I have been Easter egged !

Consider yourself Easter egged too !

http://egg.d21c.com/holidays/egg.swf

Please pray for Michael

For the last few months Michael has been complaining of pain in his feet . At first I thought it was probably the four nights a week of karate catching up with him but then I caught a glimpse of him standing without shoes or socks and knew there was a problem. Michael has had flat sort of misshapen feet since he was an infant , however the family doctor has always maintained that as long as he could walk , it would not be anything to worry about. Now, however he is in pain and his feet are appearing very misshapen. I knew there was call for alarm. I made an appointment with a podiatrist and he went yesterday. This particular podiatrist is a train fanatic and has his office full of pictures and even a running O scale train that runs around his waiting room. Michael was most impressed and very much at ease taking it all in. Soon we were back in a room and the doctor was looking at Michael's feet as Michael sat. the doctor seemed to wonder why Michael was having pain until he asked him to stand. At that point the doctor looked at me and said Oh No, lets get x rays. We did and a few minutes later the doctor came back. " His feet are so bad, they don't even resemble human feet " were the first words out of his mouth. He showed me the x rays and shook his head. " I don't know where to start" was the doctors next comment. He then explained many problems and stated that this was the worst he had ever seen and being only thirteen, this was unheard of. The doctor immediately used tape and an insole looking material to tape one foot but it wasn't enough. He said that he highly doubted that orthotics would help at all and started asking questions. When he asked about sports and we told him about karate, he looked down. We were given two options. First would be that Michael should quit karate,and we would try orthotics. OK, first of all quitting karate for Michael is not an option that he is willing to consider and secondly, this option would only work for a couple years maximum and then he would probably not be able to walk at all. The second option was surgery. We were told that we could wait a while but the longer that we wait, the more irreversible damage could occur. Michael wants to wait until after he tests in May but we are not deciding until next week when we go back to the doctors . Next week we will discuss if the taping of the foot has helped at all and if so if we can buy time before surgery or if we should do it ASAP. Either way, surgery is inevitable and a three month recovery is optimistic so please remember Michael in your prayers.

Back from North Carolina

We are back from our weekender in Maggie Valley North Carolina. We had a nice trip with beautiful weather not only for the visit but also for the drive up and back. The kids had a great time at the hotel swimming and playing video games with their cousins from Florida , who they do not see nearly enough.( pictures will be posted soon ) Mike's Aunt Marilyn was very gracious in opening her home to all ten of us and even coking us a lasagna dinner. I think we all had a wonderful time. The only problem was that it was way too short. We got in Friday evening and had to leave Sunday morning.The drive home was quite rushed as we had to pick the dogs up by six at the doggy hotel and then Mike was asked to record our parish mission and burn it to DVD for parish's video library. The plan was to leave the Hotel by eight at the latest but of course that didn't happen and we left at nine. Due to this minor detail our lunch/ dinner consisted of drive through sandwiches . Gas stops also doubled at restroom breaks . For the most part it all worked out though. We were twenty minutes late picking up the dogs but thankfully the owner stayed open for us and the dogs didn't have to spend another night. Mike also made it to church just as the first song was being sung. Unfortunately the rest of the family missed church but at least we have the video. Next trip we take I will make sure that I don't have anything else planned for at least a couple days after.

Jesus painting

YouTube - Jesus Painting

This You Tube video is a tad longer than most but well worth your time.

Thank You Kim !

