Halloween at the Johnson's House (Matt that is)

In Lancaster, Ohio we do Halloween on Thursday so that we don't interfere with high school football. Below are some pictures from last night. Mary made the costumes. She did a great job.

Cole didn't want a mask that covered his face. He also didn't like the mask to be connected below his chin. This is what he got.

Titus...not so happy.


10 Seconds later...Titus happy.

So who do you think he looks like:

Me?

Or Mary?

Cole got tired of the "mask."


One big happy family.




One of the best parts of the night was after Cole and Titus went trick or treating. Cole wanted to help pass out candy so he sat on the porch with me and gave out candy to all the kids. Some of the best comments by Cole were, "Hey guys!" (which he said to every group of kids) and "You guys look fancy" (which he said to a bunch) and "What are you?" (Which he said to every strange costume.

Two Truths and a Lie - Trish Mueller

I only have a couple left. I will post mine on Monday and then I only have two left (Steve wrote them for Aunt Karen and Kristen which isn't exactly the plan and we should all make them feel guilty about it...) and then I'm out. So unless the others send me theirs (Mark, Richard, Sarah, Gabe, and Emily) then the game is almost over.


Trish Mueller

1. While in Switzerland a young man enjoyed himself at the village pub a bit too much and fell off his bunk in the middle of the night injuring himself. Some of the other residents called me to his room and with 100 eyes watching, a spelunking light on my head, crouched under the bottom bunk, and without a first aid kit of any type, I improvised and cleaned his many wounds and put his almost totally severed ear back and secured it by wrapping a clean shirt torn into strips around his head like a mummy. The following day we drove him 30 miles up the mountain to the closest physician who sutured the ear back in place, stitched his other open wounds, and set his broken bones.

2. Having one day off a week, yet wanting to see as much of Europe as I possibly could my friend and I rose way before dawn to cross the alps into Italy; destination Milan; goal to see the painting of “The Lord’s Supper” . Arriving at the church we discovered the only showing left with tickets was the last showing of the day. No problem lots to see and do and a great subway system to get us there! Day done and only minutest to spare, we sprinted off the subway into the train station to catch the train home. We were met by a party of several policemen who inspected our subway tickets. Not knowing you did not have to revalidate your subway ticket at every juncture we had macerated ticket stubs. The police decided to make us an example exposing our fraud of using the same ticket over and over (anyway we think that was what it was). Unable to communicate at all I finally comprehended the small sum of 50euro would get us off. Paying up we caught our train aware money is a universal tool/language.

3. The kids and I tagged along with Mark on a business trip to Boston. We saw the sights by day while he worked. (Very scary as I have no sense of direction) Catching a train back to return to the suburban location where we were staying we got on the wrong train. By the time I realized it we were very much in “the country”. We got off at the next stop. Bad move there was no real station, no real town, no taxi, no phone, and I did not have a cell phone. Not knowing what to do we started walking back the way we came along the railroad tracks. Much later a policeman saw us and stopped us telling us we couldn’t walk the tracks and also telling us he couldn’t drive us anywhere. Frantic to get my kids back before dark we disobeyed and got back on the tracks. If he arrested me I would get a phone call! Further down the road he stopped us, let us know he was risking getting in trouble, and drove us all the way back to the hotel.

Two Truths and a Lie - Nate Thompson

Nate wins the award for being the first cousin whose last name is not Johnson to enter the competition. Now if we can just get the other ones...


Nate Thompson (Or what I just discovered...Stephen Nathan Thompson)

1. I have an "N" shaped scar on my right wrist that I received while trying to lift my old bulldog Sluggo into a bathtub.

2. As a consequence of my increased class hours this semester, I now routinely dream in numbers and variables, with my dreams consisting entirely of me trying to solve some imaginary equation or problems that gave me trouble in my homework that night.

3. I worked at Menards for a while pushing carts, and since I was relatively quiet most people had trouble remembering my name and often confused me with other people. I got tired of correcting them so I just went along with it. Depending on who you ask my name is Luke, Dave, Ryan, Mark, or Nate.

Two Truths and a Lie - Mary Johnson

Mary Johnson

1 - When Matt and I were in Aruba we went offroading with a rental SUV and decided to go up a rough, rocky mountain. We got stuck the SUV stuck with all the wheels off the ground and had to push the SUV down off the rock, causing damage to the SVU in the process.

2 - A good friend of mine asked me to be a part of the home birth of her second child. I accepted and it was a crazy but amazing experience.

