Linus needs a new Blankie

Hey it's my buddy Linus. We all know Linus right? Well if not just know that he was part of a not so well known comic strip called "Peanuts" really small, hardly anyone read it. :)
Why am I blogging about Linus today? Well because in my reflective mood I've come to realize that Linus and I have a lot in common. No, I do not suck my thumb, but he and I both have a thing for blankets. There isn't a place in the house that I will go without my blanket; at least I used to never go anywhere without it. It's true. Ask anyone in my family. Yes, I know I'm 21 years old and should be over my blanket addiction, but I'm not. I love them. When I was in the eighth grade I got a blanket from my Grandma Norton as a gift. I was really reluctant back then to take it under my wings, but that is mainly because I had broken in the one she had given me before and didn't want to have to break in another one. Oh, I am glad I did.

That blanket has been with me for 8 years. Yep, I was 13 when I started toting it around the house. Watching football, it was with me; Christmas day, it was with me; even on my sick days laying on the floor of the bathroom, it was wrapped around me giving me the comfort I needed.
It went with me to college, came back with me to Europe, has spent time in Egypt, Spain and Austria as well. That blanket was MINE! It really bugged me when anyone else used it. MINE!

For the past year my mother has been telling me I need to retire the blanket. RETIRE IT??? WHAT? BLASPHEMY! She would only re-iterate her comments when I would lay down with it and hear it rip just a little bit more. Having had the blanket for so long the fabric had really begun to wear out and give up on me.
Little tears here, another there, a few star shaped cuts here. It really was starting to get into bad shape.
All around the edges the fabric had been torn and was starting to create a pocket. If the blanket hadn't been tied it really would have been missing a back already.
Not to mention the random tears all around that I really had no idea what caused them. I wouldn't let it go though. No matter how careful I had to be in order to cuddle up with it at night. Finally after getting so annoyed with my brother using it and hearing it snag or wanting to beat the cat for attacking it I gave in. I said goodbye to my old blanket of 8 years and was given another from the grandmother. Partly though because I told everyone they needed to tell her how desperately I needed a new one. I think my mother even relayed the information a couple times.
When Steph ran off to AZ for the holidays she brought back the new blanket. I was really reluctant again to start using this blanket. It hadn't been broken in. And with the underneath all silky I was afraid of snagging it and sending it to an early grave.

But I like the fuzzy of the one side and the silky of the other, so I use it. My blue blanket still has a tight hold on my heart and I still use it from time to time but I think it really appreciates the break it has been able to receive.
So now can you see why Linus is my buddy and we have so much in common? I'm sure he would feel the same way if someone tried to make him retire his blanket. Though his blanket looks to be in much better shape than mine was.
I'm really going to miss that blanket but am ever so grateful for the newest blanket I've been given.

Basketball and blood

Basketball season is upon us. Oh yeah! We don't have anyone playing on the school teams, mainly because out here there aren't any Middle School teams and Steph, well she is a cheerleader we love her for it.

Every Friday night Alex has a game, same time, same place every week and we love the consistency of that! This last Friday though it was a game to remember. These kids are 7-8 years and having close to 10 players they usually only play two quarters a game. So Alex played the second quarter and sat out quarters one and three. He played well, but I did not have the camera to take pictures. Simeon thinks he is turning into a freelance photographer and demands that we "take turns" which would be fine if I got a turn on Friday to take pictures.

During the third quarter Alex decided to come sit up by us. Both coaches walk the floor and it's one of those teach as they play kind of ages. So Alex was up playing around with Simeon and mom and I were talking about a grocery list. Next thing we know Simeon is beating on us telling us Alex 'accidentally hit his jaw on the bleachers'. Now with these boys when someone gets hurt a lot of times it's NOT an accident. So thinking it's just going to be a scraped chin we look over to find Alex's mouth full of blood, a tooth on the bleachers and this poor kid in TEARS!!!

No, I did not have the camera for that lovely picture but I did have Simeon babysit the coats and bags so I could catch some really good moments in the bathroom... :)

Poor kid falls victim of my paparazzi desires! I just thought it was too funny to watch him lose it almost and then not 10-15 mins later be completely fine and back to posing once again.

No pictures from that night's game, but I've thrown in some from the other games. He's so small compared to the other kids. He just turned 7 at the beginning of the season and though he is tall for a 7 year old there are some really tall 8 year olds!

Then there is Simeon, I've yet to see one of his games. His first was away at Baumholder and yesterday's game I was in a class all day long. He probably feels neglected by us, but I promised him next weekend he'll be my victim for lots of pictures.

Simeon is still at the age where girls and boys can play together and I love watching him interract with these girls. He's like Cody in the sense that he has a ton of girls for friends.

Mo is in the highest of the age limites, 13-15, and some of these kids look older! Really hoping Mo will advance his skills this year so we can watch him play for the school next year. Community teams are fun, but honestly, school teams are by far the BEST!

