Memorial Day

The morning started early as Rindy volunteered at a volleyball tournament hosted by Mackey's team - she had a great visit while working the register. Later in the day Mackey volunteered as well.(nice view from my chair)

The highlight of the day was to be the Memorial Day parade just down the street from us. (Not quite as cool as Jen & Eric's flag posting)We walked down - set up our chairs - watched one band, a scout troop, a couple of vet groups and then the heavens oped in a major way. The lightening forced the cancellation.
(crowd quickly scattered)
When we arrived home we found good friends seeking shelter on our porch. So we invited them in and introduced them to gorilla uno - and our still friends.

The weather cleared so parker and i played ping pong in back; where I unfortunately was destroyed. But it is great to have the ping pong table set up again.

Brigham packed up and moved down to Hyde Park. Fun to have him home for a few days; fun to have him close for the summer.

Banana Bread

Rindy went out west to visit family and to drive with brigham back to Illinois. The bananas went to the over-ripe stage almost ready for fruit flies. Sara was visiting grandma in Minnesota. I called my mom and had a most pleasant chat with Sara. Sara then went me a link with a quick and easy banana bread recipe from her. I added chocolate chips to assuage the children's taste in lieu of nuts.
And voila
De très bon goût

Support crew

Julie, Eden and Dean all kindly came down for graduation - we celebrated.
With the high school being so close and the crowd so big - we walked.
Hard to tell in the photo but Eden (in her stroller) held parker's hand the entire walk home.

Graduation

So after the 778 all walked up and got their diplomas, after the dance and after the fireworks we went down on the field and congratulated the boy.

Way to go Parker - looking good - doing good.

Tonight's going to be a good night

They know how to celebrate in Naperville.
All 778 graduates including Parker danced in plae then turned it into a mosh-pit while the fireworks exploded. It's worth the 50 seconds.

the crowd

it was a beautiful night for a graduation. 778 graduates have an over flowing football stadium worth of relatives and friends. We were high in the bleachers but it worked out great. After the students and their teachers walked in - in gown and cap; a select group of 18 graduating eagle scouts formed a color guard to march in the flag - Parker was one.


Fireworks were the finalee

Graduation Dance

If they were in a room together they would be celebrating for sure

Grandma and Grandpa Jackson’s house

if Sally blogged she would say


Attached is a picture taken a couple of weeks ago of Grandma and Grandpa Jackson’s house, 857 Roosevelt. About a half a dozen years ago, whomever owned it at the time tore out the yard and put in xeriscaping. Oh, how I hope Papa Morris never looks in on it. The front of the house has had a couple of different looks over the years, even when our grandparents lived there. At one point, the bricks were their natural color. At another, all was painted white. That was the look that was there the longest. After the landscaping took a turn, the house was given this craftsman pain job. The green bugs me and it is just not the same house. But, for what it is worth, there it is.

Doesn't look the same without the rose bushes

Super Sunday

Sundays are always good days - this one was super.

The theme of our Sacrament meeting was the Savior and the atonement. Parker was the first speaker and shared his personal insights as to the role of the Savior in his life - he is ready for a mission. ( I just hope they change the rule on beards)

After the second speaker, Parker then sang Savior Come written by Kurt Metzger in his play Journey with Joseph. I'm grateful for Kurt's play which has touched the life and lifted each of my children. The song must have been written with Parker's voice in mind - he nailed it. It is a powerful song and delivers the Spirit when sung and it was well sung.

The evening was topped off with Seminary graduation. Parker, like his brother's before him, faithfully attended early morning all four years culminating in the Book of Mormon study this year; with the added treat of his mother being the teacher. Mackey kicked off this year as well, though attending a younger class. I'm grateful for the sacrifice made. Parker had the opportunity to sing the song once again and di spectacular once again

Graduation

This is the BIG week.
Parker graduates from Naperville North High School
He had a great start at Armstrong and a great finish at North.
Ceremony will be Wednesday - hopefully no rain.


The booster club does this fun thing by posting customized sign in front of every graduates door - nice touch.

Wish I was there

Julie and Blair had a friends wedding to attend in Minneapolis and so dropped by mom for a visit.

Wasn't there, wish I was.

Odd Affinity

We are so grateful for friends who are willing to drop by and share their time and experiences with us. For a couple of days this week we welcomed Cindy Sandberg and her daughter Laurel to our home. They were in town to see a friend perform Ragtime at Drury Lane Theatre in near-by Oak Brook. They had a good trip and we were delighte d and energized by the fun engaging people they are; even though they had an odd fascinaation with our heron.