3 - While horseback riding in the countryside of France my horse sprinted away from the group. I couldn't understand what the French guide was saying to me and couldn't get the horse to stop. The horse weaved through the woods and took me far away from my group.

Cleaning Out the Closet – The Family of Liars

Below are the revelation of the lies. The lies are in bold print. I did that so you can read the other ones and realize how many crazy things are true. Also, notice how many of you had the third one as your lie.


PHYLLIS JOHNSON

1- In a chance meeting, I confronted Chief Peter MacDonald of the Navajo Nation, about the practice of giving the Navajo people their annual allotment of money from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in one lump sum every January. I felt it contributed to the abundance of alcoholism and subsequent neglect of children on the reservation. The encounter made the front page of the Window Rock newspaper and I still have the clipping.

2 - I drove a mentally ill Native American woman from Window Rock, Arizona to her family in El Paso, Texas. Another 16 year old girl accompanied me on the trip. While in El Paso, we decided to cross the border into Juarez, Mexico where I purchased a lovely velvet painting of Jesus praying in the Garden. We spoke no Spanish, could read no road signs, only had American money, but had a ball.

3 - I heard that the father of the children who lived across from us had fallen off the wagon after a year of sobriety. I found out what bar he was at, got in the compound's van and drove to the bar. I walked in and ordered him to get in the van, where he laid on the back seat drunk. I drove him straight to the church which was having a service. I ordered him to go sit on the front row___and he wobbled down. That was his last jump off the wagon. He went on to become a nationally recognized creator and designer of Navajo jewelry.


Kirsten Buys

1 - I was on The Price Is Right

2 - I danced in the half-time show of the Cotton Bowl

3 - I've had tea with the Lord Mayor of Belfast


Stephen Thompson

1 - I went to a Mariah Carey meet-and-greet in downtown Chicago. I did not get in line to have my picture taken with her though. There were too many geek fans crying and sweating in line so I just sat there and watched the mayhem. She is much shorter in person.

2 - I saw Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson, Cheryl Crow, John Mayer, Los Lobos, Vince Gill, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Allison Krauss, Johnny Winter, BB King, Buddy Guy, Robert Randolph, and Bill Murray all in one day in Chicago.

3 - I have been married 29 years. I have two kids. I've owned 5 homes, 8 dogs, countless cats, 10 cars, and 3 trailers. I've worked at 7 agencies in 5 different states. I've been laid off twice. Along the way I've met Micky Mantle, Joe Montana, and Bill Monroe.

(The only part of this that is a lie is that Steve only worked in 4 states.)


Daniel Johnson

1) I am voting for Project Runway's Tim Gunn as a write-in candidate on this year's presidential election ballot.

2) When I was at CBC I asked for permission to play music in bars.... and got it.

3) I have a tattoo of a feather on my upper arm (and have for three years) which none of my immediate family has seen.


Jessica Johnson

1) I was in a movie theater watching a movie. Meanwhile, in the lobby two people got shoot and the place got robbed.

2) Once I did a radio commercial for a Cystic Fibrosis benefit.

3) Before I had my license I drove a farming tractor from my house to the grocery store in "town".


Chris Johnson

1. Let off a noise making bomb during President Spences commencment address over the new academic building at Evangel and caused him to stop.

2. Bought a $1.00 pack of baseball cards and found an autograph Vladmr Gurrero card in it and sold the card for $85.

3. Got to take batting practice at Comerica Park (Tiger's new stadium).


Grandma

1. When we were on the Holy Land trip in the late 70's, I went with a few others in our group to the old city of Jerusalem. Trish wanted me to bring her a purse and time was running out on getting it. I got lost from my group and I panicked. To my utter surprise, a friend from high school days saw me. She was with a different group I had not seen her for years but she recognized me and when I told her my dilemma, she helped me find my group. Big relief, to say the least. Oh, and yes, I did get a purse for Patricia.

(The only part that is untrue is that Grandma did not run into a friend that she knew)

2. I used to roller skate with friends on the streets near our house at Pocahontas when I was a teenager. We would hold hands and when one fell, it was bad news for the others. I fell many times and hurt my knees. That probably accounts for my bad knee today.

3. I started to school when I was four years old. I think I was about 7 or 8, when my teacher lost a $10.00 bill on the school yard. I found it and he bought me a pair of overalls (or bibs) as a reward. A bit of an odd reward, but I liked them.


