Catching Up

Wed, 03 Sep 2008 12:21:14 -0700

Its been about 4 months since I posted and decided that its time to add a bit to the journey on this board.

Summer is my favorite time of year and we've all had a pretty good one. Softball dominated it with 3 girls playing this year, including 2 on competitive teams.

Through softball I've had opportunity to deepen my friendship with Matt. As this has gone on, Ray and I have become more distant. Not that Matt and I have don ...

Update Dos

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:13:53 -0700

Pretty much same old, same old suburban life lately. Things are fine. Spring may actually finally be here after the longest winter I remember since living here. It's raining all the time though so we still haven't had many warm, sunny springlike days.

Softball season is underway. Sean. Rob. Need not say more. Great guys.

I've read a couple of good books recently. "Deer Hunting with Jesus" and "Three Lit ...

The last two months.....

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 19:47:37 -0800

have been really, really cold and snowy here in the great midwest. Its been so cold and so snowy for so long that I think I've forgotten what it feels like to walk outside without wearing my super-sexy-snow boots. On the plus side, I've personally shoveled and chopped 50 inches (for real) of snow and ice off my driveway and sidewalks. Now that's some good arobic exercise. That's not why I'm posting though although maybe its been so long because ...

And this makes sense.......how?

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 07:05:38 -0800

Time for one of my sporadic pondering/ranting posts.

It's probably just a sign that I'm getting old but more and more I find myself just shaking my head at this country and world.

Lets start with politics. I'm a democrat, have been since I switched during the Reagan years because I simply couldn't tolerate a president who opened the doors to our nations mental institutions and said, in effect, good luck y'all and then proceeded to sleep through office ...

First in the Nation

Thu, 03 Jan 2008 21:22:57 -0800

Iowa has spoken. A good percentage of US citizens pay attention to my quiet little state for a short time once every 4 years or so. Today was such a day as we had one more go-round at having the nation's first democratic and republican caucuses tonight. It was also my first time caucusing, what an interesting experience....Pretty disorganized and haphazard, but interesting just the same.

I caucused for John Edwards. I was so divided between him, Barack an ...

Getting Through Christmas

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:57:49 -0800

Let's see. We're 3 days into Christmas break and so far, so good, I guess. Thursday, before Christmas break, the 6 of us celebrated Jaden's 7th birthday at Ryan's Steakhouse. My 2 youngest girls love that place. To me, the food is OK but there is just something about it that reduces humans to cattle rushing toward the feeding trough. That's what it looks like anyway. Plus there are fewer and fewer staff people who speak English there ...

I Hate December

Thu, 13 Dec 2007 16:35:14 -0800

Hate may be a bit strong but this month is like a minefield of emotions in normal circumstances and this year there is other yuck stuff to go along with the usuals.

I turned 44 on Dec. 2. 'Nuf said. There is nothing young, fun or romantic about turning 44 unless you happen to be running for President in which case they make 45 sound like the new 25.

Speaking of Barack Obama, I got to see him AND Oprah last Saturday. Pretty fun actually. ...

Post Thanksgiving Update

Sun, 25 Nov 2007 20:28:41 -0800

Gosh. It gets harder and harder to come up with unique titles for these entries. It's like the writing cells in the brain have gone on a vacation. Hope they come back some day!

Thanksgiving was good. Went up to Sioux Falls to see the family. Spent alot of time with 2 of the cousins who have kids just a little younger than my kids. Spent time with dad too. That was more depressing. He's lonely, having alienated himself from much of wh ...

Update

Tue, 06 Nov 2007 13:12:29 -0800

The seasons are changing. Yesterday was so windy that all of a sudden many of the trees are bare. Yuck. Not the red maple in front of my house though. Being a little tree on the south side of the house, it missed the brunt of yesterday's wind. It's still pretty.

Along with the weather, the kids' sports are changing as well. Soccer, volleyball and softball have given way to basketball. I love watching this b/c I actually unde ...

Saturday the 20th

Sun, 21 Oct 2007 11:12:16 -0700

Yesterday was just kind of a pleasantly surprising kind of day especially given that MK has seemed not himself lately or else is pulling back. I miss our almost daily contact and the more humourous (spelling is an ode to him) side of him. I'm letting him be however and continuing to work on the weight loss, exercise etc. I was cranky tho for a bit this a.m. b/c I'm up a pound from a day or two ago and really have been watching it pretty close and exerci ...

A bouncing baby......

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 21:08:16 -0700

tooth.

