Saturday, August 9, 2008

PhotoHunter - Dark

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This weeks theme for Photo Hunter is "Dark". We took Sam yesterday to see Wall-E. This is inside the theatre right before the movie started. Even though I took a picture of a light fixture you can see darkness all around.

Friday, August 8, 2008

8*8*08

It's finally here! This date won't happen again for another 100 years! And unless you have been living in a cave under a rock somewhere you know that today is the start of the Olympics. I love watching the Olympics (always have and always will) and can't wait for it to start this evening. I'll probably record most of it so that I can fast forward through commercials and other parts that I just don't want/care to watch.

Sam is also excited to watch as he is participating in several sports that are in these Olympic games.
He will watch:
Athletics
Cycling Track
Football
Swimming
These are his top 4 but I'm sure there will be more.

I love all the sports and will watch a lot of them. My question to you is...what is your favorite sport to watch during the Olympics. Please vote in my poll! It is located on the left hand column. You can even take this poll and put it on your site! Just click "get this poll" towards the bottom of the poll and it will pop up a code for you. How cool! I look forward to seeing what everyone likes.

You need to check out these photos! Especially number 22 & 31! Amazing!

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Rachel's Birthday

I'm a little early but I wanted to wish a friend of mine and fellow blogger HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Happy Birthday Rachel!

Friday's 40 Photo Challenge Is Back!

Okay...Pensieve has the Friday 40 PC back up and running again. (Okay, I took a few weeks off from it too.) To start us all back up she has posted a creepy photo. Most of you know that I'm not that fond of spiders and pretty much try to stay away from them at all times. When I saw this photo that she took of a Daddy Long Leg I thought first of all the camping trips we used to take when I was growing up and finding Daddy Long Leg spiders all over the place. My second thought was of the movie Daddy Long Legs featuring Fred Astaire and then my third thought was how in the world am I going to come up with a poem about spiders. Much less write something, anything, about spiders! So...here it is:




Spider, spider, whatcha doin'?
Are you lookin' for some lunch?


Eight legs and creepy lookin'.
Bet you can catch a bunch.


But wait...you only have seven!
Hope someone else didn't go crunch.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

I Actually Won!

First I want to thank everyone that voted for my picture! You are the ones that made my winning possible.

I WON! I WON! I WON! Woo Hoo! I entered my first photo contest a few days ago and I have now won my first photo contest.

The prize was a $25 gift certificate of my choice. I have chosen to receive a gift certificate from Target.

Also in celebration of winning I decided to give my blog a makeover. I think I'll stick with it for now. I like the look much better than the old one.

Vote For Me!

This note will stay at the top until voting is done. Please see below for more current entries.


It's that time! Please vote for my photo in the Photo Contest being hosted at Write From Karen! Before you go and vote you need to know that there is more than one Kim participating in this contest so please be sure that you vote on the one that says: Kim of The Misplaced Midwesterner. I will appreciate any and all votes that come my way! THANK YOU! To see more about this photo contest and another one that I have entered you can read my entry below or click here. Remember you can click on the photo to see it full size.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Last Week

For some reason last week was a long week and yet we really didn't do that much. Maybe it's because we were so go, go, go in the previous weeks that once we stopped it felt as though time stopped to.

We (Rachel, her kids and Sam and I) did get to the Fort Worth Water Gardens and part of the Historic Stockyards. We were going to do the Cattlepen Maze but when we got there neither Rachel or I had any cash and that's all they took. We went to an ATM across the street but it wasn't working. So we have postponed it for another day. We did get to see the Longhorns and I must say they are amazing animals. I've always wondered it they get headaches with those horns. Probably not, but it still makes me go...hmmmm. While there we had a great lunch at Riscky's BBQ. YUMMY! I'll go there again for sure. It was a hot (okay very hot) day but it was a lot of fun.

Rachel also gave me a CD full of pictures that she took of the final show of Music Man. Along with my few pictures and hers I'll share a few of them with you. Thank you Rachel for taking them!

Oh, another big thanks goes out to Rachel for promoting me and the photo contest on her blog! YEAH & THANK YOU!

Which reminds me...I've had an amazing jump in readership the past few days...now I just need all of you to vote for me. See the post at the top of the page.

