The Limbaugh Lunch

Concerto Contest

2012-02-16T23:31:00.003-06:00

Today, for Clark and all the Hawk band kids, was Local Solo and Ensemble. Students play their solo and ensemble pieces in front of judges for a grade of 1, 2, or 3. Then each judge picks out the best solos from their room to go on to perform again in the Concerto Contest.

Clark, along with 11 other students were chosen to perform again in front of 2 judges on the stage. Clark texted me as soon as he found out he was going on to perform again. Mason, Dane and I went up to sit in the audience. Aunt Nicki came to hear Clark play, too.

The winner of the Concerto Contest gets their name on a plaque that hangs in the band hall forever. There was some tough competition; some beautifully played pieces. I have no idea who will win, but I am just excited that Clark was one of the 12 who got to compete. Of course, I snapped some photos- and since my new camera has video capabilities, I recorded some of Clark's piece, too.

Before the Contest began,
with his brother's goofing behind him.
Band director, Mr. Gunderson and accompanist, Mrs. Kesselring
(who was Clark's piano teacher and is now Dane's piano teacher.)
Clark plays "Concert Rondo," by Mozart.

Dream Job

2012-02-15T09:20:00.005-06:00

Dane wrote a class assignment about his dream job: Candy Taste Tester. So cute and appropriate for his age!

(you can click on the paper to make it larger and easier to read.)

Cub Scout Parade

2012-02-12T22:27:00.001-06:00

Dane took part with his Cub Scout pack in the annual "Report to State" parade in downtown Austin just a little over a week ago (Saturday, 4 Feb 2012). Each year the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts march up Congress Avenue to the State Capitol to present the Governor a report of all the Scout activities throughout the past year.

This year Cub Scout Pack 711 from St. Elizabeth's Catholic Church, Pflugerville, chose a unique way to participate: they rode in an amphibious "duck" boat/truck. You've seen these, I'm sure. Drives down the street, floats on the water. Vroom, Vroom.

The pack thoughtfully arranged for a neat way to be in the parade and also a take a little side trip in Lake Austin at the end. Dane had a blast tooting his "duck call" for the 12 blocks from the bridge to the Capitol. Then the Duck turned the corner, and they took for for a spin around the lake. I only saw the dry land part of the tour, but Dane tells me it was a cold dip that morning.

Here they come up Congress Avenue, 60 Scouts quacking away.

Dane's got a mouth full of quacker as he passes. He's wearing a jacket to keep out the cold, standing directly above the "life preserver" logo.

Our fearless Den Leader Eric and his son Aiden (left in the black hat) wave to the crowds.

I caught up with them once more just as they turned the corner at the Capitol, as you can see from the rotunda above the bus. I wasn't quite fast enough to get another snapshot off. They were already racing away to hit the lake!

Dane reported that he had a great time. He spent the rest of the weekend repeating duck driver's joke that "Mo-Pac" got its name because it's "mo' packed" than any other highway in the state. Hardy-har-har.

University Bound

2012-01-31T16:35:00.006-06:00

(Click on letter to see it bigger.)

Clark's was offered a $12,000 academic scholarship. He has formally accepted their offer! Denton, Texas-- here he comes!

Clark plans to major in either engineering or physics. He also plans to join the UNT jazz band and marching band, something he truly enjoys!

Congratulations, Clark!!!
We are so excited for you!

Big Pumpkin Skit

2012-01-31T10:40:00.009-06:00

For the 2012 HPES Talent Show, I put together a skit for Dane and his friends Kennedy, Lizzy, and Rebekah. Pulling from two stories, Big Pumpkin and The Giant Turnip, I ended up with a skit for four.

Rebekah played Farmer. Lizzy played Smarty Pants. Dane played Muscle Man. Kennedy played Girly Girl. The skit had humor and a lesson! And the kids did really well the night of the show!!

Here is the Farmer planting her pumpkin patch.
All she wants is a piece of pumpkin pie for an upcoming picnic!
She ends up growing a big pumpkin, perfect for pie making!

Now she tries to pull it off the vine. No luck!Just then, along comes Smarty Pants.
Maybe, using book smarts, she can get the pumpkin off the vine?
She tries to pull the pumpkin off the vine. No luck!
Just then, along comes Muscle Man.
Maybe, using muscles, he can get the pumpkin off the vine?
He tries to pull the pumpkin off the vine. No luck!
Just then along comes Girly Girl.
She is so cute and little. What could she possibly have to offer?

Girly Girl has an idea! She whips the group into a line......
They pull all together... SUCCESS!
They pull the pumpkin off the vine and just in time for the picnic!
The moral of this story is- With team work you can accomplish anything!

Click HERE to watch Grandad's recording of the skit!

Truck fire in the driveway

2012-01-29T20:48:00.003-06:00

On Saturday, 14 Jan 2012, around 8:30 p.m., my 2002 Ford F150 pickup truck (~115k miles) was destroyed by a fire that started while the truck was parked in the driveway. No one was in the truck, and the fire department suspects it was started by an electrical short.

Very fortunately, no one was hurt and nothing was damaged or lost except the truck itself.

As the pictures just below show, it was quite an inferno. This picture was taken with my cell phone from some 150 yards away, after the police had evacuated everyone but before the fire truck had arrived.

As the fire department prepared to put the blaze out, I slipped close enough to take this picture before the police urged everyone back again.

So what happened?

Lisa was out that Saturday night with her girlfriends for their monthly Bunco game. I had gone out about 6:30p in the truck to drop off Dane to spend the night at a friend's house. I returned home just before 7:00p, parked the truck in the driveway, and then went in to eat supper and hang out with the two older boys, Mason and Clark.

Around 8:30p, I was in my room watching a football game while both boys were relaxing upstairs. From his room over the garage, Mason heard something pop and saw a flash of light. He looked out his window and saw the truck just beginning to burst into flames. He raced down he stairs, calling out, "Dad, your truck's on fire! Your truck's on fire!"

Naturally, I was incredulous. "What? You're crazy."

"No, it's on fire!" Then he raced to the door. I followed him out, and sure enough, the truck was burning. Flames about 1 foot high were licking out from under the hood much like a BBQ grill just beginning to flame out, and smoke was beginning to billow from the front of the truck.

A lady in a passing minivan stopped when she saw the flames. She rolled down the window and yelled across to Mason, asking if we needed help or the fire department. I yelled for somebody to call 911. Clark (who'd heard the commotion and had come downstairs at that point) raced back inside and dialed for the fire department. The mystery lady also began calling from her cell phone as she drove down the street to get clear of the scene. I grabbed for the garden hose that was coiled right next to the house. It must have been kinked because I couldn't get any water to come out immediately.

The flames were getting higher quickly, growing to a couple of feet and becoming more extensive. Although I can't explain how I knew, I realized I needed to get the truck away from the house. I had the keys in my pocket and began frantically pushing the fob button to unlock the driver's door. The door lock remained locked, though -- because (naturally) the battery must have been on fire. I had a panicky thought that I wouldn't be able to get in the truck before I realized I was holding the key. I manually unlocked the door, threw the truck out of gear, and shoved it towards the street. (Later I realized we would have been in a much worse position if the truck had not been a straight-shift. Most likely I wouldn't have been able to get it out of gear and away from the house, which might have meant a much worse outcome. One very lucky break.)

As the truck rolled towards the street, I saw black rubber imprints and dripping aluminum on the driveway as the now-flaming front tires moved past.

Had we had any less notice, most likely the tires would have been too far gone to have been able to move the truck! It reached the end of the slight slope on our driveway with a small head of speed and began rolling across the street. I panicked, thinking, "If it jumps the curb, it might roll through the neighbor's yard and into their front door!" I ran to catch up, leaped in the open driver's door, and began furiously pumping the brakes. No good. The brakes were gone and the truck was rolling freely. Very, very fortunately, it hit the curb and bounced up the edge slightly before breaking its roll and dropping back into the street.