Tulips

I love tulips.

There isn’t a particular color that I fancy over others it is tulips.

The book Tulip Mania

(Tulipomania presents a fascinating look at the tulip frenzy that took place in Holland in the mid-1600s.) helped contextualize the global appeal of tulips and I enjoyed the historic read, yet mine is more personal affinity. . Though I always enjoyed them as a youth I think it was, no I am sure it was that May 1^st several, ok many, years back when I married Rindy in the Salt Lake Temple that linked my love of Rindy to my love of Tulips., My favorite piece of art in our home is an image of the Temple with tulips in bloom . not unlike his photo.

My favorite garden display is that of tulips.

And so I wasn’t surprised when Rindy, Brigham and Evan drove to Nauvoo for Ben’s wedding that Rindy would run into the grounds keeper as he was unplanting the tulips, getting ready to jettison them, that she would volunteer to take them and re-plant them at our home in Naperville.

Temple Tulips – how nice.

Endowment

The quote of the day

You don't take out your endowment
you take out Chinese

You receive your endowment

Wilderness Survival

Our Stake does some wonderful things - one of which is how they approach varsity scouts and the teacher's quorum. There is very focused monthly stake training and then there are the stake sponsored teacher's quorum camp outs. This past month we held one in one of the local reserves - it was great. The genesis was recent disasters in Haiti and Chile and missionary related stories and the need for preparation and training.

Varsity Scouts Survival Outing

We dropped the boys of just short of a mile from camp where they loaded up their gear, were given a new map and sent on their way. They found the site and set up their tarp structures to weather out the storm, and storm it did, Some stayed dry, some got wet, some got very wet. All survived - all learned.

The morning came and after spartan meals there were multiple learning stations:
1. water purification - multiple fashions and tastes
2. survival fishing
3. emergency shelter - with tarps and garbage bags
4. Emergency signaling with CDs/DVDs
5. Fire building - with a new trick with Vaseline and cotton balls
6. Rope chair rescues and knots

plenty of interaction, plenty of learning, plenty of fun.

A Project

I think that Rindy is happiest with her work gloves on and in the midst of a project. The project could be re-doing the stairs, building shelves, decorating a room, painting ; but bliss is reserved for the outdoors and garden related chores. Two truck loads of dirt signaled happy days ahead. New trees, new plants, new flowers.

Ode to the Porch

My grandmother Jackson had a delightful porch - an welcoming entrance to their home. We've never had a porch till now. We have a great porch with great furniture, with a great view. One can comfortably sit sheltered from the elements, enjoy a pleasant breeze, oddly unbothered by bugs, and smell the sweet aroma of the lilacs.


Out on the Porch

Come sit with me out on the porch in early morn,
And watch a new day struggle to be born.
A tinge of orange upon horizon's breast
And stars now tired--flicker low and rest.

Look through dark leaves to lighter skies in space,
At patterns that resemble finest lace.
So quiet hear the beating of our hearts
As slowly day arrives--and night departs.

The moon now pale high in the sky,
Watch morning birds as they begin to fly.
Tranquility abounds, air crystal clear,
A moment stopped in time, devoid of fear.

To feel the warmth of rising sun,
Another day for us begun.
Reach out your hand for me to hold.
Together, watch this day unfold.


--Written by Patrick Joseph Hubauer

Hong Kong Scone Sunday

Unfortunately, we were unable to make the trip to Minneapolis for her home coming; fortunately for us she was willing to make the trip to Naperville. We LOVE Mary and delighted in hearing her report concerning the culture, companions, the language, the food - the mission. Fun time catching up with her. Being it was Sunday, Mary and Parker did not take to the wrestling mats - that will have to wait for the Y.

Fried Froth

Sister Peterson, our most delightful of Sunday school teacher, pulled out a John Taylor quote that I didn't recall concerning 'fried froth' As I came home and googled and found this Elder Holland reference from the 1998 Ensign.

Are we really nurturing our youth and our new members in a way that will sustain them when the stresses of life appear? Or are we giving them a kind of theological Twinkie—spiritually empty calories? President John Taylor once called such teaching "fried froth," the kind of thing you could eat all day and yet finish feeling totally unsatisfied. 18 During a severe winter several years ago, President Boyd K. Packer noted that a goodly number of deer had died of starvation while their stomachs were full of hay. In an honest effort to assist, agencies had supplied the superficial when the substantial was what had been needed. Regrettably they had fed the deer but they had not nourished them


Theological twinkies, fried froth both clear metaphors. A cahllenge for teaching at home, work, school as well as church