DDSWIMFANS

Denniston Doings, 2011

2011-12-30T15:55:00.000-07:00

Our year has been packed full of fun. Of course, grandsons, Timmy and Daniel,just seem to “demand” much of our spare time. Building birdhouses, flying kites, fishing, shooting be-beguns, arrows, swimming, reading, and snuggling are the favorite activities.

Sometimes we include Karyn and Rick butthey happily give up the kids for few days at a time. They are still in Beaver Crossing, NE. Karyn teaches preschool at aLutheran School. Rick works forGallup in Lincoln. He is adding aChemistry BS to his BA so he is back in school. They take in camping, Boy Scouts, school activities and church – the busy lifestyle of a youngfamily. It makes us tired!

David lives in Colorado Springs and designsclever training regimens for his Paralympic swimmers. His makes frequent visits to us, too. His dog, Charlie, is always happy tosee him, but Charlie resides with us. David bought the pick-up truck of his dreams, which makes his outdoorlife more do-able! He fishes,hunts, and still does a motivational speech or two.

Our family gatherings included a weddingfor granddaughter, Keshia, in April. She married Tyler Lynch – we are slowly getting to know him, so far sogood! They welcomed new son,Trenton, in October. That makesgreat-grandson #4. Its kind of funbeing grandparents with Lorie and Phil, Kristie and Bert. They haven’t asked for any advice yet,but Terri has given it anyway. InMay, Terri and mom, Kathy, made a trip to Gypsum for neice/granddaughter,Kendra’s graduation. Some of usgathered again at Boysen Reservoir in July. Long time friends, the Griffiths,dropped in with daughter, Heidi, and granddaughter, Sophia. Dang….we just keep hanging aroundgrandparents these days.

Karyn and Terri formed a mother/daughterduo twice this year. In June, weattended the Lutheran Women’s Missionary League National Convention in Peoria,IL. Great speakers, inspirationalBible Studies, and meeting up with friends from other LWML Societies were justsome of the memories. In September,Terri volunteered with Karyn at the Plum Creek Literary Festival in Seward,NE. Karyn was Chairman forLiteracy on the Lawn – making crafts that complemented the books written byfeatured authors. Over 7000students attended. Karyn managedit all with coolness and grace, I was proud to be her assistant.

Tom squeezed in as many fishing trips as hecould, Terri tagged along once in awhile. Walleye is in the freezer. Terri and Tom were successful huntingantelope, too. Tom and Karynhunted Nebraska whitetail deer. Corn-fed venison is a delicacy we all enjoy. Even Timmy requested “Bambi” for his birthday dinner. Our freezer is now full to the brim. Weattempted to add pheasant. Charlie, the bird dog, loves the outing but stillseems as surprised as we are when a pheasant flies up. Tom is sad he didn’t get his elk but ifhe had been successful, we’re not sure where we would’ve put it.

Several cabin trips were made and repairsdone. Moose are making our littleneck of the woods their home, too. We love it! The pinebeetles are doing their best to kill all the trees. Tom’s lumberjack days arecoming in handy as he brings down the dangerous dead ones. Tom’s sister, Nancy,joined him when it was time to close the cabin up for the winter.

Tom also picked up a little bit of work and spent a couple ofmonths working for a mine in Carlsbad, NM. A last minute call has him going to Elko, Nevada for most ofthe winter. Frequent Flier milesshould add up fast!

We both stay busy with our church. Terri is now VP for her local LWML,secretary for Zone LWML and VP for District LWML - 3 different levels - allenjoyable. Terri begansubstitute-teaching, too. Sheenjoys being with the kids again (except the ornery ones).

Terri’s mom, Kathy, had cataract surgery thisfall. Terri stayed with herthrough those…all went well and mom should have her new glasses soon.

We filled our year with much more joy thanthis letter could contain. As youcelebrate this season of JOY, we hope you will take time to ponder the familythat is at the center of CHRISTmas: a young mother with her firstborn son, who was watched over by herhusband in a lowly stable, the Good News broadcast by angels to shepherds whorushed to worship a King; Jesus, our Savior, who paid the price for our sins sowe can join Him one day in the heavenly home He is preparing for us. Amen and Alleluia!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Tom & Terri

Peace

2011-11-02T09:15:00.001-06:00

"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 1:2

I would think by now, after 58 years of life, I would KNOW that the Triune God knows my every thought and need. Yet, I am continually surprised when He shows me He does.

This last week has been a roller coast week. A dear friend of Karyn's lost a baby who was a few short weeks of delivery. This friend has had a year that challenges any parent. My heart has been broken for her, but yet I tell her "Peace".

This morning I was reading the Issues, Etc. Facebook page. The Lutheran Pastors and theologians were posting about the various Christian beliefs. Calvin verses Lutheran. They use big words, I love words, but I was lost. Yet, I was getting a gist of it. My thought was, "Peace! Why can't we just get along?"

The answer is Sin. We can't get along. We might deceive ourselves that we have peace for a bit. The brokenness of the world will eventually intrude. When it does, it is time to search.

So, I opened my daily devotional (which isn't so daily for me) to today's readings. The first one was from Philippians 1:1, 2 "Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and deacons. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." What!!?!? That's it? A greeting? So I read the Psalm 85. It has a lot about righteousness, salvation, and peace. Faithfulness springs from the ground and righteousness looks down from heaven. I see the relationship of God and His people. He bestows His righteousness on us as we struggle to find peace. Okay, things are becoming clearer now.

I go on to the Gospel reading of the day. This is one of my favorites. "Peace I leave with you: My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid." John 14:27. Jesus is speaking here - He is our righteousness, He is our peace. We will have a relative peace in the world at times. It doesn't take a longview of world history to see that people really can't have it for very long. It will be taken away by some one, some country, some thing. Our hearts will be troubled by this anger, this warring, this selfishness on this side of heaven. Yet, Jesus promises us that the Peace that passes understanding is possible. As a Christian, I need to take the longview and look heavenward. God is in control, He is my Righteousness and Deliverer, He will bring Peace that lasts. I rest in that promise and struggle to trust it. As a baby struggles in the arms of his parent and the parent gently rocks and shushes him, so God gently rocks and shushes me. "Peace I leave with you; My peace, I give to you." Thank you Lord Jesus for holding on to me and giving me your Peace. AMEN

The Hunter

2011-09-15T08:29:00.004-06:00

I have known/been married to Tom since 1974. He is an avid outdoorsman and hunted nearly everything requiring a game license. Early on, I tried to be a hunter too. My first antelope took most of the day to bag but I did finally bring one down with a clean shot. I discovered if I keep my eyes open when I squeeze the trigger it works better.

My second antelope was when Karyn was a baby and David was about 3 years old. He took his little play rifle along. Tom spotted a nice little buck taking a nap alongside a hill. We all got out of the truck, walked carefully and spotted the antelope. I took aim, David took aim, we pulled are respective triggers at the same times and the antelope was bagged. David was quite excited about his "first kill" and even to this day he argues with me about who shot that antelope.

My best friend, Lee, and I were taking a breaking while the guys were beating the brush for deer. A buck came peeking out of a grove trees. Lee told me to take the shot. I did, hit it, it turned and went back into the grove of trees and fell at the feet of the guys. Fortunately - they got to gut it.

I have hunted now and then since then but mostly I just tag along and enjoy the "hunt" the "kill" isn't my favorite part. This past summer, Tom was getting his hunting licenses in order. He asked if he should buy an antelope license for me. I think the devil took hold of me and answered, "yes!" I tried to take possession of my mouth and change my mind but Tom's obvious joy at my affirmative answer kept my mouth closed. He was like a kid in a candy shop - I couldn't take that joy away from him.

His attempts to encourage me to go to the shooting range with him, fell on deaf ears though. I wasn't too concerned about really shooting anything. By having a license I could have a rifle and if something dumb came my way, I'd probably be good enough to bag it. After all I hadn't spent hours on the shooting range before and I was successful (with some guidance by more successful hunters.)

Opening day was fast approaching. We have a number of rifles and Tom asked which one I wanted to use. I said "mine". The .243 is actually mine, Tom bought it for me and it is the one I used before. However, my eyes are doing weird things and when I compared the scopes on that one with the new Thompson Center 7mm-08 scope and it was better for me. So I shrugged and said, "Sure, I'll try the new one." And promptly forgot about it.

Tom's daughters, Kristie and Lorie, dropped by one evening and visited with us. Tom was busy loading shells at the dining room table. Yeah, it's his house, too. He was loading lots of shells. Kristie and Lorie noted this and asked what he was doing. I really didn't know either that he was loading shells for my gun. He was on shell #25 when this conversation took place.

I quipped, "Why, so many? I only need 1." Lorie and Kristie howled.

Opening day - September 10. On September 8th, we left for the family cabin which would be our base.

We got to the cabin on Thursday evening. Had a nice meal of bacon wrapped, marinated in OJ doves that Tom barbequed. Yummy! We played a few games of cribbage and headed to bed. In the morning we got up and went scouting. We called long-time friends - Dallas and VivienneTalbott who now lease the land we wanted to hunt on. Vivienne was busy but invited us to dinner, and she told us to hunt up Dallas. We found Dallas with no problem - got permission to hunt, exchanged a few pleasantries and hugs and were on our way.

Tom insisted I needed some target practice and since I can't seem to hit anything when I'm on the shooting range (that's why I don't go), he was probably right. We found a place on the Forest Service and practiced with the 22. When I sit on my rump and use my knees for a rest, I do pretty good hitting what I aim at. Then it was time to get out the big rifle. No problemo. I'm a dynamo!

We decided to explore the woods a bit and found what looked like an abandoned campsite. There was a tent on its top, a very nice sleeping bag out in the woods, a three shelf bookcase, a plastic patio loveseat, fireworks in a campfire ring and more junk just scattered around. This didn't seem right to us. We got the coordinates (but no pictures, dumb us) and thought we might report it to the Forest Service. As we were headed down the main road, a dilapidated van was headed up. I told Tom that looked like just the kind of vehicle that would belong to such a campsite. Tom doubted me.

We pulled off onto another dirt road for a bit of lunch and one more shooting lesson. As Tom is taking aim, I hear a vehicle coming up the road. Guess what? It's the dilapidated van. The young man waves and smiles at us so we wave back but as he passes us, I look in the back of the van and see the 3 shelf bookcase! Strange. Tom finishes shooting and we decide this is just too weird so we go follow him and see he is parked off the side of the road. We take down his license plate and head out to the main road.

We both decided we're curious as to whether this van did go to the original campsite. So we go back. Yep, most of the stuff is gone and now there is a fire burning in the fire ring. The fireworks are off to the side but unlit matches are in the fire ring. The fire is mostly smoldering but it is still a live fire and a bunch of junk the guy didn't want to take is burning slowing in the ring. We do take pictures this time and Tom finds some water and pours it on the fire.

We are now mad! So we go to the Centennial Information Center that is closed but 3 US forest people are working on it, taking down the old getting ready for the new. We tell them what we know and they call their FPO - Fire Protection Officer. He shows up, we tell him what we know and promise to send him the pictures when we had access to the internet. We kind of want to be his posse but he doesn't invite us along so we sadly head up to the cabin to get ready for our dinner date with the Talbotts.

The Talbotts have a beautiful spot at the foot of Sheep mountain. Dallas is a workaholic after he works all day at the ranch he comes home and is turning the backyard into a beautiful outdoor patio/garden area. It was too chilly to stay out there (darn!)l so we head inside and exchanged stories and health histories because that is what old people do. Dallas bbqs some lovely beefsteak and Vivienne put on quite a dinner for us. Gotta love those ranch wives, they sure know how to cook!

