The joy of OPK*

*OPK=Other People's Kids

What's a picture taking fool to do when her own kids decide to play camera shy for the summer of 2014?   Why you turn the camera on the neighborhood kids...

Clearly they didn't mind that crazy neighbor lady snapping away....

Even one of the mamas said "sure" when I asked her to step into the shot...

And let's not forget the joy of OPD...

*other people's dogs...

This is Valkryie...a 2+ year old German Shepherd who was our house guest this past week...

ALWAYS ready for her close up be it in the house..

in the side car...

 or even up on the top of Mount Evans...

 But what about the kids?  

Oh don't worry....Moosey is still around...

He's mastered the art of "selfies"...

Oh you mean the Things?    

Yeah...they are sort of getting tired of Mom and her ever present camera..

I've had to be a bit sneaky about it...

Yes there is a rare sighting of Thing One...awake, moving and OUTSIDE enjoying the fresh mountain air?

Yep, we've got photographic proof that he can survive outdoor activity...

With Thing Two taking his turn at the jousting by side car adventure a few weeks ago...

Yesterday this one...

turned 17....ah yes...another chance to capture him doing something other than 

hibernating for the summer 

(he graciously gave up his bedroom for the various company we've hosted this past week, roughing it in the basement...mini fridge right out of the view of the camera)...

He and Moosey took a trip down Memory Lane...

where he found it rather amusing he's got a relative named Conception?

And while the kid has little interest in cake, he sure does enjoy the presents that come with a birthday...

And equal time for the younger Thing? 

Yeah...he made an appearance and spent some time with the family...

(we've actually seen a lot of him this past week...

ok, so he's been grounded and as such has nothing else to do BUT hang with the old folks)...

As I finish up this post of bits and pieces, I'm reminded of a line I heard on one of my FAVORITE shows. 

(Call the Midwife:   watch it, I promise you'll find it time well spent)

  Nurse Jenny Less reflected 

"For What is Joy if it goes unrecorded and what is love if it is not shared?

Yes, sometimes I'm recording the joy of my own family and sometimes it is the joy of others...but in the end..

it is joy in my life that I take time to reflect on and remember!

Make it a good one! 

Going Home

Who says you can't go home?   

Yeah, yeah, I get what Thomas Wolfe observed that one can't go home.  That attempts to return to youthful memories will always fail.   But this past weekend, I sure did have a great time connecting with friends and family back "home".  

I was able to spend time with a few favorite couples....

*Not pictured are my aunt and uncle, here's one from last September with my dad

Not sure why I didn't snap a current picture....I think we were so absorbed in visiting that I failed to pull out the camera...

I was able to spend a Sunday with these three forever friends...

Where we toured the Historic home of these Broadway Icons...

 If you are as clueless as I was....that's Lynn Fontaine and Alfred Lund..

and this is their house...

Ten Chimneys...

 tucked away just down the road from where I grew up....

 Yep, that's their restored chicken coop

and this is the bedroom inside of said Chicken Coop

 Yeah, not your average Wisconsin farm that's for sure...

I sampled the good eats found on pretty much every corner....

I enjoyed time with man's best friend...

And of course...there were plenty of reasons to laugh...

And yet....eventually all good fun must come to an end..

 it is indeed time for me to head back home to these guys...

They needed me too.....

In the blink of an eye...

Stay tuned....more fun times await this wonderful kid I call Thing Two!



Just as I did for Thing One when he finished up middle school, I've put together a collage of pictures of his school days, mostly firsts and last days with a few tossed in between.   I know that many great things await this young man, but for today, I'm pausing and looking back at how much he has changed and grown and celebrating this milestone moment of wrapping up the middle school era.

Homebodies need not apply

A busy week here at the House of Chang...Ok, a busy week for Thing Two.
Thing One kept out of the camera lens by studying for his finals (which, by the way, he is acing!  He apparently is a second semester strong finisher type student!)

 First Stop....Final Orchestra concert...

Tusen Takk to the talents of Ms. Ravnan...

 Second Stop....8th grade awards night

where yes, he was honored for his contributions to the music program...

Because, well, they don't hand out ribbons for most forgotten grammar worksheets?

And third stop....8th grade dance...

where he would be the escort for the girl next door....

Ok, if we're gonna get technical....she lives around the corner...but still...

Proud Mama?  Gee How could you tell...

Thanks to Colleen for capturing and sharing a photo of me and the younger Thing!

The Graduate that was late

Today was graduation day for the school where I work.   A graduate showed up really late today.  As in everyone had walked in, the pledge had been said, and the last bars of the national anthem were being sung.

She shows up and in my judgmental but silent voice I thought "Gee Girl, why'd you even bother?"

I was even more surprised to see an administrator and her assistant hustling around to get her chair put back in place.   Where was their scowl?

Later,  learned that this young graduate was late because first she went to our school (we have the ceremony at a local university arena, a good 30 minutes from where the school is).   It was locked up and she didn't know what to do.  

You see, this young graduate has been living in her car since her mom took off for who knows where.   This young graduate has attended 5 different high schools in 4 years following her mom and apparently this time she decided she was staying put.   Yes, even if it meant she lived out of her car until she finished up her classes and earned her credits.  

