First Date

Here are the promised Homecoming photos. David's first date. From the looks of things, I'm guessing that this was the first date for several of these boys. This photo is deceptive. Believe me, these boys were not as polished and composed as they look here. The girls were another story altogether. Their plans were perfectly coordinated, their outfits, shoes and makeup expertly applied (though I must admit some surprise at how "mature" some of them looked.)

Here's a photo of David with his date, Lexi. They are adorable, no? Isn't it amazing how their outfits coordinate perfectly? No coincidence. Lexi took total control, instructing David what to wear, what the corsage should look like, what time to be where. Maybe it's a good thing...David would probably have worn khaki shorts otherwise. I hear they had fun. David said the steak at Cuci Cucina was great, but "real expensive" (thanks to 80 bucks provided by mom.) He tells me he actually danced. But I'm guessing the best part was flopping with his guy friends all night over at the Bruckshaw's.

Lest we lose perspective on this entire event by focusing on the dresses, dancing, flowers and food, take a look at the photos above, taken not quite two years apart. Holy crap!! Look what a mere two years does to a kid! I nearly had to beat him to wear a tie borrowed from dad for his fall band concert two years ago; this year he wants the most expensive tie he can find! Two years ago girls were totally gross; this year, well....

He's obviously got a little more growing up to do, but if these last two years are any indication it may come fast. And I can't wait....maybe....

Homecoming. I always wax nostalgic at the mere mention of this annual event. The parade. The Big Game. The Dance. It's a very big deal. Al has never understood my excitement at the sight of a freshly Tee-Peed front yard early in the morning on homecoming day, or the sounds of giggling cheerleaders in the yard at 2 a.m. Call the cops?! Unthinkable!! It's all part of the fun. The weather could not have been better. We relaxed at the parade while Hannah collected pounds of candy from float-riders who threw to the kids lining the street. Tonight the game was standing-room-only as the community came out in droves to watch our Dragons pound on the Marshalltown Bobcats. Great fun.

This year David is a sophomore and it's his first high school homecoming. His first date is tomorrow night for the homecoming dance. The corsage is ordered; the attire is purchased and waiting to be freshly pressed tomorrow; the dinner reservations are made. And I am without a doubt more excited than he is. Check back Sunday for more photos. Meanwhile, I think I'll just pretend I'm sixteen for one more day.

20 Small Things

I'm taking an online class over at http://www.jessicasprague.com/ that is helping me learn to be a better storyteller in my scrapbooking. After all, photos are great but it's the story behing the photos that is the real treasure. About a year ago I went through some very old Miedema family photos with Al's aunt, Marilyn. She was able to tell me who people were, where and when the photo was taken, and always had just a little bit of a story behind each photo. If I hadn't spent that time with her, those stories would someday be lost! So, here is one of the pages I've done so far.

Are you paying attention to life?

Yesterday I attended a management retreat. Mercy pulled all 500+ of its managers away for a day of training, introspection, and singing Kumbaya around the campfire. Touchy, feely stuff. Actually, I enjoy these retreats. I am forced to ignore the emails and focus on what is important rather than urgent. Sometimes, in the daily frenzy it's hard to tell the difference. The keynote speaker, a woman from the Baptist Healthcare Leadership Institute in Pensacola, FL, gave some useful food for thought about what it means to be a leader. I came away with a couple new ideas. In the course of her presentation, she used the video clip above to illustrate a point. If you haven't already watched, do so now. Try to get an accurate count of the number of times the people in white pass the ball. (Shhhh! If you've done this already don't spoil it!)

Were you surprised? I was! I was stunned that I could miss something so obvious! What's the lesson in this? Well, the lesson we were to take away from a leadership perspective is that we can get so focused on the tasks of our work that we miss the big picture. But I think there's a bigger life lesson here. Do you ever get so focused on the details of life - the softball practice schedule, the football games, Awana verses, what's for dinner, how will the bills get paid - that we completely miss the big picture? I know I do.