Charlie, the dog, is our kid now, so he just goes along with us and rarely complains. He was a digging machine up at the cabin. Whereas at home, he'd rather be underfoot all day, up at the cabin he'd rather just check in at supper time. He generally came when called. At the Talbotts he hung out in the pickup and was happy to reclaim his spot - the front passenger seat.

We were up early for opening day and on the land before sunup. We heard shots just as the sun rose. We saw those folks on the other side of the fence. One hunter said he took a shot but it was too far away. We spooked up lots of antelope and they all ran up the side of Sheep Mountain. Tom found a good spot for me and said he'd take a hike and see if he could push them down to me. While he was doing that another herd came up behind me. They were kind of far and I just saw does. Does are okay but it's hard to tell if they are does or fawns so I waited to see if they'd come in closer. Then the herd on the mountain headed towards me. A number of bucks in that group. They get closer and I have one spotted but I'm not sure just how far back Tom is and I can't see him. Then they start moving and I'm not sure how much to lead on a moving animal so I let them go. But the other does are closer now so I take aim and shoot and miss. Oh well. I guess I'm not as good as I think I am, I still need instruction.

Tom comes back = he also took a shot but no animal. He's all smiles because he watched me through the binoculars and says he could tell what was going through my mind. He pretty much did. That's what happens when you've been married a long time.

We go over to the leased ground and look it over. Plenty of antelope but pretty far away and kind of stirred up so we are making our plans when this dumb buck comes over the hill. He stops sideways and looks at us. We move slowly and look at him. He just stands there like the welcome committee. I get out of the truck and plant myself over the hood and take aim. He turns his chest to me. Hmm, not sure if I should try a chest shot or not. The truck is still running and I guess Tom is telling me to wait until he turns but I don't hear him. I figure I better take the shot, aim at the middle of his chest,- the buck's not Tom's - pull the trigger - kawaam and kathunk and and the antelope quickly turns over the hill. Tom asked where I hit him and I said the chest, and he said why didn't I wait for him to turn and I said, " I dunno."

We wait for a bit, because we know I broke the buck's leg. Then we drive towards where he ran. Conveniently, he is lying up against the bank of a road and he is dead. I did hit him in the chest but the bullet went through and broke his shoulder and pretty much pulverized one shoulder's meat. We take pictures on the camera and the phone camera- gotta brag, you know. Tom is getting ready to do the gutting stuff, cuz I don't do that. A white pickup turns on the road. We are sort of in the middle of the road. We approach the truck to tell him we will get out of his way when he says, "Who gave you permission to hunt this land?" I immediately respond, "Dallas Talbott" Tom says, "Who wants to know?" The fella whips out a badge and says, "Deputy soanso of the Albany County Sheriff's Dept." Gulp. Well we know we have permission but we don't have written permission. We tell him again and his name finally registers with me, "Are you Rory?" I ask. He affirms this. Rory is Dallas' son and we met him when he was a snot nosed kid. Anyway all ends up well and he tells us to check in with him or his wife next time we hunt because he needs to know who is hunting. We agree even though Dallas never said anything about that. Since Rory and wife live on the house that is part of this leased ground it isn't a big deal.

Tom and I finish prepping my "goat". I do watch and try to take lessons and help here and there. We get it loaded up. Look around for another antelope - it's getting hot and they are kind of skittish now so we decide to get my goat up to the cabin where it is cool and take a break. Antelope and "goat" are the same thing just in case you didn't know.

We take a nap, have lunch, do a few chores around the cabin - I paint around the new door. Tom fills the marmot hole with cement, we play some cribbage, visit with the cabin neighbors have supper and go to bed.

On 9/11 we got up a bit later cuz we didn't want to wake up Rory's wife too early and let her know we'd be on the property. But we were still out the door before 7. We headed down Towner Lake road and had to slow up for the Moose parade. There were 3 of them trotting down the road. I told Tom that a cabin trip wouldn't be successful if we didn't see moose from now on.

We should've left a little earlier because going east on the road is blinding when the sun hits the horizon, however, we didn't run into anyone or another moose.

Tom stopped at the house and got permission to hunt. The gate was locked so we were told to go into another gate. Wouldn't you know there was a dumb as a post buck standing out there in that pasture. We were far enough away from the road, so Tom got out, situated his rifle on his shooting sticks (I didn't need those) took aim and shot. And MISSED! The buck took off and headed toward the does and fawns who didn't seem disturbed by any of this action at all. Well, Tom decided that he forgot to sight in his rifle to he grabbed "my rifle" aka "Antelope Killer". We got a bit a closer and Tom tried again. He shot at the buck who was standing sideways but was farther away than mine had been. Tom hit him, this time and the antelope went down.
The herd of does and fawns could care less -fickle females and children. We were able to drive right up to buck and throw him in the back of the truck. We weren't far from a dump sight so we drove there and gutted him and then went back to the cabin to finish the job. All this by 8 in the morning. Hardly seems like a hunt but I'm not complaining.

Tom spent most of the morning taking care of his goat and I cleaned up breakfast - took a walk over to the snow that is still behind the cabins. I sccoped some into a container to keep our food cool. I can't believe there is still snow that close to the cabin! So we just kind of puttered in the afternoon and visited with cabin owners - a nice relaxing time at the cabin.

On Monday morning we did our chores, got the cabin cleaned up, our stuff loaded up and headed out. No moose parade this time. We decided we were curious enough about the weird campsight and wanted to check it out. So we did - the fireworks were gone but it was still junky. Then we decided to see how much the van guy dumped at his new parking spot so we went there, too. He wasn't parked there so we walked into the woods and found quite the compound - outhouses, shelters, tables - whiskey JUGS on the table, what a mess but spooky. We didn't see anyone so we got out of there - took the coordinates and left.

We stopped at the Forest Service office in Laramie and gave them the new info. We ran into the FPO we talked to on Friday. He said he had picked up the fireworks and then found the guy in the van and took pictures of the license plates when the man suddenly appeared out of the woods. He said it was creepy. I don't think the FPO did anything - he's a bit wet behind the ears. Anyway by the time we got home, we got a call from the Enforcement Officer asking for more info. I wonder if we will hear anymore about it.

Our friends, Barb and Ted, have a place that family and friends can processes game. We are considered friends. It works great - very handy! So we got it all done in an afternoon. Kind of easy to do when 3 shoulders were destroyed by our fine marksmanship. It is now in the freezer and what we have sampled so far has been very tasty. I keep hearing that folks don't like antelope. I always have - maybe it just tastes better when you are the one hunting and processing it?

1971-2011 40 Years!!!!

2011-07-18T19:54:00.003-06:00

One of my classmates remarked that you should attend high school reunions not to relive high school but to put it past you. I concur. Each reunion I have attended has given me insights into my classmates. At the 30th I finally apologized to a now middle-aged man with whom I had agreed to go on date with, just to turn him down a few days later. We teased each other about that at this reunion but I think the whole event will be bittersweet for both of us. However, he did marry the girl who replaced me, another classmate. I kind of hated her that whole senior year which is too bad because I really like her now.

If you have bad memories of high school or think your classmates were more popular, more self confident, or more self determined than you ever were, maybe just put that away. I talked to many of those classmates this time and they were just as self-conscience about themselves as I was. Maybe they just knew how to cover it up better. It seems 40 years later, we are all willing to forget the awkward moments of high school, remember the fun times and just be comfortable in our skin this time. I was fortunate to get to hear some life stories and many of my classmates have had hard challenges to hurdle. Yet, they seem to have come out on the other side, richer, wiser, and more compassionate than ever.

Thank you, classmates that showed up, you have made me wiser, richer in relationships and more understanding of life. For those of you who didn't show up...think about it, I hear we are getting together in 5 years time. I hope you can make it.

Seasonal Changes Part 2

2011-03-20T15:26:00.002-06:00

Much has happened since the last entry in this blog. Several times I started to write about my fall and winter but I was too busy trying to figure it out. A simple update. In October, 2010, it was discovered I had a very large cyst growing off my ovary and it wasn't looking good. The blood work cancer marker, CA125, was 65 - cut off is 35 - it wasn't looking good at all. I had to go to Denver to see an oncologist/gynecologist. Oncology is a pretty scary word. Fortunately, I was able to get in to do the surgery quickly so I didn't have much of a chance to panic.

It did end up being atypical cells and was staged as a 1a cancer - benign, but I have to have 6 month follow ups for 5 years. I was recovering nicely from that surgery when I started feeling really crappy. It turns out I developed abdominal abscesses that had to be drained via catheters inserted through my gluteus maximus and when that wasn't doing the job, another through my my abdomen. It worked and all is again well. I had my first 6 month follow up and my CA125 cancer marker was a 12.

So now it is spring. The weather is warming up, the wind is breezing instead of blowing. Things are turning green and the bulbs I planted in October are springing to life. We haven't taken many trips except to the East to see Karyn and family, to the West to see my mother and some friends and a trip South to see David. Not the longed for winter trip to Arizona. We are making plans to get there for November dove hunting though.

Our spring will bring the family together for a wedding. Our grand-daughter (by Tom's daughter, Kristie) is getting married in April. Looks like all the siblings will get to be there. It has been awhile since everyone gathered and we have added a few great-grandsons to the mix. Then Fishing Season is right around the corner and Tom is hoping to stay healthy enough to get his fill of fishing which means we will be eating lots of walleye.

Summertime plans aren't fleshed out but my 40th! class reunion will be in July. How did that happen? I remember when my dad talked about going to his 40th and I wondered how many of his classmates would be still alive. My classmates look pretty good unless their Facebook pages are lying. Getting pre-re-acquainted via Facebook has been great fun and I am looking forward to seeing these folks face to face.

Through all these seasonal changes I have been blessed with a caring husband who has stood at the ready to do whatever it took to keep me healthy. My children have been in and out making sure I'm okay, too. My friends and family have upheld me in prayer and made sure my humor stayed intact. I know God's hand has been upon me even when I was at my lowest. And now as Spring is beginning, I look forward to the Lenten season. I get to ponder that God loved me so much that He sent His one and only Son that if I believe in Him I shall never die but have eternal life. Thank you, God!

Seasonal Changes

2010-09-10T10:33:00.002-06:00

I started my New Year's resolution 9 months late. Kind of like a pregnancy...had to let the seed take root and come to fruition 9 months later. I started a weight training regimin. I did this years ago and saw good results. I can do this at home with my very own weight bench. It has been kind of fun even though various muscle groups are in states of ache.

I do this in my upstairs room of my 2 story home. I get to look out on the cornfield behind my home. When I started this journey the field was a sea of green with sparkles of gold. Watching the wind play across the tops of the corn is as delightful as watching the ocean. Thank you, David, for pointing that out to me!

Yesterday, as I looked out, I could see some of the corn was maturing - turning gold! It came as a big surprise to me that "field" corn isn't picked green - it has to mature and dry out. Then is is harvested and stored in silos until needed. We have an ethynol plant in Torrington so some of this corn might feed our cars bellies instead of cow's bellies.

Today as I was grunting through my weights I looked out and overnight the mostly green field is now gold with bits of green! Wow, that happened fast! When it is time to mature in the corn world it seems to do so overnight. Always learning something new.

This Wyoming

2010-09-02T17:49:00.002-06:00

I am not a Wyoming native. I was born in Colorado. A few months after my birth, we moved to Wyoming. My dad worked the oil field so we moved at least once a year. By age 8, we were mostly in Wyoming so I consider Wyoming my home.

