The View from My Window

I have a beautiful view from my office window ... looking out at the Illinois River landscape, with one of the bridges to the north and a second bridge and the Peoria city skyline to the south. Every day the river scene is different ... some days it's as smooth as glass, other days windy and rough. Blue skies, stormy skies. Calm summer waters and ice glazed winter waters. Jumping fish and flying birds. Fishermen, pleasure boats, sail boats and barges. Always something to look at!

I often talk on my cordless phone when taking a work call and spend the time looking out at the river. A couple of weeks ago I saw an eagle skim the river and land in a nearby tree on the shore ... and today, it was this rainbow treat! It's faint and I only had my cell phone camera, but I think you can see it. Click on the picture for a larger view.

I keep saying I'm going to start a new blog to post a picture every day of the beautiful "View From My Window"

We Voted Today!

We voted today, and hope you did too! Here in Tremont the lines were manageable and we got right in and out, unlike the long lines I have seen in newscasts around the area. The perks of small town life! :-)

It was also Drew's very first chance to vote, which is an important day for a young adult to remember. Unfortunately, there are parts of the day he would prefer to forget ... because after he voted he stopped to grab a quick lunch on the way back to campus, and someone hit his car, left a big gash and dent on the passenger side rear panel ... and left the scene. Kenosha police were very quick to respond to his call for help and wrote up a report, but there really is not much to be done without a witness or other info. It really stinks, but I'm sure he will always remember his first voting day. The good and the bad of it!

Happy Halloween!

No school for the kids today due to parent-teacher conferences and the end of the first grading period ... so it's a double holiday! They are sleeping in and we are headed to the grade school at 8 am to meet with Abby's teacher, and to the middle school at 8:45 to meet with TJ's teacher. No conferences are set up for high school.

Last night it was time to turn our pumpkins into jack-o-lanterns ... carving time! TJ went for the scary look, and Abby at first wanted her pumpkin to look "happy" but then changed her mind and went for scary! ha We'll get some pics of them tonight when they are glowing for our trick-or-treaters!


Beverly had a great time with her pumpkin, getting it all cleaned out and planning the face. She cut the design herself and was quite proud of the finished product!

Halloween Parade

I took a quick shot of the kids before they participated in the Tremont Halloween Parade ... which means marching behind the fire truck for a few blocks, going to the grade school for a costume parade, hot dogs and cider. An event made just for a kid!






Abby chose the pink princess look (well there's a surprise ... NOT!) and even made a point to have her picture taken with a real princess at the parade ... Miss Tremont ... who Abby knew by name because she happens to be a good friend of Drew's!








The kids line up in age/grade order and get their chance to cross the stage and show off their costume. Abby did a pretty good job and marched across with much confidence!

TJ also had a great time and chose something a little more along the scary line ... a grim reaper type costume with light up eyes! They blink on and off and are kind of creepy! ha ha After the parade, one of the local churches had an area set up for the kids that was "Trunk or Treat" where the ladies of the church gave out candy, trick or treat style, from the trunk of their cars. Very cute idea, and the kids loved it!

Fall Family Weekend at Carthage!

Finally, Abby got to jump into Drew's arms after 8 long weeks of waiting since we dropped him off at Carthage on Aug 31!

In most of the pics she is either being carried by Drew or holding his hand, she never let him get too far away from her! ha ha I'll just put some pics on here and let them speak for themselves.

Click on any of the pics for a full size view


We had a great visit. Spent some time Sat afternoon around the harbor area in Kenosha and enjoyed a fall day on the beach of Lake Michigan. It was a cool afternoon but nice to walk in the sand and down by the lighthouse.

We stopped by the Jelly Belly center for a tour, but it was their big Halloween open house and there were hundreds of people in line for the tour! We settled for some free samples and fun in their retail center, and we'll go back on a "regular" day sometime.

Sat afternoon we ventured down to the edge of the Lake on campus, and the kids hung out around the water and sat in some of the "rock couches" that the students have built. We ate at a tailgate party prior to the game. The football game Sat night was pretty cold, but we bundled up and had a good time. It was fun to listen to Drew with the pep band, and there were fireworks at half time. The kids never complained once about being cold, they really enjoyed themselves.

On Sun morning Mitch took TJ and Abby swimming at the hotel while I went to the campus family church service. Drew sang with Carthage Choir during the service and it was great to hear them.

Then it was one more lunch in Kenosha and time to drop Drew back at the dorm. This time we only have to wait about a month until we see him again, as he will be home for Thanksgiving, and he has a full week break then. About halfway home, Abby said she missed him already! It will be really nice to have him home, but I do really enjoy our visits to campus because we can see how happy and comfortable he is there. He has settled into his new home and things are going well for him, and that is a good feeling for us.

Beverly had a fun trip to St Louis with the exchange student group, and I picked her up about 7pm last night. So now we are back in the school and work routine!

5th Grade Pumpkin Carving

TJ was excited to participate in a long standing 5th grade tradition ... the pumpkin carving contest!

Each child has an adult come in to help them (and dad came to the rescue for TJ!), and they have about an hour to create their masterpiece. Some people paint theirs, make animals out of them, carve them, some use gourds instead of jack-o-lantern type pumpkins ... but the fun part for the kids is making their pumpkin reflect something that the student is interested in. For TJ, that was of course NASCAR!

Last weekend at the pumpkin farm we searched and searched for just the right "oblong" pumpkin that could be sliced in half and make an oval race track. We wanted one flat on one side, so that could become the bottom and the track would not wobble around. TJ found just the right one, and then gathered up his mini-NASCAR's and things to decorate. We made a backdrop with "spectators" and named the pumpkin track "Scott Speedway". All in all, he had a great time!