Michael gets closer

Last night at karate Michael got a small amount closer to an answer on testing. While talking to his karate instructor he was told to disregard what he was told at advanced training about the mandatory wait. As I thought, this is a suggestion and though few are able to deviate from this time frame and actually pass the test, it is not an actual rule . Michael's sensei will make some calls and Michael will probably have to sign up for a pretest at the April advanced training in Columbus . I have been asked why it is so important for Michael to try to break all the norms and advance so fast. Some have even suggested that Mike and I push him too hard and should back off and let him just be an average kid. To these people ,who I am sure mean well, I sometimes just walk away, figuring that I really don't owe anyone an explanation. However, to many I do explain. Michael started Shotokan karate at the age of five with a very real goal. My little brother Curtis was a black belt at the time and held the record for the youngest at thirteen to receive a Shotokan black belt in the United States. Michael has always looked up to Curtis and made it clear from the beginning that his goal was to earn a black belt before he was thirteen, breaking Curt's record. Michael took this seriously and worked hard. Michael had many set backs as his first Sensei closed the school . This doesn't seem like a big deal to many but ShotoKan schools in the US are few and far between. Many US karate schools are Americanized and geared towards profit as opposed to mastery of a martial art. Michael spent a year working by himself with an occasional lesson from Curt when he could fit him in between school, work , and his busy life. After a year, We were thrilled to find another ISKF school. I should have been discouraged from this school when I seen the hefty tuition prices along with a contract that I needed to sign but we jumped in. A year later when our contract was over Michael was without a school again. Mike and I talked and decided that the closest school where Michael would have a shot at ever receiving a black belt ( let alone make his goal) was almost an hour's drive. We decided to dedicate ourselves to this for him . Three days a week for a year I drove him. he finally received his final brown belt and started a years wait for his test. His goal looked impossible as his year would not be up until a month after his thirteenth birthday. Michael did not give up though. He kept doing his best and won first place in Kata ( form ) and Kumite (fighting ) at our region's yearly tournament. Upon seeing this exceptional performance the head of our region asked him and his sensei when he was testing for his black belt. They explained the situation and Michael was granted the OK to test. His goal was made against the odds ! After this achievement we encouraged Michael to relax a bit before he trained intensely for his Nidan ( second degree black belt ) but he said his new goal was to pass Curt's rank. ( Curt is now a Nidan) We thought this may be too much friendly competition at first but then Michael explained, He wants to receive a college scholarship and his ultimate goal is to be on the US Olympic team some day. If he breaks all the records now as a young teenager, his goals and dreams will have a better chance at becoming reality. Michael knows that these are his goals and that he can change them if he wishes, but for now he is doing his absolute best at what he loves !

Saturday

The Parkhurst men are back from Columbus.However, unfortunately Michael still has no answer as to whether or not he can test in May. Then men attended the advanced training which was good but the people who they had to talk to were unable to attend. The senior official that was there told Michael that he was ineligible to test until December because there is a two year mandatory wait between Shodan and Nidan. We were aware that this rule existed but were told that this was not set in stone. As a matter of fact Michael tested for his Shodan only five months after he earned his final brown belt, when the "rule" states that you must wait at least a year. So now we are not real sure what will happen but even if he is made to wait it isn't that big of a deal. Of course we will surely talk to the man with the final say and see what we can do.

Cindy also had a good Saturday as all went well with her dress. The company sent the right dress in the right size and the right color and everything. We even got fifteen percent off because we showed up as the store's "live models" were handing out coupons. I would have taken a picture of her dress to post but Cindy wanted it to be a surprise and asked that I not even tell anyone the color.

Now it is getting close to bed time so I wish you all a blessed week !

Happy St Patricks Day !

St. Patrick's Day History - The History Channel

This is a good Basic site about St Patrick, Ireland, Traditions, etc. I am at least 1/4 Irish but being a mutt of sorts, I never really thought about Irish tradition until my kids became interested.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Change of mind !

The good news is that Robby changed his mind ( Ok he had a little persuading from me) and decided that it would be benificial to his karate career to see first hand how advanced trainings work. ( Since Mike records all the trainings , Robby has seen them but not up close and personal ) It turned out that Robby thought that Mike, Sensei David, and the the region's higher ups would force him to participate ,though he had no idea what he was doing ,if he went. After we talked and explained that not only did we not expect participation, but he was ineligable to participate even if he wanted, he was a little more at ease. So this morning at 6:00 I got the men up and ready to go. This proved to be a chore as I was running on only a couple hours sleep.
The problem started on Thursday, however it did not present itself as a problem until last night.On Thursday Mike and I went to Wal Mart while the boys were at karate. It was a nice ten minute drive and we were making the most of the time alone talking about this and that . ( OK I was talking and Mike seemed to be listening. ) Anyway all of the sudden, Mike got a funny look on his face and nicely asked me to be quiet for a minute as he heard a sound that he didn't like. The next thing I know , I am setting in the car at a auto parts store while Mike is inside. He came out to tell me that the part was at least one hundred fifty dollars. I said OK ( not having a clue what the part was or why we needed it )We picked up the boys and came home. Mike called the tire shop when we got home and scheduled an inspection after work Friday. That was all that was said so I didn't think much about it as I ran all of my many Friday errands. When Mike got home we went for the inspection. The first technician came out and said that he thought I had a bent wheel .( I assume he meant rim ) He then said that they balanced the tires and the mechanic was going to check the alignment . About forty five minutes later, the mechanic came in.Turned out the the problem was not a bent wheel but the wheel bearings ( I didn't know that wheels had bearings) Mike's fear was confirmed and he said that I should cancel Cindy's fitting today as the car should not be driven until fixed. I asked why and he said that this would cause the wheel to lock up as I was driving which would inevitably cause the car to flip over. Oh OK, then I remembered that earlier I was backing out of the drive and the car jerked to a stop like I had hit something. There was nothing there so I just blamed it on the snow and started going again. When I told Mike this his eyes got big. I will fix it tonight he said. After an hour in the parts store Mike had the parts . Luckily my older brother ( the one with every exotic tool known to man ) and my Dad were both off work Saturday and offered to help. By One in the morning, the car was done. Wow that was the quickest they ever did any car repair besides an oil change . I am so thankful that Mike has the ability to do this sort of thing as my brother mentioned that a job like that would have cost seven hundred to a thousand dollars at the shop. Also I am so thankful that this job didn't have the usual complications that My Dad's garage is plagued with. Thank you God ! Now I am off to pray that The men have a safe trip to Columbus and then get ready for Cindy's fitting. Thank you God !