UNTIL: After 18 years of marriage, my husband moved his family to Littleton, Colorado. I wasn’t sure I had the sophistication for big city stuff but after a few years, I could handle traffic and annoying drivers with the best of them. I was enjoying big city living.

UNTIL: My husband retired, the kids moved out and hubby was longing for home – Wyoming. He was a native and except for a few years in his childhood and the 9 years we spent in Denver; Wyoming is where he belonged. I begged to stay in Denver Metro, I loved the front range weather and the airport that can take me anywhere I want to go without great expense. Tom found a place in Wyoming where the weather is mild and there was an airport just 40 minutes away. I caved and we moved to Torrington, Wyoming.

It’s been over 6 years now and I have discovered that I do have the character it takes to live in Wyoming. Torrington still has harsh winds and conveniences aren’t just down the street. Yes, I can fly out of Scottsbluff, NE but the times don’t often match with the connecting flights out of Denver and it does cost more.

STILL: There are days in Wyoming that take your breath away. My city friends come to visit us and can’t believe the vastness of the skies and the emptiness of the horizons. I say it is scenery to cleanse your visual palette. After living in the busy-ness of a city, the stillness and emptiness gives your visual acuity a rest. Your auditory acuity gets a rest, too, because you don’t hear a lot of traffic. Instead, you can hear the geese honking overhead, maybe a coyote howling in the distance, and the crickets chirping at night.

The night skies generally twinkle brightly with endless stars, the sunrises (not that I really see many of those) and the sunsets glow with pinks, reds, oranges and purples, each one unique. It is those moments that make up for the times the wind blows endlessly and the blizzards or the dirt storms make traveling hazardous.

We try to take in the wonderful days of Wyoming and appreciate everyone. Recently, we were camped near Glendo Reservoir. This body of water is famous for it’s walleye fishing and often you have to share the space with half of Colorado! During the week, though it is pretty quiet with fewer people. This year, 2010, it is even quieter because Glendo flooded and messed with the walleye. Fishing isn’t so great this year. However, my husband and I gave it a good try. During the morning it was cool but calm. We saw 3 other boats on the water. There was a light breeze, enough to rough up the water just enough. Clouds were dancing across the sky and we could see Laramie Peak playing peek-a-boo with the hills surrounding Glendo. We weren’t catching fish but I was enjoying the quiet, the view, and watching the pelicans doing their aerial acrobats. What a wonderful day in Wyoming!

The next evening, Tom and I went out to check on evening fishing. Maybe we were hitting the wrong time of day. The breeze was a bit stiffer and anybody else in any other part of the world would have called it windy but in Wyoming it was just breezy. We found a spot on the lake that was out of the worst of it. We got our poles rigged and in the water and were quietly trolling along the shoreline enjoying the evening. I was wishing we’d brought a bottle of wine and cheese and crackers to enjoy this evening even more. Yet, even as those thoughts crossed my mind, Tom spotted a couple of buck deer near the water’s edge. We rounded the corner of a cove and saw 3 more. Delightful! Another wonderful day in Wyoming.

I didn’t think I had enough character to live in Wyoming again. I miss many things about my years in the city, but it is rare that a person can experience the wonderfulness of Wyoming as often as we do. And it’s the character building days that drive the riffraff back to the “civilized” states from which they hail. As a Wyomingite, I'm okay with that.

Thanks, Charlie Dog

2010-08-24T13:18:00.001-06:00

Charlie Dog

It all started with my daughter, Karyn’s, love of critters. She had some wonderful success training our knucklehead Boykin Spaniel, Tip. 4H fine tuned those skills. Tip, alas, is no more but other dogs entered our lives before Karyn struck out on her own. She owned a Basenji, a wonderfully, crazy dog that I am truly relieved belonged entirely to her. Finally she settled on a little Brittany. Her main competition in 4H dog obedience was a couple of Brittanys. We knew of their kind temperament, a perfect match for a young, growing family with kids. Aida, the Brittany, was a pleasure to be around.

Karyn, with family and dog in tow, went to visit her brother, our son, David. He, too, was quite impressed with the Brittany temperament. When he began looking for a dog, he thought he’d start with a Brittany. That took him to Brittany rescue. He was fine with adopting an “older” dog, but instead one of the Brittanys had a litter of pups. He adopted on of them – Charlie.

Charlie joined David, almost two years ago. He was shorter haired than most but had the Brittany pink nose and the white coat scattered with orange markings. As Charlie grew, he started looking less like a Brittany and more like an English pointer – except for his docked tail and pink nose.

David and his girlfriend were quite consistent in training Charlie so he became a very well behaved dog. Life changes and David had to move from his house with a yard to an apartment with no yard. He went from employment that demanded his weekends but left his weekdays mostly free, to just the opposite. It didn’t look like Charlie was going to fit into this life style very well.

I don’t want dogs. I love dogs but I am at a time in my life when I don’t really want to care for critters. I don’t like picking up poop, I don’t like vacuuming dog hair, and I don’t like nagging people to take care of their pets. Well, I caved. Rather than David finding someone else to take care of Charlie, I said we’d foster him. Karyn was the logical choice for caring for Charlie, as he and Aida were great pals. However, Karyn had adopted another Brittany. 3 dogs, a bird, numerous fish, 2 boys, and full load of college class work seemed to be on the verge of overload even for a critter lover. Besides she lived too far away.

So Charlie came to live with us. We have a very large yard but can’t fence it in due to covenants. We put in an underground electric fence which works great. We live on the edge of a farm field so there is plenty of running room. I insisted that, if we took this dog, that Tom and I both would give him 2 walks a day. He is a sporting dog, after all, and needs to run. David was hoping that Tom’s skill at training a hunting dog to hunt pheasants might also be a plus for both of them when hunting season rolled around. I decided it was imperative to get Charlie in shape for an all day hunt.

We brought him home with us the end of March 2010. We have been diligent walking him nearly every day although not always twice a day. It has been a boon for us, too, as we needed the excuse to get off our butts and do something outside.

The other day as summer wanes and the days are getting shorter, I was out with Charlie. The sunset was gorgeous, the cornfield behind our house is taller than me and I reflected on the changing of the seasons. I have to thank Charlie Dog for demanding his walk everyday. I have connected with the outdoors this year as we walked across bare ground at the end of winter, avoided the field as the crops came peaking through in the spring, and now play hide and seek up and down the tall corn rows. Thanks, Charlie – maybe I did want a dog after all.

Wyoming District LWML Convention

2010-06-21T15:03:00.005-06:00

At the 2010 Wyoming District LWML convention held in Gering, NE, I was reminded again why I am an LWML'er, an acronym for Lutheran Women's Missionary League, which is the official woman's organization of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS). One of the first women I met was Joan Anderson. Joan and I were members of an LCMS mission congregation in Wright, Wyoming, beginning in 1980. Our chapel was a small trailer house. Our first lay pastor was Jim Dittman who was helped in this mission by his wife, Donna. They were the age of our parents so not only did we respect them for the work they were doing but we respected them as we would our parents.

Joan and I were both pregnant the year Donna called a meeting for all woman. Most of us were in our 20's and first time mothers but we showed up to avoid being grounded! Donna explained that our mission congregation needed to form an LWML society. I knew of LWML because my mother was a part of one. She even borrowed one of my Barbie doll imposters to make a display for one of her meetings. I wasn't sure I wanted to be part of an organization that was for "older" ladies. Poor Joan didn't know anything about the organization but I don't recall that she asked many questions. I'm sure Donna explained a little bit but mostly she indicated that we needed officers. Who wanted to be President? Not only was I pregnant but I also had a little guy at home. I was pretty sure I was too busy to make Barbie doll displays. I guess everyone else thought they were too busy, too. Donna just waited and looked at us each in turn. In the back of my mind I was thinking, "Well, Donna, if you think this organization is so important why don't YOU be president", but she was like my mom so I wasn't going to get sassy with her. I looked around the table and everyone looked as stubborn as I felt. I looked at Donna and she looked back at me, without knowing what I was doing my hand went up - all by itself! I hear a huge sigh of relief from my left. Joan muttered, "Oh good, if you'd waited one more second my hand was going up." I hold the honor of being the first president of the Rebekah Guild LWML at Hope Lutheran Church in Wright, Wyoming. Which sadly, is no longer a congregation.

When I let my mother know I was president she passed on a bit of history. It seems she had been president in her local society and furthermore, her mother had also been a president for her local society. It seems I was following in some wonderful LWML footsteps. While Donna would not be the first president she was a wonderful mentor and our society was up and running in no time. We had our struggles but we had our joys. As no one had gone before us, we were able to establish our own traditions. We made many banners and even submitted a design for the International LWML Convention being held in Rapid City. Much to our surprise our design won! To our bigger surprise, we were required to make it. We did. Ruth Kerbel carried that banner during the processional of the first International LWML convention that Joan and I attended.

My family moved from Wright in 1994 to the Denver area. I was still in LWML and still attended district conventions and a few national ones. I held offices in the local society but didn't aspire to higher callings in the organization at that time - although it was in the back of my mind that I MIGHT like to be a district officer SOMEDAY. In 2003, we sold our home and returned to Wyoming - this time to Torrington. We were immediately welcomed by Our Savior Lutheran Church. I meant to be a quiet little mouse and just be a worshipper for a while. That worked for about 5 minutes and soon I was on my way to being a part of LWML again. I have held the office of President and in one weak moment agreed to run for office at the Zone level. Yes, I was elected but instead of being President, I am recording secretary. I did explain that we travel a lot and I might not make all the meetings but everyone seemed to think that would work.

Remember I travel a lot and this winter we were working in Tucson, AZ. We lived in a lovely mobile home/RV park that was formerly a working orange grove. I had 4 orange trees in my little lot and I was able to pick an orange anytime I wanted. I felt like I was in paradise! One evening Melvina Dillman called me. She was on the Wyoming District LWML nomination committee and trying to fill a VP post. She explained that she was despairing of whom to call when she prayed one evening at a Lenten service that God guide her to find the right people. Somehow God put my name on her heart. Ah. I must have just consumed a fermented orange because I told her to send the job description and I would consider it.

The position she was nominating me for was way too complicated for a Newbie. However, the VP of Human Care looked promising. She did have my Zone President's name as a nominee but I figured Barb Schaer would willingly trade places with me if she had to. I called Melvina back and said she could put my name down for VP of Human Care. A few weeks later I looked over the nominee list and much to my surprise Barb and I were running for the same office. Melvina and Judy Christianson were running for the VP of Servant Resources - the original post I was asked to run for.

Now some of this might seem rather Godless at this point and coincidental. I did pray about taking the post and was really hoping God would give me a good excuse to say no. Instead He caused me to remember the convention I attended in Dubois. I was able to see some of the women I would be working with in action. These women were Christ Filled and Funny! I love funny. I could do this job if I could be funny. I sent in my bio - as understated as I could make it and sent in a reasonable likeness of me. I did pray a few times asking God to help me be willing if need be but Barb would do the job better. Hint, hint.

2010 Wyoming District LWML convention arrived and it was only 30 minutes from my doorstep in Gering NE. I decided if I was going to attend I was taking it all in! I even signed up for choir for the opening Divine Worship Service. I was a bit late for choir practice so I was off by myself in the choir loft. Nobody asked what I wanted to sing so I thought I'd try alto. I kind of read music but that doesn't mean I match pitch. After one stanza of the first hymn, I knew I was out of my league. These folks were good! I would've tried to slink out of there but I'm tall; it's hard for me to slink. So I suffered through and sang very, very, very quietly. With all those strong voices around me, I was pretty sure they would drown me out.

