AAHGH Blogger Beta

I changed to the all new improved Blogger Beta and now I can't add photos to any other post, but now I've added one to this one. I've tried for 2 days... Of course, you can't return to the old blogger. I also can't sign on half the time. Crazy. Those are the funny looking kids pictures. Ryan was large and Lydia's hair stood straight up for the first 8 months.

If you read this go to the fabulous Follow Spot Blog and read about the Big Blogger contest. Vote for anyone but me! I will pay you with my adoration.

I got a job today teaching part time as a Resource Specialist in a school in Vista, CA. It is great, but what to do with Ryan. If he were potty trained, I'd at least be covered for the time he could be in the great preschool we made my nephew Ben stay up all night in line for in order to enroll the kids. He said it was like a rock concert with old people. A big thank you to Ben and to all who vote for anyone but me. I will share my Big Blogger prize with all.

Lydia's 5th B-Day

Happy Birthday to Lydia & Cousin Karen!

We have had some busy days around here. We went to Harrah's Rincon with my Mom and sister Linda. After teaching the kids to gamble so they could get new shoes, we sat around the pool all day. It was great fun. Lydia has completed Level 3 of Red Cross swimming and can dive as well as freestyle swim the Olympic length pool.

Then we came home to have Lydia's family birthday party. Karen couldn't make it, so we had to save that for Saturday.

Saturday was the kids party at the YMCA. We had 16 kids plus some extra siblings. Craziness. Thank goodness for my Mom and Linda pre-party helping Joel and me out. Grandpa Ed got the party supplies before he left, Joel was in charge of food, Mom and Lydia did goody bags, Linda made cupcakes and cleaned up after us. What did I do, you might ask? Well, we needed a manager. I might want to take a course. My Mom said we should order a cake, but Lydia wanted Hello Kitty cupcakes. I couldn't find anyone willing to make them, so I said I would do them. Mom said, just order the cake, making them will be too much. I insisted it would be easy. I bought the supplies, but when Linda went to make them the night before, there were no eggs. We were tired, so went to bed. Linda got up early the next morning to make them, but we had no oil (got the eggs). I had to take Lydia to opening day for soccer, so I asked my Mom to get the oil. When I got home from opening day, the party was in 1 1/2 and the cupcakes were coming out of the oven. After they cooled, I frosted and decorated one with Hello Kitty. After my Mom stopped laughing, she offered to decorate. So, she sat there the next hour painstakingly decorating each cupcake. I said it would be easy.

We got to the party at the last minute, threw up decorations. Lydia and the kids had a blast. A big thank you to Karen, Chris, Tony and Marguerite for all of their help at the party.

Afterward, we came back to the house and put up THE SLIDE. The MD, VA Schmidt Clan gave Lydia the most amazing slide for the pool for her birthday. Lydia, Ryan, Little Tony, and friend Olivia had a wild and fun time. It is a huge hit. We sang to Karen, and wished her a happy birthday. We later all collapsed.

*Please note that this post has an aberration that will not allow me to add pictures.

Big Blogger

Oh no, a Big Blogger contest. Stay tuned for insightful and interesting posts. I will first post my picture that is titled "Cheers to Mark Minnick".

Then you will note my old headshot which I must post in order to add it to my profile. I'm thinking of getting "The Rachael" hairdo again.


To read more about the contest faithful readers (Mom), look at this Blog of all blogs: http://www.thefollowspot.blogspot.com/

End of Summer

I love summer and we have had some fun. Of course, we kind of have 9 months of summer here, and just a few months of chilly 60's-low 70's...if that. The ocean has been really warm this summer. Lydia still has sand coming out of crevices from our last trip to the beach because she was rolling around in the waves.


We have also done a bit of potty training this summer. If Ryan could go to school naked, we would be good to go. I thought about sending him in a dress without underwear, because that would work, too. As soon as you put underwear on him, he just goes in that. He also has an aversion to going poo poo in the potty (using his lingo). It is really a mess, and probably my least favorite part of parenting. I should be happy I didn't have to clean all of the disgusting cloth diapers of days of yore, but then maybe I'd have been more motivated for this potty training thing. I know many parents like to wait until they are ready, which tends to be somewhere in the 3 1/2 year range, but pre-school starts this month. I also might add that experts say you should not react negatively/strongly to accidents. That is some feat when you have poo spread around the house. I will admit to reacting strongly. Carpet cleaners both professional and out of the bottle are my friends. Poor little Ryan turns 3 in October, and I hope I am not traumatizing him for life by making him face his greatest fear of pooping in the toilet.

So, off of the potty training, we went to see Sound of Music at an outdoor theater called Moonlight. They hire a couple of equity performers per season and cast mostly out of the area. The show was entertaining as a whole. The kids were cute, Von Trapp couldn't move his arms -kind of like a Ken doll, and he did a take to the audience at a point. Elsa and Max were perfectly played. They also added the movie songs in and cut nothing to create a really long show. I was entertained, but my non-theater friend was yawning. The really strange thing about the show was Maria. She seemed to be a very good actress and created a strong and believable character. She sang well...but her character was a goof. She reminded me of a young Granny from Beverly Hillbillies, complete with some high stepping strange dance when she thought she was alone. I kept trying to keep an open mind, thinking it was just a different Maria, but she was just so goofy and you couldn't believe Ken Von Trapp fell in love with her. Anyway, Lydia loved the show, but was especially distressed that Rolf was a turncoat. Alas.

