Comments from Anne and the Kids

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. We've had such a crazy life with my new job, David's job (which has him traveling a lot!), and kids' activities! Like this is anything new in our house or anybody else's house for that matter.

I am enjoying my job at Luther. The people in the music department are fantastic. The only thing I dislike is getting home at 5:30 PM every night, although the kids are starting to get ingredients chopped and measured so that when I get home we are ready to cook. This helps us to eat in the same manner that we were pre-Luther. Crockpot meals were getting a little old. Tonight Drew chopped all the vegetables for a great new soup recipe. We found the recipe in November's edition of Cooking Light. It is called Southwestern Turkey Soup. We made a few substitutions though: chicken for turkey, hominy for pinto beans, & green chiles for a serrano chile. It was a hit...a recipe I was encouraged to save and make again.

David has me puzzled about the upcoming weekend. Last Saturday, when I got home from a "Girls' Hooking Weekend" with new friends from Cresco (this by the way is a whole other story!), I saw a card taped to the kitchen door that said Open Today. I knew it had to be for me since David and the kids were out of town for the Wisconsin-Michigan game. I opened the early birthday card and read that I am to be dressed up and ready by 3 pm on Saturday the 17th with an overnight bag packed with outdoor clothes for Sunday. So, I have no idea what I'm doing on my 39th birthday this Saturday, but I've been told it will be sooo much fun and I am banned from asking the kids about it. (This was an old trick...boy did I get lots of info from them when they were little. Not so much anymore. They've been thoroughly trained to say "Nunya" whenever I asked questions about a surprise. When I say, "Nunya?" they say, "Nunya Business". David taught Rachel that after my birthday in 1999 when I was able to convince her to tell my what my present was. It is now a big game for us. I still ask, and they all say Nunya.)

Speaking of kids....Michael is enjoying basketball practice. This hockey player's head is "spinning like crazy though!" These are his words, not mine. Michael also said the following: "The coach is excellent and we should make a good run at the state finals this year. My head is spinning." Yes, he did say that twice. He is planning on going and talking to his coach during study hall to learn the plays better. When asked if he wanted me to put anything else in this paragraph about basketball, he said, rather sadly, "I just want my skates back on." O.K. that makes me very sad. But, on the bright side, he is close to being in college, which means he can put those skates back on in a rec league. Oh wait! That makes me sad too. This is a no win situation for me. No hockey and he is with us at home. Hockey and he leaves home. I think I'll cry myself to sleep tonight!

Michael is also getting ready for the choir's annual Madrigal Dinner. They perform three times and serve prime rib or cornish hen. Here's what he has to say about the dinner: "I don't know what to say about it. I don't really even know what it is. It's a big deal though. I've heard it's good." O.K., guess we'll let you know after we've been there. Grandma Judy and Bob are coming for Saturday night's Madrigal Dinner and Grandma and Grandpa Hartberg are coming for Sunday's.

Here's what Drew has to say about life lately:

• "I'm getting ready for our jazz band concert. I will be playing the electric bass for Funky Ol' St. Nick, drums for No "L" in Swing, and first trumpet in Hot Chocolate. " (By the way, did anybody see the article about music education and high paying jobs? Click here!)


• "Basketball starts in a couple of weeks."


• "I got my second babysitting job. Tomorrow night I will be babysitting for two young kids."

Drew goes to school about 35 minutes early two times a week to practice for jazz band, and now he is starting to go early one day a week for choir sectionals. He is our early riser, and he seems to really enjoy being a part of these ensembles.

Drew is going to spend time with Bradley, an Ironwood friend, in Cedar Rapids, IA this weekend. Bradley and his family will be in the state visiting his sister during Ironwood's Deer Days. Unfortunately for Drew, Cresco doesn't have deer days, so he will only be able to visit Bradley during the weekend.

And here's what Rachel has to say:

• "Ummmmmm........I don't know what to talk about other than Jon breaking up with me. I've been going through an emotional phase, but it will be gone soon. Mom says not to worry about it and stay focused and that I'm in charge of my own happiness. Those are exactly mom's words. We are still good friends."


• "I'm going to San Diego soon."


• "Right now we are working on our dance piece in dance. Our song is That's What I Like About You."


• "We have a Christmas concert coming up soon. "


• Email me so I can catch up with everybody. If you need my email address, contact my mom at her email. Love you all! Toodles! LOL."

I was going to place Michael's Physics Video in this spot, but after staying up 'til midnight waiting for it to upload, with the result being an error, I've decided to post it sometime later. Maybe tonight after I get back from Rochester. Then again, maybe sometime this week. It's funny. Look for it at a later time.

Until next time,
Anne