Now the fire had reached the cab and the flames were licking from under the dash on the passenger side. I jumped out and ran back to the house to pay out the garden hose. Clark was on the phone with the emergency dispatcher, telling the dispatcher everything that was happening. With Mason's help, I got the hose mostly unkinked and began trying to spray a thin stream of water on the fire, which had now entirely consumed the front of the truck and was working its way through the rest of the cab. Everything forward from the rear window was engulfed. We heard a muffled explosion, followed by another explosion. I couldn't get anywhere near the truck, and now Clark was yelling instructions to me from the dispatcher: "Get away from the truck! Get away from the truck, Dad! The fire department's on the way! Get back!"

Officer Townes of the Pflugerville Police Dept was the first emergency responder to reach the scene. He blocked the street with his patrol car while still several houses down and then ran towards us. We had retreated to the front porch to watch as there wasn't much more we could do. As we heard more explosions and pops coming from what was now a full-out inferno, Officer Townes ordered us to evacuate to safety down the street where his patrol car was parked. Clark hung up with the dispatcher, and the three of moved down the street. Very quickly, several other patrol cars arrived and began blocking the other nearby streets. We could hear the sirens from the fire engine growing closer.

By the time the fire engine arrived, there wasn't anything that could be done beyond contain the blaze and put it out. The truck was far past any hope of saving. The fire fighters donned their suits, pulled out hoses, and began spraying down the fire.

Once the fire was out, we took some pictures while we waited for the tow truck to arrive to haul the carcass away.

Personally, I found this picture the most striking. You are looking at the remains of the cab. The driver's seat is nothing but a frame. The steering wheel is gone, its presence marked only by a stubby post where it used to be. The passenger seat is also gone. The heater core that's usually hidden deep within the dash now hangs in view.

The tow truck operator loads the skeleton onto a flatbed to haul away.

Bye-bye, old girl. (sniffle)

A few days later I went to the towing yard to take a few last pictures before the truck was taken away for scrap metal. In the light of day she was a sad hulk, practically sunken into the ground.

A view of the engine compartment, now mostly one molten mass.

A crooked frown to complete her collapsed appearance.

Looking in the passenger window, the melted metal interior reminds me for some reason of scenes from the Terminator movies.

I just can't believe nothing remains except the metal. If it could burn, it did.

Some of the pops and explosions, we later learned from the fire department, were from the glass in the doors and windows shattering in the heat.

An open-eyed stare. She'll never see again.

The nibs below are what was left of the spark plug wires at the point where they attached to the distributor cap.

The wheel didn't completely melt, but it will certainly never roll again.

One last look before the salvage man hauls her away to be crushed.

So, what caused the fire?
We'll never know for sure, but I believe it was caused by an electrical short. In the few weeks prior to the fire, I'd experienced some unusual electrical problems: power windows not working, dome lights turning off, windshield wipers that wouldn't turn on, and a few other oddities. Nothing that impacted the truck's driving behavior, though. I replaced one fuse at least twice but could not seem to isolate the cause for the popped fuse. We were already planning to get rid of the truck in the early spring, and I was very hesitant to put any more money into repairs, especially for what seemed to be "cosmetic" concerns. After all, the truck was worth -- at most -- about $1,500. And I'd have been lucky to get that, considering how far into the ground I'd driven it over the years. She had a lot of dings, to say the least.

If you Google "Ford cruise control fires," though, you'll find a plethora of articles about similar fires. It appears that certain years of Ford pickup trucks and SUVs were built with a cruise control switch that corrodes over time. At some point, the corrosion permits an electrical short that causes fires. Ford issued a recall for the vehicles. I don't know if I ever received the recall notice. Maybe I did but it was tossed as junk mail? Who knows. I don't feel as though there's much opportunity for a case because, A) the truck was not well maintained, and B) I no longer have the truck for forensic examination. Moreover, I was only carrying liability insurance on it because the truck was nearly 11 years old, so there's no pressing insurance investigation to spur any deeper digging.

In any event, we are all safe. No one was hurt. The damage was contained to just the truck. Our monetary loss was minimal. And life goes on!

Region Band

2012-01-28T12:04:00.002-06:00

Congratulations to Clark!
He made Region Band his senior year.

The concert was held on January 14th, 2012, at Connally High School. Trombones sat in the back center so I don't have any close up pictures. But, here is the whole stage as they performed a fun jazzy version of, "As the Saint's Goes Marching In."

Pinewood Derby '12

2012-01-23T21:26:00.002-06:00

Here's a few shots from this year's Cub Scout Pinewood Derby. Dane is in 3rd grade this year, in the Bear den. As we've done for the last couple of years, we pulled out the saws and cut our design to build a winning car.

Dane's Lego-man Police car for the 2012 Pinewood Derby
You can't quite appreciate the detail here, but it had flashing stars on the top and back of the car. It was quite the eye -catcher coming down the track!

He's loading in Lane 1 for the first heat!

And the results are up!

He's a winner!

Race #2, Track 3 on the right with the flash of red taillights. Just barely edged out by Marco, his den-mate.

Waiting patiently for the winners to be announced.

Dane got 3rd place in his den (~15 boys). We didn't win the big prizes (came in 6th overall), but he was still very happy with his performance.

The Bear den winners are (L-R): Dane Limbaugh, Marco Godoy, Mason Aaron

A picture with Dad as we close out the day.

Skateboarding

2012-01-19T08:17:00.004-06:00

Mason is completely into skateboarding once again. He had me take action shots as he did tricks. Here are some of his favorites photos.

Go Mason, go!

New Year's Eve Karaoke Party

2012-01-18T13:06:00.012-06:00

We decided late in the game to throw a New Year's Eve party. Even so, we had a good turn out for a night of karaoke, pool, Wii Just Dance, games and Xbox play. Mason had a big turn out of friends too. Most of the pics are of the karaoke fun even though adults made continuous rounds upstairs to check on the young teens.

We told everyone they had to sing at least one song, solo or in a group. I think everyone but maybe one or two shy teens did.

Mason, Bryan, and Eric look over the song list.

Eric and Mason sing, "Carry On."

Emma and Rebecca sing.

Kennedy was our adorable New Year's Eve poster child!

Sharky, Lisa, and Terrence sing, "That's What Friends Are For."Clark belts out some Weird Al Yankavitch.

Foreigner groupies, Nicki, Shannon, and Christie sing about "Dirty White Boys!"

It's "YMCA" time!
Hit is Bob, Sherri, Jessica, and Tia!

Everybody can do the "YMCA!"

Ed and Bob take a turn.

A big group means a Journey song!

Busted Emma and the girls gabbing in Mason's room!Apple to Apples is such a fun game, just ask Helen, Zeke, Clark, Dane, Kennedy, and Trey!

Shannon, Christie, and KaylaAs Uncle Terrence watches Trey and Lisa decide "Who Let The Dogs Out."

Mandy and Ed join in!

Michael and Ed croon away at old country tunes.

Terrence, Eddy, Shannon, and Nicki- Watch out American idol!

Teen group shot!

Everybody sh0t!

Out in the front yard, Bob gives us the count down- 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Happy New Year!

There was lots of whooping, cheering, silly string, poppers, and New Year's joy going on!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-15T20:22:00.012-06:00

On Christmas morning, we opened Santa gifts and stockings.

Even the dogs got in on the excitement!

What is the special Santa gift everyone is holding?

Jeff Dunham- Controlled Chaos tickets!

Santa brought a ticket for each member of the family and Jessica!Next we opened family gifts.

Later that evening, New Braunfels family came to the house.
We opened presents.
We ate tamales. Yum!
Then Jessica came over. Present time again!
Next came a fun game of Disney Headbanzs.
Will the real Santa please stand up? Or wake up? Ha!
The night ended with a posed pic of the boys and their Great O'ma.
It was a very merry Christmas day, indeed.

Holiday in the Park

2012-01-10T18:02:00.007-06:00

Once again, we made a trip to Fiesta Texas to enjoy their Christmas festivities called, Holiday in the Park.

We made the trip to San Antonio with the Huschka's, Jessica, and Trey. (Mason got a better offer so he wasn't with us this trip.)

We made a bee line for Santa upon arriving. We were hoping to avoid lines and we did!

Dane and Santa

Trey and Santa
Kennedy and Santa
Clark, Santa, and Jessica
We worked in a couple of rides.
We saw a few shows.
Snuggled in the cold.
Played in fake snow.
Posed the kids by a giant Christmas Tree.
Watched the kids ice skate on wax (only in Texas!)

