpacks For Pine Ridge complete with the 2010 Harley the TMA guys are raffling off. Ickey Woods (former Cincinnati Bengal) was in the booth right next to us, and yes, our super salesman Scot even sold Ickey a raffle ticket. Not too many people get past Scot and very few say no to him. You can see some pics over at the Backpacks blog.

Monday Allison, her mom, the twins, my dad, Logan and me and Brian went to a Reds game and walked Eli and Owen around the field. Fun night. Lots of work to pull it all off but worth it to make some memories.

Tuesday we got word that all of the food items we had requested from a local food company for the Pine Ridge trip had been discontinued. Soooo ... John Lansdale and I came up with a new list of food items to ask for and resubmitted a request.

Wednesday I was tired. I don't even remember Wednesday. I know I didn't rest though. At the moment I just can't remember what I did. According to my Facebook status I hit the gym and then ran errands for the Pine Ridge trip. Went to church that night and passed around a sign up sheet for people to pray for us as we are on the mission trip, and put the brass sign on the case that holds the star quilt that Melda gave us last year. Its been that kind of week.

Thursday we found out that the donation we requested from the food company was approved but that we'd only get about half of what we asked for and that they will not be packing it in coolers with dry ice this year. The last 6 years they've donated all of our meat products and packed it for us. But things change. At least we're getting something and every little bit helps.

Thursday we had our final team meeting before we leave for the Rez. Everyone showed up!! That's always a good thing. I think, I hope, I tried to bring everybody up to speed. Quite a few have missed meetings where I've given out some important info .... I hope they got caught up.

And Thursday while I was at the meeting, Brian was cutting the grass at home. While he was in the front yard riding the mower, he looked up and saw both Taser and Gunner running around the neighborhood. They had managed to knock the chain link gate off its hinges. He fixed it, got them back in the back yard then went to take a shower and check email. After that he came downstairs to let the dogs in ... except, there was no Gunner. Gunner had somehow (we still don't know how) gotten out again. When he heard Brian he came bounding across the yard next to ours, climbed the fence, balanced on top of the fence for Taser to get out of his way, then jumped back into our yard. What that dog doesn't do.

And Friday ... I did nothing. Absolutly nothing.

The coming week will be crazy too I assume. We leave next Saturday morning bright and early. Actually it won't be bright yet since we leave at 5:30am. You can keep up with our updates while we're gone over on the Pine Ridge trip blog. I'll update it from my phone to let you know of our adventures.

Video from Reds Baby Night

2010-06-29T16:00:00.001-04:00

And This One Belongs to the TWINS!

2010-06-29T07:52:00.009-04:00

The boys have gone to their second Reds game! Last night was Good Samaritan Hospital's baby night at the Reds when all the babies born at Good Sam were allowed to walk around the field before the game. Unfortunately Cody wasn't able to be there. He's in Florida taking classes for two weeks. We did call him as we were walking around and we videotaped it so he can watch later. Not the same at all, but .....

We also took my dad since he loves the Reds, watches every game on TV and had really wanted to go to a game. We got a wheel chair and took him as a Father's Day gift. So in typical grandparent style we had the camera out for most of the game. I hope to have a video up before too long as well.

Owen and Gramma Jan

Eli

Owen

Owen

Eli

(It has come to my attention that this is NOT Eli, its Owen.

The bib should have been a clue. Normally I can tell them apart.

I must be needing more sleep or something.)

Uncle Logan and Eli

Eli

Momma, Gramma Jan and Eli

Grand Isle

2010-06-24T21:43:00.005-04:00

Tonight I sat in my usual place on the couch with my cup of coffee watching the evening news, crashing from another long day and ready to just veg out for the night. The lead story was of course, the oil spill in the Gulf. Truthfully, I tire of hearing about it. Its a mess. An unbelievable mess. And it seems there's nothing I can do about it, so I'd rather not hear about it yet again. But then they featured a story about Grand Isle, Louisiana. Particularly they talked about how when the story first broke they had interviewed a man there who had a fishing business. He had talked about how much he loved taking families out fishing when they came there on vacation. But then the oil disaster hit and like many others who had made their living on the Gulf, he went to work for BP helping to clean up the mess. But he became frustrated with the bureaucracy and depressed by the lack of progress. Earlier this week he fatally shot himself in the head.

