Recently in Rachel Category

Edgewood Middle School Student of the Month

Rachel was selected for this honor from over 500 students because she "displayed the Tiger Pride characteristics of: respect, enthusiasm, punctuality, communication, organization, preparation, and cooperation."

Way to go Rae!!!
(They haven't seen her room, but that's our little secret.)

Aunt Sarah and Aunt Rachel with their two-week old niece Clara.

They had the privilege of a road trip to Atlanta with Big Bro/Uncle Bubby and Aunt Angela for an awesome siblings weekend.

Obvioulsy, Steve isn't the only goofy one!!!

(For those of you that don't know, Eric is now the proud father of a Georgia Bulldog Lawn Gnome!!!)

We're all characters!!!

Within hours of his doctor's appointment, Steve was on his way to Disney - but this time with the doctor's permission. It's definitely not the way you want to see Disney, but we still had a great time. We also have a much greater appreciation for the everyday challenges that the handicapped face. Wow!!! What an eye opener.

When the girls found out we were taking them to Disney, the first thing Sarah said was "I can't wait to ride the Tea Cups and go to the Tower of Terror!"

Our last trip to Disney was in 2003, so Rachel wasn't tall enough (and neither girl was brave enough) to do a lot of the rides. Well, Rachel let her down this year and didn't let anything (except the Tea Cups) slow her down!

This trip was all about riding roller coasters and "adventure rides."

The Tower of Terror is still one of the most exhillarating experiences at Disney (see hair-raising photo above) but Expedition Everest, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster (G-force acceleration and upside-down hair-pin turns), Soarin' and good ole Space Mountain are all worth doing over and over again --- unlike It's A Small World which the girls wouldn't even consider!

The only thing as exhillarating as the rides was American Idol. This was also the only attraction that we were glad to be in a wheel chair for because it put us front row and center for the finale!

It was rather obvious when he made direct eye contact with Sarah --- the camera-man saw it too and quickly zoomed in on Sarah!

This could be the next American Idol. By winning that night, he earned a golden ticket to the front of the line at any American Idol audition.

Christmas lights on steroids!

The most beautiful princesses of all

Magical memories

Ate too much for Thanksgiving dinner or Hoosier Hysteria?

Neither.......Introducing "Stubs."

According to Tracy herself: "Aptly named because instead of tears of joy upon seeing my baby on screen, I shouted "Look at the stubs! Do you see the stubs Nate?" I'm sure the ultrasound technician has heard worse...right? (Lucky for me, Nate redeemed us both by pointing at the screen and asking, "Is that the baby's heart beating?" Nate wasn't interested in stubs, he was more awed by being able to see the heart--he's a good Daddy.)"

Well, as you can see "Stubs" is growing well (and becoming much cuter) and Mommy is glowing despite a few rough months in the beginning. We are confident that Stubs will be the most beautiful grandchild in the world. Afterall, look at Sarah and Rachel. They started out as "Emil Angus" and "Cheeseball" and I think they turned out just fine!

Obviously, Sarah and Rachel are ecstatic about becoming aunts in February. (We are excited too, but is anyone under the age of 60 ever feel old enough to be a grandparent?) Too bad Atlanta is so far away.

. . . and so we enjoyed our first Thanksgiving gathered around Tracy's dining room table with multiple branches of different families with common roots united. And yes, Steve travelled to Atlanta the day after his Achilles tendon surgery AMA!

Our midnight shopping tradition was cut a little short because our mother-to-be Tracy didn't have quite the stamina (or Red Bull) as in years past, but we managed to fill a few shopping bags, sleep for a few hours and then went back to Tracy's for a 2pm "breakfast" of Old-Fashioned Cream Pie! (Definitely one of the best parts of Thanksgiving in my mind!)

Wasn't this just last year?

Nope.......1997........which was also probably the last time Steve and I went to a Halloween party!!!

Nowadays, we cater our schedule to our hallowed teens and their parties.

This year: Napoleon Dynamite (and his pet llama, Tina) with cohorts Deb and Kip.

Sandy and Danny from Grease

But the most "important" part of Halloween????

The Pumpkin Farm!!!

This Presidential parade of pumkinheads is amazingly close to real life!
(and they also kinda look like the presidents too)

The Wonderful World of Disney . . . and more beyond your wildest imagination!

Nothing quite measures up . . .

For years, Sarah and Rachel shared the pilgimage to the pumpkin farm with Gramma Jane and Grampa David . . . . . for memories beyond measure

The Edgewood Tigers 8th Grade Volleyball Team finished their season today with another win.
Rachel, #13 and a newbie on the team, earned her spot as setter on this almost perfect team.
Today's victory in the conference championship put the Tigers 29-1 for the season.

Only one problem..............the #13 jersey was empty today because Rae was home sick with the swine flu :( As you can see, though, Rae's teammates kept her jersey on a chair during the entire tournament and even called her during a huddle!!! It still hurt to miss the grand finale to such a great season, but #13 still felt pretty special.

Rachel's setting style stuns the other team :)

The team, with #13, celebrating a victory earlier in the season

Today was also the finale for the Lakeland Christian Academy Cougars which means it was the final volleyball game of Sarah's senior year. (GULP!)

Unfortunately, the Cougars lost in the first round of the tournament. Unfortunately, (or fortunately) I was not there to see the end of the season because I was at home in the H1N1 infirmary with Rachel.

It was a tough season for the LCA volleyball team, but even though they did not close with a winning record, I saw Sarah come out victorious in every single match.

Despite the attitudes, antics and drama of her teammates (remember, they are teenmates), Sarah rose above it all in every single game. Despite being a strong hitter, she changed to setter early in the season to provide more leadership on the court. More importantly, however, she was the team's spiritual leader on and off the court. She never stopped cheering them on and her words of encouragement could always be heard above the crowd during every point of every game.

We all wish the team could have scored a few more points, but the most important victory was Sarah's.

The cinnamon roll birthday breakfast and the poppyseed chicken birthday dinner are about as constant as the twinkle in Rachel's eyes.

Sarah made the day even more special by getting up early to have breakfast with her sister and then prepared a beautiful birthday table for dinner. She gave Rae a special "Sister Twins" birthday card and a "sisters" necklace followed by a manicure and pedicure.

When the girls were small, they wanted to dress alike and ran around singing "We're the sister twins!" Now they are appalled at each other if the other one wears something even remotely similar and they yell at each other if one of them wears the other's clothes without asking or doesn't return an item to it's proper place. But when there is some important event, they each consult the other about what to wear and how to do their hair.

Sarah has already admitted that when she goes to college next year, she will be lost without Rachel . I'm thankful I had a brother, but even more thankful that I was blessed with girls and the chance to experience sisterhood vicariously.

When Rachel was only 3 or 4, we were having a very important family discussion about how we care for our bodies.

After the usual lecture about food, nutrition, exercise, etc., the conversation took a turn and queries were made about body piercing and tatoos . . . . . . .

Sarah thought for a few moments and then deducted that if you got a bunch of tatoos all over your body, you just wouldn't look like a Gramma when you got older.

Translation: It is more important to be a Gramma than to "look cool" when you are younger. Sound logic in my book! (Maybe I have done something right as a parent.)

However, Steve twisted the conversation and taunted the girls by telling them that he wanted to get a tatoo: a NIKE swoosh on his bottom.

"Daaaaad," Rachel quickly replied, "all you have to do is get a straight line because it will turn into a swoosh when you get older."

True story.

Steve has continued to threaten the girls with a NIKE swoosh and swore he would get his tatoo when he turned 50.

Did he?

Or didn't he?

Kinda . . . . .

Surely, you expected a couple of cracks about Steve's birthday, didn't you?

Sarah and I spent the last 4 days Erie, Pennsylvania where the LCA volleyball and soccer teams competed in the NCSAA Great Lakes Classic.

When they were free, the volleyball players also doubled as the LCA cheerblock for the soccer team. The girls wore the boys' soccer jerseys and cheered them to victory on the first day. The girls even got their coach to play some "circle games" with them during half-time. (He almost escaped into the woods --- see top right.)

Three of the four volleyball seniors (gulp!!!)

The soccer guys also made a very big and loud cheerblock for the volleyball players, but the most spirited cheerleader was one of the soccer moms. She is also a teacher at LCA and is in the middle of chemo for breast cancer.

Unfortunately, the volleyball and soccer teams usually competed at the same time which left me as the only one in the LCA cheerblock for the volleyball team, but my cheers did get a compliment (I think) from one of the refs.

Both teams placed third in the tournament.

Meanwhile, Daddy stayed back in Warsaw with Rae. She had a big week in volleyball as well with a tough loss to rival Lakeview on Thursday and then an all-day tournament on Saturday which ended up pitting Edgewood against Lakeview for first place. After a long day, Edgewood proved themselves to be the champs!!!

File photos since Daddy was in charge ;o)

May was busy with track, Junior-Senior Banquet, Eric and Angela's wedding, doctor's appointments for Sarah's knee, club volleyball, ski team practice and all the end-of-the-year music, sports and academic awards programs for school. Somehow we managed to squeeze in the finale for American Idol, but May was so hectic that we barely had time to celebrate Sarah's birthday and Mother's Day.

Both girls are honor students and Rachel was named MVA (Most Valuable Athlete) in track for JH girls and earned special honors in English and Pre-Algebra at LCA. She was also named Student of the Week by the Optimist Club for being a friend and leader and for being dependable, conscientous, responsible, helpful and cheerful.

Sarah received special honors in Advanced Biology at LCA and in June, "had fun" taking the ACT and SAT exams in prep for college. (Gulp!) She and her two KYLA (Kosciusko Youth Leadership Academy) teammates were also given the Heart Of Gold Award by the Kosciusko County Community Foundation (KCCF) for their KYLA project 2nd Chance which established an endowment to provide free GED testing.

June also meant the kick-off of the Lake City Skiers' 2009 show season, the construction of the backdrop and props for the Lake City Skiers (great job, Steve), the first LCS tournament for '09, re-celebrating New Year's Eve, bidding German exchange student Jakob farewell (We will see you in Germany next year, Jakob!) and Big Stuf church camp in Panama City, Florida for Sarah.

All the while, Steve was nursing a partially torn Achilles tendon and I was preparing a farewell for my nurse of almost 18 years. (See POOF)

It's amazing how fast life can go and yet even more amazing how fast life can come to a screeching halt. And indeed it did.

So, here I SIT spending quality time with my hubby. We've been together almost 24/7 for the past several days in the most expensive suite in town. Not to "brag," but I am sure our room is more than "4 figures" a night and it's not even waterfront --- but at least we don't have to pay extra for room service.

So what could possibly pull me away from the lake in the summer and make me SIT????? No, hell did not freeze over, but we did find one helluva big snowball in July --- the pneumonia in Steve's chest.

We'll be here at least another day or two --- you know, nothing is ever simple with Steve. In the meantime, we will enjoy this time of rest with respect.

Dreams really do come true . . .

And thanks to Tracy, trouble melts like lemon drops . . .

(The wedding planner went AWOL, but Tracy stepped in and orchestrated all the final details with perfection and passion. I guarantee she did NOT bite her lip for very long.)

All the pretty bridesmaids all in a row

. . . skies of blue and clouds of white . . . (and maybe a few white knuckles as the groom patiently waits)

. . . waiting and pacing

. . . trees of green . . . . . roses too . . . .

(The Best Man thought he had lost one of the rings but discovered it nested inside of the other.)

. . . watch them bloom . . .

What a wonderful world . . .

. . . and what a wonderful honor and privelage for Steve to stand beside his son as Best Man.

. . . faces of people passing by . . .

. . . friends shaking hands . . .

. . . saying I love you . . .

The National Christian School Athletic Association held the National Junior and Senior High Track and Field Championships in Beaver Falls, PA again this year.

The LCA Girls' Senior High team placed 3rd overall, the LCA Boys' Junior High team placed 3rd overall and the LCA Girls' Junior High team place 2nd overall. All but 2 of the Boys' Senior High team were on a mission trip in Papa New Guinea, but the 2 that competed had oustanding performances and their team placed 5th overall.

Rachel had a great meet and finished 2nd in shot put, 2nd in the 4x100 relay and 4th in discus. Overall, she was 10th in individual points for Junior High girls.

Sarah finished 1st in long jump, 3rd in discus, 1st in high jump and despite a bum knee from a slip in high jump, managed to place 6th in the triple jump. (The MRI on her knee is next week.)

Sarah placed 3rd overall in individual points for Senior High Girls.
Logan Pitts (L) also placed 3rd overall for Junior High Boys and Joel Widman (R) placed 3rd overall for Senior High Boys.

What a great coaching job, Daddy!!!

Steve surprised me with an early birthday present this week......He crossed the picket lines and presented me with a new MacBook. He has always been the Apple of my eye, but now more than ever.

Here's some fun Rae and I had with "Photo Booth."

We set 2 new benchmarks this year: I took the photo on the coldest day of the year and it was the fastest photo-shoot yet!

Christmas Eve, Candlelight, Crystal and Cards before Midnight Church

Critters......Cuddles and Cousins

Cute Couple (with custom stockings)

Christmas Cuties and Crazy Kids and Classics

. . . and of course, Cookies, Chocolate and lots of good Cheer!

Last year while visiting Tracy in Atlanta, Sarah and Rachel experienced the "ultimate" in Black Friday shopping. In a manner that only veteran professional shopper Auntie Carol could rival, the three girls headed to the grand opening of a new outlet mall. After an hour in traffic and another hour just trying to find a parking place, the girls finally began their mission more than an hour past the official beginning of Black Friday.......at about 1:30 am. In order to prepare for such a grueling night of shopping, they carbo-loaded on Nachos at Taco Mac's first and then caffeinated themselves with Mountain Dew all night long. They literally shopped until they dropped.

Since Sarah and Rachel inherited the "tradition gene" from me, it was no surprise that our trip to Atlanta this year included another Black Friday extravaganza. This year I was privy to all the fun.

First, of course, was our stop at Taco Mac's where the girls obviously got their first carbonation and caffeination for the night.

While I must admit it was fun (and there were some really good deals), I prefer to spend my hard-earned money without working so hard.

This was perhaps the scariest Halloween I have ever encountered. Both girls went in different directions with different friends and it was only AFTER the night was over that I was privy to their costumes.

Rachel gave me the first scare last week when we were visting Eric and Angela.