Grandpa

1. Once while riding a Double-Decker bus in the middle of London in the middle of the night with two women, I realized we were lost and I didn't know where to get off to get to our hotel. Then a bus stopped in front of us and I thought I recognized some of the people who got off. So we asked our driver to stop and we got off our bus and followed behind them to our 'sight-for-sore-eyes' hotel.

2. Later, in our two weeks tour to Israel and other places before there, we were staying in a hotel near the Sea of Galilee. We were being served St. Peter's fish by a server when some objected to the fish with heads still on and eyes glaring. The server stated our complaint back to us: "You want head off fish?" We thought he would take it back to the kitchen but before our eyes he be-headed the eyes glaring fish.

3. After our retirement in 2002, Grandma and I were on a tour of the New England States. I was the Navigator and Grandma was the driver. We were on our way to Gettysburg and I saw on the map that we could leave the Freeway and take a short-cut that would save us many miles. We made the exit and Grandma said to me, "I think we need to get gas at this station." I looked at the gauge and told her I thought we were safe. Grandma, being the obedient wife that she is, took the short-cut and we found the crooked road under construction which required more gas than I thought. Well, you can guess what happened.

Two Truths and a Lie - Results So Far...

The Best Liars

Chris Johnson - 0 correct guesses
Jessica Johnson - 0 correct guesses
Grandma - 0 correct guesses

Good Liars

Kirsten Buys - 1 correct guess
Phyllis Johnson - 2 correct guesses

Ok Liars

Scott Thompson - 3 correct guesses
Grandpa - 3 correct guesses

Bad Liar

Daniel Johnson - 5 correct guesses

Worst Liar

Stephen Thompson - 7 correct guesses (That's 7 out of 10 guessed on his correctly)



Results for Guessing

I decided that I would not reward or punish people based on the entries of their spouses. So I just didn't include that into the score. Below are the percentage that people guessed correctly.

0.44%
Trish Mueller

0.38%
Daniel Johnson

0.38%
Kirsten Buys

0.38%
Jessica Johnson

0.38%
Grandma Thompson

0.33%
Scott Thompson

0.25%
Christopher Johnson

0.25%
Grandpa Thompson

0.22%
Phyllis Johnson

0.22%
Mary Johnson

0.22%
Steve Thompson

0.11%
Nathan Thompson

0.00%
Mark Mueller

0.00%
Richard Blankenhorn

0.00%
Sarah Blankenhorn

0.00%
Karen Thompson

0.00%
Kristen Thompson

0.00%
Gabe Thompson

0.00%
Emily Thompson


Midterm Awards

Leader - Grandma - based on her amazing abilities to lie and to sniff out liars.
Blog Sherriff - Phyllis - based on her need to nag, correct, explain, etc.
Smart Aleck - Stephen - do I really need to explain this one?



We are about half way done (I only have 5 more entries that have been submitted, but I am hoping to nag the other 6 into participating).

Two Truths and a Lie - Scott Thompson

Scott Thompson

1) I have met and have autographs of baseball greats Lou Brock, Joe Torre, and Wilber Wood.

2) I used to work at the Rockford sanitary district where I would spray human waste all day into a giant drain with a fire hose.

3) I used to take the church bus out on the town with all my friends when parents were away.

Two Truths and a Lie - Update

I will post the "Lies" tomorrow so please make sure you have voted. Some of you have missed people so go back and look over the list.

Also, this is the last chance for you to encourage your family members to vote.

Claire in Disney

I posted the closeups of some of the pictures, because I think Claire's expressions are hilarious.

Two Truths and a Lie - Grandpa

For those of you that had a hard time with Grandma lying, get ready to be further pained...here's Grandpa's lie.

Grandpa

1. Once while riding a Double-Decker bus in the middle of London in the middle of the night with two women, I realized we were lost and I didn't know where to get off to get to our hotel. Then a bus stopped in front of us and I thought I recognized some of the people who got off. So we asked our driver to stop and we got off our bus and followed behind them to our 'sight-for-sore-eyes' hotel.

2. Later, in our two weeks tour to Israel and other places before there, we were staying in a hotel near the Sea of Galilee. We were being served St. Peter's fish by a server when some objected to the fish with heads still on and eyes glaring. The server stated our complaint back to us: "You want head off fish?" We thought he would take it back to the kitchen but before our eyes he be-headed the eyes glaring fish.