We took a break and this was my opportunity to not return. However, Joan - who has a beautiful voice - did see me there. A few members from my zone saw me there, too. I was pretty sure if I didn't show up, I'd probably get ribbed so I went back up to that balcony and prayed for the best. I learned something important up there. Sometimes God just needs my willingness. I opened my voice and tried to sing quietly but somehow the notes that came out sounded pretty good. I won't say I belted out a tune, but I did gain some confidence in my singing and the angel that sang for me added to that angelic choir. That's where the similarity to heaven stops - it was very hot up in that balcony and even with fans running it was not a heavenly temperature.

Our President of the Wyoming District LCMS, Rev. Richard Boche, gave the sermon. His words touched me and while I had gained confidence in singing I was starting to think maybe I could be VP with God's help. I was near tears when I humbly asked Jesus to be there and help me do this job if elected. Making LWML a priority and following through with my duties would be required. I would need to be inspired. I would have to be willing to make some sacrifices.

It seems that the entire convention was then an answer to my prayer. Every Bible study, every speaker, everyone who knew me was encouraging me. Everyone who knew me was also campaigning for me. But maybe the one person that inspired me the most was my mother, Kathy Struble. My mother was at this convention. She is 78 and to my knowledge has never held an office beyond her local LWML society. Our District LWML President, Gerry Neereimer, was a member of her congregation. She had asked my mother to be her parliamentarian. My mother has a lot of respect for Gerry, maybe that was one of the reasons she agreed to the position. My mother was up on stage next to the President and confidently reading her part. I was so proud of her for being up there. I could see that the other board members loved and respected her. After all, she is just my mom; this was new to me! Through my mother, God started working on my heart and my enthusiasm for this job I hoped NOT to have.

The business at hand was taken care of in good order. We were in the WORD together, we sang together, we laughed together, we selected our mission grants, and we shopped at the Christian store sponsored by Concordia Publishing House. We heard reports from the various committees, and we laughed at the skits performed. We were renewed when our Young Women Representatives, Karen Lininger and Jennifer Scheel shared their excitement about LWML. LWML isn’t just for Grandmas! We shared meals together and met new friends and renewed old friendships. Joan and I got caught up on the last 16 years and shared a few laughs as memories rolled over us. We made plans to get together to encourage Pastor Dittman and his wife, Donna, facing the challenges of cancer.

One evening was set aside to meet the nominees. Was I going to campaign for myself or for Barb? I decided to be gracious and just meet and greet and let the Lord move in the hearts of the delegates. Was I going to vote for myself or was I going to vote for Barb? As a delegate for our society, I had to decide. I marked my ballot and handed it in. I prayed, "thy will be done". We voted in the morning and wouldn't have the results until the afternoon. Drawings for door prizes helped with the wait. My mother was the first winner. It was fun seeing her surprised expression. And as God would have it, I was the last winner. She won a Jade cross; I won raspberry tea. I love raspberry - it was all good.

Finally, the results were counted and my name was announced. I am the new Vice President of Human Care. I know a little bit about the job, but I do know I take over for an organized Evie Miller who will be a wonderful mentor. God's sense of humor even has a twist. Melvina Dillman who wanted me to be a nominee for Vice President of Servant Resources now holds that position. We are both looking forward to this! God is working in my heart, I am excited to have this position and I can't wait to get to know my fellow board members better. I am pretty sure we'll have a fun time together but more importantly we get the honor of being available as God works His wonders through our marvelous organization.

10 Year Graduate

2010-05-14T13:56:00.002-06:00

In 2001, our daughter, Karyn, enrolled in community college. Her first classes were mostly for fun but she did pick up some early childhood classes. Then her education was interrupted a bit as she learned to be a new wife. After a few years, she and hubby, Rick, and brand new baby, Timmy, moved to Seward, NE. Rick was beginning his studies at Concordia University, a private Lutheran school. Karyn began to pick up a few classes at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln. It seemed becoming a teacher would be the career choice. Another little baby, Daniel, was added to the mix, and the new mom took some time off. Rick graduated in 2008 and Karyn began her college experience again - this time as a full time student.

On May 8, 2010, Karyn graduated from Concordia as an elementary teacher who can also take a call as a Lutheran teacher. Hallelujah! Timmy and grandma spent most of the baccalaureate crying because we were so happy for her. Daniel cried because his mommy was across the aisle and not with him. That was an easy fix - we let him go to her.

We are so grateful that God has given this family the strength to persevere and complete their education. Our prayer is that they will use these gifts to His Glory and be in a place to share the love of Jesus with all they meet. I look forward expectantly to see the many lives Karyn will touch as a teacher. She seems to have a real knack for it and knows how to pull l the students into the excitement of learning. Some of her students from her "student teaching" class wrote her thank you notes. Each student mentioned how much they loved science with her. One kid even said, he used to hate science but he likes it now.

So go forth, darling daughter, be creative in your teaching, be tender in your relationships and always share the saving grace of Jesus with your students and co-workers.

Almost Spring in Arizona

2010-03-14T09:30:00.003-06:00

And we have to leave. The job has come to trickling halt. A few things still to do but they can be done remotely. Our son, David, has a new job and needs to move from Longmont to Colorado Springs. Parent's Moving Extraordinaire will be pulling in soon. Actually, I think the move can happen without us but Charlie, the grand-dog might need some grandmotherly love and care.

The desert is starting to bloom - I had hoped with all the rain it might bloom faster. The orange blossoms are just now trying to bud out but I think we will miss them, too. I fertilized the orange trees and put a new drip system around them. We hope to come back next year for fun and relaxation this time. I'm sure my tender loving care will help the trees bear wonderful fruit!

We went out on the desert yesterday and saw some ocotillo blooming - such beautiful vibrant colors. We just made a reservation for a stopping place in New Mexico, the attendant said the poppies are popping so perhaps we will get to see the desert in bloom.

I hope the coyotes serenade us tonight. We haven't heard them for awhile or maybe we have become used to them. I found a hummingbird nest on Friday and joy of joy I got to see the adult feeding babies!

Part 2 - several months later -

Our trip back home was wonderful. We stayed at Rock hound State Park outside of Deming. There were a bunch of birds and I tried to take a few pictures. It was a beautiful setting, I'd like to go back. Our second night was at the Wittington NRA Center outside of Raton. It was cold and we had the place to ourselves. Again, it was beautiful and a herd of deer roamed by our camping spot that morning.

We got Dave moved into his new accessible apartment in Colorado Springs. He gave us a tour of the Olympic Training Center and we were able to meet some of the athletes he will be training. An exciting time for him. He tried to keep Charlie, the dog, at his apartment but that was working. We are now foster dog parents. Charlie likes to take us for walks and he is very well behaved. Loves to point birds - especially robins. Don't tell anybody, but it is kind of fun to be a dog owner again.

Arizona Winter 2009-2010

2010-02-22T17:48:00.003-07:00

We are still wintering in Arizona. I am pretty sure Tom is going to have to hog-tie me to get me to leave. I have so thoroughly enjoyed my lit bit of a paradise. I guess I'm kind of quirky. I think this older mobile home/RV park is delightful set as it is amongst citrus, dates and other green stuff. There is plenty of cacti around and we are just a few minutes walk from desert. We have had friends come visit with their RVs but they don't want to stay here. Somehow they think living in an RV park that resembles a parking lot is more pleasant. I will give you that a heated pool and nicer shower room might be a draw. I have found that few people swim in Arizona in the winter even if the pool is heated. AND I really don't want to gather my stuff to go shower where so many others have gone before if I don't have to.

We are heading into spring which means more rain. We have had lots of it and discovered our slide-out leaks. We got on top and saw how nasty our poor old roof has become. We ordered new seals and Tom, the handyman, will install it as soon as it arrives and time and sunshine allow.

Looks like the job is winding down. Another employee from the outfit that Tom consults with will be down tonight and they will hammer out the last of the program in a few weeks. Then Tom offered to leave for a few weeks and come back and catch any bugs from the program. Then I think we will be heading home. Maybe it will be springtime in Wyoming by then. I have had a taste of warmer weather here and while so far it has been pleasant I can imagine how hot it must get - maybe Tom won't have to hog-tie me after all!

Stay tuned - there might be more to come.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-20T08:22:00.002-07:00

Sitting here in Tucson, Arizona, it is hard to imagine Christmas is right around the corner. Yes, we still live in Torrington, Wyoming, but Tom is a consultant on a job in Tucson. Our fifth wheel is parked in a former working orange grove –we have 4 orange trees in our little yard. We love fresh squeezed citrus each day. At night when we gaze at the stars through palm fronds that grace our skyline, we wonder if the view is similar to what the Christ child saw. Since this southern winter is more akin to Bethlehem’s winter, it somehow draws us closer to that historic event and makes us ever mindful of God’s sacrifice to redeem this fallen race with the greatest gift ever given, God’s gift of His Son, Jesus.

Speaking of fallen, we get tired of writing about our aches and pains and the efforts it takes to keep us going – just suffice it to say, we’ve had our problems, but God is good and we have come through each and every one.

Terri attended her niece, Andrea’s graduation and her niece, Kimberley’s confirmation. Terri and forever friend, Lee Griffith flew to a California wedding for Lee’s niece. We took this opportunity to see where Lee grew up. Finishing a few Napa Valley fine wines while enjoying the San Francisco/Napa Valley area was wonderful. Terri and Dave attended the wedding of Greg Busse, close Auburn teammate, roommate and forever friend. We even danced! We might take lessons – now that we know wheelchair dancing is possible. Terri’s mom, Kathy, joined her on a number of these trips. The youngest grandson, Daniel, wasn’t sure who great-grandma was but after a few days was willing to share his ice cream with her. Timmy remembered her and said he’d miss her more now that he remembered her.

We spent a fair amount of our summer spoiling the grandkids and getting the Seward house ready to sell since Karyn and Rick are proud new homeowners. We brought Timmy back with us on one trip. Boppa Tom shared his walleye catching secrets and Grandma Terri explained that washing the van in the garage with a spray hose was probably not a good idea.

Hunting and fishing are always part of our story. The freezer is full of walleye, deer, and antelope. David and Tom figured out more ways to hunt from a wheelchair. Nothing much stops David. Tom’s new hips allows him to keep up. Tom relived his youth by cutting down an ancient tree leaning over the cabin. The drama leading up to this event lasted longer than the actual event. Tree is down, cabin is safe, Tom is glowing because he is still the lumberjack of his imagination and Terri is eating crow.

Karyn has had a very busy year. She attends school full time and should graduate with her teaching degree in May 2010. Timmy is now a kindergartner which means Karyn gets to do PTA-like stuff, too. Daniel is a very busy 2 year old trying to keep up with all the boys in the neighborhood – 10 boys at last count. Anything to do with swords (foam) is the game of choice. Rick and Karyn are becoming adept at home improvement. They stay busy with their new community and their church. All roads lead east but once in awhile a they find a westward path to visit us in Wyoming and the other grandparents in Colorado.

Terri and David went to Terre Haute, IN, home to Terri’s cousins and aunt. Dave gave speeches and swim clinics. We were guests on a local radio talk show. Cousins and Aunt Pauline joined us in many of these events. In April, we again joined forces and were part of a panel for an Adaptive Sport conference in Colorado Springs. We were told the panel session was one of the best events of the conference.

In November, we met with Tom’s older girls, Lorie and Kristie and their families to celebrate the wedding of Joe (Lorie’s son, our grandson) and Holly. Little Joe, their son, and Calista, Holly’s daughter and our new great will be welcoming a new brother in April. Lorie’s daughter, Jessica, will be adding to the greats with a baby in May. Lorie and Phil are still in Rapid City running their mobile home transport business. Kristie and Bert are still in Casper. Bert went on a mission trip to Africa in March – one day we will sit down long enough to actually hear about the adventure. Their daughter, Keshia, is planning a move to Salt Lake City. She is excited - we wish Salt Lake City wasn’t so far away.

