A Flyover Blog

Life Is Good

So how was your holiday weekend? Ours was terrific. I don't think we could have wedged one more thing into the weekend.  Oh, it rained every single day, but that didn't matter. This house is so much fun I didn't miss all the outdoor activities.

I didn't see a single tourist over the weekend either. Not one. Kinda strange. As I mentioned in an earlier post, this was the first holiday I've lived in a "normal" town - as opposed to a tourist mecca- since I was 12. Gotta tell ya, it was heaven. Oh, I'm still battling poison ivy, the yard still needs work and we're still looking for a few things I packed really good, but we're 90% settled in and we love Springfield. David, Sandy, Michael and Whitney came over for a movie marathon/x-Box fest yesterday. What fun! We popped corn, ate pretzels and M&Ms and watched 2 fun and 1 perfectly rotten movie, (cough- 30 Days of Night - cough) but it didn't matter, because we were having a good time. I'm looking forward to holidays in this house; they're gonna be a blast.  Thanks for spending Memorial Day with us, guys!

Made Me Smile

Ever wonder how other people see you? It's crossed my mind a time or two, but I really never gave it much thought. Yesterday I decided to run some errands. I don't do that much anymore, not since the IV injury last Spring. Mitch goes with me to grocery store and mails packages and does all that other stuff I used to do alone. I have very limited strength in my left hand now, and the simple act of driving around town for an hour angers my hand the rest of the day - and that's time better spent writing. So, since it wasn't raining yet, I ran by the bank, met Mitch for lunch then headed over to the pharmacy to pick up my bio-identical estrogen patchs so I wouldn't turn into a firebeast. Our pharmacist is a big cuddly bear of a guy named Dan. I've known him for years. Dan's been keeping tabs on me through Mitch. Dan knows how I've struggled with this hand. Pharmacists know everything. He told me I looked great and asked how I was doing. I told him I wasn't as perky as I once was, but I'm okay - because, what's the alternative?

Then he said the sweetest thing. "Your personality is dazzling. So you're only shining at 80 watts instead of 110. That's still enough to blind most people." I had no comeback for that.

Seems like I've been getting encouraging little nudges almost every day for the past week or so. You just never know where you're gonna run into an angel.

Winter Visitors

Lately, I've been posting a lot about our foul winter weather.  So, I thought I'd show you a couple of wonderful pictures taken here a few weeks ago... before the ice storm hit.

Tiny Tourist Town (where I live) is surrounded by 3 large lakes.  This region in Missouri is the winter home of our national bird - the bald eagle.  One bright sunny day last winter, Mitch and I took a drive out by one of the lakes and saw 8 of these gorgeous birds making big lazy circles in the sky overhead. 

These two pictures were taken by our dear friend, Jim Brawner, a few weeks ago.  Jim likes to canoe on the local waterways, and always takes his camera along, just in case.  Lucky for us, too, because look at the shots he captured!  Just thought you'd like to see my little corner of the world on a "good day!" 

Baby Builders

This post is about babies.  Yeah, you heard me... babies. 

Okay, let me start by saying that I've never actually written a post about babies. I realize that - in my kid-less state - I am in the minority here in Bloggy Land.  But most of you have kids, and I recently found someone I'd like you to meet. 

Several years ago, my hubby and I knew a young man, Chris Zervas, who worked for a well-known ministry here in Tiny Tourist Town.  Chris is a gem, one of those vibrant people you just want to be around.  Eventually, Chris took another job and moved away.  He recently returned with a family.  Chris' wife, Jenna, is a Pediatric Physical Therapist - what a specialty!  Before returning to Missouri with Chris, Jenna pioneered the Pediatric Therapy Program for St. John's Medical Center in Tulsa, OK.  Her tiny charges were inpatients and outpatients; some were in the Pediatric or Neonatal Intensive Care Units.

Jenna has taken her program and adapted it for all babies - not just those with developmental challenges - so parents can use it at home. The program is called Baby Builders: An Exercise Program for Stronger Healthier Babies.  It is intended for babies from birth to walking.

If you are the parent of an infant, are expecting a baby, or know someone whose child could benefit from Jenna's wonderful program, please visit - http://babybuilders.com/   

There, you can order an instruction book with tons of photos to show you how to use the program, an instructional DVD, or both.  The cost is extremely reasonable!

Jenna Zervas, MSPT, is a warm and brilliant young woman and our tiny community is blessed to get her.  Thanks, Chris, for choosing so wisely! You can contact Jenna through her website to ask questions, or learn more about the program.  Run on over there now - tell her Mitch and I sent you - and spread the word to all your young Mom friends.  Their babies will thank you one day! 

Fellowship At Cross Creek

So, I'm sort of watching the playoff game while I visit blogs this evening.  I've never been a big baseball fan and I really want to be, since it's the national past time and everything.  I have friends who are hard core fans of the game, but I just don't get it.  Seems to be a lot of wasted time on the field.  I think they could play the whole game in about 20 minutes if they just stopped all the procrastination!  See, I told you, I just don't get it.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by to read Buddy's Thursday Thirteen list.  He even got nice notes from 2 cats!  Needless to say, all the attention has gone to his head.  He's stutting around the house like Barney Fife.