But the highlight of the day was when Jessica got to be the volunteer that was serenaded by a Christmas Elvis! Lucky girl!
In fact, the whole show was so entertaining, we girls ran up to take a pic with the performers. Fun times!

Christmas Giving

2012-01-04T13:19:00.006-06:00

Again this year, we "adopted" kids from Trinity CDC, but this year there was a twist. I got my bunco group involved so that we could also adopted all the teacher's kids too. All in total was 26!

I was very nearly able to clean out my toy closet to make sure that each kid had at least 5 gifts to open. That combined with what my bunco ladies and personal friends donated to the cause saw all kids with at least 6 gifts but most had even more than that! I am so proud of the giving that put smiles on the faces of kids who would have had nothing without our help!

Michelle and Nicki helped wrap in what ended up being a long 3 day wrap-a-thon. Then each kid's gifts were bagged together to help keep it organized.
On delivery day, Nicki and Kennedy plus all my boys helped fill an empty van and SUV completely up with gifts!. Awesome!

Empty
Full
I mean really full!

Gloria let us in to the sanctuary at the end of the CDC. We unloaded while she sorted them by family, placing bags for siblings on the same rows. Gloria also gave us a quick tour of the classrooms.
Here is a fun shot taken inside the sanctuary. Santa's helper's feeling silly!

Guitar Recital

2011-12-24T14:53:00.003-06:00

Mason performed, for the first time since he started guitar lessons at the Pfluger School of Rock, in the December recital. He performed "Holiday," by Green Day, on electric guitar.
Mason had a good crowd cheering for him- his parents, his brothers, Grandad, Granlally, and Jessica.

Piano Recital

2011-12-24T14:28:00.005-06:00

Dane started taking piano lessons in August when school started. He is taking from the same teacher that Clark and Mason took from, Mrs. Kesselring.

On December 12th, Dane participated in his first piano recital. He had a good crowd to cheer for him- his parents, his brothers, Nanny, and the entire Monica Family. The song he played was "Up on the Housetop."

Mrs. Kesselring is close by as Dane plays his song solo and from memory.
Dane and Mrs. Kesselring play the same song as a duet.
Ta Da! All done!
Dane did a great job and didn't appear to be one bit nervous!

Christmas Bingo

2011-12-24T11:49:00.007-06:00

In 2010 we held our first kid's Christmas Bingo. Apparently, it was so well liked that the kids (mine and friend's) started asking about it for this year. Not wanting to let them down, we held our second annual Christmas Bingo on December 11, 2011.

Trey, Dane, Kennedy, and Vanessa check out the prize table!

A few reminders about the rules, including everyone can wins 3 prizes. After the third prize, they can play for fun!

Let the games begin!

Dana
Olivia
Ian is not getting the numbers he needs, hence the look! ha!
Terrence
Lizzie picks a prize!
Overhead shot!
Trey gets the prize he wanted most!
Kennedy
Dane got a number he needed!
The mom's took turns calling.
Simon
Jessica scores some lollipops!
Here there, Ed and Andy! What's this? Bromance, maybe?
Vanessa's smile says it all, FUN TIME!

Drumline at UT Game

2011-12-24T11:34:00.003-06:00

On December 6th, 2011, the Parkcrest Drumline performed at half time for a UT Men's Basketball game. Dane and I drove down to the Frank Erwin Center to watch them.

As it turned out, Dane and I ended up on the wrong side of the arena so the Drumline's backs were to us. Thanks to a friend and the jumbo screen in the center of the court, I have some Mason shots to share!

Just seconds into half time!
The Drumline kids are lined up on the right side of this photo ready to march in.

And the crowd goes wild as the Parkcrest Drumline is introduced!
On the jumbo screen....
the snare line (Mas is 4 kids in to the right)
That's my boy!The Drumline marches off the court after an exciting performance.
Way to go kids! You rocked the Erwin Center!

Wind Ensemble at the Capital

2011-12-23T16:43:00.005-06:00

Mason and the Parkcrest Wind Ensemble played a holiday concert at the Texas State Capital on November 30th. It is always a special treat for the kids to play there. The acoustics are so beautiful in the rotunda. The band sounds so rich and full! Ed and I enjoyed it tremendously!

The PCMS under the directions of Rick Lucio.
The fabulous saxophones!
A close up of my musical boy!
From two floors up, the band!

Mason had a solo in a piece called, Homeward Bound. I was up above him when he played. BRAG MOMENT: As it happened, the assistant band director was also on the floor that I was on. When Homeward Bound ended, she said unsolicited, "That boy plays some beautiful saxophone." I said, "Well, he really loves it and practices a lot at home." She said, "He is really good at it." How nice to hear!

Ed and Mason

Since the capital performances are a middle school activity for 7th and 8th graders, we won't have another one with a Limbaugh performer until the year 2015, if Dane follows in his brothers footsteps!

Dress Like an Alien Day

2011-12-21T22:59:00.005-06:00

Thursday, December 1st was Dress Like an Alien Day in conjunction with the "Out of This World" book fair going on at Highland Park.

Grandlally made Dane a super shiny, silver and orange "Space Ranger" outfit just for the occasion. Ed helped wrap a hard hat in tin foil. The result? An adorable space ranger ready for action!

Here is Dane with his teacher who was also dressed up!

As in previous years, PTO sponsored a dress up contest for the staff. We had collected gift certificates from various restaurants and were able to award 7 prizes! I took pics the day of and then on Friday, Nicki and I went around to all the classes, with poster boards showing all the staff costume photos, so the kids could vote on their favorite costumes.

On Monday, Nicki and I went on the morning announcements to announce the winners live and with flair! The winners were-

Ms. Dominguez, our librarian
Ms. Thakkar

Ms. Truong (Dane's teacher!)
Mr. T

Ms. Solis

Ms. Rodriguez
And Bookfair Committee favorite-
Mr. Reyna

What fun and creative staff we have!

Academic Night

2011-12-21T22:49:00.004-06:00

On November 30th, 2011, Highland Park held an Academic Night. Grandad and Granlally joined Dane as he took in the games and hands-on science activities.

They also visited the Book Fair going on in the library. More on that soon in another post!

3rd Grade Thanksgiving

2011-12-21T22:45:00.002-06:00

For Thanksgiving, Dane's class celebrated with a classroom feast. It included all the traditional food plus.

For the feast, the kids make head dresses to wear. Here is Pilgrim Dane with a couple of pilgrim classmates followed by Dane's whole class and teacher.

Saturday Night in Orlando

2011-12-21T22:17:00.005-06:00

Saturday Night in Orlando was a big night for Clark and Mason. You see, while they were at Universal Studio Park earlier in the week, they had noticed an advertisement for a rock concert that included "Five Finger Death Punch." Both Clark and Mason liked the group so they were foaming at the mouth to go. Ed and and I decided to let them go for two reasons- 1: the tickets were reasonably priced 2: the venue was enclosed. Oh, yes, there was a third reason- 3: we could hang around Universal Citywalk, which meant we were close by, onsite, really.

So, Saturday night, we all go to Universal Citywalk. Clark and Mason grab something to eat from the fast food section and head over to Hard Rock Live. Ed, Dane, and I decide to take in a movie at the giant theater. We watched Puss and Boots in 3-D. It was cute. After that, we walked over to Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville Restaurant. There was a long wait so we opted to sit on the patio. Besides immediate seating and yummy food, we had full view of the Hard Rock Live building.

I didn't take my camera along for the evening but I did take a photo with my phone of my margarita. Being at Margaritaville made me feel obligated to have a margarita. I had a very delicious Pink Cadillac Margarita!

After dinner, Ed drove Dane and I back to the hotel. Before Dane crashed, he had a little fun with Mason's Shrek. That is one hip Shrek if I ever saw one!
Dane got in bed and tried to dodge the camera. But I am faster than he was and got this really cute shot! Love this face!
Ed went back for Clark and Mason who were giddy with excitement after the concert! They even bought concert t-shirts! But once back at the hotel, they crashed quickly. After all, we had a flight back to Texas to catch the next morning.

We had a great trip, thoroughly enjoying our time as a family, tourists, and thrill seekers!