Our friends from Wright, Wyoming, Bea and Greg Parker own a home just outside of our RV park in Tucson. They entertain us regularly. Greg loves to hunt – Tom loves to hunt and there are too many doves in Arizona. These two are doing their part to control the population. Bea and Tom are exchanging dove recipes. Greg and I enjoy the exchange and give our opinions of the results.

We spent Thanksgiving in Mesa with Terri’s sister, Susie, and her family. It seems like it would be a good time to spend Christmas here but the grandsons have a greater pull. The Dennistons never do anything the easy way, so Tom and Terri are flying into Denver where David will pick us up and we will drive to Beaver Crossing – 7 hours away. Weather permitting.

We hope and pray this finds you well and that 2010 treats you kindly.

Dancing

2009-11-07T13:43:00.005-07:00

In 1997, I kissed my oldest child and wished him well as he began his journey into adulthood via Auburn University. David was going to swim for a NCAA Div 1 National Champion swim team and was one of 8 male freshmen joining the team. 12 years later, 6 of those 8 freshmen swimmers are still great friends. When Dave had his spinal cord injury in 2005, all contacted him immediately and most came to visit him. Not only did Dave make lifelong friends, but the parents of these boys became good friends, too. Rather remarkable when it is considered that we parents were together maybe 2 or 3 times a year. Of course, those were intense times as we were in the stands cheering the Auburn swim team on to victory. It makes for bonding moments.

Now fast forward 12 years. All but 2 of the 6 were married. The holdouts were Greg and Dave. Greg recently was married to his bride who also attended Auburn University but it took an Alumni meeting for them to meet in Chicago. All 6 of these former Auburn swimmers were there. I attended this wedding and it was like a family reunion for me. It was good to see the "boys" again and meet their wives. Some of the parents were there and it was like the Parent Weekends of bygone time as we caught up on various events. The wedding was lovely, the bride gorgeous and Greg, the groom, was popping his tuxedo buttons with pride.

All of the "boys" were part of the wedding party including David. Sometimes it is a bit awkward to escort a bridesmaid down the aisle and wheel his chair too, but somehow the bridesmaids make it all work. There was dancing at the reception and I think Dave made the "moonwalk" look very smooth. After a few drinks, the inhibitions were less and more dancers crowded the dance floor. The Bride and Groom had started it all with their beautiful waltz - if they didn't take lessons for this special dance, then they are naturals and should go on tour. As the evening wore on, David asked me to dance with him.

I have been to several weddings after Dave's accident. I find it always poignant that the Bride and Groom dance and then the Groom dances with is mother. I think it is beautiful but I have to admit I feel a bit jealous that it isn't going to happen to me. Well, here was my chance to give it a go. Dave claimed a little corner of the dance floor for us to give it a try. We held hands, I pushed his knees with my knees for him to go back and would pull with my arms for him to go forward. Thanks to his long arms he could spin me which did catch me by surprise. We were making it up as we went along but it fun. Dave told me that when it was his turn to get married, if they had a wedding dance, we'd take lessons. I look forward to that but for now having a dance with my son was a most memorable moment.

I have to thank all the Auburn family that stood by Dave as he learned life over in a wheel chair. It was being in the company and being comfortable with them that might have been the reason we were able to give dancing a try. I have been touched by these Auburn men over the years. When Eric came to see David, I mentioned that I was grateful that all the "boys" came to be with Dave, and he replied that all of them came to be with us, too. They aren't "boys" anymore, they are men and I'm as proud of their character as any mother who raised them. Thanks to the parents who supported them and us over these many years. It was so good to see you all again.

PS I wrote this quite awhile ago but everytime I tried to post it, I would cry. This time I didn't cry so it must be time.

Birthdays!

2009-09-28T18:54:00.002-06:00

Where do the years ago? I remember being little and thinking my birthday would never arrive or Christmas! How I longed for Christmas. Daniel my grandson turned 2 years old on Friday. Wasn't he just born? Now he is a big 2 year old boy, jabbering about everything - I think, he still has a language all his own.

Then I was pondering son, David's actual birth day. I do that sometimes. Play the game, 31 years ago today, I was pregnant wondering when my baby would be born. I didn't know what I was going to have but I was determined my first would be a boy. So much for feminism. Here I am 31 years later and it seems like only yesterday that I was wondering what my first baby would be.

The years are going too fast most of the time but they are filled with joy and blessing. I thank God daily for my wonderful family and friends - keep 'em coming.

Tribute to Jimi Flowers

2009-07-12T14:33:00.003-06:00

A great coach died on Friday. Jimi came into our lives when David was recruited by Auburn University to swim for them. I was a nervous mom, and spent a few hours on the phone talking to the head coach, David Marsh, and assistant coach Jimi Flowers. I was so encouraged by these men. They were Christian men with fine family values and while I knew they couldn't be a part of my son's life every second of the day, I knew they would emulate the qualities our family admires. I have never regretted that David went to Auburn. He made some life long friends there.

Jimi ended up being Dave's breaststroke coach. Their communication styles clicked and Jimi was able to bring David along. In 2 years time, David was a national champion and well on his way to making the Olympic team. Then the bottom fell out. Jimi needed to leave Auburn for his family. His wife, Sue, whom he loved deeply, couldn't get her severe allergies under control in Auburn. We were so saddened to see Jimi and Sue leave, yet again, Jimi showed that family came first and he would carve out a career somewhere else. They went to Colorado Springs where Jimi worked for the Olympic Training Center. Jimi would remain in our lives.

Jimi continued communicating with David. We had some email contacts, a few visits when we were in Colorado Springs and Christmas cards. We would see him now and then at some competitions. David didn't make the team in 2000 and we heard Jimi threw pillows at the TV while watching the trials. Dave came so close but not close enough.

David moved to California shortly after that and trained with another great coach, David Salo. Jimi faded in our lives a bit, but stayed in contact with David periodically. The Christmas cards still came. David missed the 2004 Olympics then wandered around a bit wondering what was next. In Feb. of 2005, David had his accident in the mountains of Wyoming. He broke his back and became a paraplegic. Coach Salo, Coach Marsh, and Jimi Flowers were some of the first people to fly into Ft. Collins to be with him. David's accident shocked the swimming community and the support he was given was outstanding.

Over the years, Jimi had never lost touch with David. 2 years ago, he asked Dave to consider trying for the paralympics. I'm not sure what all went through David's head. His swimming would be much different than before. His once powerful legs were now a detriment. He used to have the fastest turns off the walls, now his legs would get in the way. Somehow, Jimi helped him overcome those mental hurdles. Jimi was with us when David made the Paralympic team for Beijing in 2008. He knew before we did but he didn't spill the beans. His joy for David and for us was so real. We all hugged and cried and whooped. How exciting that was.

David had to return to Colorado for another back surgery. Training for the paralympics would not be what it needed to be but Jimi encouraged David. When we arrived at the opening Ceremonies in Beijing our tears flowed when we saw Jimi pushing David into the Bird Nest. It was so awesome to see these 2 together. Jimi pushed him onto the pool for his first race. What a bond....

I didn't have the close relationship to Jimi that Dave had, but I knew he would steer him in the right direction. Jimi was a godly man that lived his values. He was the kind of man I would be happy for my son to imitate. I don't know why God allows such a man to be taken to his heavenly home when he seems to be needed so much down on earth, but I do know Jimi had a positive impact while he was here. My prayer for his family is that they remember his faith in Jesus, his strength to live a valuable life, and to continue to take Joy in the life given. What a gift Jimi was to all who knew him in any capacity.

May 2009

2009-05-24T11:59:00.003-06:00

I think I have to add to this blog periodically or it will drop. May has been interesting month for us. All started out well and then went down the tubes in a hurry. Tom was going to do a fishing tournament - a first in many years. He was pre-fishing with his partner when he started experiencing excruciating abdominal pains. He headed home. I took one look at his expanding belly and we headed up to the emergency room. To make a very long story short - we have spent too many days in the hospital AND Tom missed his tournament.

Tom had an obstructed bowel and had surgery. He got home on Tuesday the 19th and we've been easing back into a regular diet. Tom is still recovering - and I'm trying to stay calm and patient. I was supposed to go spend a week with our grandsons but that was out of the question. Today is our 34th anniversary - we might celebrate by adding another vegetable to the menu! We will get to see the grandsons soon and life will get back to normal, I'm sure. Wish it would hurry up though.

In between, David did insist he stay his dad while I attended my niece's graduation in Colorado. At the time, we thought Tom had an ulcer and just needed some IV time to help it heal. At the same time, Karyn was in Littleton playing in an Alumni band for her high school band instructor's retirement. My mom, sister, and I were able to attend that, too. I love watching Karyn perform. So the month wasn't all bad and I am really grateful that David "insisted" I go to Colorado.

A new month

2009-02-02T16:17:00.002-07:00

Tom had his surgery for his new hip - right one this time. Same doc, same place, much of it all the same. His recovery seems much better this time. Since it is January and cold and yucky, it isn't that hard to just veg inside. We have been playing lots of Wii - thanks kids for our Christmas present. I kick butt in Mario Cart. Tom is getting around the block a little bit, now that the roads are thawing and not so icy. We looked over our email from March of 2008 to see how his recovery from his left hip compared to this one. It spurred him on to get out and get going!

Here it is Feb. 2nd already. Our grandson, Timmy's, 5th birthday (if you don't count the day he was born as the first) yet, it seems like yesterday that he was born. Time sure flies. I haven't missed any of his birthdays but this one. We will try to go visit toward the end of this month - maybe make his baptism birthday.

Marin Morrison

2009-01-05T15:47:00.004-07:00

We were honored to get to know many of the Para-athletes in Beijing. They all have incredible stories to tell and we are proud of all of them. One young lady, we failed to get to know much. Her name was Marin Morrison. Marin came to our attention through a mutual friend, Glenn Mills, who was instrumental in setting up Dave's original website and produces Dave's swimming DVD's.

Marin was an up and coming swimmer when she was diagnosed with brain cancer in 2005. Yep, the same year, Dave broke his back. Marin had several surgeries but was still training in the water. She, too, tried out for the Paralympic team in Minneapolis. We were able to talk to some her family/fans but still didn't meet her. She made the team just like David did. She went home to celebrate with another surgery just like David did. Her surgery was again on her brain - Dave's was on his spinal cord. Marin was quite a fighter and battled her deteriorating health all summer long. It seemed to us that it was a touch and go situation and her dream of participating in the Paralympics might not come true. She wasn't able to be with the team the entire time but she did make it to Beijing and she swam all her events.

When a person competes in the Paralympics, s/he has to be classified according to disability. This isn't an ongoing thing - classification seems to be set for a period of time before an athlete can be re-classified. Therefore, Marin was classified at a certain level but by the time she swam in the Paralympics her disability had further deteriorated. She basically swam all her races with one arm and bit of a kick with one leg. And she did that up against less disabled athletes. On one of her races, the entire crowd in the Cube stood and cheered her on. Another moment for tears to stream down faces.

I am sad to report that Marin passed away on January 2. Her family will be setting up a memorial scholarship to remember her courageous life. You can check out the details at their website: http://www.caringbridge.org/ga/marin/. While we didn't get to meet her personally, we do admire what she accomplished in her young life.