Last week I told  you a little about the church Mitch and I belong to. We got a couple of pictures the other night during the rain that I wanted to share with you.  I finally downloaded them from the camera!

I mentioned before that it is a bit unconventional. Before we were able to build this facility, we met in any available building in town - including an Oriental restaurant, and an old tavern.  This is our sign: Fellowship: An Imperfect Church for Imperfect People.  Did I mention we live in a haven for tourists? Not exactly a "normal" town.  Here'a a shot of the church. Not a great picture because there were cars parked out front when we stopped by, but you get the idea. Very homey, very lodge-like.  The people are just as warm and friendly as the building. We have hayrides and bon fires on the property, and every Thanksgiving we deep fry turkeys. I love our church; just wanted to share it with you!

Mitch and I have attended this church (in several of its locations) all our married life.  It's part of "us".  It occurs to me that you don't know how Mitch and I met, do you?  Maybe it's time I told that tale.  Stay tuned.  More to come...

Adventures In Babysitting

I warped a little kid last night, possibly for life.   As many of you know, I don't have kids.  I have dogs.  I'm great with dogs.  Kids, not so much.

Our good friend, Jason, came over last night to help Mitch work out some pesky conflicts between our desk top computer and the wireless Internet service.  Jason is the company's techie genius and an excellent person to know when modern technology refuses to be cooperative.  Jason's wife had a function to attend, so he brought his little girl along - she's not quite 3.  I was going to watch her while they worked.  I was great with that!  After all, I have 3 nephews and a niece... but they are all teenagers now.

So I forgot that little kids go through stages, just like puppies.  This little angel is going through that phase where everything scares her.  She liked me well enough, but there was nothing on cable except football, CSI re-runs, Sasquatch Hunters, Scarface, wrestling and several 9-11 specials.  Even the Weather Channel let me down; they were re-living Katrina.  Note to Animal Planet:  don't run the horrific abused animal rescues during early prime time!

We have some Disney movies, so she looked through the stack and chose one she hadn't seen before - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  Big mistake.  That story opens with the Evil Queen talking to the ominous Mirror Mirror On The Wall. Bethany gasped at the sight of them and covered her eyes with her tiny hands.  She came unhinged when the Woodsman pulled a knife on  Snow White, intent on cutting out her heart.  By the time the Dwarfs finally showed up she was too far gone to care.

So I raided my library and brought out a dozen picture books, mostly horses.  She loved them.  Then we got to the newest book in my kid collection: The Encyclopedia of Prehistoric Dinosaurs by Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhart.  If you haven't seen it, it's an ornate pop-up book filled with surprises on every page.  When Bethany opened the book, the T-Rex leaped off the page at her, its gaping mouth filled with menacing paper teeth.  I don't need to tell you what her reaction was.

I plied her with food.  I offered sliced bananas to go with her orange juice, but she wanted Bar B Q potato chips and I wasn't about to upset her anymore, so I caved.  She got the chips. (I hope she didn't throw up last night.)

I sent her home with 3 stuffed animals and some books, hoping they'd erase all the horrors she encountered at my house.  The good news:  our technical glitch is history... but we'll have to wait and see how Bethany turns out.  I hope I don't have to pay for therapy sessions when she's a teen.

David Jones for Congress

So, I have to tell you about last night. 

Mitch and I went to our first political fund raiser.  I know, it conjures images of the county fair where you walk through a tent and meet local sweaty politicians who hand out yardsticks and emery boards emblazoned with their name.  This was more upscale than that.  I actually bought shoes for this event (and you know how I hate to shop for shoes!)  This was an elegant dessert reception held at Chateau on the Lake, which is every bit as elaborate as the name implies.

Here's the funny part - it wasn't even for a local politician.  It was for my friend, Suz's son-in-law, who was raised here, but lives in California - in Beverly Hills no less.  His name is David Jones and he's got an impressive list of credentials for a man so young.  I could go on and on telling you about his adventures and accomplishments, but I won't take the time here.  Go to his website David Jones for Congress if you want to read more.  I'll just say that he arrived back in this country days before the event; he'd been in Israel for 2 weeks after volunteering to defend that country in their latest skirmish!

I've known David's wife, Jill, since she was a little kid.  Jill was a tomboy, an athlete, a dare-devil.  Now she's all grown up.  She's gorgeous and she's an actress.  Jill was a regular on Ed. Lately she's worked on CSI: New York and Without A Trace.  She always has some funny story to tell about her latest acting job. 

David and Jill moved to LA a couple of years ago.   He works in the law field and she acts, which means their schedules were chaotic, but under control... until the RNC called and asked him to run for Congress.  David has a background in politics and he loves a challenge, so he said yes.  They've been on a roller coaster ride ever since.

So there we were, Mitch and I, sitting at Chateau, nibbling sweets and listening politely to the speakers.  I glanced at the Staffers who accompanied David and Jill from LA and wondered if they felt like they were trapped in a room with the characters from Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?   We're Midwesterners, you know... Flyover people.  The evening was lovely, though I doubt they raised much money for the campaign. 

I wish David Jones luck in November; we're certainly praying for him.  His opponent is a powerful incumbent who has held this seat for 34 years.  But hey, everybody loves a David and Goliath story, right?  I'll keep you posted...