ToPEkA!!!

I'm here!!! :-)

Quiet....again

The girls left....then came back. Car troubles. But now they are off again. Michele is going to Topeka with Jesssica. And is it ever quiet!!!! Roger is at work....I'm going to clean house and wash clothes....and Jorge is outside. It is BEAUTIFUL!!! I can't believe that it is the end of December. I even have a couple of windows open. OH MY!! I'm sure this nice weather will get us in the behind!

Tomorrow is back to work. Yuck! But...... Tuesday when I get off work...I'm heading to Topeka. Michele and I are going to a FHSU vs. Washburn girls basketball game on New Years Eve. We are going to spend a few days with Jessica and then come home the end of the week. I'm sure we girls will have a great time bonding!!! :-)

POPcorn BaLLs........

Sisterly love! I am cracking a gut. Jessica and Michele are making popcorn balls......... for me. :-) But I really wonder who is in charge. I think they both "think" they are! I wish I had a video camera right now..... laugh!

Marley & ME......Happy Birthday Roger!!!

TEaR! Tonight the girls and I took Roger to see "Marley & ME" for his BIRTHDAY. At first I wasn't so sure about the movie. I kind of had troubles really getting into it. The theater was FULL!!! And then the movie started 30 min late. So we were getting pretty restless. Not to mention that usually the theater is cool and was it ever HOT tonight!!! In the end......the movie was ok. (Not one that I would take little kids too.) The end sure was a tear jerker! I bet there wasn't a dry eye there. All you heard was the sniffles!! But we did enjoy the bonding time we shared. Happy Birthday Roger!!!! :-)

Merry Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to all!!!! And YES Jessica made it home. YEA!!!

BURRRRR!

What can a person say.... we live in Kansas. Wind!!! COLD!!! It is suppose to snow...but how much? I wonder if Santa Claus will be able to get here? The wind just might blow him right on by. The wind is howling loud enough tonight that it sounds like the roof is going to fly off. Hopefully Jessica will be able to make it home for Christmas. I would hate to have to open her presents.... :-)

Movie TiME

27 Dresses.... Michele and I decided to have a movie afternoon. We just kind of vegged out and did nothing but watch movies. What fun we had. Jorge even joined us. What a silly dog. He thinks he is "cold". He snuggled with whomever had the warmest lap. Then this evening Roger, Michele and I made a quick trip to Hays. Picked up a few things for Christmas and a few groceries. We ate supper at AppleBee's then came on home. Now Michele and I are on our computers..... and Roger is already in bed. What a SCROOGE!!!

#16

Yesterday.......10:30am...... between finals.......FIRE ALARM!!!!

December 15, 1986

Jessica Kay Ummel.....8 lbs 2 oz., 20 inches long

Born at 7:32 pm

Happy 22nd Birthday Jessica!!!!

Run Fast, Turn Left

Thursday evening Michele had a track scrimmage. It was lots of fun to just sit in the stand and watch the kids have fun!!

UpDatE, uPdATe!!

Michele wrote ...... "fire alarm at 1:15 am. it was freezing, this time some dummy on the 2nd floor pulled it. we stood out there a while. they finally let us back inside but not into our rooms. im not sure what time we got back in, i think around 2." This makes #15!! Everyone who is tired of people pulling the alarms....meeting tonight at 9pm.

Ummel Thanksgiving

The Ummel Thanksgiving was fun but yet sad day. This was our first big holiday without Grandpa. That made the day rough. But the fun part was meeting the newest member of our family. Teagan.... what a cutie. Everyone waited and took their turn getting to hold her. But Great Grandma was first in line. Great Grandpa sure would have loved his first Great Grandchild. We ate lots of food and visited. The kids were in and out most of the day. Alan and Tanner even took Kim with them to hunt down the coyotes. (We said they were going to use her for coyote bait. Haha) And no....they didn't get the coyote. Everyone had a enjoyable day!!!!! :-)

BlaCK FrIDay

We divided and conquered!!! Have you ever seen lots of women RUNNING into Wal-mart? They do! And @ 4:30AM!! In the SNOW!! Jessica, Michele and I were one of the "DUMB" ones who got up @ 3:30 am so we could hit the day after Thanksgiving sales. And we did well! We wanted a new tv after the electrical contractors blew out ours. AND WE GOT IT!!!! YEA!!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Get Jenny!

Be careful!! If you don't smile...you WILL get a kiss!

Lots of fun!

Kisses for Aunt Charlene...Lots of love

Grandma's Love

Grandpa's Love

Sweet Jessica Kay

Grandpa and Grandma

(As Jessica says....Gilligan on his 3 hour tour)

Sister's minus 1



Fire! Fire!

Thanksgiving was pretty great this year. The whole family was home and we had a wonderful time. We started out remembering the "good ole days" with Grandma starting a fire in the oven and setting off the fire alarms. We filled our tummy's. We visited. And as promised to Char.... we put up the Christmas tree.