A few months later

2008-11-04T20:35:00.003-07:00

Dave has been busy touring the country giving his presentations and clinics. I haven't heard the latest so I'm not sure how it has changed since he became a paralympian. However, we still get unsolicited comments from many hearers and it sounds like he is still making an impact with his message. I can't remember a time in my life that I didn't want to be a mother. I am blessed to be a mother to a couple of terrific people. David has figured out how to make lemondade out of lemons. He knows he has been tested and continues to find strength in his family, his friends and his faith. Karyn, my daughter, continues to amaze me with how well she raises her young sons. Some of it imitates me which honors me, but some of it is so new and innovative that I wished I had thought of that!

So well done, kiddoes. Keep up being the terrific adults you have become. I am proud of you both!

2 New Posts

2008-10-07T15:44:00.002-06:00

I've add a link for the pictures I took while I was in Beijing. I also grabbed a few photos from Zack and Jerrica (their's were better). So thank you, Zack and Jerrica for being such great photographers. Also, I did add some of my thoughts (the blog just below this one) about our time in Beijing. Enjoy and thanks for reading my blog - it was fun reading your responses.

Thoughts on the Paralympics

2008-10-07T11:13:00.000-06:00

My brain isn’t as mushy now and I’ve thought about the Paralympics since I’ve been home. I am so impressed with the athletes I got to see. Of course, I am biased towards my own son, David, and so proud of him for deciding to get back into the “swim” of things after his accident. If it wasn’t for him, we would have probably never ventured a trip to China. I saw many of the other athletes because China TV had events on everyday, all day. I saw disabilities of many classifications and marveled at their competitive spirit.

I saw fans come together and cheer the athletes. It didn’t take long to overlook whatever disability the athlete had to overcome and just see the athlete’s ability. The Paralympic theme of Trancendence, Equality, and Integration became internalized. The trancendance was for me – to see the athlete and not the disability. The equality is for the athlete and the family – venues to compete in that are equal to what the able body athletes get to compete in. After talking to family members, I was told that Beijing took this theme of equality to a new level. And yet more could be done – live coverage or even sports updates within different media for these athletes were not available everywhere. Accessibility to get around was much improved in China but more could still be done as in other countries including the USA.
These disabled athletes are courageous as they integrate into society whether at school, with other able bodied athletes they train with, or in the work place. Their families have supported them and probably fought many battles with and for them to be included in society in as many ways as possible. The Paralympic Venue brought all these elements together to share the notion that a disability doesn’t have to be a handicap.

For me, I saw the hand of God whether it was keeping us safe in a huge, unfamiliar foreign city governed by a Communist regime, or helping us find a lost cell phone within a few hours of losing it. Mostly, I saw how God works in human beings to give hope to difficult situations. These families and fans came together because life is hard. Some athletes were born with their disabilities, others acquired them through disease or accidents, yet because human beings are instilled with the characteristics of hope, love, charity and faith, we got to see them excel and live a full life. With more knowledge and awareness of the possibilities available more disabled people can get into the “swim” of things, too.

We're Home!

2008-09-17T21:01:00.002-06:00

We left Beijing on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 3:45 pm. After a 12 hour flight we arrived in Newark on Tuesday, Sept. 16 at 4:30 pm. Crossing the dateline sure messes with my time frame. We got through customs and caught our plane to Houston. I know that was a weird scheduling thing, but it got us home 3 hours earlier. We rented a hotel in Houston and got about 6 hours of stretch out time. I got some good sleep in those 6 hours. We boarded our plane to Denver at 7:30 am and were in Denver 9:15 am. Our luggage followed us all the way.

We are now in Torrington. I am feeling a little tingly after going through all those time zones but we should reset our internal clocks with a good night's rest.

I have lots of thoughts about my first Paralympic Competition and maybe I will share those thoughts soon - when my brain doesn't feel mushy. Keep checking back. I hope to have some of the pictures up too.

4th Place Finish

2008-09-15T08:51:00.002-06:00

What an exciting race it was! The guys knocked 3 seconds off their morning's time. We are so proud of them. It has been an exhausting day. The seating in the Cube is general seating - so fans have to arrive 2 hours early to get seats together. It has become a race as soon as the gates open. I think it should be a new event in Paralympic competition - the fan dash. Greece decided they wanted our seats and it got a little crazy but we finally figured it all out in the end.

Gotta pack - going home tomorrow! Glad the coverage was good.

First place Seed!

2008-09-14T22:42:00.003-06:00

USA's 4X50 Medley Relay - 20 point was this morning. The four men who swam it were awesome and they will be the same 4 tonight. Lantz Lamback S7 swam the lead leg of backstroke, Dave SB4 swam the Breaststroke leg, Roy Perkins - S5 swam the butterfly and Joe McCartney S4 swam the last freestyle leg. Those fans in the stands who are in the know told us that our team could go faster tonight. Also there are a couple of teams that will have faster swimmers in the relay tonight. Our team's time was 2.46:40. Whoohoo - we were rocking the stands with that one.

We also have a 4X100 - 34 point relay tonight. I think we are seeded 4th for that one. We have several swimmers going to finals so it will be an exciting way to end 9 days of swimming.

Jerrica and I didn't eat bugs but we saw them. About the time I was ready to dare her to do so the stands closed down. Good timing on my part, eh? Zack and Jerrica have hoofed all over this town seeing more than you can imagine. We have seen enough to feel like we have been in China. We have haggled at flea markets with a bazaar type feel. We have haggled in the "discount" markets. After a while that gets annoying - if you make eye contact with any of them, they grab your arm and drag you in. They will not let go until you buy something - unless you are Zack. He got blocked into one spot - I'm not sure how long but he refused to buy, they finally let him go. I usually cave because I do want something and the more I look the more tired I became. I think I got some deals but after awhile, I just wished they'd give me a fair price and let me go on my way.

We tried to find a street fair yesterday. These next few days are "happy mid-autumn" Festival. We got lost and turned around. Finally grabbed a cab that would drop me off to finish up shopping and then take Tom back to the apartment. As I was leaving the market to go home, I looked for my paper that tells the driver where to go. I couldn't find it. There are volunteer stands all over Beijing. Most of these folks speak enough English to confuse things. However, they very much want to help. My new best friends did finally figure out where I wanted to go and wrote down the directions. It was a piece of cake after that.

We all went out to try Peking Duck last night. Probably the swankiest restaurant I've been in since we've been here. The duck is served family style and the duck is 198 RMB then with all the condiments - we threw a couple more beers on top of that. I think the bill came to 425 RMB with tip. that's about $65. It was a lovely meal. Zack did a terrific job ordering it for us. He had it when he was in Beijing before so he was the expert among us.

Our plane leaves here at 3:45 on the 16th. We arrive in Denver the 17th. By the time you wake up, you should know how our men did with their Relay. It should be very very exciting.

Change of Plans

2008-09-13T02:57:00.002-06:00

Hurricane Ike has closed the Houston Airport which is how we were supposed to get home. It will probably be up and running but rerouting has been a nightmare for Continental, I imagine. Anyway we elected to stay a couple of days extra, rather than spend days in an airport. We'll get to see Dave's relay race on Monday, too.

Today has been a low key day. Dave came over and spent some time with us. We did find a coffee shop not far from the Paralympic Village. So we went there and got our coffee fix then rolled on over to the Village. We didn't get to go in but we did get to see some of the courtyards and buildings.

I think tonight is bug night. Zack and Jerrica found where they are - they only come out at night, after dark. Yeah, makes you feel kind of squeamish doesn't it? So maybe tonight is the night we dare each other to eat something exotic. We haven't gotten TD yet - after tonight it might be another story. Imodium is good for TD - there's a hint for what I am talking about.

Tomorrow night is Peking Duck night. We might try to get into wheelchair Rugby - of "Murder Ball" fame. Dave did sit next Mark Zupan one of the Rugby athletes at opening ceremonies. It would be fun to watch USA play but it's pretty popular - we might have to "settle" for any team.

100 Breast SB4

2008-09-12T07:47:00.008-06:00

Dave finished 9th in his event - just missed finals by .05 seconds. RATS! I think I got it on video and will download and try to set it up here. He did knock off another 3 seconds of his best time though. I don't know how tired the athletes are but being a fan is taking a toll. We have to race to our spots for the finals - everybody thinks the Americans have the best spot and so do we. The Chinese have a high regard for those who can swipe a spot from someone else. It doesn't matter whether it is while walking, driving, or finding a seat in a venue. They start learning spatial relations early here.

While we were in the Temple of Heaven, a little boy was riding a bike with training wheels. He must have been about 3. He was weaving in out of people who were walking along the sidewalk and missing their toes by inches. He never hit anybody though. Now imagine that little kid as a taxi driver 30 years later. Somehow these folks just know how to squeeze into tiny spaces and yet I haven't seen any road rage, or foul tempers. It just is. So if they can swipe a good seat from a Yank, there are congratulations all around. On the other hand if we are bold in refusing them the seat, they are okay with that, too.

So today we went to the MacDonalds on the Green. A real American MacDonalds. The Chinese love MacDonalds, I think there were about 10 million of them standing in line and 5 more million milling around outside waiting to get in. I maneuvered my way into line and Tom was supposed to find a table for us. No luck, they were too sneaky getting in under him. We went upstairs and there were items on two chairs and an empty table. We just moved the items, sat down and ignored the people who picked up their items. They didn't say anything - we were pretty quick and when the rest of their family came in we were done and they got their table back. I took a picture of the millions of Chinese ordering MacDonalds. I'll post it later.

Kinda tired - hope to get some more stuff written before we leave on Sunday. David said he will be in the Medley Relay on Monday - alas, we will be home by then unless Hurricane Ike changes our plans.

Relay!

2008-09-11T07:36:00.004-06:00

Tonight was the 4 x 50 freestyle relay. Dave swam the second leg and was in second place when he did the exchange. We ended up fourth - it should be on Universal Sports since it was a final. It took a long time for the results to come up - looked like a DQ was in the making. AND China's time did not go up right away. We held our breath. It was a DQ but not China or anybody that would have moved up but the DQ wasn't charged to the USA either. We thought Dave looked good doing the freestyle. After tomorrow he will have done all the strokes at least once. It's his big day tomorrow. Cheer loudly! I know it might be midnight for you all but cheer in your dreams! After all the theme here is ONE WORLD ONE DREAM.

The awards ceremony touched me tonight. One of the men who is blind got a bronze. I think he was from Canada. The metals are very stunning and they have braille on them, too. This young man fingered the bronze quite awhile - reading the braille then a smile broke out. That made me gulp a few times. How proud he was to get that medal. This was the award ceremony for the S11 which are those who are totally blind. Can you imagine diving into a pool of water - not knowing when you are going to hit or where? I know they do it all the time so it probably isn't that remarkable to them but it certainly is to me.

Our team is still doing very well. We went 1-2 in some events. Keep it up USA!

Jerrica, Zack and I went to Tianamen Square and the Forbidden City today. We had to do it quickly so we could get back to the Water Cube. We also saw some events in the Bird Nest - wheelchair racing. I could get to be a fan of that. As we were wandering around Tianamen Square, I asked Zack if he could ask someone to take a picture of all of us. He said sure and pointed to some people and said he bet they spoke English. They did! They were from Alabama so like a well trained Auburn Fan, I hollered "War Eagle!". They responded louder (but there were 3 of them) "Roll Tide!" They took our picture anyway. It turns out that their son is a wheelchair racer. Small world isn't it?

Thanks Alabama for taking our picture and good luck to your son. and brother.

It's been found

2008-09-10T07:29:00.003-06:00

Beijing has a population of 15 million people. Tom lost his phone in the taxi. God is good - the next person in that taxi was an American. He was able to call David who called us. We will be getting the phone in a few days. Hooray! We think it's pretty remarkable that in a population of 15 million, the right person got on that taxi!