3. After our retirement in 2002, Grandma and I were on a tour of the New England States. I was the Navigator and Grandma was the driver. We were on our way to Gettysburg and I saw on the map that we could leave the Freeway and take a short-cut that would save us many miles. We made the exit and Grandma said to me, "I think we need to get gas at this station." I looked at the gauge and told her I thought we were safe. Grandma, being the obedient wife that she is, took the short-cut and we found the crooked road under construction which required more gas than I thought. Well, you can guess what happened.

Emily's Homecoming Pictures

Two Truths and a Lie - Grandma

Grandma

1. When we were on the Holy Land trip in the late 70's, I went with a few others in our group to the old city of Jerusalem. Trish wanted me to bring her a purse and time was running out on getting it. I got lost from my group and I panicked. To my utter surprise, a friend from high school days saw me. She was with a different group I had not seen her for years but she recognized me and when I told her my dilemma, she helped me find my group. Big relief, to say the least. Oh, and yes, I did get a purse for Patricia.

2. I used to roller skate with friends on the streets near our house at Pocahontas when I was a teenager. We would hold hands and when one fell, it was bad news for the others. I fell many times and hurt my knees. That probably accounts for my bad knee today.

3. I started to school when I was four years old. I think I was about 7 or 8, when my teacher lost a $10.00 bill on the school yard. I found it and he bought me a pair of overalls (or bibs) as a reward. A bit of an odd reward, but I liked them.

Cross-posting: The Return of the Scarflette

This is from my blog:

Last year I posted a hard-hitting, in-depth piece of blog journalism on a new knitting item, called a Scarflette. The basic idea is that a Scarflette, also known as a Neckwarmer, offers the warmth and coverage a traditional wrapped scarf gives, but without the unnecessary bulk - when indoors it can be folded up and placed in your pocket. It's ingenious, sensible, fashionable and futuristic.

Kirsten didn't start making them for her newly begun knitting emporium, La Femme Monkita, until after the Christmas shopping rush last year, when many people had finished spending money on layers and already dug in to wait out the cold.

I would like to take this opportunity to remind you that not only is she making them again, but that she's turned the corner with a new angular design. Observe.

Bling

Blang
Blung

Two Lies and a Truth - Chris Johnson

Chris Johnson

1. Let off a noise making bomb during President Spences commencment address over the new academic building at Evangel and caused him to stop.

2. Bought a $1.00 pack of baseball cards and found an autograph Vladmr Gurrero card in it and sold the card for $85.

3. Got to take batting practice at Comerica Park (Tiger's new stadium).

Rockford Wedding

Kirsten and I attended a wedding this past weekend in Rockford. Scott put us up. Because of everything that was going on we didn't get to spend much time with him, Emily and Gabe. But it was great to see them and we can't wait for Thanksgiving.

Two Lies and a Truth - Jessica Johnson

Jessica Johnson

1) I was in a movie theater watching a movie. Meanwhile, in the lobby two people got shoot and the place got robbed.

2) Once I did a radio commercial for a Cystic Fibrosis benefit.

3) Before I had my license I drove a farming tractor from my house to the grocery store in "town".

Two Truths and a Lie - Daniel Johnson

You all need to vote and submit your entries to me. I'm running out.

On a funny note, I urged parents to nag their kids in a previous post. I was thinking of the aunts and uncles nagging their kids but Grandma took it to heart and nagged her kids. I love Grandma...she's a team player!

Daniel Johnson

1) I am voting for Project Runway's Tim Gunn as a write-in candidate on this year's presidential election ballot.

2) When I was at CBC I asked for permission to play music in bars.... and got it.

3) I have a tattoo of a feather on my upper arm (and have for three years) which none of my immediate family has seen.

Two Truths and a Lie - Stephen Thompson

Everyone needs to remind their family to get on the blog and vote. Parents should nag their kids and spouses should nag each other.

Stephen Thompson

I went to a Mariah Carey meet-and-greet in downtown Chicago. I did not get in line to have my picture taken with her though. There were too many geek fans crying and sweating in line so I just sat there and watched the mayhem. She is much shorter in person.

I saw Jeff Beck, Willie Nelson, Cheryl Crow, John Mayer, Los Lobos, Vince Gill, Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, Allison Krauss, Johnny Winter, BB King, Buddy Guy, Robert Randolph, and Bill Murray all in one day in Chicago.

I have been married 29 years. I have two kids. I've owned 5 homes, 8 dogs, countless cats, 10 cars, and 3 trailers. I've worked at 7 agencies in 5 different states. I've been laid off twice. Along the way I've met Micky Mantle, Joe Montana, and Bill Monroe.