Even though I may have been little afraid to let my girls go out on their own, the streets of Warsaw were safe on Halloween thanks to Charlie's Angels. Charle himself even showed up for the night......and it looks like he really enjoys his job.

Although they didn't take nearly as many pictures as I would have, at least my favorite Angel and Gangster/Rapper/??? made it home safe and sound with enough loot to keep me happy.

This however, is my favorite costume of the year . . .

"By the way . . . I brought home a stray kitten today. No one else would take it, so I threw it in the back of my Jeep and before I got home, he was sleeping in my lap. Isn't he cute?"

That was Steve!!!

When I discovered the "cute" little kitten was infested with fleas, Steve even ventured out to Wal-Mart at 8pm to get supplies. The kitten, of course was instantly quarantined into a box in the garage. But when Steve returned, the kitten was no where to be found. Steve searched and searched but went to bed forlorn.

Several hours later, the girls and I repeated the search and traced a pathetic meow to an open cabinet in the garage.

After a late-night pedicure, flea treatment, shampoo, fluff and massage, we tucked the little kitty into a box with a heating pad and finally went to bed.

Since sleeping beauty Steve missed all the fun, he walked into work the next morning and had to confess to everyone that he had lost the kitten :)

Daisy, of course, has been growling and hissing at this intruder since it first stepped on her turf. She runs away when it gallops her direction, but she keeps sneaking back to watch what it's doing. She seems to find the kitty annoying but irrestistable.

We think it's a boy, so the girls chose the name . . .

Although this is how Rachel began her 13th birthday (with the traditional birthday cinnamon roll and always at least one small package to open), she actually began her celebration weeks ago when Tracy & Nate were here.

Tracy primed her well:

I had also done a little priming four years ago when Sarah turned 13, so the expectations had been building for four years that Rachel would also get to skip school for a mother-daughter shopping spree. (Fortunately, Rachel has LOTS of shoes to help deal with the stress of anticipation.)

So............when I delivered lunch to the girls on Thursday like I usually do, BOTH were stunned, surprised and speechless when I told Rachel to pack up her things to leave. The expected still came unexpected!

We made it to Chicago in time to do a little shopping before Rachel's birthday dinner of coconut shrimp and lobster followed by "Wicked."

After a good night's sleep and a Carmel Macchiato from Starbuck's, Rachel shopped 'til she dropped while I got shopper's elbow from carrying packages and swooshing my credit card all day long.

Bubby, you better start getting ready for Sweet 16 . . . you have a lot to live up to!

Yes, I did it again. I totally embarrassed my children by walking them into school and taking their pictures on the first day of school. (And Steve was with me too!)

So in case you're worried that these girls don't get much attention........Trust me. Neither Rachel or Sarah were alone at their lockers for very long. (It just took Rachel longer to learn her combo.)

The Lake City Skiers made their debut in the Division I Show Ski National Championships this weekend. After years of competing (and dominating) in the Division II level, our back-to-back D-II National titles in 2006 and 2007 launched us into a whole new tier of competition.

So . . . . while most of you were watching the opening ceremonies for the 2008 Olympics, the Lake City Skiers were busy preparing for our "opening ceremonies" on Lake Wazeecha with 13 other teams. For the LCS members that have been faithfully building the team for over 20 years (and dreaming of competing with the "big dawgs" in D-I), it was clearly an olympic moment even though we were in Wisconsin instead of Bejing.

As the tournament logo implies, the flooding this year caused a lot of havoc at many ski sites and caused both D-I and D-II national tournaments to change locations. (LCS hosted D-II last weekend.)

Lake Wazeecha is interesting because of it's red sand "stadium" seating.

(Sorry I don't really have any photos from the tournament, but I was kinda busy.)

The entire tournament was webcast and is still available for viewing for a limited time at www.webcast-tv.com/sports/events/showskiusnationals2008 (Unfortunately, you won't even see much of our signature barefoot pyramid slingshot because the camera man cut out too soon, but you can always catch the clip at www.lakecityskiers.org)

The Lake City Skiers finished in 10th place. (We could have easily placed 7th based on our usual scores and performances, but we admittedly had a few jitters and glitches.

(Pardon me while I whine for a minute.)

Our signature act, the barefoot slingshot pyramid, was only scored as an 8 out of 25 by one judge. Though many have tried, we are the only team in any division that can do the slingshot. (That was just one of several scoring inconsistancies.) Our sound board died less than a week before Nationals so our sound guy made his debut on a new sound board during our D-I debut performance. Hence, our typically award-winning sound was less than stellar. I didn't even get to barefoot because my boat driver got cut off after my dock flyer.

Enough whining! We still put on an entertaining prime-time show and put Lake City on the map.

Here are a few glimpses from our home shows:

Jeffery is hooked too and made his debut with the Lake City Skiers this week!

Deja vu

When Rachel joined the Lake City Skiers four years ago, Sarah watched the first few shows with a scowl on her face. At first she didn't even want to go to the "stupid ski shows." Then the transformation began: she "grudgingly" started going to the shows and started to laugh and smile. She knew all the dance routines in just a few weeks and before summer's end, Sarah was proud and excited to be a Lake City Skier.

In 2006, they recruited me. In 2007, they recruited Steve and now we have the other half of the family eating, breathing and sleeping LCS style: Samantha and Jeff are skiing. Penny helps Steve in the LCS pick-up boat and Rick helps wherever he is needed.

Gramma and Grampa remain loyal fans . . . so it really is all in the family.

Last week Rachel wore her plaid Sacred Heart uniform for the last time. This week she went to her last Mass and graduated from Sacred Heart.

She received many awards . . .

. . . some we understood . . .

. . . and some we did not . . .

. . . and forever celebrating!

Sarah's 16th birthday celebration continued this weekend with a special get-away weekend in Indy with Bubby and Sissy. Tracy drove up from Atlanta for the weekend and we all met for dinner (after a few gigs on Rock Band). Sarah, Tracy and Angela then had a girls-only day and looked for bridesmaids dresses (for Eric and Angela's wedding) followed by a trip to the spa and a girls-only dinner. (Can you believe that none of them took any pictures?!?!)

The next day, it was off to the races: The INDY 500. Eric assures me that he never let Sarah look at the infield with the binoculars.

Steve, Rachel and I drove back to Indy Sunday morning. Rachel surfed the cable channels while Steve and I cycled the Monon trail and then Rae and I shopped while Daddy surfed....

We had Bazbeaux pizza waiting when the crew returned from the race. They were so tired they acted like they ran the race, rather than watched it. Not much post-race commentary, but it was definitely a winning weekend. (I'm sure Rachel is wondering what Bubby and Sissy will do when she turns 16!)

We ended up spending the night so we could jam some more on Rock Band and we definitely ended on a good note.

We knew it would happen, but we still weren't prepared. We only had 16 years to get ready!

About two months ago, Steve heard a knock on his door at work.

"Mr. Jungbauer, may I talk to you?"

"Oh . . . "

So Steve quickly switched gears and proceded to inform Dylan of what he expected from any young man that thought he wanted to date his daughter. I'm sure anyone else would have called it a lecture, intimidation or an outright threat and might have never called Sarah again or come within 100 miles --- especially if they also knew about Grampa David, big brother Bubby and Uncle Barry.

When Steve told me about his visit from Dylan that day, I was caught off guard.

"Oh my gosh! We have to let her go, don't we?!?"

We knew it would happen, but we still weren't prepared. We only had 16 years to get ready!

My first real Mother's Day was 16 years ago. Today we celebrated that anniversary by also celebrating Sarah's 16th birthday (again) with (almost) the same nucleus of family that welcomed her into the world.

None of us will ever forget Aunt Penny's first remarks upon seeing Sarah for the first time: "Wow! What a cone head!" She also proclaimed that even though she vowed to love Sarah, "All babies are ugly." Five years later I had the privelage of being in the delivery room when Penny delivered Samantha . . . . Penny's first words when she saw Sam were: "She's so cute."

Perhaps one of the reasons tradition has such a stronghold in our family is because some of us never forget.

So, in keeping with tradition, we celebrated with a dinner of Poppyseed Chicken and the birthday number made out of bread . . . . followed by presents and cake.

Grampa David helped uphold a tradition older than me by presenting Sarah with a "closet gift." The #16 brass key chain was an "artifact" from the famly rendering business that was founded in 1917. Grampa David was the third generation to own and operate the ultimate recycling business and so another three generations later, this bovine ID tag was recycled into a key chain for Sarah. (I'm still not sure if the brass ID tag was worn in the cow's ear or around its neck, but we lead Sarah to believe the latter.)

One of the best gifts I received for Mother's Day was that Sarah helped get everything ready for her own party while Steve and I were playing in Chicago.

She even made a 3-layer cake all by herself to rival the fruit-jeweled crostini Rachel made me for my birthday.

I've said it before. I'll say it again. Life is Good!

Tonight was Sacred Heart School's spring play, "My Friends in the Sea."

Guess who was the star!

This was Rachel's last performance on the Sacred Heart stage. We are glad she made it over the hump . . . . . . . from a camel in the fall play to a shining star this spring.

Since this was our third year in Akumal, we didn't feel compelled to see and do everything possible within a 50 mile radius. We actually spent time relaxing...........in between morning runs, snorkeling, scuba diving (new for Rachel and Jeff this year), sea kayaking, card games, and trying to decide where to eat our next meal.

Still not too old to play in the sand...........

Not sure how fun or easy this boot camp would be, but it certainly sounds interesting.  (Sarah "studies" for Boot Camp by reading "Shopoholic." Surely, it's required reading.)

Still not too old to play in the sand --- or hold hands.  

The week always goes by too quickly and even though we are all together, it still seems like we still don't get to spend enough time together.  I guess that's a good thing --- and why we look forward to the next Ten Grand adventure.

....and the hard drive crashed on my laptop while on vacation last week and the Mexican ISP is about as reliable as ESP and my 8-year old photo-editing software got the 7-year itch and twitch and then there's this thing called work and motherhood that consumes every other minute of the day...............so THAT is why there are still no Akumal '08 photos posted from the annual Ten Grand vacation.

Here, however, is a quick synopsis:

Stay tuned . . . there's a lot more to come

During one of their snow days last week, I commissioned Sarah and Rachel to shoot their own Christmas photo.  Didn't they do a fabulous job?  This is it and it's the only one they shot............before they dropped the camera in the snow.

Fortunately, the first photo was a keeper and the camera eventually dried out.

Christmas hugs to you.

To my faithful (though usually silent blog visitors.........hint, hint) I apologize for leaving you to ponder and squander your time on other venues. I attest that our life has NOT been quiet or boring but just that other matters have usurped my blog as a priority.

BENCHMARKS

You may recall from previous years, the annual photo of Sarah and Rachel with my niece and nephew, Samantha and Jeff. It benchmarks the amazing changes of childhood and now adolescence, but also pays tribute to their grandparents (my parents) for whom we placed a bench and planted a gingko tree at the library in North Manchester in 2000.

                                                                     Sarah, 15    Jeff, 7    Samantha, 10    Rachel, 12

In November, my Dad decided to set some benchmarks of his own as he describes below:

November 27, 2007: You can read about us every day: kids who leave home, then, for a variety of reasons, move back to live with their parents. I'm shooting for a place in the Guiness Book of Records as the oldest Boomerang kid at age 67! As you see, I'm now in the same recuperation unit as Mom & Dad at Peabody Retirement Community.

The femur repair was accomplished by insertion of a Zimmer titanium rod device. Everything is inside the bone; I need no external brace/cast. This type of repair is incredibly stable, but needs at least 6 weeks of healing before I can put weight on it. That means that I'm learning a bunch of new mobility skills and working some muscles that are not used to this effort. Yes, it's quite painful! I make sure I don't miss a single allotted pain pill!

Some of you have asked what impossible feat of athletic prowess or domestic clumsiness caused this incident? The fact is that I'd grabbed a late-night bite of licorice on my way to bed. As I turned from the snack drawer, I HEARD the crack of the bone, knew instantly what had happened, and hit the floor, ka-boom! Whether by luck of the way I landed, shock, or some combination, I did not suffer excruciating pain over the next two hours until Jane got a nature call before she heard me yelling!

So, what's next? As my family doctor said it, 'David, you've got a long road ahead of you.'

That journey has begun with incremental strengthening of muscles, and with tiny hops on my walker. I have a great team of professionals and a cadre of friends at my side. Here we go!

December 6, 2007: Fast forward (how long will that term still be in use?) nine days: It's amazing what 3 hours per day of ever-more-challenging therapy can do! If I can reach my walker, I am able to get in and out of bed, my wheelchair, my recliner, or the bathroom, basically unaided.

The meals here are very good and friends have made sure they're supplemented by ample licorice and other goodies!

December 12, 2007: Today was my follow-up visit with my surgeon. Everything is positive! The X-ray looks perfect, I can increase weight bearing from near-nothing to 25% tomorrow. I'm cleared to fly to Atlanta for Tracy's wedding on December 29. And I'm going HOME on December 23! It's no small irony that it was December 23, 1981, that I returned home following my coronary artery by-pass!

 

In 1981, I also received a novel graduation gift from my dad............a few shares in a treasure-hunting operation run by the now infamous Mel Fisher. As a share-holder, I actually had the chance to spend the day with one of his crews off the shores of Vero Beach, Florida. As we pulled away from shore, the crew faithfully proclaimed Fisher's mantra, "Today's the day," implying that today they would find the mother lode. I have a few Spanish coins circa 1700 from that adventure, but we did not find the mother lode. Four years later however, after many years, dollars, and personal tragedies, Mel Fisher hit the "Atocha" mother lode with over 40 tons of silver and gold.

Dad is going home today. The titanium in his leg is worth more than it's weight in gold and although he is eager to put this personal tragedy behind him, he has seen the silver lining in almost every painful step along the way. That is optimism............that is faith.

Today's the day  -  rejoice!

The twelve denotes not only her age, but also the minimum number of years before Rachel can date and the minimum number of satisfactory references that any prospective suitor must provide.

The first time we met Tracy's fiance, Nate, was at Eric's graduation from law school last May. We were impressed by his quiet, gentle nature and the way he took Steve aside to profess that his intentions toward Tracy were honorable. We were a little worried though, that he was a little too quiet to join such an outspoken, opinionated and frequently ostentatious family.

Worry no more. Nate has proven that he can hold his own and that we will still love and respect him when he's gone back to Georgia!