On Sept. 12 I had a filling put into a cavity in one of my wisdom teeth. Yes, I'm 43 years old and until a few days ago I had all 4 of 'em! I'm not one for much medical intervention. I had both of my babies with a midwife and very few drugs (easier at 27 than it was at 37) and made it just fine.

Initially the tooth was sensitive to eating cold stuff. This sensitivity increased over the course of the past several weeks until last Frida ...

Why so many people stop at 2 kids.

Tue, 02 Oct 2007 13:29:45 -0700

Actually, this isn't going to be a negative post nor particuarly humorous.

I spent this past weekend in Chicago (northern Indiana, actually) with my 2 oldest girls for Payten's soccer tournament. We had a delightful time, just us 3 'big' girls. Getting them away from my 2 younger cherubs for more than one night did us all some good. I don't really think about how hard it is to raise 4 girls until I just have the two who are both old enoug ...

Life Since Aug 13

Sat, 22 Sep 2007 16:26:29 -0700

It's been over a month...I've missed my daily visits but it seems like the Shoutpost neighborhood is changing a bit...some of the "regulars" are gone and to be fair I haven't taken the time to get to know some of the others but it also seems like it is getting to be more of a marketing site (for both views and products) and/or health condition site.

That said, I do miss it.

A lot has happened in the last month and a half. In some ways at leas ...

Funny of the Day

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 09:08:01 -0700

I got this funny from a coworker a few minutes ago in an email. Makes alot of sense I think!

Life explained

Creation
On the first day, God created the dog and said:

"Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or
walks past. For this, I will give you a life span of twenty years."

The dog said: "That's a long time to be barking. How about only ten years
and I ...

Momma's Peace Rap

Mon, 13 Aug 2007 07:11:11 -0700

I wish these were my words but they aren't. A fellow Des Moines social worker, Jan Hill, wrote this rap and it is now making the rounds on YouTube.  If you'd like to see it search "momma's peace rap".
MOMMA'S PEACE RAP
I'm a middle aged mama with babies to save
and like all mamas, I don't want 'em in a grave
so I'm mad as hell and I won't take it anymore

The weekend. Google Earth. A book. A movie.

Sun, 12 Aug 2007 20:29:21 -0700

I was down to 2 kids almost all weekend. Of course the two most high maintenance ones, but still. Ky has been in SD w/my cousin for the past 2 weeks and Ray chaperoned his church's youth group to Kansas City yesterday, taking Payten with along with his granddaughter.   Then today she went w/his sister to her church, which being COGIC, was an all day affair. I took my high maintenance younger two swimming yesterday, surviving 1 exact hour waiting under the f ...

What's on Your Playlist

Tue, 07 Aug 2007 11:37:41 -0700

Here's what's on mine, not necessarily in this order:
Follow Me by Uncle Kracker
Last Dollar by Tim McGraw
Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson
Because of You, also by Kelly (Isn't this the perfect theme song for those of us who grew up in alcoholic or other dysfunctional homes?)
White America by Eminem
Cleanin Out My Closet by Eminem
Mockingbird, again, Eminem
Livin on a Prayer by Bon Jovi
Have a Nice Day, Bon Jovi
You Give L ...

It's Not The Heat

Mon, 06 Aug 2007 19:29:44 -0700

It's not the heat but the humidity. We midwesterners love to talk about the weather probably b/c we have such a wide variety of it. Today it was oppressive...the kind of day when you walk outside and, if you wear glasses, they steam up instantly. The kind of day that exerting any effort of any kind causes you to break out in a sweat. The kind of day that makes you feel like you have a sauna just outside your front door.
I had thought that it must b ...

Dilemma of the Day

Tue, 31 Jul 2007 21:38:28 -0700
What, oh what should I do. I've made arrangements to take dear old dad to St. Louis to see his sister in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, however, I found out that Kyler has double header softball games on both the Sat. and the Sun. we're supposed to be gone. I've made tentative arrangements for her care (I gave her the choice of s'ball or going w/us) for 2 of the 4 days we're supposed to be gone and was going to get to work on the other two but then ...

Sunny Saturday

Sat, 21 Jul 2007 19:29:22 -0700

Today was one of the most laid-back days we've had in a long days and totally a family day at that. A day that I'll look back and smile on....Only bummer part was that I forgot my camera.
There is an older couple in church that babysat alot for Payten and Kyler when they were just babies. They occasionally watch the girls now for a bit if the older ones aren't home but are now in their mid 80's. Anyway, a friend of theirs owns a pontoon boat ...

Movies, geeks, swimming, point charts and more.

Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:16:07 -0700

I took my kids (3 youngest) to Shrek 3 on Saturday and to the aquatic center on Sunday.  After being so busy with softball for so many weeks, it's hard to think of stuff to do when we have down time. My kids have been daycare kids from the beginning and thus, are used to being on the go and have a low threshold for boredom and sitting around at home.
Shrek 3 was OK but not as good as The Bridge to Terabithia (sp?) that we rented Friday night. Ohhh, I c ...

xtreme talent

Fri, 06 Jul 2007 06:09:34 -0700

I'm in another blogging dearth stage. There really isn't much to write about. Softball is over. Summer is hot. We had alot of fun on the 4th of July---our particular community has a huge bash for the 4th and we live just a few blocks from party central. They have a huge parade that literally goes behind our house, a fairly large carnival and fireworks that again, are shot off at the pond behind our house. All of this makes my house the plac ...

Hi Ho

Wed, 27 Jun 2007 11:40:30 -0700

hi ho, hi ho, it's off to car-x i go......
The joy of owning 2 cars. Took mine it a couple of days ago and today Payten's 2000 Ford Focus. Hopefully just an oil change but w/108,000 miles, one never knows!
...

One of the Best Foods Ever

Tue, 26 Jun 2007 11:14:58 -0700
has gotta be Skippy Snack Bars, specifically the peanut butter and fudge snack bars. The package says that they are "granola bars in a peanut butter coating"---that's gotta be healthy, right?!?!?! Anyway, I remember from my weight watchers time that 1 Skippy bar equals about a meal's worth of points, but hey, there's GRANOLA in 'em so they can't be all bad! Today is a much calmer day than yesterday thus far but even so, I have a feeling th ...

Last Post of the day...

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 19:04:14 -0700
I promise. This is sooooo interesting though. As soon as I posted my last post, I googled J. Barry Griswell---cuz he's my new nemisis and all. I found an interesting bio on him on the Horatio Alger website. J. Barry is a kind-looking man with gentle eyes (I was expecting horns and fangs I think). J Barry had an alcoholic dad, single mom who worked a bunch of jobs---basically the kind of guy I'd usually admire....and the kicker, his bio ended with the sam ...

Same Day Part Dos

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:43:07 -0700

In my last entry (a few minutes ago) I spoke of being argued out. Here's why. (Oh goody, just now one of the cats barfed. I TOLD YOU IT WAS A DAY). Cat barf isn't the issue though. Insurance companies are.
Principal Financial is, I'm pretty sure, the largest employer in Des Moines. They are huge. They operate a bank, investment office, property holdings, life insurance, health insurance companies. There was an article in th ...

A Day

Mon, 25 Jun 2007 18:02:27 -0700

It has certainly been one. It's been one of those days that I'm afraid to do anything else because every weird freaky thing that could go wrong, has.
Jaden has an old hand me down bike that's about 12 years old and on it's last leg. It's been well used by all 4 girls plus she's about ready to grow out of it so no huge deal but it was stolen off our front porch (she was too lazy to put it away) today. It just feels so violating to have ...

What Kind of Pirate?

Tue, 19 Jun 2007 09:16:57 -0700

Will Turner

67%
Sinbad

One of my Better Moments

Mon, 18 Jun 2007 15:08:24 -0700

I'm being sarcastic, of course.
Actually until about 4:30 p.m. Sunday it was a great weekend. Ky's team took 1st place in the Waterloo tournament. She pitched a no-hitter on Saturday and we just all had a lot of fun. Til 4:30 Sunday. Let me just say that sometimes my brain must shut down and let primal instinct take over 'cuz out of the blue, I kick into crazy soccer-mom (or softball I guess in this case) mode.
It was 90 + degrees, hot, wind ...

To Do List

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 05:57:51 -0700

This is what I should be starting on now instead of milling around here. The list isn't the longest it's ever been but for some reason, I'm daunted by it. I leave with the 3 youngest kids (and a teammate) for Waterloo this p.m., the earlier the better b/c Kyler wants her social time with the team at the hotel. Usually I love out of town tournaments and I'm sure I'll be fine once we are there but Payten leaves for camp Sunday so she's staying in DS ...

How can I become Normal?

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:17:23 -0700

There is something seriously wrong with me. Something not related in any way to my grief and loss regarding a blogger on here. Really, truly something wrong with me.
How does everyone else deal with boredom in their lives---the boredom that happens when things are stable and going pretty well---the boredom of being with one person for several years and just wondering, WONDERING what it would be like to be with someone else? Wanting to have the rush that I think everyone ...

