Monday, October 31, 2016

Watch "2016-10-29 EHS Marching Tigers" on YouTube

https://youtu.be/PLRQgWwJ6HQ

Grant's final junior year show, War of the Roses. It's visually stunning and sounds great, too. They were grand champions this past weekend at Western Illinois in Macomb.

When you think of how many hours of practice all these kids have put in since JUNE, it blows your mind but look at the end product!  Very proud of my contra player--his physical ability, his musical ability, and his level of commitment.

Make-up up-close

Somehow it really brings out the green in her eyes, ha

Happy Halloween

Return to Meridian Hills

Sam and I went to a Halloween party in the old neighborhood. It was tons of fun seeing old neighbors and beating on that piƱata.

Caroline's Halloween

Caroline, Skyler, and Jillian's own creation to be "beamons"

Beautiful demons

Sam as the Team Fortress2 Engineer

The Halloween costume that finally came together. He free-form made this wrench out of Legos. He probably is a true engineer.

How Gary happily spent his weekend

A 3-day motorcycle training course at SIU•E. Sam and I popped by just in time to watch him taking his license test. He's the lead bike in the line.

Quick Clay County visit

We spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa Gills after the Effingham evening and took a couple quick pictures in the morning before they drove Jack back to SIU•C and Sam and I returned home.

Gary's childhood hard hat for Sam's Halloween costume: check!

Grandpa and two grandsons

Effingham grand champs

The Grandmas, Aunt Karen, Jack and I kept up the tradition of going to the marching band competition in Effingham. It was different for Jack to be a spectator but really nice for him to hang out with us.  Grant did great as always, and EHS won as usual. 

A foggy morning on campus

Sam got to experience a little of college life in Carbondale.  He and I went down to get Jack and stayed the night in a vacant dorm room.  It was pretty cool!

What you do at the pumpkin patch

Take a $5 two-lap camel ride with your best friend!

Skyler and Caroline

Scout campout at Silver Lake

One of my duties these days is Activities Coordinator for the troop.  We had never had an outing to Silver Lake in nearby Highland, but it was beautiful and a nice set up for the scouts. The 5 mile hike was not the boys' favorite part, but the teeter-totters and sand volleyball might have been. We had cowboy casserole in a Dutch oven for supper.

I was planning on staying one night there but Grant both broke his glasses and got sick so he and I came back home.  Gary and Sam had a good time, though.

Sam and I at Airplane Park

A throwback to past days, Sam asked if we could pick up Wendy's and eat it at the park. Of course!  It's just so different to see him as one of the big kids there when he was always the littlest, not that long ago.

Ruby, all shiny

The weekend Jack leaned how much work it is to wax

A spare tire finally

Us at the junk yard finding a spare for Ruby

Jack came home from college

: )

Caroline's final football game

This was the last cheer of the last game, a victory one. But never fear,  basketball season is almost here.

Gary's birthday supper

He told me he wanted:
Beef in the form of steak
Baked twice potatoes
Beans
Brownies
Breyers

No problem!

Too bad this is my only picture from the day/evening.  Well, next year is a big one for him.  Many pictures for sure then!

The Sunday Karen came over

Grandpa Harrell

This was my Grandpa Harrell with hunting dogs in front of the barn where my dad lived as a teenager. I would guess it was taken in mid to late 1960s.

My dad was the youngest of the seven siblings. Seeing this picture makes me think of him for sure.  Like they say, the apple does not fall far from the tree. It also reminds me of my Uncle Cliff who was the oldest of the siblings, twenty years older than my dad.

Grandpa Harrell

I saw this picture for the first time recently and was shocked to find out it was my grandpa Burl Harrell as an infant.  He died in 1970 so I was just a little thing and have only a couple memories of him. I of course only knew him as an old man so to invasive him as a baby had never entered my mind.

Very visible capillaries on his full cheeks is one of my main memories, I guess because of him holding me up high right there at his face when I was 2 to 3 years  old. In my own mind, I called them turkey cheeks, I think because they were almost like a dot-to-dot picture and that's what I saw. 

I was happy to see this picture at my Aunt JoAnn's. She told me it had been damaged over the years and she had it restored.  Something in that process went a little weird in the fingers. He didn't have any extra in real life. 

Harrell girls

I have so many fun childhood memories with these girls and ladies.  We got together often and all the cousins played and I'm sure the sister-in-laws talked. These days with everyone living away, I miss having the big extended family closeness so rare times like these feel great.  Stories start pouring out and only get better with age.

I was the 25th grandchild so yep, it was a big family. 

Mom's birthday surprise

My mom turned 70 and my aunts and cousins planned s get together for a surprise party for her. Fun day!

Football sunset

When Caroline cheered at the high school for a Liberty vs Lincoln game

Sam at Appleknocker

Whew, this was a hot day in Flora!  Was cool though that Sam crossed a monkey bridge with help from his dad's scout master George from way back in the day.

Karen, Ross, Jack, Caroline, Sam and I enjoyed our walking tacos and apple dumplings, but then was ready to head out to somewhere a little less baking than the school pavement.  Our fall 2016 has been a warm one for sure.

This kid is 16 years old?

Everyone assumes Grant is much older than he is.  I understand why.

NHRA workers

Grant and I spent a hot weekend at the Gateway Racetrack as ticket scanners for a band fundraiser. He's planning on going with the band to Disney World at the end of May and is trying to earn money for it anyway he can.  This was actually a really fun job for both of us and we had a great time at the hot rod races.  It was mind blowing to see (and hear!) dragsters going 300+ mph in 3 seconds.

Yikes! Rewind back to September

Here it is November tomorrow and I am not even up-to-date with end of September happenings.  This will be my catch up day!

The dang stink bugs are back. We wouldn't want to ever forget that. Ha

Monday, October 17, 2016

Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Seen at Target

Oopsie

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Sam's birthday dozen donuts

Grant's induction into Tri-M

Grant was chosen for the national honor society for musicians.  Cool!

Sam turned 12!

And this is the suspenders with athletic shorts look that he wore to school on his birthday. Caroline was thisclose to ending his life over it.

Grant with contacts

He's thrilled!!!

KingKat

When your backpack's twice as thick as you are

(Bike) Helmet hair

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

Last of Giant City

Only way Mom gets to be in a picture and Devil's Stand Tower

More Giant City

My three sons

Giant City

Chicken dinner at the lodge then hiking

High stepping right back to Carbondale

Yes, he was away for three days and we had to go visit