Benjamin Franklin Comes to Call

Our own son played the role of elder statesman at the homeschool field trip today. He even brought his famous key! Don't you just love his stockings, bald forehead, and cane! The library is hosting the travelling exhibit which was created for the 300th Birthday of Benjamin Franklin. Each visitor could have their photo taken with "Old Ben," and he helped answer some trivia questions. He also passed around some tea he had leftover from the Boston Tea Party, where people got so tired of paying high taxes that they resorted to illegal activity. (!) But I digress on the political implications. Back when I was expecting the twins, I wanted to name one "Benjamin" in hopes that he would desire to serve his fellow citizens in a political capacity. You need a strong sounding name for a tough job like that--maybe some day there will be a Senator Schmidling from Missouri.

Buying the Works at Apple

Meggar picked out a MacBook and iWorks from the Apple Store today. She had graduation money to spend, and this is a great investment. As a university student, she received several discounts plus a free printer! She's happiest about the Apple sticker for her windshield.

Minnesota Hockey Weekends

The twins' summer team took first place in their division this weekend in Minnesota. They couldn't believe the "Herb Brooks Training Center" was free to hockey players, and Captain said they stayed long enough to shoot close to 500 pucks between both boys. They also enjoyed seeing players from three of their former teams around the rink. Plus Aunt Mary had them over for dinner so you know they ate well on Saturday night. On the long drive home, I heard about Winger's amazing saucer pass and Polar Bear's flick-behind-his-back-foot/off-the-boards-to-himself pass! They have convinced me they are old enough for really long hockey hair. See what you think.

Michael Buble in Concert

Meggar and I were fortunate enough to receive last-minute tickets to the Sprint Center for Michael Buble's concert!! We were so excited we could SCREAM! And we did once or twice. Meg invited a few friends to the suite--Hannah, Andrew, and TJ. (Boy, can they eat! ha) The songs were amazing and the multi-level stage showcased the talented musicians, too. Angela and I shared a bottle of Pinot Grigio and sang along to "Just Haven't Met You Yet." We also danced to "Everything."

Dorito's Birthday

Our "Big 15" has turned 15!! Dorito read the second half of the Driver's Handbook straight through (in about 3 hours) and then announced I needed to take him to the testing center. He passed! Now he has a learner's permit. We gave him a key to the Previa as part of his birthday gifts. And I made another special menu item from Julia Child--Chicken Fricasse. I'm in the mood for French cooking since returning from there, and having seen the movie "Julie & Julia" before. The recipe resulted in an incredible dish. Of course, there is half a stick of butter, 2 egg yolks, and cream in the sauce so it tastes rich and velvetty! Not much left in the bowl...

Flying Lessons

Meggar flew for the first time last Friday. She is the one who has been asking the longest for this opportunity, and she made the most of it. Captain let her do a take-off (!) as well as fly over the house and flooded river.

Enrollment Day at Truman State

It took slightly less than 3 hours to drive to Kirksville, when we were anticipating a longer trip. Meggar and I arrived at Truman State early this morning and truly felt the presence of her guardian angel throughout the day. We bumped into her roommate at the coffee pot first thing! Erin and her mom are from St. Louis and were so pleasant to spend time with. The girls have several things in common: volleyball, musical interests (percussion and piano), and fine food (Erin is hostessing at a posh restaurant this summer). Everything worked out smoothly with enrollment. Meggar quizzed out of two semesters of French so will take French 3 and British Lit. as well as the required music classes of a piano major. She met with the head of the music dept. as well as her piano professor. They were informative and welcoming. I think the small class size and academic reputation of Truman will guarantee her a great learning environment. (I’m still a little nervous.) We stopped over at Joyce Shively's home before driving back. She is Gr. Elizabeth's friend from Army days and will be a local contact for Meggar this fall.