Along with telling us the news that Tom's phone was found, Dave told us he would be swimming a relay tomorrow night. Now we have to scrounge tickets - wish us well. Bedtime here. Yawn! Goodnight.

Dropped 3

2008-09-10T02:07:00.003-06:00

Today was 50 M butterfly. Dave was in lane one again - so we got to see him up close on the Jumbotron again. He dropped 3 seconds from his best time. Alas, he missed making the final by tenths of a second. He was 9th and finals are like regular swimming - top 8. We saw him afterwards. He was still pretty happy, then the Chinese saw him and started asking him if it was okay to take a picture. He did that for awhile - one lady wanted us in there, too. Kinda funny.

We rode the subway over to the Summer Palace. It was a very cool place - both in location and temperature. We think we lost Tom's cell phone there. I have a message into our landlord to see if he can call over there and maybe recover it for us.

So the highs and lows of Wednesday in Beijing.

Chinese TV

2008-09-09T07:37:00.003-06:00

Two blogs in one day! We have been vegging around the apartment today. Thus, we have had the TV on quite a bit. There are several channels here in Beijing covering the Paralympics. If we aren't seeing it live, we are seeing recaps nearly all day long. We know they are educating us about each sport and about how the classification system works. Unfortunately, it is in Chinese and Zack isn't translating for us. They talk too fast or something. We have scrolled through the tv menu hoping we could find an English subtitle or something - no luck there. Regardless it is great seeing the events we can't attend. Our swimmers are doing an awesome job. GO USA! Make your move, DAVO!

We Are Real Men!

2008-09-09T00:28:00.003-06:00

Chairman Mao stated that only real men climb the Great Wall of China. We did that on Sunday. Some climbed further than others but length does not seem to be a factor. When Jerrica and Zack came down - their legs were visibly shaking. It was good tour day. It started with rain but it affected us very little.

We saw Jade factories and learned about Jade - real and fake. If I give you Jade it will probably be fake so be prepared for that! The medals for the Olympic Games and Paralympic games are from Chinese Jade. The gold medal has Jadeite which is the best quality Jade and the hardest - only diamonds can cut it. The other medals have green jade but still high quality. Supposedly this is the first time the medals have been something other than just metal.

We also went to a cloisonne factory. Very intricate work which was invented by the Chinese a long time ago. It is enamel on Copper - vases, bracelets, whatever can be made with copper.

We ate at a real Chinese restaurant - family style - while the food looked a little unusual, it all tasted wonderful. The funniest looking thing had many "legs" on it - it was deep fried and breaded so I thought I could try that at least once. It was some kind of fish because I hit a few bones but it was very tasty. I think everyone tried at least one.

There was a Swedish couple and their 2 year old with us. She was darling and very well behaved. The Chinese all loved her and kept wanting to take pictures. It was fun to watch,

We visited the Ming Tombs. 13 emperors from the Ming dynasty were buried here. The tombs are like huge rooms with all the stuff an Emperor would need for his next life and then it is filled in with dirt. So the Tomb we saw just looked like a lovely hill with grass, trees, flowers. Very restful.

The Great Wall was impressive. What made it impressive is the amount of work that went into building this wall. We saw maybe 1/100th of it and we were overwhelmed. The section we thought we could climb didn't look steep but it was very steep. The Chinese tourists climbed this wall with sandals, flip flops and dress shoes. I had my Nike Hikes and my legs were aching about half way up. I almost turned around but dog gone it, if those Chinese tourists who were older than me, wearing shoes with no support could do it, I could, too! And this before I knew if I climbed it, I would be considered a real man. The Swedish man carried his little girl on his shoulders up and made it further than I did. There are various watch towers along the walls - I made it past 2 - Zack and Jerrica made it past 3 more and then they quit and had to come back down - thus wobbly legs - Jerrica's knees looked like Jello they were wiggling so much.

After the Great Wall we came back to Beijing and went to a Tibetan Hospital. Our guide told us there was a special Olympic demonstration of Chinese medicine. We would be given a foot massage for a tip of about 20 Yuan ($3) and a Chinese doctor would feel our pulse and tell us what ailed us and how to fix it. I was good with the foot massage. My feet were aching. The room we went to was out of a 1950's movie set. The room had couches with the close looped upholstery with embroidered clothes covering the back of them. Six of us got our feet massaged. We were told what herbs to take after sharing our personal history with everyone in the room - weird. None of us fell for the herbal remedies - we tipped our masseuses and went on our way.

Our final stop of the day was to a tea house. We got to taste 4 different teas and learn how to drink them. One tea tastes better if you slurp it. One is better if you "eat" the liquid. Our hostess did a good job with this, so Jerrica and I fell for the tea spiel - bought too much but one is an investment. It gets better with age so if I don't drink all of it and my kids have to clean out my house when I get old and infirm - look for the label, if it says "investment" try to sell it back to the Chinese and pay for my nursing home care!

We came back and crashed. Munched on a few things for dinner - we should be losing weight with all the walking we are doing and lack of recognizable food.

This morning, Zack, Jerrica, and I went to the supermarket to stock up again. This time we noticed more English translations under the Chinese labels. I am more appreciative of the second language thing now. We bought breakfast at the "deli", kind of a thin crepe with an egg in the middle, then some other stuff thrown in. It was tasty. As we were leaving we ran into some Canadians. They were here for wheelchair basketball. They were staying at the Best Western. We asked them if they had found any good restaurants. The breakfast buffet at the hotel is good and the rest of the food has not been a good experience for them. Jerrica knows how to cook this Chinese food so we have had some good food. The Canadians asked us where we were from - I said Wyoming. One of them had worked on an oil rig there. He said it was pretty desolate and he hoped to never to go back. A rough country with rough people - he told a story of how a replacement crew came roaring in on motorcycles and guns, scaring him to death. I told him it was probably my son-in-law and not to worry, he's a pastor now. That got a chuckle out him.

So today we are laying low and recouping. Dave caught a taxi over and hung out with us for about 4 hours. We might have enough energy to do something tonight - maybe a game. Tomorrow will be a big day - Dave says he has actually trained for the 50 butterfly. If he makes finals, I am making an appeal to stay on the green all day.

One Down

2008-09-07T23:42:00.004-06:00

First things first. Dave swam his first event the 50 backstroke. He got that one under is belt and now can concentrate on his better events. Backstroke is not his best stroke. He was in lane one and was right by the camera. He was featured on the Jumbotron almost exclusively - we felt we were on deck beside him. He didn't make finals but his spirits are still up!

Now we can back up to the beginning.

We got up pretty early to go to the Water Cube. Unlike the Olympics - the seating for the Paralympics is general seating. The earlier you go the better your seats. No bleacher seating though - each seat is individual. The USA fans were some of the first at the gate. The Cube is truly awesome. It is big, the traffic flow is great - inside, the bubbles makes your mouth drop. There are waterfalls in the walls and the seating for the fans seems to go forever.

We got front row seating. We scoped our seats and spread out waiting for the rest of the USA fans to show up. I think we had about 40 fans for the USA. Some records fell and we have many swimmers in the finals tonight. As I was taking it all in, the tears started to flow again. I was thinking about swimming and how much God has blessed us to have this sport in our lives. Before I really knew what swimming was about, I told myself this was a great sport for my children to be involved in. It is a safe sport, it is a life sport, and it is a character building sport. As the years have passed, our swimming has family has grown. Dave wasn't hurt swimming but the swimming community came together to encourage him and us to live a full life. It took him awhile to come back to swimming but as I was watching the swimmers warm up, the thought came to me that swimming is a life sport. These disabled athletes chose swimming to excel in. It doesn't seem to matter what the disability is, the athlete is in the water and living a full life. That is what made me cry - that we get to be a part of that in whatever capacity it is.

Tom sat next to a Chinese woman who worked in Canada for awhile. She was interested in how this all worked. Too bad for her that she sat next to newbies. We are trying to figure out how this works also. We answered her questions to the best of our abilities - some of the more experienced fans heard some of the conversations and added more accurate info. We know a little more today than we did yesterday. We did wander the halls and wandered right into David. It was good to see him - he was all smiles and very happy to see us - I think the emphasis might be- very happy to see Jerrica but that's okay. It was brief, he had stuff to attend to but good. Tomorrow will be a down day for him so maybe we'll see more of him.

We're resting this afternoon. Zack and Jerrica are still on the Olympic Green. Maybe they will get their bearings better than we did. We got tired of walking and getting lost so we came home. We thought we'd try the bus and see another event but the buses are packed to the gill and the wait between buses are long - so we headed back to our apartment.

WE DID IT!

2008-09-07T05:15:00.003-06:00

We had a full day on Saturday - Jerrica and Zack were feeling touristy and Tom and I were feeling tired. That meant a split up. After touring the Temple of Heaven and eating at MacDonalds (cheap and easy to find) Tom and I headed home. That meant catching a taxi and communicating with a driver who doesn't speak English. Thank goodness for maps and addresses written in Chinese. We made it to our landmark, the Best Western OL Stadium hotel, and walked to our apartment - a few blocks. We crashed and woke in time to catch a taxi and find our way to the Olympic Green.

We have gone all around the Olympic Green since we arrived but can't get on without a pass. Our tickets to the Opening Ceremony were our pass. We caught a cab - showed the driver directions and we were off. He left us off too soon so we had more of a hike than we wanted but we made it to the Bird Nest! It is more awesome than the pictures. We were grinning like kids with a new toy. There was lots of pre-ceremony celebrations which we didn't know about - so we missed some of that. We looked around and it looked like it was going to be a packed house. We were sitting in the second tier right behind the "crane" camera - I think we got some Jumbotron time.

The committee did an excellent job with this ceremony, too. While the Olympics shared China's history and culture, this program shared the Paralympic history and culture. Many of the performers had some sort of disability. It was very moving - especially when the little ballerina came on. She lost her leg in the earthquake 4 months ago. I thought she was very poised and when the male ballet dance picked her up and dance with her, I started crying.

The first time I cried though, was when David rolled in. He was saving his arms because Jimi Flowers, his coach, was pushing him. Seeing David experience the opening ceremonies as an athlete was moving enough but having Jimi push him added a few extra tears. Jimi was Dave's breaststoke coach in Auburn. David has always held Jimi in high regard - so this is like coming full circle for them to both experience this together. Okay, I'm crying again now.

The next moving moment was the lighting of the flame. I thought how the Olympics did that was so cool that I was going to keep a sharp lookout for how that flame got on the stadium without anyone seeing it. Well, we were right under it so we didn't get to see it. However the flame lighter was right in front of us. Watching the guy take the flame up in his wheelchair was pretty moving - I was really glad the flame didn't burn him or the cables - it looked close a few times.

For some reason I can't get the Universal sport site to show the opening ceremonies but if you can get it to open it is worth watching. A job well done. Sounds like David got some camera time, too. We sat amongst other swimming parents and a track and field parent. Hearing their athletes' stories is so moving. I wish them all well.

On the way home we caught another taxi. My legs were exhausted by this time and I wasn't walking one step farther than I needed to. I got our driver to the hotel and then I gestured for him to go a bit farther - he understood and made it to our apartment with no problem.

Today we went on a tour - an experience in and of itself but you'll have to wait for that.

Tomorrow Dave is SWIMMING! Records are falling and medals are coming to the USA team. Go USA! We are getting very excited.

