Smooth Sailing

Smooth "floating" to be more precise. I've said before that canoeing together should be a required compatibility test before marriage. In the past, Jeff and I would have failed miserably. However, I am happy to report that we completed our semi-annual Memorial Day float trip and are not in need of marital counseling!

We floated with Mom, Dad, Tony, Ramona, the kids, and (on her maiden voyage) Lucy. We launched with the kids in Mom & Dad's canoe and Lucy in ours. After a perilous start, the day went rather well. All three of our "kids" ended up in Fisch & Papa's canoe.



Always the princess, Ashley wore her crown all day! Literally all day - even while swimming in the river!

They were all three worn out and crashed on the way home!

Happy 80th Birthday!

The Fischer family patriarch - my Dad's dad Paul - turned 80 earlier this month, so most of the family got together at Mom and Dad's last night to celebrate.

I didn't get a good picture of the whole group, but here's one Granny and Papa with all of their kids: Dad is on the left, then his oldest sister Susan, next is Paula, and then Steve the baby.

Paul and Eloise

Papa's Girl

Ella (7) - Katie's older daughter

Aubry (5) - Katie's younger daughter

Summertime in Arkansas

The calendar might say otherwise, but according to the thermometer it is officially summertime in the South. It's been in the 90s this week. We went over to Granny and Papa Fischer's on Sunday evening. Their garden is thriving as usual, and they even had Nate and Ashley dig up some potatoes while we were there.

Good game...good game...good game...

I have somehow failed to blog about Nathan's soccer team in the last two months. Well, now the season's over, but here's a recap and some random pics:



Nathan has been begging us to play soccer for the last two years, so we let him sign up to play on an Upward team at our church. Jeff volunteered to be an assistant coach. They didn't have enough coaches sign-up, so he got promoted to be the the head coach of Nathan's team: The Bruins.

The season had it's ups and downs. On the positive side, Jeff was a great coach, and I think he and Nathan both learned a lot about soccer. Also, his team was made up mostly of his friends from school, so they all had a great time.

On the not-so-positive side, we had a lot of rained-out games and even rained-out make-up games. And we had some, let's say, "teachable moments" about the value of good sportsmanship. I know I'm not always the shining example of being a good sport. However, when it's a church league and your dad is the coach, you have to learn (sometimes the hard way) to suck it up and be a good sport!

Last Day at 2nd Pres

When Nathan was a baby, we were fortunate enough to have family members (namely Renee, Mom, and Debbie) who watched him for us on the days that Jeff's and my work schedules overlapped. When number 2 came along, that became a little more difficult, so we chose to send them both to Second Presbyterian Preschool. As hard as it was to leave my 6-month-old baby girl with strangers, they took great care of her and have helped shape her into the sassy 4-year-old that she is today.

Today was her last day, so we took a few pictures. Here's her chair and her well-worn backpack.

With her good friends Charlotte, Maddie, Malia, and Grant (the boy that she says she's going to marry!)

And finally, with big brother for a celebratory ice cream at Baskin Robbins after school.

Blue and Gold Banquet

Our little Tiger Cub is now a Wolf Cub. They graduated (I'm sure there is a more Scout-ish word for it) last night and had a banquet to celebrate. I was not there, but Jeff took the camera so I could see what went on.

Like I said, I was not there, so I cannot take credit for this great picture. I almost cropped out the random trash in the foreground, but I thought it was funny that whoever took this picture didn't seem to notice it. It's pretty much the focus of the entire shot!

Weekend in the Ozarks

Our "annual" trip to Devil's Den with Brooke and Blaine has been on hold for a couple of years. We planned to go there this weekend and tent camp, but the stormy weather caused us to change our venue. There were no cabins available at Devil's Den, so we stayed in one near Jasper at Lookout Mountain. I've never spent much time there, but it is a beautiful area of the state.

We got back to our Arkansas roots by shuckin' corn and peelin' taters (not pictured) on the front porch as we were fixin' supper.



On Saturday night we explored downtown Jasper.


On Sunday morning, we went hiking on a trail in an area that was hit pretty hard by the ice storm last year. There were lots of uprooted trees and LOTS of poison ivy. Leaves of three, we let them be!

On Sunday afternoon we went to Boxley Valley near the Buffalo River to see the elk. Can you see them?

Neither did we. Apparently, you have to go very early in the morning or late in the evening. Brooke and I took the kids back around 8pm, and we saw about a dozen female elk. (Or is it elks? I don't know.) It was getting pretty dark, so this is the best picture we could get.

Field Day '10

Long time, no blog. I'm going to try to quickly catch up on what's been going on in May. Luckily, I've taken pictures to help me remember exactly what we've been doing all month.

Last Friday was Field Day at Nathan's school. Jeff went last year, so this time it was my turn.

I had a 2-hour shift at the snow cone station where I approximate we made over 400 snow cones! The favorite flavor: Tiger Blood! (a.k.a Strawberry, but "Tiger Blood" sounds way cooler!)

As you can see, these hot, sweaty boys enjoyed their snow cones!

"Be Nice to Me, I Gave Blood Today."

My only experience with blood donation was 15 years ago, and it did not go well. I was freshman in college (in fact, they asked me today if my address was still 208 Pomfret Hall), and I passed out 3 times! I still have hazy memories of being wheeled through the Student Union inverted on a little cart thingy. Good times!

Lately though, I have been compelled to give it another try. There was a blood drive at church today. I went at 10:20 naively thinking that I would make it to church for the 11:00 service. After the lengthy process of giving consent, having my BP and iron checked, and answering numerous questions about my personal life, travel outside the US, and medical history, it was my turn to donate.

The technician got a good vein on the first try (thank the Lord!) and it was supposed to take about 10 minutes. I was doing great until about 12 minutes in. I started feeling lightheaded and asked how much longer I had to be hooked-up. They assured me that I was almost finished. Well, I went from lightheaded to blurred vision and nausea in about a minute and a half. Three technicians did all that they could to keep me from passing out - elevating my feet, ice packs on my neck and back, and giving me one Coke after another. I don't think I ever completely lost consciousness because I could still hear them even after my vision was gone.

A few minutes later, I was out of the woods. I texted Jeff to come pick me up because I didn't think I should drive home. The tech told me that the next time I give blood, I should tell them to elevate my feet and give me a Coke before they start. After today, I don't think that there will be a "next time". Maybe in another 15 years.

A Boy and His Dog

It turns out that Lucy is a country dog at heart. She made her first trip to Fisch and Papa's last night and loved splashing in the creek with Nate and running on the muddy dirt roads. Though we let her inside occasionally, she prefers to be outside and has been doing pretty well sleeping in her pen (a.k.a. Doggie Jail).

We have all grown very attached to her already and have the bite and scratch marks to prove it. Ashley loves her and wants to kiss and pet her constantly. Nathan has really taken on a lot of responsibility for her. He is even trying to train her. So far, all we have is "sit", and that's only for about 1/2 a second. At least it's a start!