Orlando Science Center

2011-12-20T17:04:00.017-06:00

On Saturday, November 19th, 2011, we got our nerd on! Orlando has a really neat Science Center. It is very hands on and informative. They have an I- Max theater in there, too. We went to check it out.

Ed and Clark try out a bridge thinker.

Dane builds a house only to find out what happens to a building when the Earth moves under it.

Crash!
Mason thumps out PVC pipe organ music.
Dane and Ed simulate a sand storm to see how sand dunes are formed.
A beautiful fiber optic peacock!

My favorite thing in the whole museum was this- The idea is to stand very still while the computerized butterflies land on your shadow. However, the second you move they "sense" it and fly quickly away.
It was so cool! I spent a lot of time there.

To Mason's delight, we discovered that a traveling exhibit on guitars was there. They had ALL kinds of guitars on display.

This clear electric guitar was super cool!

There was a giant sized Gibson that Mason and Clark tried to play the guitar using teamwork.

In the Earth science room, there is a giant globe hanging in the middle of the room. You can control what it shows like planets, nature patterns on the Earth, or information about the Earth.

Clark and Mason got dizzy with this next exhibit that you have to spin hard to simulate a hurricane.

Dane and Mason got a chance to be weathermen in a play TV studio.
These pics make me laugh!
They are trying to catch the falling snow flakes in their mouths! Ha!
Oh, yay! They are good!

In the hallway, as you go from one exhibit room to another, there is this cool machine that reads your body and then shows it on the screen. You move, your image moves. The boys thought it was neat.

Last but not least, the dinosaur room!
Hang on tightly, Clark!
Mason controls a robot-dino.
Watch out, Ed! That dino is all boney. You are looking like a good snack!
Dane joins some other kids uncovering dinosaur bones.

As we leave, we walked by the live reptile exhibit that is in the center of the center on the bottom floor. Gators and turtles, oh, my!

We stayed there mush longer than we thought we would. That is a true testament to just how good we thought the museum was.

Legoland, Day 2

2011-12-17T10:11:00.017-06:00

On Friday, we made the short drive back to Winter Haven, Florida for day 2 at Legoland.

The boys rode the Test Track again.

And the Aquazone Wave Racers.
Here Ed, Dane, and Clark try to stay dry!
Mason and Dane gave the Technicycle a spin.
Want to go higher? Then you have to pedal!

The 3 boys teamed up to compete in the Rescue Academy. The first team to pump their vehicle over to the fire, put the fire out, and get back to the starting line, wins. "Team Limbaugh" came in second by a hair!

As I mentioned in the Legoland, Day 1 post, Legoland was built on the Cypress Garden property. From the park, you can walk through a large section on the gardens. We took a long stroll marveling at all the wild and planned vegetation. I took a ton of pictures, getting in great close up practice! Here are some I really like-

Clark met a very nice girl!
She was a little stiff though! (hee hee!)

Dane sat under a canopy in the gardens to slurp on his Icee.

The boys dressed up this Saint statue. Kind of funny!
Seriously, my sons are goofballs!!
Do they think they are praying to the Saint of Swag???Warning! Gators!

Smack in the middle of the gardens, sits the Banyan Tree, which was planted in 1939. It is a spectacle! This tree is special because it spreads out horizontally over a wide area and then send down shoots that attach and embed in the ground and become prop roots. Check it out!

Double photo bomb!

Back in the park, Dane gives Clark a ride on Lego Boating School. Dane was purposefully driving crazy to drive Clark crazy! They had crazy fun!

We hit the boardwalk games and had a couple of winners.

The Island in the Sky is a cool ride that takes you up 150 ft to give you a 360 degree view of the park and gardens. It was a nice way to see everything.

Dane has started collecting the smashed pennies from various places. Here he is smashing a Legoland penny.
By the look on Mason's face, you can tell we were tired and ready to go after a ride on the Grand Carousel!

Bye, Legoland! We are so pleased that we got to visit you!
See you again real soon!

Legoland, Day 1

2011-12-16T14:17:00.012-06:00

We are true Legoland fans! We planned two days of Lego fun in the new Legoland Park in Winter Haven, Florida.

The boys at the park entrance.

Family shot just inside the park.
Of course, my Star Wars crazy kids had to stop for these pics!
First stop, Miniland USA
There is so much to see here!
Back in the Lego Technic section,
the boys had a blast on the Test Track Coaster.
Dane's favorite ride is also in that same section.
So the boys raced over to ride the Aquazone Wave Racers.

Clark and Dane rode first.
Ed and I manned the water blasters to make sure they got nice and wet!
Ed bombed them! hee hee!
Mason was next. He did not want to get wet.
Yay, right!
Their faces say it all! Dane loved that they got wet.
Mason did not!
This park is on the property of Cypress Garden.
It is beautiful!
Here is a sample of the beauty Lego style.
Show time at Pirate's Cove.
Hungry?
Time for lunch at the pizza and salad buffet.

Okay, well at least Ed and I ate salad!

A colorful triceratops awaits us at the Coastersaurus.
All 4 boys rode it a couple of times!
We couldn't leave without seeing our favorite show, The Big Test.
Dane sat close hoping to get sprayed with water. He did!

A high five from character "Vern."
See you again tomorrow, Legoland!

Disney Family Pic

2011-12-16T14:10:00.006-06:00

Our family picture from Disney came in the mail today. So Christmasy and cute, I thought I would share.
This picture will be framed and hung up!

Universal Studios Orlando

2011-12-11T21:23:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday of our family vacation week (16 Oct 2011), the two big boys and I decided to spend the day at Universal Studios Orlando. We had a great afternoon riding roller coasters and seeing shows. It's certainly expanded quite a bit since I went some 20 years ago with an Army buddy! It was a blast. My only regret was that it closed so early in the evening that day. Even so, we still managed to squeeze in nearly every ride.

Best things in the park?

"Rip-Ride Rockit" Roller Coaster!" Straight up, then straight down while listening to great rock music!

The Incredible Hulk ride!

The Mummy! A spooky, darkened indoor roller coaster with ghosts, flames, and twists galore!

The Harry Potter castle ride! Part roller-coaster, part simulator, but completely excellent!

Disaster! Be an extra and help make the movie, but watch out for the subway crash!

Here's a few shots from our day. We didn't get to take pictures everywhere that day because so many of the rides were too fast and furious to shoot pics.

Mason and Clark clowning around in front of the JAWS boat ride! Somebody (and we won't name names because that's not important here) jumped a little when our ride entered the abandoned boat house and the shark tried to surface next to us.

You really have to experience the Simpson's animated thrill ride! You sit in a mechanical simulator car that juts out into (essentially) an IMAX theater. While Simpson escapade unfolds on the big movie screen in front you, your car jerks up, down, and all around as it simulates the roller-coaster ride with Bart and Homer.

Ahh, the Penguins of Madagascar! These fun fellows were parading through the park as we made our way to the Terminator show. (Sorry, no pics of the Terminator, but the show was pretty cool.)

Go on. Admit it. I've still got it. Don't hate the player! ;)
(Just a little something to keep Lisa on her toes, you know)

The Hulk roller coaster was probably the 2nd best ride in the entire park. Your car begins creeping up the ramp just like any other roller coaster -- but halfway up they engage the jet thrust and shoot you out like a cannon into one of the wildest roller coasters we three have ever been on! We rode that ride 3 or 4 times that day! If you go, don't miss this one.

A little fun in Kid Town

Now if we just knew what he had been plotting ...

So true, so true. I was exhausted for 3 weeks after that trip.

The Hogwarts Express! You know where that goes ...

To the Harry Potter castle! Now, that is a GREAT ride! It's a cross between a roller coaster and a simulator. The dragon's steamy snort is close enough to feel the heat. The spiders practically climb in the car with you. The simulated flying scenes have you grabbing at your seat bar to be sure you don't fall out! We rode it twice and would have ridden it more if we had had the time!

And the snow-topped village just outside the castle.

The boys stopped for some "ButterBeer." It's a creamy soda that seemed to have a taste of cinnamon and butterscotch. Very delicious. We really enjoyed it.

Taking a seat before the Sinbad action-adventure stunt show. We were worn out by the late afternoon, so we rested while taking in a great stunt show.