Now for the pictures:
Music Man Photos:
Music Man Final Performance
Click on the photo to view more pictures.

Some of the pictures might be a bit blurry but I kept them in so it would give you more of an idea of the musical. Thanks again to Rachel for taking them for me.
Fort Worth Water Gardens and Stockyards:

Fort Worth Water Gardens and Longhorn Heard

Click on photo to see more.

Saturday, August 2, 2008

Photo Contests!

Angela over at Mommy Bytes mentioned not one but two different summer photo contests that I'm now entering! Thanks Angela! The photo that I'm entering is one of my son that I've had on here before of my son coming out of the pool. I just love how it captures the bliss and joy of being a kid during summer. He was trying to surprise me (which didn't work) but I think that I ended up surprising myself at the photo that I got.

The two contest can be found here at 5 Minute Moms and here at Write From Karen. If you would like to enter go on over!
Now my photo entry:

If you would like to see this photo bigger please go to this post and click on the picture there. For some reason I can't get blogger to work right on this one.

PhotoHunter - Clouds

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This weeks theme is "Clouds". Here is a picture that I took while sitting on our back patio while Sam was swimming in the pool. It was such a beautiful day.

Friday, August 1, 2008

I'm Melting!

It's not only hot but it's hotter than hot right now with not much relief in sight. According to the local news last night we have had 11 out of the last 12 days above 100! The next few days will be record setting. If you click on the picture you will see that by Monday we will have a high temperature of 106 degrees Fahrenheit! That's not even what the feels like is. Right now it's 98 degrees with a feels like of 104 degrees so you can only imagine what we will be feeling like on Monday. I think that we may be melting.

Saturday, July 26, 2008

Opening Night

Opening night of "The Music Man" was wonderful! We had over 300 people in attendance (only a couple of seats were empty!) and they were a great responsive audience! I only have some photos of us in our costumes and also from the cast party last night. I'll try to get more pictures tonight and post them all at once. We're going to be leaving here in just a few more minutes for the first show today. We have a show at 3:00 and again at 7:00. Then we strike the set and it will all be but a wonderful memory.

Friday, July 25, 2008

Friday's Feast...Texas Style

The Chef at the usual place for Fridays Feast is having some technical difficulties, so Texas Tanya decided that she'd come up with her own "Texas Style" menu of questions for this week. Since I now live in Texas I thought...hmmmm...I'll give it a whirl!

Appetizer: When was the last time you had some bar-b-que?
Two days ago! I made some bbq pulled chicken sandwiches! YUM!

Soup: How many pairs of cowboy boots do you own?
Sad to say....none. I would love to have a pair but just haven't found ones that are comfortable enough without spending a fortune. But I do have a nice pair of riding style boots!

Salad: Finish this sentence: Mommas, don't let your babies __________.
Mommas, don't let your babies grow up without having a chance to be a kid. I say this because so many other kids around us have parents that are making them grow up so fast and they don't have a chance to stop and be a kid.

Main Course: Name a song that makes you think of Texas.
To be truthful I don't know that many but the first one that came to mind is "Deep In The Heart of Texas".

Dessert: Cowboy hats - Black or White?
Either! Love cowboy hats. Had a few growing up but don't own any now.

Thursday, July 24, 2008

Need A Laugh? Got Troubles?

Our run through of "The Music Man" last night went really well! We have dress rehearsal tonight and then it's off to the performances. Since I know that I have some Texas readers here is what was posted in our church bulletin:

"Looking for a fun, family event that is full of music and laughter? Then join us for Meredith Willson's "The Music Man" on Friday, July 25, at 7:00 p.m. or Saturday July 26, at 3:00 and 7:00 p.m. in the A&E Gym. We've assembled some of the best talent in the area, representing seven different congregations and hundreds of hours of stage experience to bring this classic musical to life. This is the story of a small-town con man who promises to bring the excitement and thrill of a marching band to the sleepy town of River City, Iowa, all the while knowing he knows nothing about directing a band or music. "Professor" Harold Hill intends to leave the town high and dry as he pockets proceeds from the band instruments, instruction books and band uniforms, but gets his foot "caught in the door" of Miss Marian Paroo who offers unconditional love and acceptance. Performed with a full professional orchestra and exceptional costumes and sets, this family-friendly musical will be a delightful respite from the Texas head and the burdens of the day. Tickets will be on sale in the Atrium this weekend for $10 for adults and $5 for children age 13 and younger. Proceeds will go to help the Kairos Prison Ministry and flood victims in Iowa."