My heart broke when I heard that story. I feel a connection with the people of Grand Isle, whether I've met them or not. A week after Hurricane Katrina hit, six of us headed to Louisiana with a semi-truck full of frozen meat and box truck full of other supplies. We drove across the bridge to Grand Isle that was broken in 13 places to take food and supplies to the people of that small barrier island that sits in the Gulf just south of New Orleans. We slept in the mayor's office because it was one of the few buildings left standing. It was quite an adventure and quite a blessing to be a part of helping out in such a tangible way. So many times we heard people who were shocked that we'd come all the way from Ohio tell us that if Ohio was ever in trouble, they'd be there for us.

Later our church planned another trip to help with the clean up of the destruction left by Katrina. When I realized the trip would be over Halloween I decided we had to do something for the kids there to give them some sense of normalcy. The secretary to the mayor of Grand Isle and I together planned a Halloween party for the kids via email. I gathered candy and decorations in Ohio, packed it all up and the kids had a great Halloween party.

Grand Isle became a part of my life. When I hear that name, I always feel a connection. And when I hear a story like the one I heard tonight, its a little hard to take. I don't know if anyone from Grand Isle ever reads this blog. I highly doubt it. But in the midst of this mess I hope they know that we've not forgotten them ... that our hearts hurt for them... and that I sure do wish there was something we could do to help them get through this disaster too.

Gramma Went a Little Crazy

2010-06-24T13:25:00.002-04:00

Monday we are taking the twins to another Reds game. It's a special night - all the babies born at Good Samaritan Hospital this year get to go out onto the field with their parents and have a parade around the field. There are contest and photo ops with the Reds mascots and all sorts of fun. Well, since they are going to get to do all that ... I had to buy them Reds outfits ... and I had to put their names on the back of them. Yeah, you do things like that when you're a Grandma.

Life in a Whirlwind

2010-06-22T09:07:00.003-04:00

Well its a little less than 3 weeks till we leave for Pine Ridge and my life has taken on the usual pre-trip chaos. Most of the time I don't know if I'm coming or going. Yes, I'm organized, overly so when it comes to these trips, but there are just some things that can't be organized. Here's the scoop:

We have 21 people signed up to go. Of those 21, 2 are iffy. One has dropped out and someone else may take her place and another is on the verge of dropping out. There may or may not be someone to take that person's place.

Of the 21 signed up to go, I've several have not been to too many of the team meetings. There are a few I've never even met yet. People who don't lead these trips don't see that as a problem but this will be my 7th year leading and trust me, its a problem. How big of a problem it is will depend on the person who missed meetings. If they're the kind of person who likes to have everything make sense to them, it may be a very big problem.

We may or may not get a donation from the meat company that has always donated food for our trip. If we do get a donation (probably), it may or may not be what we asked for (not really too much of a problems since food is food). All the other food that we have to buy still needs to be bought and packed. I still need to call in an order of bread to the little grocery store out there.

My dining room is full of boxes that are all packed and ready to load onto the truck. My dining room table and chairs are now in the living room, stacked along a wall. Not a problem - we've gotten used to living that way for a while each year.

The vans are reserved. The big truck is reserved. The auger we are renting is reserved. A lot of the building materials for the work project are stacked in my garage.

Among getting ready for the trip I'm getting ready for REZonate too. About every day something is asking to be done for REZonate.

And there are now bike events. Yesterday I finally contacted someone at the local shopping center about the bike event this weekend. I had tried before but wrong email addresses and spam filters messed that up. Now we've got a booth there. Just have to figure out how to make it all work now.