Voice Song

A couple of you responded to my post about my music page by asking to hear some of my stuff. And then this song, which I demoed a few years ago, came up on my ipod, and I thought it would make a nice, friendly song to share with my family members.

The Voice Song

Two Truths and a Lie - Kirsten Buys

Don’t forget to put your answer for my mom’s post below. I will post the answer in a couple of days.

Kirsten Buys

1 - I was on The Price Is Right

2 - I danced in the half-time show of the Cotton Bowl

3 - I've had tea with the Lord Mayor of Belfast

Human Tetris

Two Truths and a Lie - Phyllis Johnson

Rules: I will post the two truths and one lie that each of you submit to me. You will need to post in the comments section which one you think is a lie. If you know for certain, please don't say anything that will give it away for everyone else. I will be tracking the points and giving awards at the first annual Thompson Thanksgiving Award Night.

I will post the answer after a few days to give everyone time to vote.

Before I post my mom's entry, I have to tell you the funny story about this. My mom sent me an email with the subject title "Two Truths." In the email she doesn't give any background, she just has the below entry. I never made the connection that she was submitting her entry for the game. So I just read the email like my mom wanted me to know some things about her life when she was younger.

That night, I got home and said to Mary, "My mom sent me the most random email today. It was crazy. I don't even know how to respond." I read it to Mary who then realized what it was for. We laughed pretty hard.

When you are reading it, try to picture me reading it not knowing what it was about. I really thought my mom had lost it...

PHYLLIS JOHNSON

1- In a chance meeting, I confronted Chief Peter MacDonald of the Navajo Nation, about the practice of giving the Navajo people their annual allotment of money from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, in one lump sum every January.
I felt it contributed to the abundance of alcoholism and subsequent neglect of children on the reservation. The encounter made the front page of the Window Rock newspaper and I still have the clipping.

2 - I drove a mentally ill Native American woman from Window Rock, Arizona to her family in El Paso, Texas. Another 16 year old girl accompanied me on the trip. While in El Paso, we decided to cross the border into Juarez, Mexico where I purchased a lovely velvet painting of Jesus praying in the Garden. We spoke no Spanish, could read no road signs, only had American money, but had a ball.

3 - I heard that the father of the children who lived across from us had fallen off the wagon after a year of sobriety. I found out what bar he was at, got in the compound's van and drove to the bar. I walked in and ordered him to get in the van, where he laid on the back seat drunk. I drove him straight to the church which was having a service. I ordered him to go sit on the front row___and he wobbled down. That was his last jump off the wagon. He went on to become a nationally recognized creator and designer of Navajo jewelry.

Help

I am ready to start the games, but I still need some contact information for some of you. If you have someone's stuff, can you email it to me?

I need email addresses for:

Aunt Karen
Nathan
Sarah
Grandpa
Emily
Jessica

Please send ASAP. I don't want anyone to miss on the fun.

MJ

Daniel Musica

As some of you might know, one of the things I've been trying to do freelance is compose music for commercials and film. And the best way to get work is to have examples of your previous work, which is referred to in the business as a "reel." And these days, the best format to have your reel on is a web-based one, so people don't have to mess with CDs or Tapes - they can just click a link.

I've been accumulating content for my reel the past year with a few things I've had placed as well as a few things I've composed on spec. ("Spec" is short for speculation, which just means that it's a demo of what I could do given some visuals and a client directive.)

If anybody would like to take a look at my reel, you can here:

www.danielmusica.com

The Vid Reel has the best stuff. The audio reel is still being added to and only has instrumental versions of songs from my forthcoming solo record.

I also created the website myself, from scratch, using no web-creation tools and just good old fashioned code. This makes me one of three people left on the planet still creating web sites this way. I'm like the Amish version of a web designer, except that I use electricity...

Bedside Assembly

One of the things that comes along with Jessicas illness, is that when her lungs get bad and she starts to get worn down, she has to spend a few weeks in the hospital to get antibiotics to help her get healthy again....its sorta like a human oil change. Once we got married, Jessica switched hospitals and doctors, and the doctors she has now allows her to do her antibiotics at home so she can still have a normal life. This has been a great blessing for us because I dont think i could go more than a few days without her.