Vacation

Mom, Dad and Char went on "vacation" this weekend. Midland Marketing (Dad's employer) took them to Harrah's Casino in Topeka for a night of food, fun and gambleing. Jessica met up with them and ate supper. Then gambled away. Sounds like they had lots of fun but were ready to get home.

You've got to be KIDDING ME!!!!

This last week there have been electrical contractors replacing the electric lines on our road. Every night I have been coming home to a home that was cold and no lights. YUCK!! Friday morning one of the men knocked on my front door. (I was off work for the day) They were turning the electricity off for the WHOLE day. They said the would bring me a generator so that I would have heat. It was so COLD!! Let's say that was NOT the best choice. The generator didn't work right. POWER SURGE! Yep...you guessed it. I finally told them to just turn it off. It was not working right. When they turned the electricity back on..... my tv and stove was not working. They have been here today and the news is in. They are going to be able to fix my stove. NOT the tv. BUT...... they are going to replace it. YEA!!!! Even thou I have not enjoyed the last few days I do have to say that those guys were very nice. They really have went out of their way to keep us warm. I thank them for that!!!! Jorge has NOT liked this week at all!!! Obviously he does NOt like the cold. Every time you would cover up with any blanket....he would snuggle under. I do have to say that it was cute. Michele came home today from college for Fall Break and Thanksgiving. As soon as she laid on the couch and covered up..........

Update

Michele wrote........ "update the fire alarm count... we had one last night at 2 am, that makes 14"

TaXi

Life is like a taxi. The meter just keeps a-ticking whether you are getting somewhere or just standing still. -Lou Erickso

SMokEY the BeAr

FIRE! FIRE! Michele moved into the dorms on August 21st. And if there is one thing that is making her mad.......it is the FIRE ALARMS! The first alarm went off when some guys....no doubt....GUYS!!!! decided to warm up their pizza (wrapped in tinfoil) in a microwave. DUH! You name it....it has been done. The kids have pulled the alarms for fun, put tinfoil in the microwave, sprayed hairspray in front of the alarms, anything to set off the alrams.

On Saturday Michele got a text from her boyfriend Andy..... "HAHAHAHAHAHA". Michele texted him back..."HAHAHA what?" Andy.... " We are at the football game. The fire alarms are going off at the dorm." Michele... " HAHA, I'm at the mall." Late that evening Michele and Andy were watching a movie in her dorm room..... the alarm went off again. Andy... "Grab your shoes, keys, coat and the movie. We're out of here! Let's finish the movie at my place!" After the movie Michele went back to the dorm and went to bed. On Sunday morning....around 2am...guess what????? NO JOKE!!!!! AGAIN!!! As Michele and her roommate Tarin was going out the front door of the dorms a couple of their friends were just getting in for the night and was just driving in the driveway. "GET IN! QUICK!" her friend yelled. So Michele and Tarin got in and they parked the car. While the 596 other kids stood in the cold, Michele and her 3 friends sat in a warm car for a hour.

I've decided to keep track of the "FIRE" trucks coming to visit McMindes Hall...FHSU! Right now we are at lucky number 13. Will keep you all up to speed.

Where I'm needed

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." -Douglas Adams

Getting OLDer

"We all get heavier as we get older because there is a lot more information in our heads." -Vlade Divac, Basketball Player

Maid of Honor

On October 11 Jessica was the MAid of HonOR for her friend Lydia. The wedding was in Beloit. From the sounds of it.....FUN , Fun, FUN!!!

I Resign

This was in our local paper this week and I thought that everyone would get a kick out of it!!! This is for Jessica...........

-I am hereby officially tendering my resignation as an adult. I have decided that I would like to accept the responsibilities of an 8 year old again.
-I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four-star resturant.
-I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and make a sidewalk with rocks.
-I want to think M&M's are better than money, because you can eat them.
-I want to lie under a big oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summer's day.
-I want to return to a time when life was simple, when all you knew were colors, multiplication tables, and nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know, and you didn't care. All you knew was to be happy because you were blissfully unaware of all the things that should make you worried or upset.
-I want to think the world is fair. That everyone is honest and good.
-I want to believe that anything is possible.
-I want to be oblivious to the complexities of life and be overly excited by the little things again.
-I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones.
-I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow.
-So....... here's my checkbook and my car keys, my credit card bills and my 401K statements. I am officially resigning from adulthood.

Move In Day

On August 21, 2008 we took our "baby" to college. Michele started college at Fort Hays State University. She is running on their track team. What a day of excitement and terror. Excitement for Michele and TERROR for us. I wasn't sure what Roger and I were going to do with our time!!!

Game

"If life doesn't offer a game worth playing, then invent a new one." -Anthony J. D'Angelo

tWo dEgREeS

Surprise!!!!!! We got the phone call..... "Mom, you know when I said I wouldn't graduate for another year and a half. Ya.... I was wrong. I will walk in May." Jessica is going to graduate from Washburn University with TWO degrees on May 16, 2009. What a surprise for not only us but Jessica. She has worked so hard for this and has done it in a short time. You go girl!!!!! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!