My work this week on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition has been so wonderful and rewarding. The builder is dealing with rain over the past 24 hours, so there are some delays but it looks like we are in the clear now mostly through the end of the build on Monday. Can't wait to see the finished product ... and most importantly, the family's reaction when they come home on Tuesday. MOVE THAT BUS!!!

One Busy Week Down, One To Go!!

This past week was Tremont's Homecoming, and if you haven't had a chance to pop over to Beverly's blog to see all the fun from the week ... here is a link. I posted there each day, concluding with pics of her ready for the dance last night!

Ten Months in Tremont

Today was filled with pumpkin patch fun! I don't know if Beverly really knew what was going to be so fun about going to a pumpkin farm ... but she did have a good time!

TJ and Abby had a great time on the slide, and enjoyed it over and over and over and over ...

Then we moved onto the field to pick out just the right pumpkin to make our Jack-O-Lanterns for Halloween. After much looking and debate, we walked away with four perfect pumpkins that can look pretty on the porch until it's time to carve them up for Halloween night!

I made Beverly go out and stand in part of the corn maze ... she gets a kick out of all of the miles and miles of corn fields around here, so I wanted her to get a little closer to the corn and have a picture to remember it by! It's all brown and ready for harvest now, but it was miles of emerald green crops when she first arrived in August.

Then TJ capped off the visit with a ride in the monster truck while we girls waited for him. He was, of course, in complete and utter amazement and could not wipe the smile off of his face as the truck did donuts in the fields. ha ha

Starting tomorrow, my work world is going to be very, very busy. I am working on an
EXTREME project that will completely
MAKEOVER the
HOME of one lucky Central Illinois family in just a single
EDITION of one week. Any guesses what I'm up to? No fair cheating for my Lifelink mom friends who already know! :-)

Carthage Homecoming

It was a beautiful weekend in Kenosha, and so great to see Drew! Here are a few recap pics from this past weekend's visit with my in-laws! Click on any pic to see a full size view.

Fri night pep rally, with Drew's pep band in the background ...









Grandma gets an up close and personal visit from the Carthage Red Men mascot, Torchie!










Touring the Rec Center, "The TARC" ...











View of Drew's dorm building from the pep rally ...


Sat morning we started out early with a breakfast with Drew to recognize his scholarship award. It was a beautiful morning and breakfast included, like all views from Carthage buildings, a great look at Lake Michigan.

Then it was onto the parade! Drew dashed off from breakfast to a choir rehearsal, then onto change into pep band gear and meet up with them for the parade ...








Drew is on the back of the trailer, near the middle, playing the sax!




Then we ate lunch at an area near the football field where student groups had fundraiser food booths ... and it was onto the game. It was so beautiful outside that we actually got hot and a bit sunburned. We sat close to Drew's pep band area and enjoyed their entertainment during the game.






Sat night we took Drew and a friend out to dinner, and then on Sun we went back the campus church service in the Chapel. Drew walked Grandma and Grandpa down to an area that has "memory bricks" and is a beautiful plaza ...





And he told them of his plan to purchase a memory brick for Max's parents ... Drew's great-grandparents ... who attended Carthage College in the 1920's. It was a beautiful day and they enjoyed seeing the area and hearing about the brick.


Then it was time to head home. Always tough to say goodbye, but I'm so happy Drew found a good home in Carthage College. He is truly at the right place to begin his career journey and move into adulthood. In just two weeks, we'll return for Fall Family Weekend, which should be a great time again!

Kenosha Bound!

I'm very excited to be heading to Kenosha on Friday morning to see Drew for the first time in 6 weeks! I'm riding up with my in-laws and we have a weekend packed with activities to share with Drew.

We'll arrive mid-afternoon and have some time to talk before heading off to the homecoming pep rally, where Drew will play with pep band. After heading to dinner, I think he'll come back to the hotel to spend the night, and we have to be back on campus for an 8:30 breakfast where he will be recognized for some of his scholarship award.

Drew will dash off for a choir rehearsal that relates to a homecoming weekend performance, then straight to meet up with pep band for the homecoming parade. After the parade is the football game, and he will play with band there too. Then he's free for dinner and a visit, and on Sun we'll head back to campus for a bit.

We'll get back home Sunday late afternoon or evening, so it will be great to have the time for a visit. And the best thing is I'm going back up in 2 weeks with the whole gang to see him again for Fall Family Weekend. Abby does NOT think it's fair that I get to go now and she has to wait two weeks! ha ha

Will have pics of the beautiful campus to post on my return, I'm sure!

Happy 19th Birthday, Drew!!

I'm posting this a bit early, but just wanted to say that October 6, 1989 ... 19 years ago ... was one of the best days of my life! The day I became a mom for the first time, and the start of a wonderful 19 years raising a great son!

Happy Birthday, Drew!

It feels strange to be "celebrating" the day without Drew here! Since we couldn't do cake at home this year with Drew away at college, Abby and I baked some brownies that have already made their way to the dorm room ... and Abby has this special musical treat (??) for Drew!



I am so excited to be heading to Kenosha on Friday to see Drew for the first time in 6 weeks since we moved him into the dorm! I'm riding up with Mitch's parents for homecoming weekend, where we'll have a chance to see Drew with the pep band at a pep rally, the parade and the game ... but also we'll share a special breakfast event on Saturday in recognition of a scholarship award. Then in two weeks, the whole gang will be heading to Carthage College for "Fall Family Weekend" and a tailgate party and football game. Should be fun!

Enjoy your birthday Drew! Last one of your teen years! EEK!