Using the website

2008-09-07T04:16:00.002-06:00

I hope this works for you guys. Click on the Universal sports under "Check these out" Then click on Paralympics tab - then video and I think that will take you to the events. Looks like some of the events are just recaps - some are live. I'll write more about the Opening ceremonies after while. It was awesome and there were tears numerous times.

Opening Ceremonies streaming live

2008-09-05T15:56:00.003-06:00

It looks like Opening Ceremonies will be streaming live on Universal sports (click the link) on Saturday morning about 8 am Eastern time. I wanted you all to know that before you go to bed.

Beijing has done a wonderful job transforming from the 2008 Olympic City to the 2008 Paralympic City. Even the road signs feature the Paralympic Village - not the Olympic Village. Advertising signage is now Paralympic not Olympic. This was all done in about a week I think. We can't really understand what the Chinese newscasters are saying on TV but they are featuring the Paralympians fairly often. Swimming is sold out! Glad we have our tickets.

Still figuring out which time zone I'm in. I am tired around 10 pm but keep waking up in the middle of night. Last night it was 2am, this morning 3:30 am. I tried to go back to sleep but it didn't work. Maybe I'll get a nap in today.

Feeling a little Chinese

2008-09-05T02:58:00.005-06:00

We all reported a good night's sleep. I think we were all awake around 2 am but we politely didn't let anybody know until this morning. Zack, Jerrica's friend, (and now our friend, too) is like a Jack Russell terrier. He is SOOO excited to be here and ready to go! If I call him Zack Russell, you'll know why.

The apartment looks like the advertized photos but it is a Chinese apartment amongst Chinese nationals. It's a little farther from the Water Cube than promoted but a taxi ride is about one dollar so we aren't complaining too much. Zack, Jerrica and I have been to the local supermarket. Strangely everything sold there is in Chinese. We bought stuff that is obvious like noodles or items that had pictures on it. We had a yummy dinner of Ramen noodles. Then we hoped to coordinate a visit with Dave. Unfortunately, he couldn't really tell us where he was and we didn't really know where we were so that was a bust.

This morning we were all up by 6 am - had instant coffee, PPJ and steamed rolls (Chinese style) for breakfast. We planned our day and headed out the door. The Best Western Stadium Hotel is on the corner so we went there first to get an address card to show taxi drivers. We figured if we could get to the Best Western we could get home. Then we started walking toward the Water Cube. We have varying opinions on how long it took us but I think about half an hour - dodging people, cars and bikes.

We met David - he looks good and says he is swimming fast. The pool is awesome according to him, but we couldn't get in to see it yet. We had tickets to pick up at two different locations. Zack was great at hailing a taxi and we were on our way. Zack speaks some Chinese - understands more and the speaking is coming back fast. He is helping us feel more comfortable in our surroundings. We got our tickets, then we got lost trying to find the subway station. We went down some very narrow streets and saw how the Chinese live. Eventhough we did get turned around we have felt safe. There are security guards, policeman or officers everywhere. We found our way out of the labyrinth and headed to the Pearl Market. CRAZY! This is 6 floors of booths that sell just about anything you can imagine. Zack helped me get one vendor down from 450 RMD to 80 RMD - the conversion is 68 US$ to $11. We were a bit overwhelmed and might go back with a list and a plan.

Zack says there is a flea market that might have better deals. Guess my family knows what they are getting for Christmas - souvineers from China!

We ate at a MacDonalds' - their hamburgers are a bit spicy. We found a Starbucks and had coffee. So far no gut problems with the local food. But we took Imodium with us just in case.

The temp is warm today - a bit hazy but we did see blue sky - not like in Wyoming or Colorado but still blue. It is more humid though.

We might venture to the Water Cube again tonight - it changes colors and pictures are projected upon it. Kinda cool. We can see it from the street so that is neat. The Olympic newscasters showed a big building that has kind of a curly Q top on it. It is across from the Water Cube. We saw the building called the "Pants". There is some unusual, fun architecture here.

Oh, on the plane ride over, I sat next to a woman who is a journalist for the Games. She writes for the "Palaestra" a magazine which features adaptive sports. Her regular job is a professor at St. Cloud State University in Minnesota. She is a professor for Physical Ed with an adaptive twist. She knows quite a bit about about adaptive sports and the classification system of competition works. We hit it off beautifully. Strangely enough, in this huge city with hotels everywhere, she is staying at the Best Western Hotel that we can see from our bedroom window.

That's the news for now.

We're in Beijing!

2008-09-04T05:29:00.002-06:00

We flew over the top of the world! We made it to Beijing in just under 13 hours. Customs was a breeze - no lost luggage and we have an apartment. We're all a bit jet laggy so I'll write more tomorrow, otherwise I might say something more stupid than usual.

USA Fans leaving for Beijing

2008-09-02T09:32:00.002-06:00

We are packed! We are ready....the anxiety of going has not overwhelmed the excitement of cheering for DAVO! We leave out Denver Tuesday evening and will arrive in Beijing on Thursday afternoon. No, the flight really isn't that long but there is a 12 hour layover - most airlines had such a layover no matter which direction we went.

I did get to talk to David briefly on Sunday. He was still in Japan but getting ready to leave for Beijing the next day. He sounded good and gave high marks for the coaches and staff and all those on the Air Force Base that have made their training and acclimating much easier.

Can't wait to see him.

I will check in as soon as I can when we get to Beijing.

Go USA!
Go for the GOLD!
Make your Move, Davo!

Universal Sport and the Paralympics

2008-08-28T09:21:00.002-06:00

There seems to be a real push to get to know our Paralympians. I just clicked on Universal Sports and selected the Paralympic tab. The page is ready to rock! Things should start happening with the Opening Ceremonies which begin the evening of Sept 6th Beijing time. That would be 12 - 15 hours earlier US Time. So the morning of Sept. 6th.

I have the laundry done, I have my immunizations, and I am figuring out which suitcases will pack all this stuff. I am trying not to wait to the last moment but I'm sure there are things that I will forget until the last moment. I think I love traveling once I get there - the getting ready part is annoying.

Photos of the Swim and Track and Field Teams

2008-08-26T18:01:00.002-06:00

I just found out that there are photos posted. Click on the Paralympic link site (A new feature I just added). I didn't see David in any of the photos - but I saw his wheel chair. It's the one with the Auburn Tiger Eyes on the back.

Dave's Swimming Schedule

2008-08-26T11:41:00.002-06:00

Here is Dave's swim schedule:

Day 2 - Sept 8th. 50 Backstroke (Class S5 - yes, Dave swims the backstroke - amazing!)
Day 4 - Sept 10th 50 Butterfly (Class S5)
Day 6 - Sept 12th 100 Breaststroke (Class SB4)
Day 9 - Sept 15th He is probably on the 4X50 Medley Relay 20 point.

Here is some news I received from a news junkie. Thanks, Jeff!

Universal Sports To Offer TV, Digital Broadcast Of Paralympics
By Tripp Mickle, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Universal Sports, the Olympic channel co-owned by NBC and InterMedia Partners, will offer the first-ever TV and digital broadcast of the Paralympic Games courtesy of an agreement with BOCOG and the Int'l Paralympic Committee (IPC). A TV broadcast of the '08 Paralympics will begin October 8 and will include seven days of three-hour broadcasts. Live and delayed highlights of the Games also will be available in the U.S. online at universalsports.com from September 6-17. GE has signed on as the title sponsor of the broadcasts, and Visa has signed on as an associate sponsor. Both will have branded promotions during broadcasts and advertising on TV and online. The Paralympic Games begin in Beijing September 6. They will feature 4,000 athletes from 150 countries in 20 sports. In a statement, Universal Sports CEO Claude Ruibal said, “Bringing coverage of the 2008 Paralympic Games to the U.S. is a significant milestone in our mission to celebrate the athletes and competitions that truly exemplify the human spirit.” IPC President Sir Philip Craven said, “We at the (IPC) welcome this opportunity to expand our audience in the U.S., and show what a magnificent event this will be.” Olympic play-by-play commentator Al Trautwig will host the coverage of the '08 Paralympics.

As I glance through this - it sounds like it will be televised a month after the fact but if you want up to date info go online.

Dave did email last night. He has made it to Japan and all is well. They are on an airforce base so it seems like he is still in the good ole USA.

Go USA!

Paralympic Info

2008-08-24T17:34:00.003-06:00

It appears that this blog is the one that works the best for most people. I probably won't go to Myspace to blog unless it works better for pictures/video etc.

First off, Paralympic competition is not the same as Special Olympics or the Regular Olympics. To be in the Paralympics, a person has to have a physical disability. Many athletes are amputees, spinal cord injuries, blind, etc. Special Olympics is a separate event altogether and I don't think is associated with the Olympics in any way, but I could be wrong. Paralympics occur a few weeks after the Regular Olympics. Thus, Beijing is taking 12 days between the two events and then the Opening Ceremonies start again. I think Special Olympics happen at another time and place.

Tom and I bought tickets for the Opening Ceremony. We will let you know how it compares with the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Many of the sports will be similiar to the regular Olympics - there will be swimming, basketball, field and track but it will be done from wheel chairs or with prosthetics. In swimming, the athletes are classified according to their disability. There are 13 classes - the higher the number the lesser the disability. David is classified as a 4 for breaststroke but a 5 for the other events. He gets to start from the water eventhough some of his competition gets to start from the block. We still aren't sure how it is all determined but it is an attempt to level the playing field.

Other events will include wheelchair tennis, wheelchair rugby (murderball) and fencing to name a few. We hope to take in some of the other events as well.

People keep asking if the Paralympics will be televised. I haven't heard that they are but here is one site that has it scheduled online http://www.universalsports.com
also http://www.paralympicsport.tv is supposed to be showing some of the events. As I hear of more places I will keep you informed.

Thanks everyone for checking in!

Terri

We're Going to China

2008-08-22T20:52:00.006-06:00

I love to travel but never thought I'd travel around the world. I've been to Moscow and Barcelona - 2 places I didn't necessarily desire to see but I loved them nevertheless. So why have I gone? Because our son, David, is a pretty good swimmer and was on USA swim teams that competed in these countries. Ever his adoring fans, Tom and I bought the tickets and sat in the bleachers and screamed our heads off. In between events we actually got to see some sights.

David tried for the Olympic teams in 2000 and 2004 and just missed. After 2004, he retired from competitive swimming. As most know, David had a sledding accident that left him paralyzed. We didn't know if he would be involved in competitive swimming again. In August of 2007 his former breaststroke coach from Auburn called him to see if he wanted to swim for the Paralympic team. He did make the team and we are going to China.

The Olympic host country agrees to host the Paralympic events after the Olympics. We have been enjoying the Beijing Olympics as we watch TV to see the different things around Beijing. Maybe we won't get lost. We are renting an apartment with Dave's girlfriend, Jerrica and a friend. We are about 1/2 a mile away from the Water Cube. Walking distance, we hope. Jerrica has agreed to eat a deep fried Bug with me. I might chicken out though, and I bet Jerrica will be overjoyed.

We leave out of Denver Sept 2 with a lay over in Newark. Tom and I return Sept 14 but Jerrica is staying a bit longer.

David swims on Sept 8, 10, 12 and probably a relay which we will miss because we were clueless. We're pretty sure the Paralympics will not get the tv coverage that the Olympics have received but we have heard www.paralympicsport.tv will have coverage. However, Dave has been featured on the nbc Olympic web page found on http://www.nbcolympics.com/newscenter/news/newsid=156268.html

There is supposed to be internet service in our apartment. I will try to update my blog every other day or so - check in now and then. Feel free to share this blog with friends and be sure to check out Dave's blog now and then. www.davedenniston.com. His is always hilarious and informative when he updates.