"Risks must be taken, because the greatest hazard in life is to risk nothing." - Leo F. Buscaglia

Life

" I do not believe in an afterlife, although I am bringing a change of underwear." - Wood Allen

Manhattan

This last weekend Michele and Andy....... Michele's boyfriend, went to Manhattan to meet Andy's sister and then on to Hanover to meet Andy's parents on Sunday. They met up with Jessica on Friday. A Big Thanks to Yawanna and Francis for putting up with my children! They went shopping.... visited Pillsbury Crossing..... and went to the "Top of the mountain"....... LONG STORY!!!! What FUN they had!!!! Yawanna kept them just a laughing!

Prayers

Today I ask everyone to say some special prayers for a co-worker and good friend of mine. Donnell.... Her Mom had a stroke and died on Monday. Today was "Granny's" funeral. We want Donnell and her family to know that they are all in our thoughts and prayers. No words will make it better.

WRONG

Yep!!!! You guessed it! The weatherman was wrong. We only got snow flurries. Gosh darn it! And here I told Char that Santa Claus was coming. NOT! Guess we will just have to wait till Christmas. On a funny note..... Jorge is such a sissy! He thinks it is too cold. Not that he can tell me that.....but when the dog is laying under the blanket.... he is cold. Then this evening Roger started the stove downstairs and what did Jorge do? He pulled his bed to the top of the stairs and is sound asleep there. Must be warm!!

Buuurrrrrr

Ok..... This will get old fast! Last week I complained about the rain. Yesterday..... MORE rain! And once again this morning Roger was in our attic at 1:30am. One leak.... And where would it be but right over MY side of the bed. Just my luck! Then you can say it can only happen in Kansas..... Rain last night and today....and SNOW....no joke.....SNOW tonight and in the morning. Our little spot on the map is saying 4" to 6". But we will see. All I know is it is really cold outside and the wind is blowing like CRAZY! I had to call Char and tell her that Santa Claus can come to my house tonight but not hers. HAHA

Rain

It is raining AGAIN! Yesterday morning at 3:15am Roger was in our attic. We had not only one....not two....but three leaks in our bedroom! Go figure. And we just had a new roof put on this summer. My Mom and Roger wasn't jokeing on Sunday when they said we needed to build a ark. So yesterday we had a call into the roof man. Also the telephone man..... we could call out but nobody could call us. There was a short in the box on the side of the house. Oh....did I mention that our basement is leaking too?? So back to the rain right now..... all the water seems to be outside....for the moment.......

Wings

The beginning of August Michele decided to try out her wings and fly. Her and two of her friends decided to go on a "Road Trip". Topeka..Kansas City & World's of Fun. My first thought was I could get a ride to Topeka with them and spend the weekend with Jessica. NOT! With a roll of her eyes... "Mom, you can NOT take your mother on a road trip!" Ok..... so I tried. The "Road Trip" started out well. Made it to Topeka. The part to Kansas City got a little tricky. Something called.... LOST! But they did make it to World's of Fun. The problem there was.....

STUCK!

You know....ur biggest fear! Yep! 15 minutes! I got the call.... "Hey Mom, you know the Boomerang? Ya..... We got stuck on it. Sure?... NO JOKE! We just went thru the loop and was coming from upside down. It screeched to a stop. Sat there for 15 minutes. They came and asked us who to call phone numbers BEFORE they moved it manually down to an flat area. The dude in front of me said that was so they knew who to call in case of an accident! And all I got when they got me off was a free cup of water!"

After a LONG... HOT day, they headed back to Topeka. NOT! They went east instead of west...... So, this time they made a call to Cousin Katie. She got them turned around and going in the right direction..... Michele.. "OH MY GOSH!!!! I almost killed the guy on the motorcycle!" Katie.. "Is he still on the motorcycle or laying on interstate?" Michele.. "He is on his motorcycle." Katie.. "That is ok...u did not kill him."

The girls spent the night with sister and then headed home the next day. My thought for the day .... The problem with teenagers is they just don't think they need directions. Michele's thought for the day.... Getting lost is why they call it a "ROAD TRIP!"

Elephants

Early June was the day of the Elephants. Haha! Yes Elephants! There was some pretty good storms that kept going thru our area. This day was no different. The storms had a lot of hail and wind in them. And even a funnel cloud that kind of jumped right over our house. I tried to take a picture of it as Roger was at his Moms, but sorry. I got scared! Haha!!!!!! After the storm I called into work at the hospital and heard.... the alarms are going off....there are two elephants on the lose in town. Elephants? Yes elephants! The circus was in town and when the storms went thru it scared the elephants. Man did we make the news that day! They caught the first one right away but the second one decided to "tour" our little town. Nobody got hurt. Maybe some grass got stomped but that was all. What a funny day!