Having said all that, Jessica is currently on her medicine, and that requires her to take IV's every 6 hours on a schedule. Because of that, we could not attend church this past Sunday. What we did instead, was lie in bed and listen to one of my brother Matts sermons he did back in May. I wanted to write this blog to say how proud I am of him and how Matt has turned out to be an amazing man of God, and someone who I look up to. Its strange to say that I look up to my younger brother, but I do. I just sat there with Jessica and smiled, and at the end of the sermon, I just looked at her and said "Matt is amazing." It stinks that I cant see his sermons in person, but the internet has allowed me to listen to them and not miss them. I love you Matt.

Chris

P.S here is the link to the site so you can download them if you want to. Just scroll through and find his name. 

http://www.lancomchurch.org/cgi-bin/gx.cgi/AppLogic+FTContentServer?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureTenseContentServer=a99bbf9c32177558&pagename=FaithHighway/10000/4000/139LA/audio

Sunday Edition: Phyllis's Photos

Front of my house. Notice porch swing...comfy rockers... Porches are the best!


Mostly perennials with a few annuals for a splash of color.

Back of house. Notice rocker where I have my devotions.
Little tree planted by corner given to me by a close friend.


This is another perennial garden in the back corner of my yard. When I was recovering from my knee surgery, two wonderful friends, Faith and Mindy, came and dug up the sod in this corner for me. Another friend, Phil, gave me the rocks that outline it (river rocks) for mother's day, and then Faith, Mindy, Pat, and Leslie gave me perennials from their gardens. Another friend Steve, went to a river and got me the flat sandstones to lay in it. A neighbor gave me the pink rock. So actually my corner garden is one huge gift of love from friends.

Zinnia garden for cutting flowers. Faith gave me seeds from her zinnia's last fall. I planted them and had wonderful flowers to cut and put in vases all summer.

This is my rock garden in front of my house. A man who excavates gave me all the rocks free and a lot of the flowers were given to me by friends who garden or I used seed.

This is me AFTER Sepporah did my make up and she took this picture. This is how she wanted me to smile after the "make-over".

Can you open this picture? This is me with my close friend Faith.

Kristen Update

Kristen gives a short update:

Nothing too exciting is going on in my life really. Just working at the salon and trying to find a new job out in St. Louis, as I will be moving there soon hopefully! And that's really it - my life's pretty boring at the moment, haha.

The pics: One of them is me working at a fashion show I did hair for at club redno5 in chicago, that was pretty exciting! And I'm really proud of it :) And the other is a picture of Charlie my new pug!! (He's the tan one, the other one is the infamous oliver, haha.)

Who Let The Dogs Out!

Stephen writes:

The Thompson Zoo is on the move again.

Well, sort of. Karen and I bought a second home in Edwardsville, Illinois, near Karen's sister. The purchase is part of a master plan to downsize, economize, and crystallize plans to move towards full-time starving artist. We always thought we'd do this out west but the illness sort of prompted us to adopt a step-by-step transition strategy. So we are moving Kristen down to live in the house while we ready ours here for sale. In the meantime, however long that is, we will continue enjoying the home as a quaint getaway. I love going to Edwardsville and spending time downtown in the old coffee shops and restaurants. And Karen is having a blast decorating the 90 year old home.



Once the home here is sold I will move into an apartment near Chicago and work between the office and Edwardsville. I am fortunate in that much of my work and travel can be done from anywhere so it's a nice in-between solution. Eventually, after Nathan is finished with school, and I am done paying for it, I will approach the company about a lesser and remote position. If they say no I will just start my artist days sooner than expected.

Now--the obvious question is, and has been, "Are you doing this as part of a worst case scenario?" And the obvious answer is, "Yes! But also for best case scenario..." I've always gone by the rule of 'hope for the best and plan for the worst' so it's as pragmatic as it is aspirational. Believe me, I plan on being around a long while and becoming a successful fine artist, but if the cancer returns I certainly see it as a smart move in making sure Karen is taken care of, near her family, etc.

Beyond that, small town living is something we've always wanted and now is the time to get on with living our dream. We love old homes, family communities, and a slower pace of life. We might as well stop talking about it and start living it.

So we'll soon be living in what Karen calls a barn house and owning about half of what we have now. (It's been quite liberating to part with junk we've collected over the years and it feels good to be taking action on 'next'.) We'll be living a much simpler life. And if I can sell a few paintings it will be that much better.

Pic of the house attached. It's a cute cottage style house with original horse hair plaster, Auntie-style old basement, creaky stairs, and a claw foot tub. It just feels like home. Our home.