Why did she go to the school in the first place?   Seems she went there in hope of being able to take a shower in the locker room, something our administrators have been aware of and assisting with.

It breaks my heart to think of the determination it took for her to make it to graduation.   What thoughts she must have had as she raced downtown, hoping to make it in time.   And how heart warming it was to see a usual gruff-by-the-book administrative assistant smile at this young lady and hurry off to make sure a chair got placed back in her row.  

What a timely reminder for me...I may know their name (as was the case today), but that doesn't mean I know their stories.   I may have heard what she had done, but clearly I had no idea what she had been through.

Congratulation to this young graduate, and the 550 classmates that received their diplomas today!
Here's a few of my favorite photos from today's graduation...

Way to go ILC graduates!

 This young man, was one of the first to arrive...he just couldn't stop smiling the whole time...

The beauty of working in the neighborhood school, I've known this fella since he was in 1st grade!

 Twins...this young man has a heart of gold and the love he shows in helping care for his sister...

well, you'd just have to see it to believe it!

We shouldn't have favorites...but this one is one my favorite clinic visitors!  

My favorite Things

The past few weeks have just gone by in a blur.   But it's been a happy blur as the time has been spent doing some of my favorite things.

For starters, Hubby and I enjoyed a recent his-and-hers weekend.   I've mentioned this concept before, but you know, he gets to do the things that make him happy, and I head off and do my own thing.  We return rested and refreshed, ready for whatever rolls our way.

 For Hubby, he got to spend the weekend with his friend R. who was visiting from Alaska.   R and his wife took really good care of Hubby during his adventure to Alaska last year so it was nice to return that favor, even if our hosting was small by comparison to the hospitality they provided during mechanical delays last Spring.

So, while Hubby had a weekend of male bonding, I headed off to a local hotel with this gal.    Sure, it is an old picture, but that handsome fella checking out the goodies with his mama is due to graduate high school in a matter of weeks.   So we loaded up our crafting stuff and she worked at warp speed to finish up his school days album in time for the big reveal at Graduation Day.   I just provided the comic relief and encouraging words....as I've got a couple more years before that milestone reaches our doorstep.  

With little time left to bask in the glow of a weekend away, I had a party to get ready for.   One of my favorite traditions is hosting an Easter Lunch.   As you can see, I've been doing it for many years now...

 With Easter falling on 4.20, and our state being the butt of several jokes now at we've legalized marijuana,well...the Lovely Lish girls sure know how to kick it up a notch on the fun factor...

Yes,it your look closely the bunny was indeed lighting up...

No sooner had we put away the dishes from our party, was it time to shift gears for another event.  

  I sent Hubby off to the hills...

I hear they are alive with the sound of Urals this time of year...

While I remained home to get the house company ready for Grandpa's visit (Oh, don't cry for me quite yet, I've got my own girls weekend planned for June).

 A few cocktails were enjoyed

And a couple stories were told...

But the real reason for the visit was to catch the debut of 

Featuring a cast of many talented middle schoolers...

With one very special viola player making his pit orchestra debut!

So while some find rain drops on roses and whiskers on kittens to be their favorite things, I have enjoyed this past month filled with friendly faces, supportive family and memorable moments!

Facebook Fun

I confess:   I still like Facebook.   Supposedly it is on its way out with the young kids.   They've all moved on to Instagram, Twitter, and Vine videos.  According to my source (Thing 2, the resident expert on all things cool):   All that remains on Facebook are us old farts.   That's ok with me

For in the last few weeks, I've discovered a couple things that I really like about Facebook

• It's a great place to get rid of stuff.   I posted this picture of a book shelf I no longer had a need for (Hubby and I have been on a plan to simplify things around the house)   Within 7 minutes, someone from our Neighborhood Group Page said she'd take it!   Sweet!
  
• It's a great place to connect with forgotten friends and co-workers.   Last month, I found a message from someone asking if I was the same Martha stationed at Ft. Campbell and who made an awesome spinach dip?   Oh my goodness, yes, that was my specialty dish back when I was first learning how to cook, and what a treat it was to re-connect with this long forgotten colleague.   She travels to the Denver area occasionally with her husband, so fingers are crossed we'll get to meet in real time.  I might even have to dig out that recipe for Spinach Dip (although these days?   Safeway makes one that is really good and way less messy than trying to drain frozen spinach.)
• And finally, it's a great place to walk down memory lane. The newest Facebook trend seems to be something called Throwback Thursdays.    I've been having a great time, sifting through forgotten photos and posting a few of my favorites....trying to match a picture with something relevant for the week.   Here are just a few of my recent postings on FB
  
  
  

First Day of Spring?

A perfect time to remember Spring 2000 (before digital cameras)

The eve of Spring Break?

Why not try to capture that sense of anticipation we were all feeling...even Thing One circa 2001

And when it snows on the first Thursday of April?

Time to remember when as Georgia girls, we traveled north to visit the grandparents..

such a treat for us and our dear dog Max!

Which brings us to today...

Who knew it was National Sibling Day?

A perfect time to remind my sister of that famous quote...

"I smile because you are my sister, I laugh because there is nothing you can do about it"...

Yes, nobody is safe now that I know how to use my scanner and upload photos...

Friend me....and you too will see what foolishness I share on Facebook!