Sinbad, our hero (right), and his loyal sidekick. I tried to get a picture of the Princess, but they all turned out blurry. Too bad. You would have loved her. You'll have to go see the show for yourself.

It's Dr. Seuss-land, but of course! Tons to do here for the little kids, but we didn't stay long. We were on a mission to tackle the biggest and best roller coasters in the park.

And to think, we saw it all on Mulberry Street!

T-Rex Cafe

2011-12-07T18:08:00.010-06:00

For lunch on Wednesday, Dane and I headed back to Downtown Disney. We had reservations at the T-Rex Cafe!

This restaurant is much like the wonderful Rainforest Cafe. They are owned by the same company and both are on the Downtown Disney property. We chose to go to the T-Rex Cafe because we had never been to one. We have been to Rainforest Cafe many times.

Outside the T-Rex Cafe pics-

When you first walk in, you are greeted loudly by this guy!

Once inside there were three rooms in which you can dine. Dane chose to sit in the "Fire Room" over the "Ice Cave" and the "Ocean Room." In the Fire Room, you are surrounded by dinosaurs of all kinds that make noise and move. Every 20 mins, on the ceiling, asteroids and shooting stars dance above your head. Dane enjoyed that!

From our seats, we could see these guys.

We took a stroll around the restaurant and saw these guys.
Remember I mentioned the "Ice Cave?"
We had a great view of it, and were able to watch
the whole cave change colors from time to time. Very cool!
On the back wall of the "Ice Cave" this guys waits to thaw.

After our yummy prehistoric lunch, we walked around Downtown Disney. And wouldn't you know? We ended up at the Lego Store. Dane just had to play so we hung out for a while so he could do just that.

Just outside the Disney Store was this large water serpentine.
Inside the Lego play area, Dane got to work building cars for the Test Track.
And he raced......
and raced!

After all that fun, we went back to the hotel for a short nap (I slept, he watched TV). We even worked in a good hour of swim time in the heated pool before we went to pick up the big boys from Universal Studios.

Disney Mini Golf

2011-12-07T16:27:00.006-06:00

On Wednesday, of our vacation week, the family split up. The big boys spent the day at the Universal Studio Parks while Dane and I had our own adventures. We started at Disney's Winter Summerland Miniature Golf.

This place is super cute! One side is made up to look as if the 18 holes are in winter time while the other 18 holes are in the middle of summer. Dane had a total blast!

Winter side-

Here we go!

Dane got a hole in one on this hole!

Summer side-

Here are a few nature shots that I took when

we got stuck behind a group for a few minutes.

Magic Kingdom Day

2011-12-06T13:31:00.025-06:00

The week before Thanksgiving 2011, we Limbaugh's flew up to Orlando, Florida to spend a week of fun! On Monday night, we checked into our two bedroom, two bathroom suite and headed for Downtown Disney. We walked around, window shopped, and planned to return.

On Tuesday, we were up and raring to go!
It's Magic Kingdom day!

Toto, we are not on Texas any more!

We caught the shuttle to the park.

Then we boarded the fairy that drives you to the park gates.

There it is, just across the water!
That most recognizable castle is in view!

We made it to the gate!

And, just in time for the Welcome Show that precedes the opening of the park.

We made it! Let the fun begin!

We paused long enough for a family photo in front of the castle (ordering from Disney Photo, will post when it gets here) and to let me shed a few happy tears! We hadn't been there since 2003. It was overwhelming to be back with the whole family, and this time, Dane old enough to enjoy and remember! I couldn't help the tears!

One of the great things about going the week before Thanksgiving is that it is not crowded at all! We walked on to everything. Even the uber popular Space Mountain had a mere 5 to 10 minute wait. That is just enough time to get your courage up!

Our first stop was Tomorrowland for a ride on the family favorite, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin.Before I go on, you should know that we rode almost ever ride in the park except for the baby/toddler rides. So, there won't be pictures of those. There will also not be pics of everything we rode because of motion or flash issues. So the following only shows what we were legally and physically able to get pics of. Thanks for understanding! :-)

Guess who was out and about in Tomorrowland? Chip and Dale.... and Dane! Autograph and picture time!
My favorite ride of the day, rivaling close with Space Mountain, was the Astro Orbiter. I think I liked it so much because it starts out high, goes higher, spins fast, and then when it is nearing the end of the ride, centrifugal force pushes you to the edge of the rocket car in which you are seated. I rode it a couple of times, giggling all the way!

Uh, oh! Trouble! Stitch is on the prowl!

Dane takes a spin in a car at the Indy Speedway.

Guess which ride this is....

Clark and I spun ourselves dizzy. We couldn't get off the Mad Tea Party ride immediately after it stopped, we were so dizzy!

It's a Small World after all...

We went from a happy place to a scary place. The Haunted Mansion is amazing! So much to see and be spooked by. Dane went on it not knowing what it was. He rode with me, sitting as close as he could without being on my lap, death grip on my arm. But I was proud of him. He made it through and was able to recognize there was lots of cool stuff happening with technology. He even tried to figure out how some of the effect were created.

Outside of the ride...

Inside the Haunted Mansion.

One shot, barely recognizable or worthy of the great effects in the house.

Our path took us to Frontierland next. We went straight for Big Thunder Mountain.

Clark posed in front of a prop.

Clark and Ed are ready to ride!

Ed sat in front of us and took pictures of me, Dane and Mason. Despite the bumps, turns, and drops the ride takes he managed to get some funny ones. Check out Dane's face!
Dane's face says it all. Once was enough for him. So the big boys went a second time. Here they come 'round the bend.

We ran into Frontier Donald. Quack!

Dane had a good time playing on Tom Sawyer Island.

We wound our way around to Adventureland. There we rode the ultra cool Pirates of the Caribbean ride. I managed to get off one picture, as we were loading, before the attendant hollered at me, "No flash photography." Gee, the ride hadn't started yet!

We also took a spin on The Magic Carpets of Aladdin.

You can see me and Dane through the trees. Kind of....

What's a day at Disney without a parade?

We caught the "Celebrate a Dream Come True" Parade on the far side of the park.

It's Mickey and Minnie!

Cinderella and Prince Charming!

Pinocchio!

Aladdin!

In honor of my Mother, we popped in to see her favorite, The Country Bear Jamboree. Not the most hi-tech show but a good something to see to kill 20 minutes. (By the way, these pics are all no flash!)

Back in Adventureland, we caught up with Pirate Goofy!

Dane got an autograph and picture.

We took a boat ride through the Jungle Cruise.

As it started to get dusky, we noticed the castle began to take on beautiful soft hues. It is hard to resist the wonderment of the castle and all the imagination it holds.
Before heading back to the front gates, we stopped for a sweet treat- funnel cakes! Crisp, hot goodness! Yum!

Plate licking goodness!

Time to head out!

Bye, Disney! We love you!
Thank you for a memorable family day!

Band Senior Night

2011-11-13T13:54:00.005-06:00

Every year, the Hendrickson Hawk Band holds a "Senior Night" on the last home football game of the year. They recognize the seniors, and their dedication to the band program. One at a time, the seniors come forward to get a hug and letter from the director, followed by hugs and pictures with their family in attendance.

We were thrilled to have our whole family in attendance at Senior Night for Clark. Clark's girl friend, Jessica was there. We even had our fabulous friends show up to support and cheer for him from the stands. (Clark said, looking towards the people in the stands, "Where is the neighborhood?" Ha!)

The band comes marching in!

Clark waits for his name to be called next!

Mr. Gunderson goes in for the hand shake and hug of congratulations.

Clark marched for all 4 years of high school!

Then we go in for our hugs!

Our family pose.

After all the seniors had been recognized, they gathered for a senior group picture.
Awesome night for Seniors, Clark, and the Limbaugh family (and the neighborhood cheering section!)
Congratulations, Clark!!!

Heart Walk

2011-11-13T10:59:00.007-06:00

On October 1, 2011, our fabulous group of friends walked the Heart Walk in downtown Austin. We signed up last minute, after we saw Glen on TV promoting the event. You see, that is his job! Glen works for The American Heart Associatio n and is in charge of the Heart Walk. Being the good friends that we are, we rallied to do the walk as a group.