Nate's Labor Day weekend challenge began with a tour of Tippy in the Boston Whaler. The look on his face as they departed was a little uncertain, but with Captain Rachel at the helm, Sarah as First Mate and scurvy dog Shadow just along for the joy ride, somehow, he managed to return without turning green.

Next stop: Lake Tippecanoe Country Club for a round of golf. No photos available, but Eric retreated to the men's bar after only a few holes to watch football instead. Nate lost (???) the lead on the 18th hole to let his future father-in-law win. Tracy says Nate is quite the competitor, so the next match might be a bit different.

Then for the REAL challenge: coming home to a deck full of "family."

Not only did Nate have to meet the parents, but also the grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins and a few extras. We even had 8 Minnesotans. (Senator Mike and Vicki, Josh and Sarah, Aubrey and her fiance Eric, Ariel and Caleb) In all, we had a quaint group of 21 for dinner the first night and the crowd just kept revolving for the rest of the weekend.

We also tubed and ate and played Nintendo Wii and ate and went to "boat church" and ate and Jet Skied and ate and even gave Nate a hair cut.

. . . and of course there were just a few photos taken.

This is one of my favorite snapshots.

Josh, however, "Jungbauered" all of us (even my father) by proving to have the biggest toy in his backpack!
(Click thumbnail below)

Nate and the rest of the clan even formed their own cheerblock for the seaon finale of The Lake City Skiers. (It probably seemed a little hokey to a landlubber like Nate, but it was best for him to see all sides of his future in-laws before he says "I do.")

Obviously, Nate is to be commended for enduring so much in just 3 days. He was thrown into the midst of our family feet first and quickly learned to swim, but he really won my heart when he learned to barefoot too!

I told Nate that I could teach him to barefoot on the first try if he could just do two things: #1) Sit in a chair (What man isn't already a pro at that?!?) and #2) Listen (Ohhhhh.......not so easy!)

Well, Nate was up and barefooting on the first attempt and if he hadn't already endeared himself into my heart already, that sealed the deal!

Nate was not the only competitor in the crowd. Bubby took the gold at sunrise.

Josh also glowed with the sunrise.

.....but nothing compares to the glow on Tracy's face.

Welcome to the family Nate.

The Lake City Skiers had their final show of the season over Labor Day weekend before an overflowing crowd. Here are some highlights of the National Championship show.

In the exhibition "junior show" before the main event, Sarah decided to jump. She had tried it 3 times, so why not?

(Hey, we're a low budget club . . . so I don't get to quit my day job!)

 

School starts tomorrow. Sarah has already had 3 volleyball games and the girls have been "Back-to-School" shopping at least 5 times in the past week.

In between, they sqeezed in some time with Gramma & Grampa. Even though Gramma & Grampa always wander off the beaten path, the girls genuinely love the journey. The 2 most recent trips were to Auburn to visit the bronze sculpures and to South Bend where the exhibit at the art museum "was really cool!"

And if you know my parents, no trip is complete without something to eat.

School gets out early tomorrow. Gramma and Grampa are celebrating with Sarah and Rachel --- at Cerulean for lunch.

Division I, here we come!!!

About a month ago, the Lake City Skiers starred in a commercial which is now being aired on Fort Wayne's Channel 21. We don't get Channel 21 with our rabbit ears, so thank goodness for high-speed internet.

Check it out at www.lakecityskiers.org. Hit the "Promo Video" tab on the top left of the home page.

Ski ya later!

We may be back in the lowlands, but the girls and I are still on a Rocky Mountain high after spending the day barefooting with Ron Scarpa.

We got home from Colorado at about 11 pm last night so I was dreading the thought of trying to get Sarah and Rachel up this morning for the barefoot clinic with Scarpa. I was out the door before 6 am to make the first ripples in the lake, and the girls were to drive the Boston Whaler over to Little Tippy by 8:30. Amazingly, they were up and walking out the door when I made my first "wake-up call" at 8:00. (Very encouraging!)

Both girls quickly got back on their feet (literally) even though they really had not barefooted at all since Scarpa's clinic last year. They both did short-line deep-water starts off the boom and ended the day with long-line deep-water starts on shoe skis not much bigger than their own feet! The water was a little choppy, but they were fighters!

Both Sarah and Rachel even said they might practice again before Scarpa comes back next year.

Great day, but I stopped by the office . . . the mountains are calling.

School's out for summer . . . and while everyone else was enjoying 90 degree weather in Indiana, we enjoyed an unexpected winter squall on our way to Steamboat Springs, CO.

The climate (and temperament) however, quickly changed.

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

Everyone says that if you love Colorado in the winter, you will love it even more in the summer.

I first fell in love with Steamboat as a teen. For almost twenty years, our family spent a week every spring skiing in and out of Townhouse 28 in Storm Meadows. We made moguls of family memories together and my dad and I celebrated many birthdays together on the mountain. Steamboat and I even shared our 40th together a few years ago --- and even though it had been almost ten years since we had been there, it still felt like home.

So . . . for a homesick, homebody like me, I was elated when our friends invited us to be their guests on Storm Mountain.

The unexpected winter weather proved to be short, but dramatic.

Our hosts, Bill and Marsha, redefined "all-inclusive" by showing us overwhelmingly genuine hospitality and 10-star accomodations. We quickly felt at home and immensely enjoyed their company over gourmet dinners, hiking, horesback riding, fishing and while simply enjoying the view. I truly believe that they enjoyed pampering us as much as we enjoyed being pampered!

Marsha and Bill in the kitchen --- one of Bill's favorite spots.

Brandy (and Rachel)

We were also blessed to share this time with my parents.

(Mac always goes on vacation with us too.)

HIKING

HORSEBACK RIDING

MORE HIKING . . . more challenging

TRADITION: Stones from June Falls

Along the way . . .

FISHING

CATCHING!!!

Life is Good!

ONTO THE NEXT ADVENTURE:

White-water rafting down Clear Creek in Idaho Springs.

Rachel had a BLAST and is ready for bigger rapids. Sarah doesn't like the wetsuits, helmuts or cold water, but still had fun too.

From Clear Creek, we headed to Longmont to visit our friends Brandon & Kim and their girls Sydney & Reagan. We were greeted with HUGE hugs and kisses from the girls even though the last time we visited, Sydney was just a baby and Reagan wasn't even a twinkle yet.

Our reception was so warm (94 degrees) that we headed to Water World for the day.

The Lazy River

The Lazy River ala Reagan & Steve

The next day was 50ish and raining --- a good day for 4-wheeling.

Steve and I chickened out when we hit these rapids the first time, but Brandon and Steve went back and powered through it.

Sarah and Rachel were content to stay on the fire trails while we chased in the Hummer.

We also amused ourselves playing Nintendo Wii on Brandon's BIG screen . . . . and playing with Sydney and Reagan.

Our last look at the Rockies: the view from Brandon and Kim's house.

Most of you already know that Sarah has her learner's permit now. She practiced for months to get the perfect smile for her photo.

I guess we should all take lessons since this is the only GOOD photo I have ever seen on a driver's license.

She is now legally able to drive the Jet Ski, so this weekend she kicked off the summer and spent countless hours on the water with her sister Rachel hugging on from behind.

Much to no one's surprise, this is what followed them home:

I guess the lake patrol needs to step up their surveillance!

Rachel recently entered an essay contest. In my opinion, she is the winner, hands down!

I get tears in my eyes every time I read this. What an awesome gift!

Sarah and I spent the weekend near Michigan City at a volleyball tournament. The girls played 8 games on Saturday and were so pooped that they could barely even shop the outlet mall. Even with three teens (Sarah, Logan and Kaila) in one hotel room, it was a quiet night.

This morning, while the girls were still sleeping, I headed to Lake Michigan for a run. I pulled into the park at Mount Baldy where I have been several times before, but was amazed at what I saw.

Full-grown trees were "swimming" in the sand. (The early morning lighting was so awesome it even made a great photo on my cell phone, but unfortunatley, I left my real camera at the hotel. I went back to Mount Baldy about an hour later, but the lighting wasn't nearly as good.)

My running trail . . . . .came to an abrupt halt.

The living dune smothers anything in its path; the shifting sand is stunningly and clearly powerful.

Don't let the 2-D photo fool you. These dunes are definitely, dwarfing 3-D!

I was surprised to discover that neither Logan or Kaila had ever been to The Dunes. I drove them by for a quick peek but I'm sure they still cannot fathom what is on the other side and beyond.

Meanwhile, Rachel stayed home so that she could go to her friend Miranda's house for the night . . . and spend the night on the town in the limo!

I left her my camera.

(There were lots more.)

Steve was left behind to do guy stuff --- clean the garage, fertilize the yard, play with fire . . . . .

Still not sure what happened, but soon after we got home tonight, the back forty was in the midst of a wildfire. The Jungbauer fire department responded promptly and decisively. No casualties or property damage other than an acre or two of burnt grass.

Sorry the postmark is a little late!

2002

2003

2004

2005

Ten Grand returned to Akumal, Mexico. This year we were almost at the end of the road (Akumal only has one main road) and overlooked Yal-Ku Lagoon.

There wasn't quite as much solitude as the photo would suggest, but it was still very peaceful and a pleasant change from the pounding ocean-side surf of the past two years.

During the day, the lagoon swarmed with almost as many snorkelers as fish. Whatever your pleasure, there was plenty to watch.

Our "penthouse" view of the lagoon

Guess who was usually on the sun deck

Guess who you couldn't keep out of the water

Guess who was content to enjoy the water from the distance . . .

Gramma playing Sudoku. Grampa playing on his Mac.

. . . and when we needed a break from the sun, countless games of "Golf" and "Spite & Malice."

Samantha got to SCUBA for the first time

Jeff was content to stay on the beach . . . with the babes!

One of our favorite beach bars . . .

Steve and I got the bird's eye view from La Buena Vida

. . . and the kids got a swinging view

Another fun adventure: a day on Cozumel.

Two years ago we explored Cozumel by scooter. Last year, Eric and Steve ventured back to the island to explore the aftermath of Hurricane Wilma. Not surprisingly, they rebuilt Cozumel very quickly. We were disappointed to see the quaintness of the "undeveloped" side of the island devoured by real highways heavily patroled by police.

Nonetheless, we were still carefree as we journeyed around the island topless . . .

Body surfing was great too!

A fun day . . . but we were glad to return to our placid little lagoon.

Time to go home . . .

Adios . . . . .

May your Christmas be filled with love that keeps you warm all year long.

Last week Steve celebrated his two-year anniversary as CEO at the Y and finally received his new triathlon bike, a Cervelo PC2. (Click to see)

Rachel was the leading scorer in her basketball season-opener . . . the game ended in a tie: 2 to 2.

Sarah also played strong and scored 7 points in her winning basketball game last week and was so excited when she got called to sub in the varsity game that she almost forgot to spit out her gum. As she started to run out onto the floor, she remembered . . . . . and sent it relaying down the bench from teammate to teammate until someone finally decided to throw it away.

"Tis the season of snow, sports, sharing . . . . . and insanity.

Oh, that reminds me --- I better get started on my Christmas shopping!

No, we did not get hit by a freak snow storm.

These are the infamous Jungbauer potato dumplings --- THE most important part of a Jungbauer Thanksgiving dinner.

Father and son bond over the art of making the perfect dumpling.

On my side of the family, the only real holiday culinary tradition is trash . . .

This is the "trash" that Gramma Stands always brought to family gatherings along with her ginger-soy veggie dip. The tradition continues.

Today, however there was something even more appetizing ---- served chilled at 46 degrees but under a 60 degree sunny broiler:

Steve's brother Mike joined us from Minnesota with most of his family: Vicki, Aubrey, Ariel and Caleb. Add Eric, Angela and Gramma Bev and we had an even dozen.

Pre and post dinner entertainment.

If you can't already tell by Rachel's leap for joy, Sacred Heart won the City Volleyball Championship earlier this week.

The LCA Cougars also won their volleyball tournament today. Here's a glimpse of Sarah, with an equally interesting leap!

Tradition with a Twist

We began Rachel's birthday celebration last week at Winona Lake's newest Mediterranean-Sushi fusion restaurant, The Cerulean.

Rachel began planning her sushi celebration a year ago. Every year she puts a new twist on tradition, and every year the celebration seems to last longer and longer.

The traditional slumber party: complete with Poppyseed Chicken, Hide-and-Seek, facials, a dip in the hot tub, "The Worst of American Idol," charades, Silly String fights, ice cream "cake," cinnamon rolls and hazelnut chocolate chip scones for breakfast and a fresh bouquet of roses from Big Sissy, Tracy.

Rae ended the day with an afternoon of shopping in the city with Mom, Dad, and Sarah.

Just one of many rainbows we saw that day.

We closed the week-long celebration with home-made sushi and Gramma Stands' chop suey.

Since we somehow missed the traditional breadstick birthday photo, the chopsticks worked just fine!

First Day of School

Rachel and Kensea, 5th Grade

From the Central Region Show Ski Association . . .

Lake City Skiers Win DII Nationals

The Lake City Skiers gave a stunning performance Saturday at the 2006 Nationals held at the Water Hawks show site in Evansdale, Ia.

With only two falls in their entire show the Lake City Skiers brought the crowd to their feet from the opening act as they did a barefoot pyramid slingshot around the jump. Things didn't stop there as act after act left the dock and returned to the main stage.

The Lake City Skiers won with a score of 1704. The team also took home every piece of hardware at the tournament with best male skier going to Jakim Wilson and best female skier going to Angela Malcolm. If you missed this tournament, you missed one of the best water ski shows ever performed. Congratulations to The Lake City Skiers from Warsaw, In.

The Ski Broncs finished 2nd with 1428 points and the Bayside Skiers finished 3rd with 1344 points. The Hartwick Huskies rounded out the competion with 1284 points.

Lake City Skiers Win Malibu Division 2
Show Ski National Championships

The Lake City Skiers of Warsaw, Ind., won the team title Saturday at the sixth annual Malibu Division 2 Show Ski National Championships at Eagle Lake in Evansdale, Iowa. Lake City swept all of the team box scores and tallied 1,706 points to win the title in convincing fashion. Hosted by the Waterhawks Ski Team, the tournament featured more than 300 athletes.

So . . . we didn't make the front page of the Times Union, but we will have a feature article and photos in Thursday's "Leisure" section. Stay tuned.

Details to follow tomorrow . . . . . on the front page of the Times Union!

The Junior Team of Lake City Skiers built their first 3-2-1 pyramid tonight --- almost as easy as 1-2-3!