Back to Karate

Finally Michael's hand has healed enough that he is allowed to fully participate in karate. He has gotten the go ahead to attend an advanced training tomorrow in Columbus and hopefully will get the thumbs up to test in May. Robby is not a high enough rank to participate in such a training but I thought that maybe he could go with Michael and Dad to watch. After all, many people have learned many things by just taking the time to sit back and watch. I mentioned this to Mike who agreed with me and decided to get Robby's opinion. I was hoping that Robby would like this idea since Cindy's prom dress had come in and I need to take her to try it on. In my mind it would work out fine. They would have a male bonding day and Cindy and I could have a girls day out.Unfortunately Robby didn't see it that way, so tomorrow I will again feel bad for poor Robby who chooses to rough it with the girls.These karate trainings must really be tough!

Why I feel dehydrated

Tuesday was seventy degrees here in Boardman Ohio, Wednesday was sixty five, so you can imagine my shock this morning when I opened the door at 5:15 to let the dogs out and we were getting blasted with thirty degrees and freezing rain. I felt bad for Cindy as she has to be at the road at 6:50 or her bus doesn't even slow down, so after I got Mike fed and off to work I pulled the Aztek up to the road and sat with her until we seen the bus. All worked out well until all three kids were gone to school and I thought I was on my time now. As I debated what to grab for breakfast and poured myself a glass of cherry water the phone rang. It was Robby, seems that he forgot his folder on the table. I quickly got dressed, scraped the frozen rain off the car windows and was on my way to the school. The roads were icy and traffic was slow but soon I had delivered the folder and was back home. As I went to pick up my cherry water, the phone rang. The doctor's office was on the other end telling me that their report for the insurance company from Mike's accident was ready. I thanked them and started to put my shoes on. One my way out the door, I noticed Clancy whining by the back door. I left him out . While I waited for him, I turned on the TV. Seems the cable was out so I called the company. While I was on hold Clancy scratched at the door and I let him in. Fifteen minutes later the cable company thanked me for calling and vowed to have my problem fixed shortly. I ran out the door , scraped the ice off my windows, and was on my way to the doctors. Traffic was moving a little better now and soon I was back home. I was terribly thirsty so I entered the house and went straight to my glass of cherry water. I took a drink but the ice had melted and the carbonation was gone. I dumped it in the sink and turned to get another bottle out of the fridge when the phone rang again. I shut the refrigerator door and answered the phone as I put my cup in the dish washer. Just so happens I was not thirsty after all.

Happy 40th Birthday Mike !

Mike conquers the 40 candles

Man those candles left lots of smoke
Peanut butter pie was back up desert in case the DQ cake didn't survive the candles

Happy 40th Birthday Mike !

You are a caring, supportive husband and wonderful father who not only loves your children above all but an involved father. You pack your days with the job that you have given your all to succeed at.Then you come home to take care of your family. You spend evenings at Karate class, paying close attention to every move so that you can help the kids practice after class. You keep not only our computer running smoothly, but you also are on constant call for friends and family who need technical support.You constantly research new computer hardware and software, camera's, DVD recorders, etc. so that you can recommend the best. You spend hours working on computers only to have someone download a virus again within days.You are the reason that there is such a great video documentation of the Mid America ISKF trainings and tournaments.You are the greatest Pontius Pilate that St. Paul's Palm Sunday passion dramatization has ever seen ! You rarely complain nor ever refuse to help where you can, even when you are not feeling well. You are a blessing to all. I am very thankful that you came into my life almost nineteen years ago and look forward to spending many many more years as your wife. Happy Birthday Mike, We love you !

Prayer Rocks

Kim did the neatest project with the pre Kindergarten and Kindergarten children in Religious Education today. They copied the following poem and attached it to a small stone to make prayer rocks. I loved this idea and had to pass it on. I think I will make some. I will use a bigger rock when I make mine though. Maybe a brick would work well !