Yeah, he needs a hair cut. I don't know WHY that's the fashion over here; is it the same in the states? It's like these little EMO kids running around, drives me insane! He has told us he wants to cut it short like a missionary, but we get him to the barber and the line is so long that he eventually chickens out and we have other things to do than to argue with him.
I love this picture merely for the face Mo is making. We always tell him we can tell when he is truly trying to inflict pain on one of his younger/shorter siblings because of his little tongue bite. He gets it from Cody, I SWEAR! But it's like a concentration thing, have to make sure their tongue isn't going to fall out or something. He's really getting good at bball, I tell you he could probably be Spencer when he was this age, definitely beat me, but still needs some work on them free throws haha. That's where I'd kill him :)

99 have yous...

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I make pretty cool cards... haha)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch-hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (so sweet...)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chicken pox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
91. Flown in an airplane
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

47 out of 99... Not bad. I find it funny however that I've done MOST of the things outside of the US but have never even seen the Grand Canyon which is in my HOME STATE! I think I need to stop touring the world and focus on my nation huh?

Is this a TYPO?

Woke up this morning in a little bit of disbelief. In all my years of life I've been a Cards fan... it's kind of bred into you with my family. To like another team is disgraceful and to be a BandWagonJumper (BWJ) is even worse!

I've stuck with my team through it all; regardless of what my father says, I have. I know we've been through some tough times, and not seeing much of the playoffs in all my 21 years. Why should this year be any different most asked.

When the Cards made it into the playoffs it was because we had a weak division and if you waited long enough we would head off to the East coast and get CREAMED by the Panthers. Our win against the Falcons was a fluke and nothing but luck.

So off to Carolina we went; and home to AZ we came... with heads held HIGH and looking forward to the next week playing the Eagles at HOME!!! Defense was a HUGE part of that game for the first time in a long time our O*Line and Defense are worth mentioning.

Still not many commentators gave us a chance. Even people from Arizona didn't think we'd make it past the Eagles... after all back in November in 2 inches of snow, and after a short week we got blown out by them. Why should us playing at home in the toaster over, with perfect conditions and a week of practice make a difference right?

Well it did! I won't say it was a PERFECT game by them, only scoring 7 in the second half and allowing the Eagles to come back 25 points, 19 in the second half unanswered until our LATE TD with 3 mins left.

All that aside it's finally over and we're heading to Tampa Bay 1 Feb. to play the Steelers. What a match up that will be. Let's not get a big head and give them a good game! The world is waiting for us to get blown out and they still are sure it will happen. Watching Sports Center this morning and even they are still joking about it repeating it, claiming it is not a typo and today's weather may include flying pigs.

So I say take it Cards, you've been the underdogs for three weeks now and look how that's worked for us. Gather all the unbelievers, put them in one room and feed off of that!

GO CARDS!!!!

Holidays 2008

This holiday season was a little bit more different than most I'm sure. Dad deployed in July meaning we had the holidays without him. Spencer was in Arizona and Cody was spending Christmas with his recently made fiance. About a week before Christmas mom decided she would send Steph home to Arizona so she could get away from the hustle and bustle of Germany, to enjoy some sun and fun and also to get her permit so hopefully she can one day get her license.

In years past we always make it a habit to set up the Christmas tree on Thanksgiving; that's my job. I put up the tree and the lights, after that I'm done. It's the younger kids' job to put the ornaments and other decorations up. Needless to say, I'm sure, but that usually means not a whole lot gets done. This year we were actually smart and invited the elders over to have 'dinner'... as long as they'd help decorate the tree.

This was probably the best our tree has looked in a while.

Germany was 'fortunate' enough to get snow this year and it was acutally around the time of Turkey day that our first really big one happened. The way the boys play in the snow you would think they are from the desert and have NEVER seen snow before... oh wait...

Poor Alex, he just was not all that happy. But I think Sim got the worst of it. He came in one night with snow IN his ear. Oh thank heavens for older brothers.

That's right, even Mo had fun with the winter weather. He enjoyed watching A Christmas Story this year; he got so caught up on the "I TRIPLE DOG DARE YOU" part that he just HAD to try it. Shortly after he did this I read about a boy in Illinois who did the same thing and actually had the paramedics come to help. Though we didn't have to go that far with Mo, he did manage to rip part of his tongue off. I didn't get any of him out there with his tongue stuck to it, but oh, that would have been CLASSIC!!!

With Steph gone to the states it was just the 3 little boys, myself and the mom for Christmas and new years. Not bad I'd say. Germany is awesome this time of year. Fireworks are sooooooo much fun but I will also note dangerous. You are not allowed to set any off until midnight but all afternoon we could hear noise makers going off. Simeon just wanted to join in and about 1900 he dropped a 'frog' off the top floor balcony into our patio and just watched it jump around makin all sorts of noise. Poor thing could NOT wait. That's a picture of a frog in mid-pop.

Mo really loves the fireworks and we tend to go all out for them. Had more bottle rockets than we really wanted. It was a bit chilly out. Colder than year's past but it was still good. We made it through all the bottle rockets, roman candles, fountains and for the most part sparklers.

Oh it was a good holiday season for the most part. My heart ached missing a few loved ones but in all it was a good season.