Here you see Rachel on the second tier, but she still climbs to the third tier in the "Big Show."

We were also tickled to see our first Junior ballet line tonight --- starring the Jungbauer sisters!!!

Look Mom, no hands!!! (We're in ankle hold!)

Despite high winds, river currents, recreational boaters and a few unexpected guest appearances by the LCS swim team, the Lake City Skiers still held their reign as the Central Region Division II Champs.

Beware Rockford: The Dukes are Back!!!

Off to Regionals . . . stay tuned.

For the third year in a row, Ron Scarpa spent the week barefooting in Warsaw.

Most all of you know by now that my world revolves around Ron during the week that he is here. (I'm so glad that Steve understands.) Even Sarah and Rachel become zoned in on his every word and motion and tempoarily turn into androids! This year, Ron even got them to take the first step toward barefooting backwards --- and they loved it!

Ron reminisces over what it was like to have hair! And yes, Ron, Sarah IS taller than you.

The Dukes are back . . . . . . . Daisy is gettin' hitched . . . . . . . . . and the Lake City Skiers were back on top again this weekend in their first tournament of the season.

Not only did the Lake City Skiers take home the big trophy, but they also took home the awards for Best Barefoot Act, Best Pyramid, Best Jump Act, Best Individual Act, Best Sound Crew, Best Showmanship, Best Tow Boat Driving, Best Pick-up Boat Crew, Best Dock and Equipment Crew, and Best Overall Show.
(The only award we did not take home was for Best Ballet Line, but that won't happen again! They just had a very rare, off day.)

Since we have only run through the show a handful of times, we are off to a strong start --- and Regionals on July 8th. In the meantime, you can catch the LCS show on Hidden Lake on Tuesdays at 6 pm and Sundays at 5 pm.

You may not catch as many pictures on my blog this year though. I have been "Deputized" to join the team and I can't seem to keep my head above water!

Meanwhile, Steve is nursing his hamstring back to health and serving as the team physician --- fixing skis.

Thursday, June 1: The headlines of USA Today read:

That means the Jungbauers must be going on vacation. (And true to tradition, Steve injured himself 5 days ago. He tore a hamstring skiing with Rachel on his shoulders.)

Friday, June 2 . . . A long day of travel by airplane, taxi, ferry and finally by Jeep. Even though we were still on the same time, the sun set 2 hours earlier than at home (I hate DST!) and St. John was already asleep.

After 15 miles of steep inclines, sharp curves and rapid descents (Centerline Road alone, though only 7.5 miles long, has 179 curves!!!) we arrived at Estate Concordia on the southeast end of St. John at about 11 pm. Just like our "Cool Breeze" car rental, this was a self-serve check-in, deal-with-the-details-later island-style operation. (They don’t even leave the lights on like Motel 6 --- though they do remind you to bring your own flashlight.)

We grabbed our linen bag (no maid service) and before making the 104-step descent to our "Eco-Tent," I went to move the Jeep out of the middle of the road only to discover the transmission cable broke and wouldn't move out of Park. (Remember, it's a Jungbauer “adventure.”) The good news: at least we made it to our destination first!

Surprisingly, "Cool Breeze" had a replacement Jeep to us by mid-morning the next day and “fixed” the transmission cable with plastic wire ties before driving it back to Cruz Bay.

So WHY St. John in June? (Remember, I am a major homebody once the lake thaws!)

Last fall, Steve and I did a long get-away weekend in St. Croix. While there, Steve also did a triathlon and as the competitor that traveled the furthest, he won a one week stay on St. John. Sweet! (But it had to be used between June and September --- and it was for a campground.)

FREE is my favorite 4-letter word, so with a gift certificate for free lodging and free airline tickets (frequent-flyer miles), we ended up here, in the Concordia Eco-Tents. Fodor’s probably doesn’t give it a 5-star rating, but we gave it a 500 star rating.

The Eco-Tents are like a network of treehouses perched on the mountainside overlooking the beach and ocean. There are well over 100 steps from the top of the matrix to the bottom and once perched inside our Eco-Tent, we felt like we were on our own private island.

We had 3 bedrooms (including a loft), a private bath and shower, a kitchenette with running water and a porch. No electricity, but solar power for lights and a reservoir of solar-warmed rainwater for showers --- and for the techno-junkies among us, the office also kindly served as a charging station, if needed.

It was a vacation from the TV, phone, computer, hairdryer, traffic lights, sirens and fast food, yet we felt like we were in the lap of luxury with unlimited panoramic views, refreshing ocean breezes, pristine private beaches and casual, yet gourmet dining.

Amazingly, my very girly teenagers, who would love to be pampered all day at a spa, did not miss the modern conveniences of home either. Instead, they enjoyed old-fashioned pastimes like reading and playing cards when it was time to get out of the sun and did not complain once about our eco-primitive accommodations. They thought our “treehouse” was cool!

Four-wheel drive is essential on St. John. Even most of the paved roads require 4WD and revel any rollercoaster. The roads on the less-commercialized east end are particularly steep and winding. "They" say the reason you drive on the left side of the road in St. John is so you can see how close to the edge you are.

I won't tell you how close to the edge we were here, but it was a LONG way from everybody else! Remember, it's a Jungbauer adventure . . .

--- and we thought Sarah and Rachel needed to learn how to change a tire.

If we had paid closer attention to the signs, perhaps our fate would have been different . . .

(Duh! You dip sh.......)

This is the salt pond below our Eco-Tent. The salt content is so high that salt crystalizes along the shoreline. It is rich in the minerals of the sea and reportedly very tasty, so we harvested some salt to take home. The brown color of the salt pond is not because the water is muddy. It’s actually very clear, but gets its unusual color from red algae.

From the salt pond, we hiked over to Drunk Bay. It is covered with “bodies” and all visitors are expected to leave their mark behind. The girls made a turtle, Steve resurrected a cross, and I left behind my footprint.

We cooled off by snorkeling in Salt Pond Bay and swam with the turtles and large schools of fish.

After lunch, we went to Cinnamon Beach where I saw a 5-foot shark --- but didn't have the camera to prove it.

Cinnamon Bay was very crowded compared to all the other beaches we visted, like Hawksnest . . .

. . . and Lameshur.

We eventually returned to Cruz Bay to deal with the sharks at the rental car agency --- and left with our third Jeep in four days (and another spare tire).

Our favorite dining spot was Asolare which overlooked Cruz Bay.

Lucy's was also spectacular despite it's humble atmosphere (that didn't even warrant a photograph except for the view.)

. . . and Haagen-Dazs can always be found in even the most remote locations.

We spent one day with Captain George touring around St. John by boat. He took us to beaches and reefs that you can only access by boat. We had originally hoped to island-hop in the British Virgin Islands, but high winds and ten-foot swells kept us close to home.

Amazingly, St. John is only 9 miles long and about 5 miles across which makes it similar in size to Lake Wawasee --- but with a much greater surface area (the highest altitude is 1300 feet.) The island feels much bigger than it is because of its vast topography but is largely unspoiled since 2/3 of the island is National Park.

Ram Head is the cliff we overlooked from our treehouse. It's a safe, but spectacular hike to the top which takes you across a blue pebble beach. The rocks make a unique soundd of "applause" as the waves wash over them.

We give St. John a standing ovation and hope to do an encore soon!

All of us already know that Sarah and Rachel have their father wrapped around their little fingers. All they have to do is use their "sweet" voice and bat their eyelashes to get anything they want. He's definitely the soft one.

This spring, Sarah surprised Daddy with a special request. He actually thought twice about it at first, but even I could not understand how he could refuse. Sarah asked a second time, "Please, Daddy?" Tears welled up in his eyes and the obvious answer was "Yes, Sarah, I will coach your track team at LCA."

LCA has not had a track team for many years, but with a strong core of enthusiastic 8th graders, the team had a great start. Steve had to re-learn how to teach some fundamentals since most of the team had never run track before, (Coach, what's a baton? Coach, what's a relay?), but at the end of the season, the team was already looking forward to next year's season.

High jump

We hosted the co-ed track team party at the end of the season. I'm not sure what the parents thought when their sons came home donning hot pink nail polish, but if it's up to the team, Steve has job security for next year. (Lousy pay, but great fringe benefits!)

Rachel also had her debut in track this year. As a 4th grader, she ran on the "A-team" and her 200 meter time was faster than Sarah's in 6th grade!!!

We think her secret is in her hair.

. . . for an Easter Egg hunt!

This year, however, the girls informed me that the Easter Bunny needed to make the hunt more challenging. He (she?) sent them on a scavenger hunt a few years ago, and they thought that was really fun.

So this year, I was commissioned by the great white rabbit to organize a more challenging adventure. Sarah and Rachel had to follow a series of clues hidden inside eggs (along with chocolate, of course) until they found their Easter baskets. I think Rachel figured out the clues faster than Sarah could read them.

Each of them found their baskets in the form of new purses loaded with goodies: Cheetos and Biscotti for Rachel and chocolate and soda for Sarah. (Since Sarah gave up chocolate and soda for Lent, this is what she then had for breakfast --- along with a few Peeps!)

The EB also spoiled each of them with a COACH wristlet.

After Easter Brunch at Gramma and Grampa's, each of the grand-daughters got "closet gifts" in their Easter baskets: each received a printer's box from Gramma Mary's collection and then took turns choosing trinkets to fill it.
(Jeff received an antique baseball bat, so we didn't let him come close to getting in the picture, but he's still as cute/handsome as ever.)

Every year the 4th grade class at Sacred Heart takes a 3-day camping trip to the Indiana Dunes. Although they sleep in cabins and have indoor plumbing including hot showers, this is still quite an adventure for some of the kids. Highlights of the trip include the solo night hike, the eight-hour day hike, running down the sand dunes, playing the "Salmon Run Game" at the lakeshore, and, of course, the campfire with silly songs and S'mores.

(Rachel is on the left in the cowboy hat.)

Everything they do from dawn until dusk for three days has an eco-lesson hidden in it somewhere, but they're having so much fun, they don't realize how much they're learning. They even look forward to kitchen duty and were sucessful in not having ANY food waste at meal time.

The last day of the trip, they met with a park Ranger. They split into groups and were each assigned a "dilemma" for which each group had to present a skit on how to solve the dilemma.

Some of the dilemmas were erosion and biochemical waste. Rachel's group had to solve the dilemma of what to do about the over-population of deer. They definitely walked away with the Emmy Award for "Deer or No Deer," a take-off of the popular (for reasons I do not understand) TV show "Deal or No Deal."

(A hunter and a frightened deer are on the left. Rachel is in the back holding one of the "suitcases.")

This is a collage that Rachel made in school a month or two ago.
I guess she's ready for ski season!

Steve and I took our first barefoot run of the season today. The water temp was about 50 and the air temp peaked at about 63, but with the boat speed at 35 - 40 mph and a wet head, it still made for one HUGE brain freeze.

The Lakeland Cougars ended their season SMILING with a tournament victory. Sarah ended her season with 14 of the 20 winning points --- to counter the frustration of being double-teamed in the first game of the tournament.

Last week was the end of Rachel's basketball season. She also got "double-teamed." She was the only 4th grader on the A Team, and only got to play part-time on the B Team, so she spent more time on the bench than if she had just been on the B Team. Nonetheless, our little A- / B+ team-member never complained and always played with gusto.

At the awards ceremony last week, Rachel received the "Best Attitude Award."

We're just a liitle proud.

This week was Catholic Schools week at Sacred Heart. It's a week full of special activites that highlight and promote the virtues of Catholic education. It's also a week of fun stuff for the students and teachers to help fight the winter blues.

Each student was asked to write something about Sacred Heart that is special or important. Two students from each class were then chosen, based on what they had written, to go down to one of our local radio stations, (WRSW, 107.3) and record their "blurb" that was then broadcast all week long to advertise for Catholic schools and Sacred Heart.

In case you weren't tuned in, this is what Rachel had to say: " At Sacred Heart, even though I am not Catholic, I feel accepted for who I am."

This is Dr. J on "parent day" with Chef Kensea.

O my gosh!!! My daughter will most likely threaten to disown me (again) for posting this, but how could I resist? (Please help me out and cast your vote of support by posting lots of comments.)

New Year's Eve is typically a non-event for Steve and I. (Steve can barely stay up past 9 pm on a "late night," so New Year's Eve requires an extra-rigorous training schedule of multiple naps before midnight.)

New Year's Eve IS a big deal to Sarah and Rachel. When they were younger, they loved the challenge of trying to stay awake until midnght. They quickly learned that "if you stop, you drop." Staying up past midnight is certainly not a challenge anymore -- except for Steve.

Several years ago Anna (who is also my Godchild) came over for New Year's Eve and another tradition was started. Apparently, Anna is the only one her household that likes to stay up late --- or perhaps it's just that Anna is the only one her house that doesn't need beauty sleep????

Enough rambling. Here's what I found in my camera from New Year's Eve.

(Steve was sound asleep on the couch and I was at the hospital waiting to catch the New Year's baby. I had 2 ladies close to delivery at midnight and then my colleage did a C-section to bring in the first baby of the New Year. I hate cheaters!)

Not bad for amatuers, eh?

Christmas was all about "i"s this year. iPod, idog, I Spy and mostly "I can't believe my eyes!"

Sarah and Rachel both found speakers for their iPods in the bag that Santa left by the fireplace. Rachel was even more surprised to find a Fly Pen from Santa. (She had her first serious doubts about Santa this year.)

Steve was surprised to find an iPod Nano (in his favorite color, Darth Vader black) because he had "looked everywhere" to find an iPod for me only to find them all sold out. (He went to Indy after Christmas and came home with the 30G!)

Rachel talks to her idog. (And her idog talks back and dances to the music.)

Sarah has her eyes on boys these days. (I will have hair as white as Santa's soon.) Santa left her with some wise advice on a hot pink purse. "Forget love. I'd rather fall in chocolate."

The other big hit on Christmas day was the Spy Kit we gave to my nephew Jeff. Way, way too cool Agent 007!

The biggest surprise was probably for Bubby and Sissy. They still can't believe their eyes when they look at their "little" sisters.

(If you're wondering why they are sitting on the kitchen floor, it's because it is now the best, and hottest, seat in the house since we installed heated tile.)

Bubby also brought a few house guests along. You probably wouldn't have noticed anything if I hadn't pointed it out. Kara obviously fits right in and enjoyed our girly day at the Pottery Bayou.