So, who's moving down next near Trish?

Stephen

Stephen's Article in Advertising Age

Stephen has an article online for the magazine Advertising Age titled "Is Your Snazzy New Site Cloaked in Invisibility." I looked up "snazzy" in a dictionary of 19th century vernacular and apparently it means "stylish and attractive."

You can read the article here.

Nathan Introduces Anna

Nathan writes:

I promised to throw in a few recent photos of me, and since I dont own a camera, I guess I get to introduce my new girlfriend Anna. Shes a pre-pharmacy major and she is awesome.

Happy Birthday GG!

Great Grandma Betty Fern has a birthday today and she is 77 (at least I think she is...)

My mom thought it would be fun if all the grandkids wrote a little something about what Grandma meant to them and this is what everybody sent in.

Kristen:

"The things I love the most about Grandma is how she was so great and helpful when my dad was in the hospital. I have great memories of watching Touched by an angel with her when I was younger..."

Nathan:

So its Grandma's birthday today (which for the sake of continuity I'll assume means she's turning 40-something) and I'm going to take a break from my materials lab write-up (read: procrastinate) to say a few things. First off, I'll state the obvious and say she's a wonderful grandmother whom we all love very dearly. I've enjoyed these past few years here living close to grandma and grandpa, and meeting for the occasional lunch. I know for most of my life I haven't had this opportunity due to the places in which I've lived, so its a pleasure to finally be able to see them on a semi-regular basis.

The fondest memories of Grandma that I have took place in the same home they live in now. I remember spending the night there on occasion as a kid, and waking up to a wonderful home-cooked breakfast. Grandma always used to make me this cocoa oatmeal (whose name I cant seem to remember for the life of me), and that was probably my favorite food as a kid. I loved staying over there and had a blast learning how to twiddle my thumbs with Grandpa. Visiting for Thanksgiving always brings back those memories.

Now as I said before, living here at U of I gives me the unique opportunity of meeting her for lunch when my schedule permits. I get to find out firsthand what she's been up to as a retiree and also get that special Grandma support and praise as I fill her in on life as an engineering student.

Happy Birthday Grandma Thompson! Thanks for all these wonderful years of love and support!

Richard and Sarah interpreted my mom's request as a free-association thing and chose to list the words that came to mind when they thought of Grandma. Apparently she's been good to everybody's stomachs over the years...

Richard Scott said that when he thinks of Grandma, he thinks of:

Baggy jeans

Diet caffeine free soda

Cocoa wheats

“Oh My”

Riding in the back of the old truck

Riding Go Carts

Dolly World with Grandma and Grandpa and Aunie Aunie and Uncle John

When Sarah thinks of Grandma, she thinks of:

Thanksgiving

Fried Chicken

Cocoa Wheats

Crafts

Dress Up

Dyed permed hair

Fruit roll ups

Pringles

Antiques

Crafts

Going over to the church and playing

Matt:

What I Love Most About Grandma:

I love that Grandma was involved in all the truly important parts of our lives: weaning off of nursing, potty training, and riding bikes. Some of my fondest memories include times I spent at Grandma's house. I can still remember her spending so much time making us berets so we could be like army guys.

I love that Grandma always made it a priority to be at the events of our lives. She came to graduations, weddings, and for me, my ordination.

Grandma still cooks me my favorite breakfast...and even cuts it still for me. I don't think I would even know how to cut egg-n-the-hole right now if I had to.

Grandma is so loving. I just love going to any place that she is because I know she is so excited to be with us and it just makes that moment special. Though it's sad, it actually means something to me that she cries every time we leave because it shows how much she loves us.

I could go on and on about all the things I love about her from learning to swim later in life, to getting ordained, to writing books, to her competitiveness with Daniel, to so much more but the thing I love best is her love for God. I have been so blessed to have the examples that both her and Grandpa have been.

I love you Grandma!


Mary

What I love most about Grandma is how she loves.

She has a genuine love for God:
She is always sharing what she and Grandpa are doing in the area of ministry and how God is using them. They are willing to do whatever God calls them to do.

She has a genuine love for her family:
It's so special to see the look on her face during Thanksgiving because she is THRILLED that the family is together and having a good time.

She has a genuine love for life in general :
I think we all saw the pictures on the blog of Grandma playing basketball with the neighbor girl! You can't tell me Grandma doesn't' love life! She is willing to try new things and doesn't let life pass her by.

