The Graduate!

** If you wanna see the photos slower and larger, just click on any photo twice and then view them one at a time in a larger format.

Swingtown... Sickening

There's a new show airing on CBS the first week of June and it makes me sick every time the trailer plays. It's called SWINGTOWN, and based on what I've seen so far (I've no desire to see the show)it just makes my stomach turn.


Here's what CBS says about it's upcoming "crowd pleaser":
"SWINGTOWN, from the director of "Big Love" and "Rome," traces two generations of friends and neighbors as they forge intimate connections and explore new freedoms during the culturally transformative decade of the 1970s. It portrays the ever-shifting “swing” of the pendulum that reflected the change in America's collective value system -- morally, politically and socially.After moving to an upscale lakeside Chicago suburb in July of 1976, Susan and Bruce Miller must confront temptation in the form of their provocative new neighbors, Tom and Trina Decker, while not abandoning their old friends Janet and Roger Thompson. As the adult couples evaluate whether to embrace or avoid newfound personal freedoms, the curious Miller and Thompson children begin to discover and assert their own morality and sexual identities as they come of age in a world on the precipice of change. In a shifting social climate -- defined by its music, fashion and style -- everyone in SWINGTOWN is confronted with personal choices, experimentation and varying attitudes."

TV.COM says: "This new period drama takes viewers back to the 1970s for a look at suburban households testing the murky waters of sexual revolution following swingers throughout open marriages, "key parties" and other swingers extravaganzas"

Seriously... and we wonder why there is no value placed on marriage these days?!! What message is this sending to our teenagers? In a world where "everyone is 'doing it'" - we are sending out yet another message that there is absolutely nothing wrong with sleeping around... and worse yet, that it's ok to be unfaithful in marriage. DISGUSTING! I'm totally disappointed in CBS for airing such garbage.Of course I have a choice about what I allow into my home, and this show (among others) will not be viewed on the Hespe's TV. Makes me wonder... what's next?

Too bad the wind never blows in Kansas....

Note hint of sarcasm. :) 81 degrees and 27 mph winds today. YUCK. It seems like we've only had a few calm days in the last month, which stinks... because the kids have been running track and playin softball in this delightful weather. Ciara is at Regional softball today in Mullinville, Ks. I don't even know where that is, but I know that she is ready for it to be over so she can be done with hard practices. I'll be glad when it's done too, because that means my gas bill to Ellis will be cut in half since I won't have to drive in and pick up Tina anymore, they'll all ride home together. Gas is $3.60/gallon here. OUCH!! I worry about the expense of the trips we have planned.

Back to the wind.... poor Sugar, the little doll nearly blows over when I take her outside to do her business. She weighs just under 4 pounds and literally, the wind blew her sideways when I took her out. You can see from the photos what nearly 30 mph winds look like. Our furniture always blows over on the front deck too, even the heavy metal framed glider swing. UGH! I'm just ready for some nice, spring weather before the hot summer sets in. How about you??

Lilacs & Granny

What a beautiful morning! It rained last night, and looking out the front door, the grass is finally greening up, the bushes are bright and blooming... the air smells like fresh rain and earth, I LOVE IT! Our lilacs began blooming over the weekend and Ciara went out and picked some to put in a vase on the counter. They're sitting in front of me - purple and fragrant. It's got me remembering my Granny Fisher, and I miss her. :( She always loved lilacs. Her sidewalk in front of the house was lined with lilac bushes, the same sidewalk that was my front sidewalk when we lived on their property in a mobile home, just next door. I remember as a little girl coming out the front door and what's the first thing I see? Lilacs. Me and my cousins would run wild at dusk and catch "lightening bugs" (fireflies), play hide and seek, carnival and "graveyard". We made mud pies using the "goodies" out of the trash barrells. you'd be surprised the good stuff that you could find in there to make a mud pie. Used grease, coffee grounds, a little bit of Tang in the bottom of the jar. Oh it was such fun! Great memories. But the lilacs make me feel happy, as I remember Grandma and how she loved us kids. The walks down the chalk road to pick mulberries for a pie we would bake together, how she took us to the creek to go fishing and never even yelled at us when our line wound up in the tree instead of the water. She was a wonderful Grandmother, everything I want to be when I'm a grandma one day. I'm so grateful for the example that she was to me and I think of her often and miss her. I miss her pies and cooking, spending time with her, but most of all I miss her smile - the one she got when she was with her family. Family was everything to Grandma and I'm just so glad that I had the opportunity to know her and learn from her what it means to be a Mom and a Grandma.

Doin' Great!

Thanks everyone, for your prayers and well wishes for Luke. He is doing really good. We ended up going home the same day as the surgery - it was nice not to have to stay over night. Since home, he has cut his pain meds in half and reduced himself from walking with crutches, but a cane and sometimes without anything. He began putting full weight on today and so far so good. :) I praise God for his speedy recovery, he's a real tough guy. My hero! ;)

He is set to fly to Phoenix for a business meeting the week of the 21st and then get home just in time to drive to Nebraska for the weekend. Not sure if he's ready for all this, but he thinks he is... so who am I to question right? It's hard not to worry, but I'm sure he'll be fine.

Our Daughter is a GENIUS!

Ok... I am so proud of this girl. I talked to the school counselor at Ellis High School this morning because Ciara is taking some college courses next year (her senior year). While on the phone he told me that he thought Ciara's ACT results were in. She scored a 29!! Holy cow. I don't know how the heck she got so smart, but I am just really stunned. He said that the national average is 21.5 and that the average of EHS students is 22. The best score you can get is 36. The best news yet is that with an ACT score that high, she automatically qualifies for admission AND a scholarship to Fort Hays State worth approximately $4,800. WOO HOO! Our Ciara is a smart little cookie... just wanted to share the joy!

Where we've spent the day.....

Our day began at 5 a.m. when we got up and began to get ourselves ready for what was sure to be an exciting day. :) Luke has been dreading his second surgery, but finally the day has come. We checked in at 6:30 a.m., he was taken to O.R. at 7:50 a.m. and finally at 8:20 his surgery began. The surgeon found me around 9:15 or 9:20 and told me that the surgery went well. Apparently once he got into the leg he saw that there were SOME signs of healing, but not much, also the fibula had began to shift towards the tibia. He said we definitely made the right choice in having the surgery, now the bone is completely straight and should provide good stability. He is supposed to walk on it and bear as much weight as possible and only use crutches as necessary. The surgeon showed me a photo of the work that's been done on his leg. Luke says now he's "like the bionic man". ha ha. I'll have to scan it in later and post it so you can see what he's been through. He put in a metal plate and 6 screws to hold the fibula together. The nurse also told me that the surgeon used some form of putty to help hold the bone together while it heals now. Weird. I had never heard of such thing. Whatever it takes to get him totally well... I'm all for it.

We are in recovery now and have been for what seems like forever. He is doing well, has had some pain, but it's being controlled with percoset again. He was able to use the restroom and eat some italian ice, water and crackers without nausea. These are all good things, because if he has problems with any of this, he wouldn't be able to go home today. I'm not sure when we'll find out how soon he can go. He is sleeping well and getting some rest, so I'm just trying to be patient. He did walk with crutches to the bathroom, then was a little dizzy. They said that could be from anesthesia and/or the percoset.

Thank you all for your prayers and please keep them coming for a speedy recovery. I know it makes all the difference and means so much to me and Luke. We are praising God for a successful surgery! I'll update again once I have some news. :)