Here's the real apple of Bubby's eye . . .

Dakota is also growing quickly and attracting lots of eyes with her beautiful silver coat. Shadow is in love, too.

The Lake City Skiers were named the 2005 National Show Ski Association’s Club of the Year.

There are 700 teams in the USA WaterSki association, so this is quite an honor.

The Club of the Year contest is designed to recognize and reward the hardest working USA Water Ski-affiliated club in the United States. It rewards clubs that host water ski events that provide opportunities for newcomers to the sport to participate and become active members of USA Water Ski. Points were given to clubs for various events and elements that created, publicized and increased water skiing opportunities.

In addition to other prizes, the club of the year receives a plaque and has its name engraved on a trophy housed at the Water Ski Hall of Fame in Polk City, Florida. The club of the year and the sport-discipline winners receive free USA Water Ski and American Water Ski Educational Foundation memberships for one year.

The team and all of the sport-discipline winners will be recognized during USA Water Ski’s annual Awards Ceremony, January 28th, in Polk City, Florida.

Sacred Heart opened the basketball season tonight. It was Rachel's debut on the basketball court and even her big sister Sarah's jaw dropped when Rachel was put into play early in the first half of the "A" Team's game.

We don't mean to brag (OK, yes we do), but for my little 4th grader, it's like playing on the varsity team as a freshman. Go, Rachel, GO!

Steve mentors Rachel in the proper way to make potato dumplings.

Weighing in at no less that 8-12 oz a piece, potato dumplings are probably THE most important Thanksgiving Day tradition in the Jungbauer family.

Personally, MY favorite tradition is eating Old Fashioned Cream pie for breakfast the next morning!!!

Count our blessings . . .

Benchmarks 2005

Rachel officially hit the 5 foot mark this week. (That is only a few inches away from me, you know.)

This prompted me to finally dig through all the leaves of precious grade-school memorabilia until I finally found the tidbit of trivia I was looking for: compared to Sarah at the same age, Rachel is already 4 inches taller!!! That certainly explains why my little fourth grader has already out-grown clothes that Sarah wore in sixth grade.

What was Rachel's reaction to the big news?

Where did my girls get all that height? (Sarah is now 5' 7")

Obviously, they got it from me --- that's why I'm so short!

It wasn't officially homecoming, but it certainly felt like it when Steve took us back to Minnesota this weekend.

Steve was invited back to his alma mater to be inducted into the Hamline Athletic Hall of Fame. We received red-carpet treatment including brunch at the President's house, priority parking, tail-gating passes and seats on the 50-yard line to watch the Hamline Pipers football team.

At halftime, the Hall of Fame inductees were introduced on the football field. Almost before the announcements were over, Steve and team-mate David Wenberg were greeted on the track by their mentor and coach, Kent Stahly. Even Coach's wife remarked on how good it was to see "her boys" again.

The day culminated in a dinner ceremony and each inductee gave a tribute about their experience at Hamline. No one talked about winning, but each one talked about the wealth of love and learning outside the classroom at Hamline.

For Four years, Steve was a point-producing member of the Hamline Track and Field team which earned him four varsity letters. Steve's event was the pole vault and during his time at Hamline he set the school record for both the indoor and outdoor events. He also added numerous meet and conference records to his resume during that time. For his accomplishments, Steve was honored as a four time All-MIAC performer and awarded All-American status in 1979 and 1980 at the national indoor and outdoor meets.

Team-mate, fellow pole vaulter and and co-inductee David Wenberg '83 also publically recognized Steve at the Hall of Fame ceremony for teaching him how to break Steve's records. Steve was also inducted into the Hamline Hall of Fame several years ago with the 1980 Men's Track & Field Team.

Appropriately, Steve's Hall of Fame plaque will hang in the original field house and in the same corner where he used to pole vault.

Both girls have decided against going to Hamline --- It's too cold!

We saw Steve's dad who was just around the corner from our hotel in a rehab center recovering from a hip fracture and we even connected with the Senator and the Sister too.

The rest of Mike's clan even met us for an early breakfast before we headed back home. (I'm not sure if they really got up early to see us or because they were headed to the Packers' game.) Nevertheless, we enjoyed reminiscing and razzing together. I'm always amazed at the stories that surface when they get together.

From the October issue of The Water Skier, the official publication of the USA Water Ski Association. This was taken at Nationals, where the Lake City Skiers placed second.

Rachel is on the top right. She's only a few pages away from a feature article on Ron Scarpa, the National Barefoot champ for the 14th time!

That's twice this year that she's had her photo in a national magazine. Maybe Hollywood is closer than we think.

Today was Rachel's birthday. She is as old as the rest of us now, you know . . . . . double digits!

She will also remind you that she is not merely 10. She is a "Zero Teen."

She hosted her birthday party in Hollywood and --- you guessed it --- took center stage.

Here is an unusual package . . .

Amazingly, Rachel's cousins, Samantha (8) and Jeff (5) are both comfortably inside this box that is not much bigger than a microwave!

The von Trapp Family Singers . . . I mean The Jungbauer Family Skiers made their debut tonight at a private "celebrity" event following a 3-event ski tournament at Cindonway Shores. Accompanied by a small core of other Lake City Skiers, we put on a small showcase of barefooting, jumping and show skiing.

It was a momentous day in the history of the Jungbauer Family with all four of us on the water.

As many of you know, my passion for water and skiing quickly rubbed off on Steve when we met. When Sarah was born, she bonded with the boat as much as she did with us. (She slept soundly to the gentle rumble of the boat's motor and awoke only when the engine stopped.)

A soon as she could hold her head up, Sarah was driving the Nautique.

Her first word was "DOWN." She rarely had to use it, of course, but she was prepared if we were ever stopped by the patrol for not having an observer when we skied.

So what happened?

For YEARS we gently encouraged our girls to ski. It was fun at first, but they quickly lost interest.

Perhaps it was the early years when we had to fabricate our own equipment . . .

(Yes, Sarah is wearing snow boots inside of her water skis.)

Or maybe it was too many hours in the boat starting at 5 am . . . .

Whatever the reason, even though they both learned to ski by three, their apparently recessive "ski genes" have just now started to express themselves.

It started with Rachel this summer when she surprised us and asked to join The Lake City Skiers. At first, Sarah thought it was stupid and wanted nothing to do with it.

Well, the rest of the story is obvious. We saw the transformation coming and Sarah quickly discovered her genetics and now she is also on stage with The Lake City Skiers!

Even Steve has a renewed passion for the sport, so next year you may see some more new faces on the LCS team.

Rachel and her buddy Kensea started fourth grade today.

(Make-up, hair and costume design by Tracy.)

Here are more glimpses of our wonderful weekend with Bubby and Sissy.
I wish we could convince them to move closer!!!

Sisterly love

The ART of tubing

Oh Yeah!

Too much testosterone

Double studs (I was behind the wheel not the camera)

Chillin'

Even though Sarah's in 8th grade this year, the first day of the school is still exciting. She spent weeks trying to figure out the perfect outfit to wear and was up this morning on her own accord long before the alarm even went off. She even had time for breakfast.

This year she had 3 escorts on her first day of school.

LUCKY GIRL!

Both Eric and Tracy were able to break away from their hectic schedules for a long weekend with us before the girls start school.

Eric is getting ready to start his last year of law school in Mississippi and Tracy is still on stage at The New American Shakespeare Tavern in Atlanta.

The Jungbauer Ski Team

Sarah and Rachel both learned to slalom the day Bubby and Sissy arrived and then learned to do "cut unders."

The girls skied for hours and did not even mention the T word!!! (Tubing)

It was a Red Letter Day in many ways!!!

Ya'll just missed a great weekend in Rock Island, Illinois. The 90-plus degree temps fired up the Lake City Skiers and they won second place at the Division II National Show Ski Tournament!!!

Seven teams and nearly 1000 skiers competed in the two-day showcase of amazing "feets" on water. We were by far the smallest (yet mightiest) team with approximately 30 skiers. Most teams were at least twice our size.

Our show director, Jakim, also won the most prestigous award of "Best Male Skier" and another LCS team member, Tracey, won the individual swivel ski competition.

For those of you unfamiliar with show skiing, it is a unique multi-generational, co-ed sport that requires more than just doing tricks on water. There is a theme or story that ties all the stunts together into a great, entertaining show even if you don't really appreciate all the talent on the water.

This year the Lake City Skiers present: The Dukes of Hazzard.

Unfortunately, our dukes took the hazzard theme a little too seriously.

Just about a week before Nationals, Angie took a fall off the top of the barefoot pyramid that took everyone's breath away and probably cracked a few ribs. She was tough enough to get back on the pyramid at Nationals, but another fall made her a spectator for the rest of the show.

During our practice time on Friday, Enus (Keaton) flipped off the starting dock and hit his heel on a rock. His heel immediately became one big blood blister with a nice slice too. So much for any barefoot acts.....

Saturday was Kim's turn with a migraine. It resolved by Sunday morning, but left her still heaving and weak. Thanks to my hubby/GOFER Steve and a quick pharmacy run to get a "magic bullet," Kim was looking pale pink instead of gray green before showtime. WHEW!!!

BUT..........Just minutes before the show, Bo Duke (Jakim) was helping another team get their boat out of the water . . . . he stepped on something in the water and sliced open his heel! OUCH!!! I was in the stands waiting for the show to begin when I got the 9-1-1 call. With a little modern medicine and a lot of duct tape, Bo was back into action just in time for the show.

Did you notice anything unusual in the pictures?!?

Yeah, you got a rare glimpse of my mug but . . . . Did you really look at the picture of Rachel up above?

It's Rachel sitting on Bubby's lap!!!

Bubby surprised us and flew up from Mississippi for the weekend just to see his littlest sister compete. It was a great surprise for all of us. He was already Rachel and Sarah's favorite brother, but this just secured his standing in first place.

SHOWTIME!!!

Here are some highlights from Nationals.

All lined up . . .

Barefoot pyramid

Opening pyramid (Rachel is in the middle doing an "angel.")

Enus and Daisy as little tykes

Little tykes Bo and Luke get scolded by Enus

Enus takes mug shots of Bo and Luke Duke

The Ballet Line at the Boar's Nest

You girls need to find yourself a dancin' partner

How 'bout them two studs in the cowboy hats?

Roscoe goes fishin'

Boss Hog and Lulu join the dance competition

There seems to be a little mix-up

Uncle Jessie gives Roscoe some "advice"

Bo does some fancy dancin'

Staggered pyramid (slightly abbreviated)
(Rachel is on top of the right 3-tier pyramid)

Swivel ski

Tracey shows off her award-winning swivel ski form

Roscoe looks worried

Barefoot line

Daisy calls the Duke boys

Bo and Luke jump over Hazzard Hill

Jail break

Footloose

Time to raise that stoplight

Yee-Haw!!! (Rachel is the top of the right pyramid)

Celebrate!!!

Sound crew

Coordination crew (youngest LCS member enclosed)

Clean-up crew

LCS Crew and Support Crew

Time to relax and cool down

Oh yeah, Sarah came along too, but she didn't spend much time with us.
(Did I mention that this was a co-ed team?!?)

Our Star on the Water with Bubby and our host for the show, Ty

You can still see The Dukes of Hazzard on Hidden Lake every Sunday at 5:00 pm and every Tuesday at 6:30 pm through Labor Day.

*** (I apologize to all the LCS stars that didn't get highlighted in any photos, but LCS couldn't do it without you!!!)

During the summer, life seems to revolve around some type of camp or another. Two weeks ago, Rachel was at Camp Crosley and Sarah camped with all her friend in our front yard. Last week both Sarah and Rachel were at Grace College's basketball camp. This week, Sarah is off to church camp.

I guess we're still not camped out. At Rachel's request, we had our own little campfire tonight. (Yes, she still wanted a campfire despite the 90-degree heat!)

Our campfire was complete with hobo pies, s'mores and one of Steve's favorite types of fire . . . gun fire.

Rachel spent the week at Camp Crosley with her cousin and cabin-mate Samantha.

In their words, "It was a blast!!!"

Meanwhile, Sarah entertained a dozen of her closest friends . . .

The "big girls" camped too --- but only as far away as the extension cord would reach!

Rachel is the newest member of the Lake City Skiers --- and the top of the pyramid. That's about how high she was for days after being part of the winning team at Regionals. We're off to Nationals in Rock Island, Illinois on August 6th and 7th. In the meantime, you can catch a free show every Tuesday at 6:30 pm and every Sunday at 5:00 pm.

Rachel is on top at the far right.

Annie (Auntie) Carol and Muffin Man (Mark) made their annual trip back to Indiana for the 10th+ family reunion/Fourth of July celebration. We were also fortunate to have Bubby spend the holiday with us too. (Thanks to him, our attendance record for this infamous event almost doubled!)

Is there ever a time when Bubby doesn't get his picture with his babes?!?

Although he spent a lot of time tubing with the girls, Bubby also has to admit that he enjoyed footin' behind the Malibu too. (I hear he took a few "souveniers" back to Mississippi with him!)

Mark is happy to reunite with his favorite family member.

"This is our favorite place to spend the Fourth of July."

Maybe no one noticed, but back in April an "internet predator" hit our website. Here's what happened:

Hi,
This may seem like a strange request, but I just happened upon your web site while searching for info (including images) on girls and wakeboarding. I was really taken with the photo of Rachel and wondered if you'd mind letting us use it to illustrate a brief piece on girls and "adventure sports" in our "Oddz n Endz" section. It would be small--the whole article is less than half a page, and I can't offer $$ compensation (sorry--we're not cheap, just independently owned & operating on a shoestring still), but I'd be happy to send you copies of the magazine when it's published. It would be in the June/July issue, which goes to the printer very soon, so I'd need to know right away. (I apologize for the rush--the article was a last minute addition to the issue.)

Thanks for your time, and I look forward to hearing from you!
Sarah Verney
Senior Editor
Discovery Girls

Now Rachel has decided to go into show bizness and is the newest member of the Lake City Skiers!!!

On the first day of practice they immediately taught her to do a "dock hop" start, slalom, climb the pyramid and finish with a beach landing.

I bet most of you missed the annual Mermaid Festival in North Webster this week. It's really a pretty big time for a tiny little town. Sarah and Rachel are still sheltered enough to enjoy the rides at the Midway.