The walk was a 3 mile walk for adults, kids, and pets. It started at 8am on the 1st Street Bridge. We all wore red, had little bits of flare and red "clappers."

We posed for a group pics just before the bridge. We gathered around a piece of "Cow Parade Art," for the pic below, which will be one of 74 cows auctioned off for charity.

Once on the bridge, we warmed up with the crowd.
Ed and Ellie checking out the sights.
Here is Glen, as MC, leading the events of the day!
And we are off.......
A photographer from the AHA took this shot of Dane and Michelle.
Lizzy and Andy.... and the other Andy!!
I tied a balloon on Andy so that people would have an eye level visual to know he was down there. The poor pup got stepped on once and that was once too much!
Nicki, Perry, and Kennedy
Rastafarian Clark
Another Cow Parade Art picture!
Look over our heads! It's a bird, it's a plane, NO! It's the green finish line!
We did it!!!!
We had a great time!

Halloween Night 2011

2011-11-11T15:14:00.009-06:00

My favorite holiday of the year?? HALLOWEEN!

The inside of the house was decorated early in October because of Bunco. It was a massive undertaking! Luckily, Ed, Michelle and Lizzy helped out.

I love Halloween and have lots of great stuff to prove it! I have been asked many times by many folks where I keep it all. The answer is- everything, except the light-up pumpkins, go in the closet under the stairs. And you thought it was just for coats and jackets? Nope, that closet actually goes all the way back to the end of the staircase. The light-up pumpkins have their own shelves in the garage.

My favorite decorated room was--- ta daaa--- the guest bathroom! It was the first time I have gone all out in that room. It was so fabulous.... and a bit scary!

With lights on-

With lights off.

A guest bathroom surprise!

The entry way into the living room.
Makes me feel like Alfred Hitchcock has been there!

The hallway behind the living room
filled with bats and pictures of dead family members!

The buffet in the front room holds my black spooky village.
Dane comes in after it is set up and adds Lego accents of
Lego skeleton people, Lego spiders, Lego bats, etc.

Halloween fell on a Monday this year. We had some friends come over for dinner followed by trick-or-treating so we could get an early start and have the sugared up kids to bed at a reasonable time.

The cast of characters pose in our front yard.

Mason and friends trick-or-treated in Kenneth's neighborhood.

Kenneth, Bryan, Jacob, and Mason

Clark, Witchy, and Dane
Lizzy, Bailey, and Dana
Simon, Ian, and Vanessa
Clark and Jessica
Creepy Ian!
Proof that the Texas Rangers got a beating in the World Series!
Thanks for the reminder, Simon!

The front yard decor in the light of day.
All lit up in the spooky dark!

I sat on the front porch, under a black light, next to the animated witch, to hand out candy. If little kids were too scared to come to me, I would take the candy to them. It was fun to see all the costumes and all the reactions to the decor. Lots of adults took pictures of the graveyard with their phones. Four different groups of kids, not counting my own, posed in front of my 21 light-up pumpkins for pictures. So awesome! Made my day!! (As Shannon said, "Lisa lives for that!" Yep, I do!)

As we put the Halloween stuff back in boxes, (including new stuff I picked up during "after Halloween sales") and back in the closet under the stairs, Michelle said, "Lisa, there is no room for new stuff next year." I scoffed! "There is ALWAYS room for more Halloween stuff!!!"

HPES Halloween Treat

2011-11-08T14:16:00.008-06:00

PTO held the annual Halloween Staff Hospitality Event on Oct. 26th, after school, in the library.

This is such a fun event for the PTO and the staff. Parents get to create Halloween inspired dishes and the staff gets to eat them, if they dare!

This year, I was feeling ambitious and created three dishes-

7 Layer Spider Web with tortilla chips,

Moldy Cucumbers (thanks, Paula Dean!),

and Cheese Log Mummy served with crackers.

To feed just under 100 staff, it takes many dishes. Here are pictures of the 4 tables covered with all the yummy food!

The staff loves this event! We love throwing it for them. Here are a few pictures of a few of the staff enjoying their treats.

Fright Night at Fiesta Texas

2011-11-08T14:05:00.006-06:00

A small group of us went down to San Antonio for a day of frightening fun at Fiesta Texas.

We were met at the front of the park by a charming and tall monster!Dane, Mason, Emma, and Kennedy brave the possibility of being thrown into a cage!

Kennedy and Dane are ready to ride the Road Runner!

We stopped in to Trick- or -Treat at Scooby's place.
Too cool for candy? No way!
We caught the Rockville Haunted Show.
After the show, the creepy performers were nice enough to pose with us before they scared us!
Mason and Emma wait to get on the Big Spin.
One last picture, with Tweety Bird, on our way out of the park.
Now, we are ready for Halloween!

Bad Kitty

2011-11-04T16:52:00.011-05:00

For the 2nd annual pumpkin character decorating contest for the HPES school library, Dane decided weeks in advance that he wanted to do the main character from the Bad Kitty series. Specifically, he wanted to create the cover of "Happy Birthday, Bad Kitty."

The Bad Kitty books are funny books about a sour puss of a cat and his adventures, written by Nick Bruel.

The week before, Dane wrote out a supply list for me. The hardest things to find were a round box (for the cake on which Bad Kitty sits) and pink clay (for the icing which ended up being blue when pink was not to be found).

Over the course of a few week nights, Dane and Ed worked to create Dane's vision of a pumpkin Bad Kitty. I was so amazed at the result! Super adorable and totally the Bad Kitty character!!

Check out the messy table, proof of the artistic creating that went on!

Here are pictures of other pumpkins created for the contest. You should note that there was no carving allowed just decorating. There are some really cute characters!
Dane won "Most Artistic" for 3rd to 5th graders. He was awarded a certificate, a Halloween goody bag, and a $5 gift certificate to spend at the upcoming Scholastic Book Fair.

Way to go, Dane and Bad Kitty!

Dane goes to Legoland Florida!

2011-11-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

Last Christmas, Santa brought the entire family season passes to the new Legoland Florida theme park in Winter Haven, Florida. The park's grand opening was set for October 15, 2012, but we knew the wait would be worth it.

In August we received a Legoland flyer in the mail advertising a special Sneak Peek week for Legoland season pass holders before the park opened to the general public. When Dane saw the flyer, he went nuts: "We have to go, Dad! We have to!" And with that, our plans began to form. He and I decided to take a special father-son trip all by ourselves to spend two awesome days together.

Skipping through the boring parts, we arrived on Wednesday, Oct 12, 2011, to experience the magic of Legoland Florida. Dane posed in front of the very colorful main gate.

A quick stop at the ticket window to pick up our permanent passes and then we were in! Welcome to Miniland! One of the first attractions in the park is a replica of many famous U.S. cities created entirely from Legos.

At Legoland, everything is made of Legos. EVERYTHING!

Legoland has all kinds of nifty, interactive attractions. Like the cars that Dane drove on mini-streets.

And real boats with no tether, no track -- free floating so you can bang into the walls or race each other around the track! Very cool.

(Day 2 boat driving!)

Legoland also has awesome shows! Like the Firefighter show, where the trainee firemen "put the wet stuff on the hot stuff!" Even while you laugh at their antics, they are teaching you how to be safe around fires. Dane loved it so much we saw this show both days. Dane laughed the hardest when the firemen start spraying the audience with water. (Some of these pics are intermixed from both days.)

Who filled his fire hat with water when he wasn't looking?

That got a laugh out of Dane!

Uh-oh! The firetruck is on fire! What to do? "Put the wet stuff on the hot stuff!" But watch out! That ladder might be tricky to maneuver!

Water sprays everywhere, but a few firemen run to hide -- behind Dane!

Naturally we had to get a picture with the cast the second time we saw the show.

There's more than just shows, though. There are water rides, roller coasters, and fun park rides. Dane soon settled on a water ride that he declared to be his favorite of everything in the park. He rode this ride nearly 20 times over the 2 days. In fact, it was the very last ride we rode in the park. You board a boat that is driven in a circle. Turn the wheel and the boat darts out across the waves, giving you a good bounce and lots of splashes. Turn the wheel back in the other direction and you whip in close. Add to that the excitement of trying to dodge the water bombs that spectators are setting off from the sidelines. You rarely come back dry from this ride.