It Happened Again.

Tue, 12 Jun 2007 12:09:05 -0700

I'll be the first to admit that I have some loss and rejection issues.
I am so sad that one of the few blogs I've tried to follow on a daily basis has just up and disappeared. I hate this!! I'll be honest, there are only a few blogs here that I read on a daily or almost daily basis. Many of the others are telling me about ringworm, colitis, that kinda thing so I get reall ...

So Sad

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 19:27:02 -0700

I just read that they've found Kelsey Smith's body. Kelsey was the 18 year old girl kidnapped from a Target parking lot a few days ago in suburban Kansas City. My thoughts and prayers go out to her family.
These cases are always so sad but this one, in particular, has so touched me---possibly because Kelsey looks like a sweet, all-American girl who had so much potential. Possibly because when we go on our twice yearly soccer trips to Overland P ...

Check out the new pic on my profile

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 07:58:45 -0700

OK, sure, I know it's tiny and the faces are blurry AND I know I've said I'd never put a picture of any of my kids on the 'net BUT I'm just soooo proud of Ky and her softball team that I had to!
Ky is in the middle of the back row and the cute coach is in the back on the left BUT of course, since the faces are blurry you can't enjoy the cuteness! Of either one, that is.
...

Another weekend, 7 more games

Sun, 03 Jun 2007 19:14:42 -0700

But a successful weekend it was. Ky's team took home first place trophies for their division in softball. She pitched a near perfect game and played 1st well. (and I got to look at her cute 34 year old coach all weekend, does that make me a dirty old woman, I wonder?)
Payten started Thurs. night's regional soccer game---scored once and 2 assists---one more game tomorrow and then hopefully to the state tournament baby!!
Ryann played well (soccer) and J ...

Gas station attendant/World leader?

Wed, 23 May 2007 07:33:42 -0700

According to experts, my personality type is :
World Leader

Your Brain is Blue

Of all the brain types, you ...

Yea, I'm not Too Geeky!

Tue, 15 May 2007 10:11:47 -0700

Your Geek Profile:

Fashion Geekiness: Moderate
...

So True it's SCARY

Tue, 15 May 2007 10:04:05 -0700

The Part of You That No One Sees

You ...

Update

Mon, 14 May 2007 15:16:44 -0700
Thanks to you who are keeping Ryann in your thoughts and prayers. The day did go really well. Not one tear was shed. Emla---miracle cream that numbs the skin so kids don't feel the IV going in at all. The MRI (or big donut) WAS a big adventure that she slept through as she listened to the music of her choice. I have only excellent things to say about the staff at Blank Children's Hospital particularly their Child Life Specialists. Now we just have ...

Victim Mentality

Mon, 14 May 2007 05:43:06 -0700

I've been doing a lot of thinking about the "victim mentality" lately. It seems like perhaps this should be a mental health diagnosis in and of itself as I believe it is what lies behind most personality disorders and several mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, etc.
I am prone to this way of thinking and I came by it honestly. My father is a professional victim. He was horribly abused as a child and just never could overcome it. Many o ...

Another rare one!

Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:54:51 -0700

Your Personality is Somewhat Rare (ISFP)

...

80

Fri, 27 Apr 2007 10:32:34 -0700
Happy, Happy 80th Birthday (today) to my Dad!!        ...

Blue Undies For Me

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 12:53:13 -0700

Your Lucky Underwear is Blue

You are ...

Weird Ned

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 10:25:21 -0700

I'm like a blog stalker today. Or a blog addict. I just can't quit! Actually I'm sorta on vacation because I had some days to use up before May 1st, my anniversary at work. The house is fairly clean. Laundry's done. Just me and my 'puter.
I gotta share the story of Weird Ned. Thinking about Weird Ned reminds me that there are much worse things than not being married.
Jaden's babysitter (before she started schoo ...

What Number Are You?

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 09:24:54 -0700

You Are 6: The Loyalist

You have strong relationships and are intensely loyal.

People find you easy to love and care for.

My Resp. to Elvenbead's Last Post

Thu, 26 Apr 2007 08:44:14 -0700

100 little things about Journey:
1. First Name: Pam
2. Last Name: K
3/4?. Place of Birth: Sioux Falls, SD
5. Male/Female: Female
6. Age: 43
7. Car: Chrysler Pacifica
8. School: Some work toward Master's in Social Work
9. Occupation: Social Work
10. Initials: PAK
11. Screen Name: Got a few
12. Hai ...