The week of festivities culminated in a parade that lasted over an hour. The girls were the banner carriers for the YMCA float. (Don't they look excited?!) We tried the get the Y Guy (aka Steve) to sing and dance to Y-M-C-A but I'm sure Sarah and Rachel would have disowned him forever if he had.

The girls made a picture frame for their Daddy and also gave him a new lawn chair for Father's Day.

(Sarah was kind enough to stand on the lower step to make her Daddy look taller.)

Shadow gave his Daddy a big wet kiss for Father's Day.

... and a hug too!

This is my idea of a foot spa!

Guaranteed to give you the best foot massage money can buy --- or the most reknowned barefooter in history, Ron Scarpa, wouldn't drive one!

WHOA!!!!

CAUTION!!! DANGER!!! WARNING!!!

Please sit down before you read any further!!!

If you didn't already notice, I changed religion! After years of agonizing, my Nautique freak days are over and it's Malibu instead. (I'm certain my gray hairs have doubled because of this stressful dilema.)

For those of you who are clueless as to the magnitude of my Malibu moment, it would be like the Pope changing from Catholocism to Buddhism . . . . like my dad changing from Mac to IBM . . . . like my husband changing from Nike to Addidis!!!!

NOW do you get it?!?!

So . . . . . since I made a leap of faith, I decided that I should let the Almightly Barefooter himself, help me break it in.

Ron Scarpa was here for a week-long barefooting clinic again this year.

Here he is driving my boat =:o)

. . . and being goofy with my girls . . .

Even Sarah and Rachel enjoyed the "foot spa" with Scarpa.

Here's Sarah barefooting in "the swing."

Rachel shows off her form on "shoe skis."

Relaxing (and warming up) between sets.

Now whatchya doin' Rae?!?

When we broke for lunch, Rachel decided she wanted Ron's autograph.

Rachel has barely take the shirt off since!

I guess we're all a bit goo-goo over Ron, but as tempting as it sounds, I promise I won't shave my head! (Like my buddy Bob)

I got an autograph too --- when Ron came over to personally adjust the Scarpa barefoot plate on my boat.

Now I have a Limited Edition Ron Scarpa Signature Series Malibu Response LXI.

Dance Recital 2005

. . . so the girls decided they deserved a day at the spa!!!

Sarah enjoys a manicure. Another potato chip, Madam?

Anna relaxes in the foot spa while waiting for her facial to reverse the aging process.

Sarah and Rachel spent Memorial Day weekend in Atlanta with Bubby and Sissy (aka Eric and Tracy). It was Eric's idea and desire to share one of his most cherished childhood memories with his little sisters. The highlight of the weekend, aside from being together, was going to an Atlanta Braves baseball game. (Sarah and Rachel have never even played T-ball, but they still had a ball!!!)

The hard part was putting my babies on an airplane --- alone. Fortunately, it was a direct flight and I was on call so I couldn't go to the airport. Plus, I was so busy that weekend that I didn't have too much time to dwell on the fact that my girls are growing up and will be on their own before I know it.

Here is Eric's recap of their weekend:

First off, I cannot express my gratitude enough for letting the girls come down to Atlanta for the Memorial Day weekend to hang out with Tracy and I. I miss them terribly throughout the year, and it is hard when I see them once every four or five months when they are growing up so fast. This past weekend really meant a lot for me.

Okay, enough of the mushy junk . . . on to the good stuff.

We had an AWESOME weekend. Tracy and I picked them up from the airport on Saturday morning. Unlike their return trip out of Atlanta, it took me about 1 ½ hours to get through security.

So, when I showed up to their gate, I was pretty darn sweaty. The only thing I could think of while running through the terminal was how bad Erin was going to kill me if I let the girls sit in a strange airport for an hour --- but I showed up just in time. When I saw them --- Yes Sarah is tall, but Rachel is a dang weed, the way she is growing.

We walked through the terminal and came up the big escalator. It was kinda cool because as we got closer to the top you could hear the constant clapping and cheering from the crowd waiting for loved ones as servicemen randomly came over the top and appearedÂ…talk about goose bumps. Anyways, we immediately saw Tracy as she had a bunch of baseball balloons for the girls.

Okay, so we got Sarah's luggage and went out to the car. As we were leaving the airport, I started talking to Rachel. I told her that my birthday present to Sarah was the weekend down here in Atlanta and the Braves' Game. So, I said I had her "early birthday present" and I reached into the console and took out a pink iPod mini. I handed it back to Rachel in such a manner as to make sure Bear saw it very clearly.

Bear's face went ghost white.

Rae was pretty excited. I totally ignored Sarah. However, she was such a trooper. She went very quiet, and had this fake half smile on for like 10 mins as Rae tore through the box and started messing with the iPod.

I couldn't take it anymore and gave Bear hers. She was pretty darn excited --- pretty wild.

So anyways, we dropped Tracy off at work, and we went up to Alpharetta to grab breakfast and go to Jason's parents' house to meet up with them. Jason and his girlfriend, Jenn, met us there and we headed to the ballpark. Jason had a secret parking lot right across from the field - only $10! It is usually like $30 to park so close.

Well we got into the park and the girls were amazed how big it was. Pretty wild. We walked around, bought tomahawks and ballpark food --- basically killed about and hour and a half. Got to our seats and enjoyed the game. Tracy took a cab to the field and was only 30 mins late. GOOD TIMING!

Well after $80 in pizza, hotdogs, and nachos and in the 5th inning, Rae wanted to go hang out in the nose-bleeder seats. Those seats are seriously the coolest in the park. Not crowded, see everything, high up, skyline in the background - pretty cool.

Okay, so in the 8th inning it was pretty obvious the game was going bad for the home team. We headed down to our section, which had emptied out quite considerably. We decided to try and help the Braves to a 9th inning comeback --- a RALLY!!!! Yee-HAW! We stood for like 30 minutes doing the tomahawk chop . . .

. . . and rooting the Braves to a . . . . . loss.

However, I am pretty jealous of Sarah. You see I have been going to Braves game for the good part of the last 20 years. I have been to about 40 games. I have never been on the big screen. Sarah was in Atlanta for about 5 hours, and while she was standing, looking pretty in her Braves shirt, cowboy hat, doing the tomahawk chop, the powers that be decided they needed to put her on the largest HDTV screen in the world for about 7 seconds! THAT WAS AWESOME! I think her rubberbands on her braces were about 10 feet tall on the big screen. We all (all 50,000 people or so) saw it, including Bear and Rae.

Andruw Jones and Chipper Jones acknowledged our rallying cries and pointed to us while coming off the field at the end of the game. Wild! We took our time leaving the field.

It was seriously the coolest Braves game I have ever been to. The only thing it would have made it better would have been a win.

Well, we went swimming late afternoon, and then went to the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner.

After dinner we walked around the city, then came home. Rae and Bear stayed at Tracy's and I heard they passed out pretty hard that night.

On Sunday, Bear and Rae cooked us breakfast and we went to the Renaissance Festival. We stared at all the strange people that come out of the woodwork for things like this, and ate a lot of "carni" food. Then we went on a lot of rides, and ate more food. On the ride home, the food didn't agree with Sarah. She started crying (because apparently her stomach was doing flips) and politely asked Sissy to pull over at the next gas station. Sarah bolted into the bathroom and came out 45 minutes later with Pepto-Bismol stained lips. Poor baby.

Went home, took a nap and then went to Bahama Breeze for Dinner with Nate. (Tracy's boyfriend. Sorry no one took your picture, Nate!) Ate a light dinner, then went to see Madagascar -- pretty funny. Went home, passed out. Said bye to the girls. (Don't tell them this, but I actually cried when I got in my car to go back to Mississippi.) I guess the girls went to DSW in Buckhead to buy shoes or something . . and there you have it, the weekend.

Again, thanks a lot. It was a super weekend.

Thank YOU, Bubby (and Sissy). NO matter how tall (or short) you are, Sarah and Rachel will always look up to you!

Rachel invited me to chaperone her third grade class on a field trip to the botanical gardens in Fort Wayne today. There won't be many more of these opportunities left. Carpe Diem!

The special exhibit right now is a butterfly room.

Here you see an extraordinary one-of-a-kind species, the Social Butterfly!

I remember when I was 13. I still have the scar on my shin to show it. I tripped over a tent stake when the circus came to town. I remember my dad trying to convince me to stick my hand inside the circus elephant's mouth. (Why?) I sprained my ankle while vacationing at "Heil's Haven" on Lake Wawasee and had my first ER experience at KCH. Ahhh, what memories.

Now my life IS a circus, the stakes are higher and I'm still wondering why I put my hands in........... BUT I LIVE where I vacation which is just a stone's throw away from my beloved childhood memories at Heil's Haven so I can work at KCH!!! (I really had no idea where I was going when I started to write this but it's amazing where I ended up!) I never would have dreamed that my 13th year would have such an impact on my life.

I never really thought that I would be the mother of a teenager either. I know it's the obvious result after the celebration of 13 birthdays, but it's like thinking of yourself as old --- it's just not something you can fathom!

Well, the inevitable did happen: I did become the mother of a teenager --- and I enjoyed every moment of it.

Friday I drove the girls in to school. I dropped Rachel off first as usual. As I waved good-bye to Rachel, I called Sarah's friend Kaila on my cell phone. Sarah gave me the "What are you doing, Mom?" look.

"Kaila, this is Sarah's mom. Could you do me a favor and pick up Sarah's homework today?"

("Mom! What are you doing? Are we going somewhere? Are we going shopping? Are we going to Fort Wayne?")

"Is Sarah sick today?"

"No Kaila, Sarah is not sick. She and I are going to Chicago for Sarah's birthday."

("REALLY?!?!?! Oh my gosh!!! Are we really going to Chicago? Are you serious? That is SOOOO COOL! I'm going shopping in Chicago! I'm skipping school!!! I can't believe it!!!")

(Tears well up in both our eyes......)

So Sarah and I headed to the Windy City.

We went to Schaumburg first. We covered every inch of the Woodfield Mall and then a bunch of stores on the strip. (Good thing Dad wasn't with us because we didn't even have time to think about going into Dick's Sporting Goods.)

We headed back into downtown Chicago around dinnertime. Sarah got to practice some map reading and navigation skills. She turned out to be a great co-pilot.

By the time we got checked into our hotel, it was after 8 pm. (Another good thing Dad wasn't with us because otherwise we would have had to go to bed - and without dinner.) Instead, we headed out onto the town and found an Italian bistro for a light late-night dinner followed by a stroll down the Magnificent Mile. By the time we headed back into our hotel room, Sarah was begging for a piggyback ride and flip-flopped into bed. She was so tired that she fell asleep watching her favorite TV show.

Did you notice anything peculiar? Strange? Totally out of character?

Not only did Sarah shop 'til she dropped, (a RARE occurrence) but we were so busy shopping on Friday that I did not even take one photo!

The next morning, Sarah was awake well before noon! She fueled up with room service and then we headed out for another day of power shopping.

Another inevitable moment. (She knew I had to get her picture eventually.)

Gotta rest. Shopping is hard work.

(We stopped at The American Girl - but only to get something for Rachel.)

Loaded . . . . with smiles.

Flip-flopped and shopped out.

It was a quiet but dangerous drive home. Sarah got whiplash doing head-bobs!

When we got home Saturday evening, Steve and Rachel were patiently waiting for us. They, too, had been shopping and had almost everything ready for the family party on Sunday! Rachel (with only a little help from Daddy) prepared Sarah's traditional birthday dinner of poppyseed chicken.

Here is the Birthday Girl patiently waiting for the party to begin --- and modeling one of her new outfits from our shopping spree.

The traditional "bread photo." (I tried just baking plain loaves of bread once. It only works when they're 11. Otherwise, my girls insist that I make numbers with the bread. Fortunately, they're happy with the big numbers and I don't have to make breadstick numbers anytmore.)

Sarah's buddy Jeff. Wherever Sarah is, Jeff is. Superglue can't begin to compete with this bond. (Jeff will come in real handy once Sarah starts to date.)

Cousins

Sarah received a special gold coin necklace from Gramma Jane. It is a 3-dollar gold piece from 1855 that belonged to Great Gramma Stands. Sarah begged to wear it to school the next day. I think my little girl is turning into a wonderful young lady. So far, I like having a teenager.

Postscript
After Sarah's traditonal birthday feast of poppyseed chicken, noodles, peas, "number bread" and salad with poppyseed dressing, I was called out to deliver a baby. When I returned home about midnight, the party was over and the house was all clean again. I guess I need to leave more often --- and praise my wonderful hubby more often too!

We spent the last few days of spring break with a small circle of girls in Circle City . . . aka Indianapolis.

We stayed within a few footsteps of the city's icon, Monument Circle, and since we had to walk around the Circle to get to the Circle Center Mall, I circled the girls up for a photo.

Rachel, Johanna, Sarah and Kaila

If you're dizzy just reading this, think how we felt . . . especially when they hailed down a limo!!!

(Not really, but they wanted to!!!)

We also spent some time at the world's largest and best children's museum that Indiana can proudly claim as it's own. I was amazed to hear soon-to-be-thirteen Sarah suggest the Children's Museum herself as we were planning our trip.

Hopefully none of us will ever be too old for carousel rides, Connect Four, Mr. Potato Head, Tic-Tac-Toe, or Puppet shows!!!

. . . and never too old to hold hands.

Believe it or not, this photo of Sarah and Rachel hand-in-hand was NOT posed!

. . . still not too old for an Easter Egg hunt.

The holidays are always more fun with eggstra kids around.

Samantha and Jeff are intensive artists.

WOW!!! Almost too pretty to eat!

Never to be outdone by anyone, Steve put the pier in today.

Afterall, it is the first day of Spring . . . gray, windy, snow flurries and barely 35 degrees! He definitely beat everyone else. The rest of Lake Tippecanoe is still covered in ice from shore to shore.

As I watched from my cozy living room, I had to admit that even the thought of a boat ride, much less skiing, did not appeal to me at all . . .

Nope! I did not help except to lift the last pier section into place. Otherwise, Steve put the pier in all by himself. The only other assistance he had was Rachel who served as his driver.

Here are pieces of the "skeleton."

Rachel is actually an AWESOME driver. She's only 9, but she handles the JEEP and trailer like a pro. It's amazing to watch her skillfully weave between all the trees and other obstacles in the yard.

What a stud!!!

I slaved away in the kitchen while he battled the elements and rewarded him for his good deeds. (I even think I'll renew his contract again in July!)

Just got back from vacation . . .