I AM YOUR LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
AND THIS IS WHAT I'LL DO
JUST PUT ME ON YOUR PILLOW
UNTIL THE DAY IS THROUGH
THEN TURN DOWN THE COVERS
AND CLIMB INTO YOUR BED
AND WHACK, YOUR LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
WILL HIT YOU ON YOUR HEAD,
SO THAT YOU WILL REMEMBER
AS THE DAY IS THROUGH
TO KNEEL AND SAY YOUR PRAYERS'
JUST AS YOU INTENDED TO.
WHEN YOU ARE ALL FINISHED
JUST DROP ME ON THE FLOOR.
I'LL STAY THERE ALL NIGHT LONG
TO GIVE YOU HELP ONCE MORE...
AT WAKING IN THE MORNING
CLUNK, I'LL STUB YOUR TOE
SO YOU WILL REMEMBER
YOUR MORNING PRAYERS BEFORE YOU GO.
NOW PUT ME ATOP YOUR PILLOW
WHEN YOUR BED IS MADE
AND YOUR CLEVER LITTLE PRAYER ROCK
WILL CONTINUE IN YOUR AID.
BECAUSE YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER
CARES AND LOVES YOU SO,
HE WANTS YOU TO REMEMBER
TO TALK TO HIM, YOU KNOW.

Have dog will nap

Since the kids and I have been battling a stomach / intestinal virus ,naps have been common. Clarissa is always happy to join in as she does here with Michael

Pizza Day

Today was pizza day. The original crust recipe has been in my family since I was five or six. My slightly older cousin got the recipe in her high school home economics class and passed it on to all eleven of the aunts and uncle's wives. Through the years the recipe has been tweaked quite a bit especially by me. Originally it made two pizzas but since it takes most of the day to make and my family of five are big eaters, I adjusted it to eight. Now before you gasp and are sure you understand why a few of us ( who shall remain nameless ) are a bit overweight,let me explain. every couple of months ,when we have attended Saturday evening mass,we decide to take the whole Sunday for pizza. I mix up the crust about ten in the morning ( I use my kitchen aid mixer with dough hook though the recipe calls for using your hands) and set it on the table to rise. Usually about one or two, the dough is ready. Mike has professional pizza making experience so he hand tosses the crust and we cook them on stones in the oven. ( Most of the relatives stretch the dough out on pans and bake them on the oven racks) When it comes to toppings we like to experiment. Of course Sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, and extra cheese are always put on some, but we also do BBQ chicken breast, or whatever else comes to mind at the time. This time we decided to do Sea food and three cheese . These two will be cut , wrapped and frozen for meatless work and school lunches on Friday. We will also have left overs of the meat variety for Monday lunches as well as snacks and probably a breakfast or two also. This is a great recipe when we are having company over or when we want to take a quick meal to someone . It always seems to be appreciated by all.

Prom Dresses

Today was prom dress day. Mike and Michael had a advanced karate training on pressure points so Cindy and I packed up poor Robby and headed for the mall. Cindy had a dress in her head that she seen last year and wanted this year but nothing that we seen on the racks matched this image. I felt terrible for Robby as he has given up playing Game Boy for Lent so he had to just stand there bored. After seeing Cindy in dress after dress with a frown on her face, I spied a custom order binder on the near by counter at DEB. I picked it up and began to flip through. There it was, one page 12, the dress that got away last year . I showed her the picture and she agreed that that was the design. She immediately quit trying on the other dresses. As we waited in line, we discussed whether to order it in turquoise or fusha .When we got to the counter turquoise won out. We ordered it and within minutes were out of there. Next time I am going to look through the catalogs first !It all worked out though, Since Robby had been so good, we treated him to apple dippers on the drive home. Now it is almost dinner time and the men will be home shortly so I better figure out what to cook. Mom's work is never done but that is how it should be !

Ten weeks till Cedar Point !

I know spring is near when the kids start asking when Cedar Point opens.
Dates & Hours, Cedar Point

All is going well

I have been asked for an update on Michael's hand and Mike.

Michael is doing well with his splint though he is getting sick of missing gym . He is still attending karate four nights a week but is sitting the sparing part out for another week. Saturday, he will attend an extra class on pressure points to gain more knowledge. He still hopes to test for his Nidan ( second degree black belt) May twentieth but he has to be given the Go ahead from the doctor next week and then pass a pretest March fourteenth. We wish him the best !

Mike is also doing well. All the tests have came back negative and his heart seems to be in great shape. As for the back problems caused by his accident two years ago, it doesn't look good but we will keep praying and let God heal him in his time. As for now we are thankful that Mike has a job that will allow him to work lighter duty than most jobs in his trade allow. Thank you all for the prayers, without them I can't even think where we would be.

http://www.howmanyofme.com/

Kim sent me this cool link. You type in your first and last name and it will tell you how popular your first and last names are as well as how many people in the United States have your name.

There are eleven of me !!!!!

http://www.howmanyofme.com/

This is a neat site. You type in your first and last name and it tells you how popular each is and how many people in the US share your full name