Today Sam and I got to go to one of the local High Schools to borrow some of their marching band uniforms. They will also be helping perform the last number! How cool!

I did take some pictures and videos last night but since I was standing off to the side they didn't come out the greatest. But hopefully it will wet your appetite! Harold and Marian

Harold with the Pick-A-Little Ladies

Quartet with the Pick-A-Little Ladies

Harold with Marian in the Library with the Teens

Scene from "Marian the Librarian"

Sam waiting in the wings for the next scene.

Some boys waiting in the wings playing cards.

Marian and the Pick-A-Little Ladies



Can't wait to see us all in our costumes tonight! I'll try to get some more pictures....of course.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Tech Week

I can't believe it's Wednesday already! This is Tech Week for the musical. We have been rehearsing every night since Sunday and will continue until the show which starts on Friday! It's a lot of fun to do not to mention it's so nice to see it all coming together! Last night's rehearsal went long and Sam and I didn't get home until 10:30! Andy couldn't make rehearsal last night due to work but he'll be there the rest of the week. Tonight is a run through of the entire musical and then Thursday night is dress rehearsal. Can't wait for opening night. Here are a few pictures of a rehearsal a few weeks back. I'll try to get some more pictures tonight and of course during the performance.
This is the very first scene where the salesmen are on the train discussing Harold Hill and how he "doesn't know the territory!"

"Marcellus" is on the left and "Harold Hill" is on the right. "Marcellus" is telling "Harold" about "Marian" during this scene.

Sam and one of his new friends waiting for one of their scenes. Okay...doesn't his friend look like a young Ron Howard???

Some of the "Pick-A-Little" ladies rehearsing a scene with Harold Hill.
Some of the "Pick-A-Little" ladies receiving some instruction from our director.

"Library" scene where they are doing "Marian The Librarian".
"Mayor" is on the left and "Harold Hill" is on the right. Rehearsing a scene together.
Here's two quick videos of the teens, Harold, Marian dancing during "Marian the Librarian". They had only rehearsed this dance for maybe an hour or so before hand.



Saturday, July 19, 2008

PhotoHunter - What IS that??

UPDATE: This is a picture of the back of the pew with the alter railing blurred in the distance. I really love the blurred effect that happened!
Click above to see more photo hunters.

This weeks theme is "What IS that??" So...here it is:
While on our choir tour Sam took the camera and snapped this picture. Can you guess what it is?

Friday, July 18, 2008

Youth Choir Mission Tour 2008

As most of you know I was a chaperon on my church's Youth Choir Mission Trip. It was a long 5 days but 5 days filled of fun!

Day one started before the sun ever came up. Luckily we loaded the vans the night before. We met up at the church at 5:30am and left at 6:00am. Our first stop was in Oklahoma City, OK, at the Epworth Villa Retirement Center. After their performance we found out that it was one of their residents birthday so we got to sing to him. I think it made his day. They served us homemade cookies and punch. YUM! After loading back into the vans we were off to Springfield, MO, to sing at Schweitzer United Methodist Church, which is the church that we attended while we lived there. I got to see my family and good friends that I haven't been able to see in quite some time. The choir performed for their youth group and then after wards challenged our group to a game of Ultimate Frisbee. Our group had never played it before but caught on quickly and ended up beating them! Now they are ready to head on down here to TX, to challenge us to a rematch. Here are some pictures and a couple of videos of our first day. Remember to turn off my music here and to click on all of the pictures.

Click to play Away We Go
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Day two was our free day. We took them all to Silver Dollar City. This theme park is one of our families favorite to go to. My mom was able to get the day off so my mom and dad along with my two nieces met us down there. I was able to spend most of the day with them at the park. While there we went to one of their favorite areas "Tom Sawyers Landing" and found out that it was closed. This area had the balloon ride that Sam, Christina and Rachel all rode as one of their first rides. How sad it will be to see it gone. They are replacing the entire area with a new ride that should be ready next year. Part of our past now gone.