Grandma, you are wonderful Grandma and I love you!


Chris:


Happy Birthday Grandma! I hope you have a great birthday, and I cant wait for Thanksgiving and for you to meet Jessica. She is very excited to meet you. It gives you one more person to make egg in the hole or coco wheats for. I love you and we all cant wait to see you.

Me (Daniel): The things that I love the most about my mom - her energy, creativity, and innovative spirit - are also the traits that make her most like Grandma. Everybody remembers that when Grandma finally had an empty nest, the first thing she did was buy an electric bass and amp and start rocking. The second thing she did was learn to swim. I kid Grandma a lot about not getting the internet, or computers, but the fact is I remember Grandma becoming the ebay queen long before I even had a personal email account. I love the fact that she's always making things: songs, books, crafts. My mom used to tell us how when she was in school Grandma kept her in the latest fashions by checking out fashion magazines and then hand-making whatever she saw. I remember a table in the old house with rocks frozen in glue (does that table still exist? I want it!), that Grandma had made. Those are the kinds of things I admire about Grandma, but mostly what makes her such a great grandmother is the classic stuff. That she dotes on you and makes you feel like the center of the world (this is particularly true in my case, since I am the favorite grandchild). Everybody luuuuvs Grandma's cooking and desserts, and with good reason. That stuff is GOOD. I love Grandma for taking my jokes in stride and for loving her whole family with such devotion. Happy Birthday Grandma.

It all makes sense now

Some people might not know (except for her boys) that my mom loves to listen to gospel music and ear piercing decibles.  When my mom first got her VW Bug, we could hear her coming from a mile away cause the music in her car was so loud. Sometimes, if I had to move her car, we would turn it on only to hear "I fly away oh Glory" and such a high volume, that it threw my equilibrium off and it would take me a few minutes to regain my composure. I would just start hitting every button I could see to make the insanity stop. There is something about hearing the Bill Gather Trio at airplane type volumes that can really effect someone.

Well, Its good to see that some things just never change.

This weekend I went down to Ohio to play in a baseball tournement in Columbus. I stayed at my moms house and had to get up at 6 to get ready to play and drive to Columbus. My mom and Matt were going to go she had to get up at 7 to get ready. I woke up at six and went down to her basement to print off the directions. All of a sudden, I heard gospel music...I figured my mom had gotten into the shower and was listening to music. I couldnt have been more wrong. I went up stairs and saw that my mom was laying in bed, with the stereo pointed right at her face (like a foot away) blasting gospel music as high as the volume would allow her too. This would have killed any normal person.  I now understand why my mom is the way she is. :)

Cole Endorses his Grandmother's Singing

The backstory to this is that when Matthew was a kid, he was not a fan of his mother's singing, and would often ask her to stop, in a very serious manner. I think that life is being kind to her now, because Matthew's son has decided that, hey, her singing's not so bad after all.

Grandma Phyllis writes:

I was babysitting and we finally got Titus to sleep and Cole wanted me to read books to him. As you know three year olds like the same books read over and over.

He got some new books from the library and I was excited.

We read a few and then he handed me the one from the library. For whatever reason I thought it would be funny to sing the book to him. So I open it and start singing the words. Almost at once I could feel him sitting by me staring intently...I could see him in my perifial vision. It was all I could do to not laugh. I stole a glance at him and he was staring with his mouth hanging open. I was able to finish the book which I might add was not easy. Getting words to fit tunes on the spot is not my gift. But I made it.

He is still staring at me. I finish, I close the book and look at him and without so much as cracking a twinkle, he deadpan says, "Do it again."

So I did it again. He stared at me through the whole book. WHen I laid the book down at the end he just continued to stare at me. He said, "Do it again."

I pretended I just had to read the other new book __just to get his mind off it.

I think in my mind ___I think I am doing something funny for him.

I think in his mind he is thinking "SHE is nuts and I wonder how many times I can get her to do this."....

But an added funny was that when Matt and Mary got home, he got the book out and started to sing it. Then he wanted Mary to sing it to him.

He is just so funny.

Samuel Scott Thompson has turned 44

My man is looking gooooooood.

Oh My Aching Back...

A sober email from Matt today:

Friends and Family,



Just to keep you in the loop because a lot of you have asked…



I had x-rays done again this week and I did fracture a vertebrae in my back (tailbone). There’s nothing they can really do. They told me it will just hurt for 6-8 weeks while it heals.



Thanks for your prayers,



MJ