Long Overdue New Post

I have not posted in ages. I have not particular reason, other than my laptop is broken and has still not been fixed. Our family has been busy. In October, we enjoyed visiting with Grandma and Grandpa Vastbinder as well as the rest of the East Coast Vastbinder Clan. We do not visit with each other nearly enough unless their is a holiday or another reason. Everyone is so busy with their families and commitments, it is hard to get together. Then in November, John went to a conference in Vegas and also had the opportunity to visit his family in Utah. He had a great time and it had been a few years since he had the chance to see his family. We are still hoping to get out west this summer.

Now, John is off to NYC for a job that is suppose to run anywhere from 2 to 8 weeks. He is very nervous about it because he will be in a hotel in New Jersey then commute into NYC for the job at Chase.

Brittany and Carissa are doing well in school. Carissa really likes her teacher this year and that helps a lot. Brittany is doing a great job in 9th grade and the fact that she is in High School still scares me. I guess it has made me realize that I will only have her for a few more years. She is a beautiful, young lady who will do great things but she grew up so quickly. Carissa's cheer leading is done for the year. I tried to talk her into to playing basketball but she did not want to. Brittany is on the Varsity Basketball Cheerleader. They have a new coach and she is not really happy with some of it but she is sticking with it. She has her first game this Tuesday.

No More Braces

Brittany is so excited because she no longer has her braces. She has had them on for a little over 3 years. Her teeth look really good and she says that her teeth feel funny.

The day that she was scheduled to get the braces off the Dr. was funny. She walks out to the waiting area and tells Brittany that her arm hurts from playing tennis the night before. Brittany did not know what to say. Then the Dr. laughed and told she would try to take them off. After they were off the Dr. then had to borrow Brittany's sun-glasses to check her teeth. She was great with Brittany and we are glad to be over that milestone.

FYI: Everything else is going great. We are busy with school, work, and football. Brittany went to her Homecoming dance this weekend, which was tough on her Dad. He let her stay until 10 pm until she gets a little older. Carissa is loving the 5th grade. She really likes her teacher and is doing fantastic. She also has been enjoying the weather and enjoys jumping on the trampoline.

Life is good.

Quick update: Carissa went to Haley's birthday and had a great time. The girls stayed up most of the night playing WII and having fun. In two weekends, we have Brenna's birthday party to go to. Fall is a busy time of year for family birthdays but it has been great to visit with family.

Brittany is enjoying Varsity Football Cheerleading. Carissa's team on the Jr. Lyons is full of drama. I think it is the pre-teen thing. However, she seems to be having a good time over all.

My class this year is great. I have some concerns but so far no one is physically violent. Thank goodness.

Brittany is 14

I can not believe that my oldest child is 14 years old. We only have 4 more years with her and then she will be off to college and other adventures. She decided that she wanted money this year and then she wanted to go to the mall. She picked out some clothes, jewelry and I think had a good time. At first she told me that she did not want a cake but then decided she wanted an ice cream cake. She is a great girl and I love her very much.

We also had fun at Alexis's birthday. She had family and friends playing at Perkins Park. I can not believe she is 6 years old. Brenna did have a hard time with the fact that none of the presents were for her.

On a side note. I am feeling better. I still have a cough and I have a follow up appointment tomorrow but we are getting back into the school and cheerleading routines.

Labor Day Fun and more

Brittany made it onto the Varsity Cheerleading Team, which she is really excited about. She has also been asked to help on an All-Star Cheerleading Team and they are taking a trip to Darein Lake at the end of the month. The only down side to all of this is that she will not be able to help coach the Jr. team. We had told them that she may have other commitments and I think it was hard for her to choose what to do. I guess it is hard to be wanted. (Ha Ha).

This weekend we went to camp for Labor Day and we invited family to come visit. Karen's kids love the swimming pool and Uncle Bob was the only brave adult to join them for their cold swim. Everyone had a good time and we talked about trying to get together more often but everyone is so busy. We at least made a few plans for Christmas.

Then lastly, I have had a busy week with work and family appointments, and in the mean time I started to not feel well. Finally when my family is stuck in a small camper with me they began to realize that I was not kidding. I kept them up all night with my coughing. I just was not feeling better no matter how much Tylenol Cold I took. So, after our picnic on Sunday we came home early. Then on Monday morning I called the Dr. office and they wanted to go to the emergency room. After about two hours, a breathing treatment, and an x-ray they told me I have pneumonia. So they took me out of work for 2 days. I can not believe that I have to miss the first day of school. But I am feeling better and breathing a lot easier.

Extreme Makeover Update

It is really amazing how they can build a home in such a short period of time. The heart of the show is the many volunteers that work day and night to make it happen. We went over on Friday night to see the progress. They had so much going on at once. They had a crane bringing in the roof of the porch, while large trucks were bringing in dirt, and at the same time they had people siding the home and finishing up the roofing. Whomever orchestrates and coordinates the contractors, volunteers, donations, and so on is good at their job. The show makes things look so smooth and easy but much of the work is done by the local volunteers.

It is also interesting how they make things look like they are spontaneous and real-life but it is not. They do several takes with the designers and then edit it together to make it look seamless. Tonight after Carissa's football game we stopped by and they were getting ready to move in the furniture. So, we had the pleasure of seeing Ty and the designers. They did a couple of takes with the designers running out shouting for everyone to get ready to move in the furniture. John was taking lots of pictures but it could be a few days before I can post them.

The show can bring a community together. I only wish the feeling of volunteering and giving could continue on in many other areas.

Extreme Makeover Home Edition nearby!!!

Yes, we love this show. Brittany says she would love to have Ty's job. She has been working on architecture art in one of her classes and found that she liked it. So, when we heard the show was coming to a town near us. John and Brittany got excited. The show did not announce the name of family and town until yesterday morning and after Cheer practice John and the girls took off to take a look.

Of course not much was happening so far. They are cleaning out the house and preparing it for demo. Anyway the family is looking forward to watching the progress of the house and plan to visit the location several times. John and Brittany would have volunteered but they already have enough volunteers for now. We will see.

Check out the link.