None of it is too unmanageable ... it just requires some juggling skills. All the unknowns and all the daily changes just make it hard to keep track of what's going on at any given time because once I have it figure out, it changes.

So life is literally "one day at a time" here. Most days its an hour at a time. I do get behind on email and phone messages. And then I can't remember if I responded or not because so many others came have come in. So, if I owe you a message of some kind ... I'll get to it eventually and if I don't, just remind me.

2010-06-10T18:54:00.005-04:00

Baseball has always been a part of our family. As a kid I first fell in love with the game watching Lou Brock steal bases for the St. Louis Cardinals. Then in 1975, when I was a freshman in High School, we moved to Cincinnati. It was at that time The Big Red Machine was in full swing and I began collecting baseball cards of Johnny Bench, Joe Morgan, Pete Rose, and Ken Griffey Sr. My boys did much the same with the 1990 Reds team. Today we went with Eli and Owen to their first Reds game. Allison's parents are here and her dad is a big Giant's fan so it was only right for them and us to go to see the Giants play the Reds with our grandsons. I'm happy to say that the REDS won! It was a good game - or so I'm told. I was too busy soaking up the sights of the two cutest babies in the ballpark.

Great Finds

2010-06-03T08:57:00.002-04:00

I'm happy. One thing from my "wish list" is now a reality and sitting in my side yard. I found this compost tumbler on Craigslist ... for FREE! I can never get anything off of Craigslist. I can find stuff, but its always gone or too far away, or something. I thought that was the case with this too. I had emailed and not heard back from them, then it disappeared from Craigslist so I assumed it was taken. Then yesterday I got an email asking if I was still interested and telling me where to pick it up. I did! And I love it! I've been using two garbage cans with holes drilled in them for my compost but this will help it to decay much faster.

And my husband is happy. He now has a snow blower! Thanks to our neighbor who got this one up and running and offered it to us for the cost of tuning it up. Did I mention we have good neighbors? We have great neighbors.

Chip Off the Old Block?

2010-05-29T20:53:00.002-04:00

Garden Wish List

2010-05-29T13:30:00.005-04:00

So, the very ugly side yard is in the process of being transformed. Today we're shoveling mulch and then we'll be finished with it for this year. Next year ... well, that's another story.

I was excited to find a Flowering Almond shurb today! I had seen one somewhere earlier in the year and couldn't remember where I saw it. Found it at Home Depot! It'll sit next to my AC unit to help hide it. No, it does not produce almonds.

I've got plans for that side yard. Eventually I want it to look like a cottage garden. I'll need a lot more plants. Three things I'd like to get to add to the garden are:

A copper hose pot like the one pictured here. I love this idea for hiding the hose.

I would also love a bird bath kinda like this one.

And I'm thinking about building a window box like this one. If I make it, its highly unlikely that it will look like this .... but maybe close??

Make that four things. I'd also like a real composter. Right now I have two garbage cans with holes drilled in them. They work. A real composted would probably work better ... or at least faster.

Fitness Stuff

2010-05-29T11:46:00.003-04:00

If it's not one thing it's another I suppose. I've managed to increase the weight I lift but running is still kinda stalled out. I'll get there ... it's just going to take me some time. I'm OK with that. Well, not really but what can I do but accept that I'm 48 and I may need to increase less rapidly than somebody half my age. Kiddos ... if you're in your 30's ... take advantage of it 'cause after 40 its a whole heck of a lot harder.

OK, now I'll brag a little. Hey, I deserve to, right?

Here's what I'm doing with weights.

Leg Extensions - 4 sets of 10 reps @ 145 pounds
Leg Press - 4 sets of 12 reps @ 260 pounds
Inner Thigh - 4 sets of 10 reps @ 190 pounds
Outter Thigh - 4 sets of 10 reps @ 190 pounds
Leg Curl - 4 sets of 12 reps @ 80 pounds (hurts my knee a bit to do more weight)
Calf Raise - 4 sets of 13 reps @ 90 pounds

OK, upper body is MUCH weaker since I couldn't start any lifting till late March because of surgery.