Roller coasters. Can't forget the roller coasters. By the end, he was claiming the front seat as his own on the "Flight School" roller coaster.

An "I did it!" cheer! Whoo-hoo!

A view from the "Dragon Coaster!" First you pass through a colorful Lego maze, but watch out for the Dragon! He's waiting for you. Then you climb to the coaster's peak, and it's way you go!

Or "Coastersaurus," a wooden roller coaster that took Dane a little while to work up to.

That's not all the rides. And we haven't even talked about the water-skiing Lego soldiers protecting the port from pirates!

There's so much to see and do at Legoland that I can't even begin to put it all into one blog. Like the Banyon tree!

And the "Island in the Sky"!

Still didn't get to all the rides. Like the Egyptian Bouncer, hunting through King Tut's tomb, the two-story carousel, the "Tech Track" coaster, and more. The whole family is going back together soon, so I'm sure we'll add even more pictures soon!

All in all, it was a memory of a lifetime. Each day was an exhausting whirlwind of fun!

Worn out at the end of Day 1

Sweaty, tired boy at the end of Day 2

New Bike

2011-10-31T16:54:00.004-05:00

In a quick week's worth of time, Dane went from not having anything to do with his bike, to trying our his little bike with training wheels removed, to a brand new bike that he would ride 24/7 if he could!

Dane figures out how to ride without training wheels on his little bike.

His brand new bike came to us by way of a friend's sister. She had one in her garage that had never been riden, and we had a kid who needed a bigger bike. We traded two her a 12 pack of beer for it!

Now Dane rides his bike to and from school every day except Wednesdays, which are piano lesson days. He LOVES getting to do this!

Pflugerville Pfestival of the Bands

2011-10-31T16:35:00.006-05:00

Every year Pflugerville ISD hosts a night in which all the middle and high school bands come together to perform for each other and parents.

This year was special as it is Clark's last year with the Hawk Band and Mason's last year with the Puma Band.

Here is Mason with the Parkcrest Puma Band playing pep songs from the stands.

Mason, Simon, and Joel
They have been friends since 3rd grade. Next year they will be back together again in the Hawk Band.

Here is Clark with the Hendrickson Hawk Band, performing their 2011 marching show, Cathedral.

Clark had a part in the small ensemble.
He is center in the pic below.

The grand finale this year was an appearance by the UT Longhorn Band!
What a treat! Hook 'Em!

Mason turns 14

2011-10-27T17:43:00.008-05:00

On, Saturday, October 1st, Mason turned 14 years old. Instead of a big friend birthday party, he chose to get a new smart phone. So he got a new Galaxy phone and we took family friends to Jumpoline Park for trampoline fun and Moonie's for burgers.

It is hard to get good pics at the Jumpoline Park, but Ed tried. Here are some of the better ones! Don't ask me!

Group Shot!

Moonie's Burgers was our next stop. We ate yummy burgers and sweet potato fries! Mason opened his presents, too. Then we came back to the house for a musical performance by Mason and Emma!

Emma made a yummy vanilla birthday cake for Mason. Sooooo sweet of her! We all enjoyed it!
Watch out behind, Mason!
Happy Birthday, Mason!

Drumline at Fiesta

2011-10-27T17:25:00.008-05:00

On September 26th, the PCMS Drumline performed at St. Elizabeth's annual Fiesta. It was fun to see them march over from the school. Everyone stopped when they heard the drumming- and believe me, everyone heard them coming!!

Here are some of the best pics of Mason, before, during, and after.

I caught him talking with his section before the show.
He looks stern but that is part of the look, having attitude.
The snare section.
The kids marched back to their school gym for a few quick announcements from Mr. Bailey.

Back-to-School Dance

2011-10-27T11:03:00.004-05:00

HPES PTO brought back the Back-to-School Dance, after a one year break. It was a bunch of fun for the kids!

Dane got his groove on in a conga line.

He also played the hula hoop game. It was a lot like Hot Potato. You don't want to be the one holding the hula hoop when the music stops.
Here he waits for the music to start.

And he is off-

He steps through it-
And passes it on-

Dane also enjoyed glow sticks,

and concessions!

Foreigner VIP

2011-10-14T12:01:00.019-05:00

It all started on Tuesday Sept. 20th with a face book post about extra tickets available for the Journey, Foreigner, Night Ranger Concert. I waffled but then called just to see how many they had and how much they were. I ended up getting 5 tickets for me and my 4 best girls- Christie, Michelle, Shannon, and Nicki.
On Thursday, we all were giddy with excitement! And why not with the great bands that were performing?

On the way down to the Erwin Center, we were all joking about the "Magic Man." You see, a local radio station sends out the "Magic Man" with a pair of front row tickets to change out with your tickets if you are the first person to ask him, "Are you the Magic Man?" They dared me to ask the parking attendant. I did. They were laughing so loudly I didn't even hear what he said back.

We walk to the Erwin Center from the parking garage laughing and joking all the way there. When we get to where we can see the doors, we see there was a line waiting for the doors to open. As we are walking to get in line, I notice a man sitting on the ground with his back against the building that backs up to the Erwin Center. He had a rad bag that said, "Foreigner" on it, and he was quietly watching people walk by. I said, half seriously, "I bet that is the Magic Man." But we all kept walking. When we got to the line, I said again, "I think he might really be the Magic Man." Michelle, said, "I'll go ask him," and off she marched. I watched her go over to him and start talking. The man stood up and reached into his bag..... I started running over yelling, "Is it him? Is it him?" Michelle put something around her neck as I reached them. It was a Foreigner VIP Reception Badge!!! I notice he has another one in his hand. As another lady, who came running up behind me, reached towards the man's hand, I swooped in and grabbed the 2nd VIP Badge. (She didn't stand a chance! Ha!)
We asked the guy if he had 3 more passes so all 5 of us could go but he did not. As it turned out, he was NOT the Magic Man! He was a guy who had a bunch of VIP passes and 2 friends not show up to claim them. He was so incredibly nice to give them to us!

Michelle and I waved to the other girls, said "See ya, bitches," and excitedly went to the VIP Reception! I have to be honest and tell you that at this point I thought I was getting to meet Journey, too. I was so excited (having memories and pictures of meeting Journey live and in person in 1983) that I was literally shaking! It was in talking to the people at our table that we realized this was all about Foreigner. And that to be at this VIP Reception, which was about 25 to 30 people in total, you had to have won the badges or paid big bucks! Lucky us! Still, the shaking continued- but a white wine spritzer helped with that! :-)

Michelle and I posed in front of the backdrop to text to the other girls. You can imagine the hateful (but funny) texts we got back!!!
It wasn't long before the band came in! Michelle and I lined up to meet and get photos with Foreigner (taken by the band photographer and available for us to access for our own memories)!! We clapped and cheered as they entered the room! So exciting!! Michelle went first-

I joined them!

Then I got my own moment with the band!
I shook all their hands and told them how fabulous it was to meet them!
It really was incredible!

Close up of lead singer Kelly Hansen (in the middle), guitarist Tom Gimbel (to Kelly's right) and guitarist Jeff Pilson (to Kelly's left)!As the next person moved in to have their moment, we were handed a goodie bag. Inside was an autographed picture of the band, a hotel key chain, a copy of their newest CD "Acoustique," and a congratulations note.
Once everyone at the reception had their meet and greet moment, I asked the band if they would pose together for all of us with cell phones. They gladly did.

Then I asked them to give us a rock and roll pose.

From there, the band mingled a few minutes with the VIP's. I grabbed the drummer, Mark Schulman, and had Michelle take our pic together. Aren't we cute? I was so giddy it was ridiculous!!

Then Michelle switched places with me for her pic with him.

I seized the one on one opportunity with Mark to tell him about a comment my nephew Phillip made about their show the night before in San Antonio. I repeated to Mark, " My nephew saw you last night in San Antonio. He said you stole the show." Mark said, "Who stole the show?" and pointed to the band members. I said, "Foreigner stole the show from the other bands." Mark said, "That is good to hear!"