We don't need any pity this time!!! We had plenty of warm weather, sunny skies, and a wonderful extended family of ten that we still love even after a week together under one roof.

We spent last week in Playa del Carmen, Mexico which is about 45 minutes south of Cancun and across from the small island of Cozumel. It is much more quaint and quiet than Cancun, but growing rapidly and starting to show the inevitable signs of commercialization.

Last year, Ten Grand View image spent a week together in Grand Cayman. For the first time, we enjoyed the perks of staying together in a house rather than in a hotel and feared that we had spoiled ourselves rotten. View image

Now we feel even more spoiled.

In Playa del Carmen, we stayed in a magnificent, six-bedroom, private ocean-front villa. It's in a quiet neighborhood within a short walk to 5th Avenue, the "main drag" in Playa. The living quarters and bedrooms all surround a large open courtyard with a swimming pool, lush greenery and mutliple nooks for sitting or hiding. All but one bedroom has an ocean view so we had to "suffer" with the sound of crashing waves all night long and awaken to the sunrise in our bedroom every morning. The beach was washed out by a hurricane several years ago, but there was a small beach beside our villa and plenty of beach to walk in nearby Playa.

A spiral staircase off the front porch led up to a private sundeck. From here you can peer out across the ocean or down into the courtyard.

The kids spent most of their time in the pool. Gramma & Grampa spent a lot of time beside the pool watching.

Rachel and Samantha take a brief break from the pool.

Another break for a tropical drink at a local bar.

The kids never tired of being together and are incredibly bonded to each other despite the span of years and the lack of any common gene.

Samantha and Rachel are great buddies, but Jeff and Sarah have a bond that transcends words.

Although we would have been content to spend the entire week in our villa, we did venture out to be tourists.

The ruins of Tulum.

Exploring the Xcaret eco-park where we also enjoyed snorkeling an underground river.

Snorkeling at Xel-Ha.

We took the ferry over to Cozumel and spent one day scootering the island, most of which is still undeveloped.

But no matter how hard you try, you still can't escape the "civilized" world!

Lest ye think all was perfect bliss, you should know better!
The Jungbauers never vacation without misfortune. This trip was no exception.

The first morning of our vacation, I arose with the sun and headed out for my morning run while the rest of the household slept.

Yes, I was bit by a dog!!!

It wasn't very deep, but it definitely took a chunk out of my leg. Nothing that could be stitched back together, but . . . what about rabies?!?!?

Well, at least there is no "access to care" problem here in Mexico.

. . . and it's easy to get drugs, but what about the rabies vaccine?

Despite all this, I still wasn't very eager to use the Mexican healthcare system. On the other hand, you die from rabies. Period. Hmmmmm. Not a great alternative.

So I summoned Steve to get the car so I could retrace my steps and find that dog! (There's not much logic in that since: #1) I probably wouldn't find it. #2) Even if I found it, or its owner I doubt I would trust them if they told me its shots were up-to-date.)

Despite lack of logic, we went on a dog hunt.

As we pulled up to the house where the attack happened, Steve had to slow down to avoid running over the two dogs sleeping in the middle of the street. He stopped, got out of the car, and was greeted by two very mellow, collared dogs that quietly and gently sniffed him! I opened my door and the attack dog quickly came over to me and sniffed his breakfast site on my leg!

"Oooooo, what fierce, mongrel dogs, honey!" said Steve.

So . . . even though we could not find the owners, I was reassured that my attacker was not rabid and relieved that I did not have to use the Mexican healthcare system.

Before I left, I did post a few warning signs along my running path, though.

Adios amigos.

Here are the results of Sarah's fashion show and "photo shoot" back in August.

Fortunately, she did capture a glimpse of our enduring moment on film.
(Click on "enduring moment" to refresh your memory.)

Notice the fan AKA "wind machine" behind Judge Rachel and the lights on the runway.

No school today because of snow!

Since it also happened to be my "day off," I took the girls BOWLING!

(For me, this was quite a sacrifice. There are not very many things in life that I really dislike, but bowling is one of them. It's the whole atmosphere that is appalling to me: the smoke, the shoes that hundreds of grungy feet have worn before me, the "athletes" who have more tatoos than teeth . . .)

As parents, we make incredible sacrifices for our children.

Rachel shows off her perfect bowling form . . .

. . . and finishes in style!

Sarah bowls a STRIKE!

Obviously, these are not ordinary bowlers . . .
Only teenage girls have to make a fashion statement when they bowl!

Do you know the way to San Jose?

If we did, we would have been a lot happier . . . seems we had a little problem with our flight reservations.

When we broke the news to the girls, they wanted the good news first, so I asked:

"Where is the one place in the US that you would most like to go?"

Sarah immediately replied, "California!"

"Where in California would you like to go?"

"San Francisco!"

"Well, the good news is that we are going to San Francisco. The bad news is that we aren't going to Costa Rica with the Myers."

Because of an airline snafu, we accidentally ended up in San Jose, California rather than San Jose, Costa Rica.

BUMMER!!!

Did you hear about the record-setting rainfall in California last week?
The mud slides? The flash floods? The washed-out roads? The earthquake?

In keeping with the Jungbauer vacation "adventure" tradition, we were there!

(We don't expect sympathy --- we felt sorry enough for ourselves.)

This pretty well sums up the majority of our trip.

Did you know it was warmer in Indiana than it was in California?

Notice the flood of water that is making a 12-inch wake around the sign post.
At the coast, what was once a trickle of a stream eroded away a four-foot wall.

A refreshing wet picture.

It stopped raining just long enough for a rare family photo
at the Golden Gate Bridge.

A brief glimpse of Napa - and a brief glimpse of sunshine!

Monterey is a quiet little coastal town about 60 miles south of San Francisco. This is "home" to Cannery Row, about which the infamous novelist John Steinbeck wrote.

The infamous cypress tree of Pebble Beach.

One of my favorite parts of the trip was driving on US 1 along the coast. Unfortunately, Rachel turned green in the back seat and Sarah, like Grampa David, couldn't watch. The photos fail to do justice to the dramatic coastline drive.

Photos don't do justice to the redwoods either.

If you look, you can always find something positive.

On Christmas Day, we had lunch at my grandparents' "new home" in Sycamore Grove. (In the past it was always at our house - or at least since Sarah can remember.)

Grampa Paul is recuperating from a hip fracture and Gramma Mary (having already gone through two hip fractures, a stroke, a heart attack and a multitude of other ailments) is finally just wearing out after 80-plus years. (Sycamore Grove is one wing of a very posh, first class nursing home at Peabody Retirement Community in North Manchester.)

It was a simple but pleasant, stress-free dinner. Admittedly, it was kind of nice to be waited upon in our quiet, comfy and homey semi-private dining room --- and not have to clean up any mess afterwards.

Since Gramma and Grampa have moved out of their house of over thirty years, another tradition may have started today but another probably ended.

One of my fondest memories as a young girl was going to Gramma Mary's. We would bake bread and cookies and make lots of messes --- which Gramma never minded because her house was always a mess anyway! In between batches of bread or cookies, I also loved to explore her closets . . . No one has ever seen such magnificent closets, or so many closets! As a little girl, it was like discovering the National Treasure.

At Christmas, Gramma eventually began to give "closet gifts" along with other presents. When she first started this tradition, we were afraid of getting some ugly or useless "white elephant" gift. Instead, "closet gifts" were usually the most precious and favored gifts --- and remain my favorites today.

This Christmas, Sarah and Rachel probably received the last closet gifts from Gramma Mary. She gave each of them a ring that she had once worn. They were genuinely surprised and delighted.

Shortly after dinner, we were also pleasantly surprised by a visit from Deaconess Sabine, her husband Kerby and daughter Hannah as they spread their traditional Christmas cheer.

You can make or break, but never erase, tradition.

This is another VERY LUCKY guy who has three little sisters that WORSHIP him!!!

We were fortunate to have a visit from Bubby for a few days. The girls clung to him the entire time. We all miss getting to see him more often. Ditto for Big Sissy Tracy. Unfortunately, she couldn't get away for the holidays, but at least we got to see her in Atlanta over Thanksgiving.

Rachel show off her culinary skills

You may not be able to see the details in the photo, but Rachel made "chocolate cups" by dipping balloons into melted chocolate. Once they cooled she popped the balloons and filled the cups with fresh fruit . . . and then had fun topping them with Reddi Wip and then served them to us on Christmas Eve. (She learned it all on a TV program the day before.)

You can guess what she did next . . .

Daddy helps Rachel program her personal "ATM" bank.

I guess the ole piggy bank just isn't sophisticated enough for this generation!

Who would have ever thought that we would give our pre-teen a cell phone?
What kind of precedent are we setting?
Do we really understand what we are doing????

Yep, it's all about connectivity!

(If you don't have a teen or pre-teen yet, just wait. You'll understand.)

Jeff, Penny, Rick, Samantha, Gramma Jane, Grampa David, Steve, Sarah, Erin, Rachel

We've been VERY GOOD this year Santa!

On Christmas Eve, there is some magical power that somehow overcomes their usual reluctance to pose for Mommy.

It has become a Jungbauer tradition to build gingerbread houses before Christmas. In years past, we have transformed the entire garage into a gingerbread studio --- and filled it with a flurry of giggly, wiggly girls.

The tradtion actually began with our friends, the Myers, who hosted our first gingerbread party. It was a wonderful multi-generation afternoon of making memories with our dear friend Pat Oppenheim and her 90-some year-old father, Mr. Harrison.

We quickly discovered that the adults were much too helpful --- and needed their own gingerbread houses to build!

Here is Steve's masterpiece from last year.

This year was just as chaotic as always despite a smaller number of construction workers. My nephew, Jeffery was definitely the most intense worker, and also the youngest at age four. He outlasted all the girls and paid the most attention to detail.

Jeffery proudly displays (and tastes) his masterpiece along with his sister Samantha.

Obviously, all that work was exhausting . . .

I guess I'm rubbing off on my children . . .

Instead of our traditional four-day Thanksgiving feast with family this year, we broke tradition and left town.

"But Mom," whined Sarah, "we always have Thanksgiving at Gramma Mary's. But Mom, we always have old-fashioned cream pie. But Mom, we always put the Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. But Mom . . ."

My parents heard the same song from me when I was growing up. I like tradition!!!

Despite the deviation from tradition, we all had a very special Thanksgiving in Atlanta, with Eric (aka Bubby) and Tracy (aka Sissy). We shared a wonderful Thanksgiving feast prepared by Eric and Tracy's mother, Susan. Although we did not have old-fashioned cream pie, somehow Sarah survived with potato dumplings, mashed potatoes and chocolate pie instead.

No low-carb living for this girl!!! And don't forget the Reddi Wip!

Here you see Steve and Rachel playing a duet of traditonal Christmas carols while Sarah sings
(Not really, but it looks good!)

One highlight of our trip was dining in a revolving restaurant overlooking downtown Atlanta. Afterward, we enjoyed the water fountains and Christmas light display, but agreed that Warsaw's Central Park display is still top notch.

The greatest highlight of our trip away from tradition, however, was seeing Tracy in the spotlight at The New American Shakespeare Tavern.

We were admittedly a dreading just the thought of more than two hours of Shakespeare, but were pleasantly suprised by a fun and witty performance that we even (kind of) understood!

We are very proud of Tracy for working so hard to live her dream.

Sarah is still lamenting our break from tradition, but we did manage to do the traditional Freaky Friday Shop 'til You Drop and Make Auntie Carol Proud of You shopping excursion the day after Thanksgiving, so all was not lost . . . and we still shared the most important tradition of Thanksgiving, FAMILY.

In case you're wondering . . . Rachel as Elle Wood (from Legally Blonde), Samantha as a leopard, Sarah as a Prom Queen (aka 1981 North Manchester Junior Miss) and Jeffery as a dinosaur.

Some people leave their mark behind as they journey through life,
and allow everyone to reap the benefits.

Some people simply give life, and history, to everything that their lives touch.

That describes my parents, David and Jane Grandstaff.

They have been setting benchmarks for years, but in 2000, they became the reason for a new Benchmark. In 2000, Steve and I along with my sister Penny and her husband Rick, honored their rich history of giving by placing a bench and a Gingko tree at the North Manchester Public Library. It now also serves as a great reason for a yearly photo to benchmark our lives.

Rachel, 8 . . . Jeffrey, 4 . . . Sarah, 12 . . . Samantha, 7

Can you guess how old she is?
(It's a quirky thing I started when they were small and now they won't let me stop. I used to make individual numbers rather than one big loaf, but then I learned to take the easy way out.)

Rachel's theme this year was a beach party complete with beach umbrellas, kites, shells, surf boards, etc. Since her birthday was on Thursday, we had four solid days of partying with the family finale on Sunday. We just received a great big Thank You from Florida for finally diverting the hurricanes out of their path. I'm waiting for President Bush to declare our beach a national distaster area.

SO what does a 9-year old want for her birthday????

COOL clothes, Jump 5 CDs, earrings, a latch-hook rug kit, a Notre Dame jersey, an MP3 player . . . . . . . . . . and Addy, an American Girl Doll.

She's growing up WAY too fast, but I'm glad she still has some little girl left in her.

Rachel got an early birthday present!

The end of summer seems to bring out strange behavior in our children.

Last year, for example, Rachel decided to learn how to waterski on the last day of summer vacation. She mastered it in only a few attempts . . . and loved it like we knew she would.

This summer also ended with some strange behavior --- just look at the next photo of Rachel with her cousins Samantha and Jeff. I'm curious to know how others would caption this photo, but this is what it "said" this morning at 7:30 am.

Rachel: "I'm in the zone. You can talk to me, but I can't hear you."

Sam: "Don't take my picture! I don't want to smile and YOU can't make me!"

Jeff: "Can I go back to bed?!?"

Below is an even stranger photo: It's Samantha skiing for the first time!!! (Pretty amazing given the strong attitude above.)

I'm the boat driver who successfully pulled her up on her first try and captured this photo at the same time. (Pat, pat, pat)

So what's so strange, besides me?

Look carefully at the rare photo below which depicts Sarah awake, alert and smiling prior to noon on a weekend!!!

Stranger yet, she bragged to her cousin Sam about how fun skiing was and then Sarah actually skied for the first time this summer! (I'm sure she was just trying to provide Sam with some positive coaxing . . . or could it have been the "pier" pressure?)

So not to be outdone, Rachel showed her cousins how to wakeboard . . . in style!