Click to play Silver Dollar City
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Day two ended at Lamberts for dinner. Our hostess, Kris, was able to meet us there and we all enjoyed a stomach filling dinner. I think you could have rolled us all out of there. There was a 40 minute wait but it was all well worth the wait. If you've never been there and you are around one of their restaurants I advise you to try them. Good food and good company make for a great meal.

Click to play Lamberts
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Day three started in Springfield, at the Ozark Food Harvest. We were split up into three groups. Group one colored plates for the kids backpack program that they have. They not only colored but also put inspiring words on the plates. Group two packed up senior food boxes. They completed a little over 300 boxes! Way to go group two! Group three inspected, cleaned, rinsed, sanitized, dried and sorted cans of food that had no labels. This was the group that I was in and we almost made it through one pallet of cans. These were big cans and were not that easy to handle in our smaller hands. We ended up throwing away more cans than we washed due to rust and severe dents. But these cans do not go to waste as there is a hog farmer that gets them to feed to his hogs.

Click to play Ozark Food Harvest
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After our time at the Ozark Food Pantry went back to Schweitzer UMC to pack up our lunch, leave the church, and then had a quick stop at Andy's Custard. YUMMY! Then it was off to St. Louis to sing at Epworth Children's Home. We had an orientation as to what they do there, had dinner with them and then they put on two performances. We didn't have the greatest turn out from the kids but those that showed up really enjoyed it. At the end of the second performance it started to rain like crazy! So we were delayed in leaving there and had an impromptu sing-a-long. Once the rain subsided we were off to see the St. Louis Arch! Once we arrived there it was a lot of fun for everyone. I'd been there previously in my life but only during the day time hours. This time we were up in the arch during the night time hours. So it was a completely different perspective.

Click to play Epworth Children's Home
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Click to play St. Louis Arch
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At the beginning of day four I took some pictures of the church that we stayed at. We were only there to sleep but it's a part of my history. It is the First United Methodist Church in St. Charles, MO. I grew up here and my grandfather was the pastor here along with my dad working here. I know that the Church has been added onto but we stayed in the older part and I recognized a lot of the inside. The lady that met us there when we arrived I found out through talking to her that my grandfather performed her marriage. Then the following morning I met a member of the church that is now a retired pastor that was a pastor while my grandfather was a pastor there. He unlocked some doors for Sam and I to see the painting that was painted in my grandfather's honor. I remember this painting from my childhood and know it well from prints. The parsonage is still across the street from the church and is still owned by the church and used as the parsonage! Not many UMC churches still have parsonages. It was a nice trip down memory lane.

Click to play Memories
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After departing St. Charles, MO, we made our way down to Memphis, TN. There the group sang at Graceland, home of Elvis Presley. It was an extremely hot and humid day and the kids held up great! I know they don't know it now but singing to a crowd that just walked by is a great experience for them. After the concert we all got to tour Graceland. It was more interesting than I thought it would be and Sam just loved it! He's always loved the music of Elvis and has even seen some of his movies so this part of the trip was wonderful for him. After the tour we ate at a local pizza place and then took off to Russelville, AR, to spend the night at the First United Methodist Church there and to perform the following morning. For the Graceland slide show I didn't put in very many captions because I took so many pictures. I even left out quite a bit of them as I think that you might be getting tired at looking at all of these pictures.

Click to play Graceland
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After a very long night they got up early and performed in two services. By the afternoon we were all ready to head on home. We stopped twice on the way home and even got caught in a thunderstorm along the way. Arrived back at our church around 8:45. We were all tired when we got there but had a ton of memories to share with everyone. I'm glad that I chaperoned this trip and got to take Sam along with me. He had a great time and I got to watch him grow up a bit. I don't know how many more trips I'll get to go on with him so I'm cherishing them now.
One last photo...Sam fell asleep in the church service on the last day. He was just so tired. Love this kid.

If you've read this far I commend you and thank you. I do hope that you enjoyed it.

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