Carlsbad is the Home of...

Legoland, of course! So, if you come visit us, we must take you. We take the Aunts when they come visit. Somehow the Uncles get out of it. Aunt Martha and Uncle Phil were visiting. Uncle Phil went golfing and Aunt Martha got to go to Legoland.



Karen is a trooper at Legoland and will take Lydia on rides (thank you very much). This time Karen's boyfriend Chris came as well. I won't take the kids on my own as it is too wild. So really, I perhaps use visitors as assitants at Legoland. Thank you to all who visit. We enjoy you for many reasons.

What's Going On Around Here?

It is hot, and we are really enjoying the pool!

Up Up With People

It was 20 years ago that I traveled in a group called Up With People. After a year and a semester at Millsaps College in Jackson, MS, I went to Tucson, AZ to learn the Up With People show and then travel! Now, for those of you that do not know, UWP is an international organization for people 18-29 with an opportunity to travel the world living with host families in communities, doing positive work in the communities they visit using music as a way to open doors and spread the message of peace and love. OK, it is much more updated version these days speaking of community involvement, and focusing on a specific charity in a community that the cast will work for and then the show profits will be donated(no peace and love mentioned), BUT it did all grow out of the peace movement in the 60's.



It was an amazing experience. The cast was 120 people. We traveled around the US with a LOT of time spent in TX doing a corporate tour for Sun Oil Company that was celebrating some anniversary. We went to Canada, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland and Italy. My Italian host moms prodded me to eat and eat and then laughed and pinched my cheeks and fat. I did enjoy the food in Italy except the day I couldn't understand what kind of meat they were feeding me, until my host mom whinnied. OH...Horse! Awww. I stayed in incredible places with wonderful families. I had a host dad in Germany come to get me and my 2 HUGE pieces of luggage on a bicycle. I stayed with nuns in a convent, learned a little bit of German, saw beautiful places, sad places, and met many interesting and wonderful people.




When the year ended, I thought that I would never lose touch with my Up With People family. 20 years later...It had been 15 years since I'd been in touch. How does that happen? We reunited in Tucson, AZ and it was so much fun! So good to see everyone who seemed to change so little. It was really an overwhelming experience and very emotional. It is difficult to explain what the Up With People year and the cast members meant to me. I'm just going to post some pictures. Enjoy the styles of the 80's! You may ask, if you had limited space, Jill, why did you bring that Mickey Mouse sweatshirt? Well, the white chenille stretch pants I'm wearing with it went with anything. You just had to make sure your socks were the right color to complement your outfit.




Ahhh...Up With People. So, if a show is ever in your area...Host a cast member from around the world! Go see the show, it will make you smile and leave you thinking anything is possible. And...If you are between the ages of 18-29 and would like an amazing educational experience while reaching out to others, give Up With People a try!

Reunion Addition!

Please add Rich and Kayla to the reunion crew! They were able to come for a time.

Family Reunion

Nearly every year, since 1989, the Ruemke clan has trekked to the Gull Lake cabin of our Minnesota relatives to join them for the Family Reunion. I believe I have only missed 4 years since we began, due to pregnancy or other commitments.






My Aunt Beth and her family have a wonderful cabin where we go to enjoy each other, laugh, eat, play games, slap mosquitoes, sit by the fire, water ski, tube, read, shop in Nisswa, fish, listen to loons and just be for 1-2 weeks.














Every year, I look forward to this time with the Minnesota family and all who gather. It is a happy time where adults and children play and we all reconnect. It is hard to believe that we have been going for so many years. Every year holds something special. This was the first year that I was there at the same time as the Krcmas and 4 of their truly darling children (my cousin once removed, Jean's family). It was a treat to be there together. Lydia had such a wonderful time playing with all of her cousins, and Ryan liked the dogs. Ted, Cindy and Conner drove up and we hadn't seen them in so long that I didn't recognize Conner. Kathy, Angela , her boyfriend Chad, Haley, and Kayla, Wendy and Michael (David for a day), Nancy, Jon, Heidi, Nicholas, cousin Jeff, Austin, and of course my Mom and Dad, and Grandma Beth. I hope that I haven't forgotten anyone. That is 29 people. People sleep everywhere, but there are luckily a lot of beds and sometimes tents, camper trailers and this year the Krcmas were sleeping on their boat. I must add a huge thank you to the family for hosting us and even giving me a bed every year, although I could sleep on a couch. Imagine 20 of your relatives invading yearly!




















We have had some special times up there. There was the year the Russians came and made Bullhead head soup, as well as soup from the mushrooms picked from the yard, weddings, water ski adventures and the year David worked on his kneeboard flip like a mad man, rock climbing Dad always working on some boat or the other, many baths in the lake, trips to the MN State Fair, seeing the Northern Lights, and Blizzards at Dairy Queen.

Babies arrive, loved ones die, children grow up, we grow old, and we go to the cabin in MN in the summer.

Reunions!

Oh, no one is going to check my blog again because it has been soooo long since I last posted. I have been having too much fun at reunions. First the annual MN family reunion at Gull Lake. It was a marvelous time. I look forward to that every year. Then I went to my 20 year Up With People reunion. That was really a remarkable time. I will update on both of these experiences with longer posts and pictures shortly! The kids and I went to MN, and then Joel kept the kids while I went to Tucson, AZ for UWP. Everyone is doing well!