Bicep curl - 4 sets of 12 reps @ 40 pounds
Tricep Extension - 4 sets of 12 reps @ 65 pounds
Rear Deltoid - 4 sets of 10 reps @ 40 pounds (really kinda hurts my shoulder so I tend to skip this one a lot)
Ab Crunch Machine - 4 sets of 12 reps @ 45 pounds
Seated Rows - 3 sets of 12 reps @ 55 pounds (I hate this one)
Lat Pull Downs - 4 sets of 12 reps @ 75 pounds

I do feel stronger and its nice to touch my leg and feel firmness rather than flab. Oh yeah, its also a lot of fun at the gym to see some big guy lift something and then I go over and increase the weight. That doesn't happen often, but when it does its a trip.

Full Moon

2010-05-28T17:24:00.002-04:00

Is there a full moon out tonight?? Must be. Its been "one of those days". My mother did get transported (finally) to The Drake Center. Its the best place in Cincinnati for orthopedic rehab so we're hoping she won't have to be there long and that they'll get her back on her feet soon.

Today I drove my dad down to see Eli & Owen and was hoping they would have her transported by then. They didn't. What should have been a fairly easy day turned into a pretty bad day for all of us.

On an aggravating but far, far more humorous note - I got back home around 4:30, put the dogs out and started a pot of soup. It was thundering and my two sissy dogs can't handle that so they were crying and clawing at the back door for me to let them in. I didn't. Instead I ran upstairs for something thinking I would let them in when I got settled. I came back downstairs a few minutes later and went to let the dogs in and Gunner was gone. There were some stones moved by the new gate so he had somehow managed to get through not one highly reinforced gate but also a second gate. He did it pretty quickly too. THAT DOG! So let Taser in and ran out my front door yelling for Gunner. My neighbor was out and said she saw him go up the street toward the church. Great. He is usually just in the next yard and comes back the minute I call him but this time there was no sight of the little booger. I yelled and yelled for him and walked around. Still no sign on him. Exasperated, I came back in ... and found him in my house watching me from the front window. Somehow he had managed to get back in our yard and come back inside through the back door in the time it took me to get out the front door. That's Gunner. Good thing he's cute.

Update on My Parents

2010-05-27T13:56:00.002-04:00

For those of you who don't know, my mother fell while working in the yard a couple of days ago and broke her leg. She's been at Mercy Hospital since then and will be transported to the Drake Center sometime today. They are the best in the area for rehab so we're sure she'll get excellent care there and hopefully will be able to return home fairly soon.

Dad is still doing chemo. Logan has moved in with him at least until Mom comes home so that he's not there by himself. He's doing well - still washing his van and mowing the lawn but he does get tired easily and really shouldn't be driving. I'm proud of Logan - it was his idea to stay with his Pap.

Thanks for your prayers and offers to help drive my dad around. We may very well take you up on those offers. :)

Spring Grove Cemetery

2010-05-24T22:44:00.006-04:00

Getting There ...

2010-05-24T15:44:00.004-04:00

We finally got the fence and gate up. Now I'm working on slowly transforming our very ugly side yard into something pretty. It'll take time but I hope to create a cottage garden type thingy here.

The gate. That's a pink rose bush on the left.

Ferns and a Blue Hosta

(can't wait till they grow up and fill in that area really well)

That's a hydrangea.

Hopefully it'll grow up and be really pretty one day

To hide the neighbor's ugly wire fence I planted English Ivy to climb it and cover it and give a green background to some other flowers I'll eventually plant.

This whole project will take a few years. Eventually we'll have a stone pathway the width of the double gate going to the gate so that if we ever have to take a truck into the back yard for anything we'll be able to. And there will be many more flowers and plants.