The band was whisked away then to get back stage for their part in the concert. Michelle and I ran to the ladies room and started screaming and jumping around! High as a kite does not begin to describe how we were feeling after all that excitement! But we gathered ourselves and headed into the Erwin Center to meet up with the rest of the girls, who may or may not be talking to us!! :-)

We stopped for a daiquiri and then found our seats. Night Ranger was playing as we sat down. I got to hear, "Sister Christian" and "Don't Tell Me You Love Me." Alright!

The girls were still smiling so we were okay! Ha!

Then Foreigner took the stage and the night of singing, drinking, and dancing began! We maybe sat down for two songs the rest of the night! Maybe!
Christie has a super star crush on Kelly Hansen. Every time he was shown on the big screen she would go nuts! (We all went a little nuts, actually! lol) It was funny!
We got to dance and sing along to songs like, "Juke Box Hero," "Dirty White Boy," "Say You Will," "Urgent," and "Double Vision," to name a few!

Luckily, even though we went down in my van, Michelle stopped drinking after 2 and named herself the designated driver. Good thing because the rest of us were kicking them back pretty hard! Last to take the stage was Journey. Steve Perry, the original lead singer is no longer with the band but his replacement, Arnel Pineda, was really good! My favorite Jonathon Cain is still on piano. I wish I could have met him in person (again) that night!!
Oh, yes! We were having too much fun! The girl on the far right was the girl in the seat in front of me. We got friendly with her and her boyfriend.
They did so many of their hits!.... "Stoned in Love," " Lights," "Loving Touching Squeezing," "Don't Stop Believing," "Faithfully," and the one that made me cry, right there in front of my girls and the entire audience, "Open Arms." :::sniffle:::

The show ended with a confetti filled bang!

Leaving, just outside of the Erwin Center, we paused for some photos!

You would think the adventure stopped there, but you would be wrong! We ended up at the Pflugerville Taco Cabana to grab some grub. There we met a young, bad boy, biker named Josh. I invited him to our table and we chatted him up. Our reward was a peek at a lawn mowing man tattoo that he had in a "not necessarily appropriate location for strangers" to be peeking! It was awesome! I wish I could recant the conversation that took place as well, but I need to maintain the sparkling reputation of myself and the girls! Ha!

Around 1:30am we rolled into the neighborhood. What a fantastic, amazing, exciting, girl's night we had! It totally rocked! In fact, our slogan for the night will go down in history as "Buzzed bitches and bikers!" Oh, yes, WE DID!

Asian Adventure

2011-09-16T21:22:00.010-05:00

Last Sunday, Shannon, Nicki, Michelle, and I went on an adventure! We went to a place on Lamar that is a big Asian shopping and eating area. There are probably 30 shops plus one giant market there.

We started with lunch at TC Noodle House. We all ordered something that was new to us. It was fun to try and taste everyone's dishes. And we even got free dessert out of it, again, something we hadn't tried.

Here are pics taken on my camera of the meal!

Food!

Michelle and I taught Nicki and Shannon to use chopsticks!

Dessert!
One was filled with vanilla bean paste and the
other was red bean and coconut paste.
Very interesting!

The after-math!

Next we walked over to the Asian Market. We spent a couple of hours walking and looking and asking about all the unusual things we were seeing!

Outside of the market was a fountain and fish pond.

Michelle! We just got here! What are you buying?? Oh, wait, that isn't your cart? This picture was taken just to text to your husband to freak him out? And did it work? Oh, yes it did! I heard your phone ring right away! Too funny!Thought of Ed when I saw this! :-)

Fried puffy fish skin... no comment!

Noodles anyone? There was a full isle, the length of the store, with both sides full of noodle packages! If you could imagine it, they had it! I bought some purple sweet potato noodles. Michelle bought some pumpkin noodles.

Saw lots of shrimp in various forms. Dried shrimp is a big deal, apparently.

Produce, including my new love, fresh lemon grass!
(on the right of the picture below)

Not cucumbers!

Jack Fruit! Sharp to the touch. I don't know much about it but
I did see it once on the Food Network show, "Chopped."

Don't know what these are, but they are beautiful!!!Ice Cream!

There were four of us, four flavors, and four pops in a box, so we each bought a box and gave each other one. We were all able to try one of each flavor that way.

The Mango and Thai Tea flavors were sooooo delicious! However, none of us cared for the Ube+Bean or the Red Bean pops. Those two had actual beans in the ice cream! Messing with the extra creamy texture of the pops with whole stringy beans is not cool!

It was such a great day! We talked, stretched our comfort levels, explored, and laughed! The only thing that could have made the market experience any better would have been samples. There were so many things we had never seen, heard of, or tasted. Next time!

And there will be a next time for me. So far, that is the only place I know of to get fresh lemon grass which is a key ingredient in my Tom Khan Soup (Thai).

Our Pups

2011-09-16T21:17:00.003-05:00

I took these two pics of Andy and Ellie while in the car on the way to a park for a walk. They were so happy and excited! I love these two pics!

Andy

Ellie

Once home, they took a nice long nap in the middle of my bed! Love my babies!!

Nap Time!

Senior Homecoming Mum

2011-09-16T16:52:00.012-05:00

I have gotten so many blog hits with people looking for instructions on mum making or ideas for mums since I wrote two blog posts about mum making last year. With that in mind, I took more step-by-step picture this year, as I made Jessica's senior year mum!

Step 1-

Spray glitter spray paint to the mum.
This gives it some sparkle!
Step 2-
Paint the letter "J" for Jessica.
This is a special Styrofoam called "smoothfoam."
We cut it in half so it wouldn't be too heavy.
Add sparkly star stickers.
The "J" is then hot glued to the center of the mum.
Step 3-
Cut ribbon to make the cone shaped edges on one of the card board circles.
(The card board circles come 3 to a pack.)
I layered two colors for this look. The silver ribbon has texture.
Have lots of staples on hand!!
Continue stapling on cones until you have a complete circle.

Step 4-
Staple on the ribbons.
Cut them long!
There is no particular way but I prefer some symmetry.
Step 5-
Cut ends so you have a layered look.
Step 6-
Staple a looped piece of ribbon to the top.
This is where the mum gets pinned to the garment.
Step 7-
Hot glue mum to card board circle with the ribbon. Then hot glue the third card board circle to the back. This third circle keeps the garments from being ripped by the staples.

Step- 8
Add embellishments and bling!
I added stick on diamonds, star stickers, and music note stickers to solid plain ribbons and embellishments like a mini disco ball, a silver football charm, etc.

Step 9-
Stand back and enjoy your creative handy work!
Step 10-
Photograph the lucky girl who gets to wear the fabulous mum
and the boy that is behind it!
Happy homecoming Jessica and Clark!

My friend, Shannon, made a mum for the first time ever! She spent many hours in secret, at my house, working on it over the course of a few days. I am so proud of her first mum, I have to show a picture!

And best of all, she had a great time creating it!

Symank-Richter Family Reunion

2011-09-06T13:53:00.008-05:00

Once again, we made it to the Symank-Richter Family reunion in Crawford, Texas. Jessica came along as our guest. There were 102 people in attendance.

Here are some of the pictures from day.

The boys and Jessica with Cousin Matthew.
Family visiting.
Time to eat! Look who is first in line...!!
I guess being the oldest female at the reunion gets you some perks!
(For the record, O'ma is 96 yrs and 9months and proud of it!)Pinata time for the kids.
This is Crawford, Texas. Don't blink!
We had to leave at 2:00pm sharp so that Clark could make it to work on time.

Photo credit to Ed for the reunion and pinata pictures!

Drumline Debut

2011-09-05T16:41:00.004-05:00

The new 2011-2012 Drumline performed on Friday night, Sept. 2nd. The performance was in conjunction with Pflugerville High School's annual spaghetti dinner.

Waiting for warm-up instruction, Mason and Jaylen chat it up!

Mr. Bailey gives warm-up instructions.

The performance begins.

After the drumline played, Mason hustled to his seat in the Alto Saxophone section. Eighth graders from Parkcrest and Pflugerville Middle schools performed fight songs.

Mason has a small family crowd in attendance- Ed, Dane, Grandlally, Grandad, and me! After the show we went to Mooney's for burgers.