A Tribute

It was five months ago that mom left us. Tonight Dad came over to watch the Packers vs. Vikings game and brought this photo. He's proud of this memorial. And he should be proud. This is a beautiful tribute to a beautiful lady. He labored over the details of this choice, considering all of mom's "wish list" and some more practical considerations to arrive at this lovely design. In addition to the usual dates, the small strip along the bottom lists the names of each of their children. It's the first time I'm seeing my name on a headstone. A stark reminder of the brevity of life.

I know Mom is pleased.

The Male Version of a Crop....

For those of you who don't know what a crop is, it's a gathering of people (usually women) who scrapbook, make cards, talk and eat. There is always chocolate involved. My dear husband, Al, hosts periodic LAN parties, which is a gathering of people (usually men) who spend hours in front of computers playing games with one another over the internet. I personally think the two are very similar. My friend Jessica Sprague over at http://www.jessicasprague.com/ posted this on her blog because it reminded her of what her and her husband do after their kids are in bed (Lord, help them!) Besides being hilarious, it is just a little creepy because it pretty close to what goes on at Al's LAN parties - only he has about ten guys and they are killing one another (virtually, of course) in combat simulation games. The male version does not involve chocolate.

Just because...

I made this layout last night. This is my brood. Just looking at this picture makes me happy. Each one of them drives me nuts in their own way, but man, I love these kids!

I won!

Recently, I entered a challenge on one of my favorite digital scrapbooking sites, http://www.scrappersguide.com/. We were challenged to use an absolutely georgeous kit, Timeless Classics by Julie Mead, and we were asked to create a page about one of our favorite things (as in inanimate objects.) It didn't take me 10 seconds to figure out what my page would be about. I was thrilled to learn that I had won the challenge, and was the recipient of a copy of Photoshop Elements 6.0 and Photoshop Elements 6: The Missing Manual by Barbara Brundage.

Fall Ball

We're back on the softball fields again. We had a brief reprieve in July and August as the spring season ended, but around here they have something called "Fall Ball" which is a way to keep the girls in practice, and keep the parents running around wildly trying to keep up with all of the activities that take place after school begins. Hannah is a softball player, and we're pretty sure she's going to stick with it. We just love watching these girls play. Softball looks a little like baseball (with the obvious difference in pitching style and size of ball), but has a hefty dose of cheerleading, dancing, camping, and culinary arts thrown in. It's a great sport.

Just jump in!

As I watched the Olympics recently I marveled at the talent of the olympians, and especially enjoyed the stories of their start in their respective competitive sports. Shawn Johnson, our local sweetheart from right next door in West Des Moines, started at the age of 3 by enrolling in a local gymnastics studio, just like my Hannah did a few years ago. Shawn obviously found her niche in gymnastics - Hannah has moved on to softball. I watched the diving competition and thought about how frightened I was the very first time I jumped off the high board at the Calmar, Iowa pool. For these divers, jumping was clearly a fear they had long ago overcome. And so it is with blogging (though you might argue quite validly that the analogy is a stretch.) I have resisted jumping into this pool for a variety of reasons, mostly related to fear. Fear of having my words publicly available; fear of not being "good enough" (whatever that is); fear of getting sucked into a hobby that would keep me in front of the computer for hours of precious time that could be better spent weeding my garden, laundering underwear, or responding to the never-ending stream of work email that demands my attention.

Where am I going with this? Some years ago I was bitten by the bug that infects all scrapbookers - an inquenchable drive to record the events of life in a way that might just outlast the individual. Scrapbooking has been a way for me to look at life, warts and all, and reflect on its blessings and challenges. But it's more than that, really. I believe it is a command from God to all of us to remember. In the bible, God tells us over and over to remember: remember what He has done, remember where we have been, remember what we've been through, remember Him. I don't know about you, but I've noticed that I don't remember as well as I did twenty or thirty years ago. It drives me nuts! Scrapbooking helps me remember. And I'm thinking that blogging will help with that too. I'm not making any promises, but perhaps it will be a way to keep the people I love, and see way too infrequently, involved in my life as well.

So I'm diving in.....