This is the girl that just broke her arm 2 weeks ago and was in the hospital with a possible ruptured appendix 3 days ago.

As the yellow Lance Armstrong bracelet proclaims: LIVE STRONG!!!

American Idol . . . AmerAiken Idol . . . THE American Idol to many . . .
and certainly to Auntie Carol!!!

We had the privilege of having Auntie Carol escort Sarah, Rachel, Gramma Bev and myself to see Clay Aiken in concert.

He was last year's runner-up in the vastly popular American Idol. Many thought that Clay should have won. He may not have won the official title, but he has proven to be far more successful and popular than the actual winner.

His followers range from the freckled school girl in pig tails to the platinum-haired widow in fox tails. He is the only contemporary "rock/pop star" to perform Christian music in concert.

I am sure that Auntie Carol will gladly provide some additonal "trivia" about Clay to embellish this blog, but let it suffice to say that Clay portrays wholesome AmerAiken Ideals that make him deserving of the title American Idol. It's refreshing.

Anyway, here are a few glimpes of our night . . .

A shot from the concert . . .

Clay was kind enough to pose for this photo . . .

This was how Rachel started her day.

It was the first full day of school. She is in third grade at Sacred Heart.

This was how Rachel ended her day.

"I was riding down the drive-way on my scooter and I tried to reach up and put the newspaper in my mouth. I had a blonde moment!"

I knew immediately that it was broken, but Rachel reassured me, "Good thing it's a closed fracture, Mom."

As you can imagine, she barely shed a tear.

Our thanks to Dr. Jansen for designing such a COOL cast!!!

Steve and I took a couple of days off this week to spend with the girls before they head back to school.

My idea of summer vacation is anything and everything to do in and on the water . . . barefooting, skiing, wakeboarding, inland surfing and just being in the boat and on the water. I covet my monthly issue of Water Ski magazine and save it to read during such cherished moments.

Steve's idea of summer vacation is at least a full week of temperatures above 100 degrees, three work-outs a day, and two naps in between. Give him a Mountain Dew, a hamburger and a Rush Limbaugh broadcast at lunch and life is about as good as it gets!

Sarah and Rachel's idea of summer vacation is tubing, tubing, and tubing with a lot of shopping in between plus Thursday night at Tippecanoe Lake Country Club for BINGO.

(Sometimes it's hard to believe that we really do spend alot of time together as a family.)

Well, the weather did not cooperate for Steve or I and Gramma Bev (the BINGO queen) was out of town, so guess how we spent (part) of our summer vacation . . .

As you can tell, this is serious stuff!!!

For Steve and I, it seriously rocks our patience. (I guess we're poor losers!)

A picture is worth a thousand words but a thousand words could not begin to describe what I saw in my living room this morning at 4 AM.

Imagine 2 pre-teens girls and one wanna-be little sister who just returned from an evening of shopping . . .

They were delighted to model their bargains --- and indeed, they were frugal, not foolish in their expenditures. (Steve and I were delighted that they were finally home so that we could go to bed.)

We then agreed that they could stay up until 11 PM. (Next time I will be sure to specify in which time zone.)

By the time I realized why my sleep was so fragmented, it was 4 AM and my living room had been transformed into a fashion stage complete with runway lights and a wind machine. It was a colossal mess with clothes, furniture, clothes, food, clothes, CDs, clothes, make-up and clothes everywhere!!!

Finally at 5 AM, the girls tucked themselves into bed and Steve and I started our day. Steve went downstairs to let Shadow outside and returned. "You've got to go downstairs and see what the girls did." I cringed at the thought of the mess that was left behind despite my no-nonsense orders to clean it up.

Much to my surprise, the fashion stage was miraculously transformed back into my neat and tidy living room and despite the restless night, I still went to work refreshed and with a smile.

In case you were wondering where we've been for the past several weeks, so would I!!! It seems like summer just got here and we're already getting ready for school again.

Last week the girls both went to camp . . . Rachel went to the YMCA Camp Crosley (on the other end of our lake) and Sarah went to church camp at Camp Adventure just south of Webster Lake. It is really amazing that we have such incredible camps so close to home.

As you can imagine, it was VERY quiet around the house last week, but the girls made up for it quickly and shared many wonderful tales from camp.

We celebrated their homecoming with their favorite meal . . . Poppyseed Chicken!

I wish I could post a photo of Steve and I sitting on the end of the pier watching the sunset, but even though the girls were gone, the evenings still slipped away from us --- just like the rest of the summer.

What did Auntie Carol do for TEN days in Indiana?

1. Delighted in telling Sarah and Rachel they have tickets to see Clay Aiken in concert WITH Auntie Carol when she returns in August.

2. Was inspired by Rick Whitaker's performance of "Proud To Be An American" at boat church for the Nth year in a row.

3. Was mesmerized and intoxicated by Clay Aiken's performance of "Proud To Be An American" at the White House on the Fourth of July.

4. Prepared for the next Clay Aiken concert in Wisconsin --- which she attended on the way home from Indiana.

5. Walked the Forest Glen 5K (almost) every morning --- and set PRs each day.

6. Held an intensive multi-day training seminar on aesthetic applications . . .
i.e. make-up and hair-dos.

7. Oh. and she did a little shopping . . .

8. Shopping

9. SHOPPING

10. AND SOME MORE SHOPPING!!!!

Did you get the impression that Auntie Carol is very "focused"?

Remember, this the beloved aunt who taught my girls to "Shop 'til you drop" and how to say "Charge it!" when they were just toddlers.

On my day off, however, I did provide them with a break in their grueling routine and taught them how to marble. Even Gramma Bev couldn't resist!

The other perhaps unfamiliar face in the picture is our niece Shannon who surprised us with a visit from Florida. (She just LOVES to have her picture taken.) She went back to Minnesota with Carol and Mark --- and got to see Clay on the way --- but we still don't know if she was inaugurated into the Aiken Hearts fan club . . .

And one of the culminating highlights of the week was . . . BINGO!

Here you can see how all the hard work shopping and primping paid off.

In this family, it is NOT baseball and apple pie that come to mind when talking about all-American traditions. Instead, it's the flotilla and fireworks on the lake.

Lake Tippecanoe still has the traditional daytime flotilla. (We entered a float one year and almost sank the boat and our family ties, hence we have not been brave enough to enter again.) Lake Wawasee has started a great new tradition of having a lighted flotilla at night.

If you have never seen fireworks from the water, you should. (Unfortunately, I missed the photo op last night because the downpour of rain didn't stop until minutes before the fireworks began, so I ran out without a camera.) Nevertheless, the fireworks were spectacular, especially set to the background of synchronized patriotic music from a local radio station.

Another all-American tradition in this family is boat church on Fourth of July weekend. Auntie Carol comes all the way from Minnesota just to hear Rick Whitaker sing "Proud to be an American" from a pontoon on Lake Tippecanoe. He's been singing every year since at least 1993 - and Auntie Carol has been there for almost every performance.

Here's one of my favorite photos - and quotes - from last year.

Anyone who knows anything about Steve and I, knows that we are active people. We encourage our children to be active as well, hoping that one day, they will also enjoy some of our hobbies. (Believe it or not, we have never owned anything like a Game Boy or Nintendo and only have rabbit ears for our TV.)

My passion, of course, is (almost) anything on the water. Unfortunately, the "tube" has poisoned our youth. They would much rather bounce mindlessly behind the boat than learn the skillful art of carving through the water on a ski ---or better yet, your feet.

Sarah learned to ski a few years ago. It was kind of like toilet training - she did it when she was ready, even though I know she was capable for a long time. For a short time, we thought we had created a monster. She would typically ski around our little lake 10 - 15 times without stopping. The next year, she wanted to ski in April when the water was still in the 60s. BRRRRRRR!!!!! She then proceded to ski around all of Big Tippy and has only skied a handful of times since.

So, I've been patiently waiting for Rachel to show some interest in something other than tubing. Finally, last year on the last day of summer vacation, Rachel finally decided that she would try to water ski. It only took a few tries and she was making us dizzy with laps around the lake too.

She was a little timid about trying it again this year, but popped right up like a pro. So how about the wakeboard, Rae? SURE!!! Two tries later she was jammin'. So how about footin' with us in the morning, Rae? (Obviously, I just couldn't resist.)

Sure enough, my girl Rae popped out of bed at 5 am the next day and the rest is history!!

Here's Rachel barefooting off the boom.

It didn't take long before she was strutting her stuff like a pro . . .

Look at me now!

OK, so maybe I got a little carried away, but I bet I fooled you for a second.

The style credit goes to Kyle Downey, who was also there to cheer Rachel (and Mommy) on.

This is as good as it gets!!!

After 4 dress rehearsals and 4 recitals, this was the one and only dance recital photo of Sarah and Rachel that I was able to catch.

They both received their 5 years of dance award, which Rachel is proudly displaying around her neck.

Rachel and I enjoyed the annual Winona Lake Art Fair last weekend where we learned how to "marble."

It was REALLY cool!!!

Carefully drop your paint onto the water. (There is a secret ingredient in the water that helps to keep the paint floating.) Use a paint brush, stick, comb etc. to create designs in the paint.

Carefully place your fabric or paper on the water . . .

. . . and VOILA!!!

Tracy graduated from Hanover this weekend.

It was another day of mixed emotions for all of us. How could so much have changed in such a fast four years? A quiet teen who wanted to teach and write childrens' book was transformed into a confident, charming and ever more beautiful young woman whose passion is to perform Shakespeare.

We tried to recreate a moment that dramatically shows how things have changed from our first visit in the fall of 2000, to our last visit at graduation in the spring of 2004.

WOW!!!

Eric --- still very protective of his little sister.

I guess Steve does get some (genetic) credit for a job well-done four times over!!!!

It has become tradition to take a wildflower walk every May with our beloved friend (and local wildflower expert) Pat Oppenheim. In years past, she has always blessed us with a personally guided tour --- and quiz --- on all the different wildflowers. This year, she's nursing a broken hip but was still gracious enough to let us enjoy her sanctuary.

We went a little later in May than usual and missed the triumphant display of trillium, but saw an entirely new blanket of wildflowers instead.

Below is the "sugar shack" (where maple syrup was once made) with a blanket of nameless and numberless wildflowers in the foreground. My buddy Rae joined me on the hike and then enjoyed a chat with Pat by the pond.

And . . . believe it or not, Pat usually pays us before we leave --- with fresh produce from the garden!!!

Can you tell which one is Sarah?!? She was one of the rappin' 3 little pigs in the tonight's spring play at Sacred Heart. She had an oustanding performance --- and snort!!! (She must have learned that from Gramma Jane.)

Rachel also had an outstanding performance as a featured pianist in the prelude and a very animated singer in the chorus.

This was my Mother's Day present from Rae . . . a rockin', rollin', splashin' and spinnin' ride in her new bustin' water Boston Whaler. As you can see, she is concentrating very hard to make certain that I get the best ride possible.

Thank goodness she was still sleeping when my favorite designated driver (Steve) took me for a Mother's Day footin' run down the middle of Lake Tippy at 6 am. Even the fisherman paid their respect and stayed out of my way. That's the way every day should begin!

May Day 2003

In keeping with our ecclectic lives, we held an ecclectic celebration today.

Rachel celebrated her First Communion today - first with her classmates at Sacred Heart, then in a special ceremony as a family here at home. Rachel baked the bread herself and proudly shared it with us under the wing of Pastor Denny Wilson. We were blessed by the company of Rachel's Godparents, Bill & Krisce Myers, as well as the usuals . . . Gramma Jane, Grampa David, Uncle Rick, Aunt Penny, cousins Samantha and Jeff, Great-Grampa Stands, and Great-Gramma and Grampa Grandstaff.

Then the luau began to celebrate Sarah's 12th birthday!
(Actually, the luau began on Friday night and just ended today!)

It was a busy, blessing-filled May Day weekend.

Rachel didn't catch the whopper that her buddy Jay did, but the sunset that night was just as awesome.

Rachel just can't stop grinning and glowing over her "new ears."

A friend called her last night and the first words out of Rachel's mouth were: "The most awesome thing happened to me over Spring Break --- I got my ears pierced!!!"

Behold, children are a gift of the Lord.
Psalm 127:3

I should have known better . . .

The last day of spring break was just us girls. I thought we would enjoy the fresh air and sunshine at one of our favorite spots, Jefferson Pointe. It's a place where I can sip Starbucks and meander among the flowers and music while the girls dart from store to store munching Auntie Anne's pretzels and gulping smoothies. It's a mall that doesn't maul you back.

It was a great day. My motherly mistake was that I also thought the girls would enjoy the spring show at the botanical gardens before going shopping. Wrong! What was I thinking?!? (I was thinking how nice it would be to get some photos of the girls amidst the astounding array of tulips and daffodils.) Well, I did manage to get one photo of the girls peering between the beads leading into the tropical room, but that was the extent of their patience. (Their patience and endurance for shopping, however, was something that would make Auntie Carol proud.)

Much to Rachel's surprise, things got prickley again later . . .

(Click on photo to enlarge!)

The girls were lamenting that everyone else in school had gone south for Spring Break.
So . . . on the way home from church on Sunday, we decided to head south too! I don't really think that French Lick was what they had in mind, but when I mentioned the resort had its own bowling alley, they were sold!!! (Sorry, Larry Bird just didn't have the same attraction.)

Our travels were varied: train, horse, Jaguar, golf cart, bowling shoes and rocker. (The trolley wasn't running.) Steve and I also did some trail-riding on our mountain bikes. Whew those hills are BIG!!! It gave us (me) a whole new appreciation for northern Indiana.

French Lick is definitely a town that time forgot. That's not all bad, (I've always been partial to off-beat, time-warp kind of places) but I must admit that Donald Trump and gambling may be the only way to keep this truly one-of-kind resort alive. The history of French Lick and its neighbor, West Baden, is fascinating . . . I recommend a detour, the next time you are in the area.

We saw Tracy in one of her last performances at Hanover this weekend. As you can see by the photo, she has much better stage presence than her father and all of them are characters!!!

It takes 1 week to get ready for vacation and at least 2 weeks to catch up after vacation . . . hence the time delay in posting our latest adventure.

In March, we travelled to Longmont, CO where we met Bubby (aka Eric) and his friend Stephanie. Steve had an Orion Software board of directors summit at Keystone. Brandon Fuller, the President of Orion himself, along with his charming wife and daughter, hosted our short break from reality.