September 2010

Another month has gone by and October is almost half over. Soccer, school and work are keeping us all busy. Brian is taking 21 credits this semester. We had hoped he would graduate next May. But now it looks like it will be after the Summer semester. All three kids are going every which way with soccer games and practices. The only days we don't see a soccer ball are Friday and Sunday. All of the kids are back in Piano lessons. We switched Hannah to a new teacher. So far so good. She says shes having fun again. I hope it lasts. =) Sierra-Cascade started digging strawberry plants on September 19th. And it has been non-stop ever since. I am already tired and we haven't even it the peak yet.

First Day of School 2010

So this isn't quite the first day, but the fourth. We kept forgetting! =)

August 2010

My how time flies! I can't believe it is the end of August already. For the most part this was a quiet month.

• Hannah went to her first overnight basketball camp at UNR in Reno. She had a great time, learned a lot about basketball and made some new friends.
• Midge (our dog) celebrated her 8th birthday on Friday the 13th.
• Soccer practices started on the 16th. Hannah and Parker are both on traveling teams this year. Hannah is one of the goalies for her team. Parker is a defender. Eli's team plays other teams in Susanville. There are only three boys teams this year so they are going to be playing the girls teams too. =)
• D. Todd Christopherson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve came to our Stake Conference on the 22nd. Everyone expected major changes, but he just reminded us to set a good example and live a righteous life.
• We waited until the last minute to go school shopping in the 20th. I took Hannah and Brian did the boys. It was a long day, but much better that doing everyone together.
• School started on the 23rd. Hannah is in 8th grade, Parker in 7th and Eli in 5th.

How about that airport security?

I was cleaning out my purse and was reminded of our trip through airport security in Minneapolis on the Fourth of July 2010. I carry a Leatherman tool in my purse. It was a gift from RMEF in Oregon. I love it as it comes in handy . . . often.

In 2008 at the Reno airport, I had to mail it back to myself as I forgot to take it out of my purse and airport security did NOT appreciate that.

So you would think I learned a lesson. Nope, I head right into airport security at Minneapolis oblivious to the fact that it is still in my purse. Sure enough they want to check my bags. To my surprise it was not my purse, but my carry on. What the heck is in my carry on that they don't like? Gasp . . . a full size tube of toothpaste!!

Go figure, security takes away my toothpaste but lets me on the plane with a Leatherman tool!!

Parker's first Boy Scout Camp

Our stake participates in an Aaronic Priesthood Scout Camp sponsored by a stake in the Sacrament area. They camp somewhere up on Donner Pass. While not officially sponsored by the LDS church, it is run by LDS members.

Parker had a great time. When he got home and walked in the door, the first thing Hannah said was "don't you think he looks older?" Parker earned 7 merit badges in 1 week. He was pretty proud of himself. He also advanced in rank to First Class.

Each scout troop had to build a boat out of cardboard and duck tape. Brian said Troop 58's didn't float for long. =)
Turns out Parker is really good with a bow and arrow. Brian said Parker got several arrow near the center of the target.

What does Brian want for his birthday?

A Nalgene bottle of course!

He got one from DaKine a couple of years ago and loved it. He likes the wide mouth and that it holds 32 ounces. Unfortunately it got left behind in the dishwasher when we moved from Dufur. Now he has a new one to fall in love with. He even put a DaKine sticker on it!

Lupkes Family Reunion

As most of you know Brian saw his dad for the first time in more than 30 years last May(2009). Brian has not seen any of his dad's family in Minnesota since he was a toddler.

Every year the Lupkes have a get together on or near the 4th of July. We have talked about going, but found out this year that Brian's dad was making plans to go. So that is what prompted our "Road Trip" of a vacation this year.

Upon our arrival we met the oldest brother, Dick and his wife Barbara. They live in New Jersey. They showed up as a surprise to everyone. We also met Jim and his wife Lu. We stayed at their house. Then Ralph and his wife Diane. And of course Brian's dad Steve and his wife Gloria. They were also so welcoming, as if they had always known us. Brian and I both felt relieved and very comfortable.

Lu cooked up some fabulous chicken and Diane make the best cheesy potatoes I have ever eaten.

The next morning I got up early to do laundry before it got too hot and then we all headed over to Ralph and Diane's for breakfast. It was so much fun to visit with all of them and learn about the lives. I am a 20 question kind of person, so of course I had to find out about everyone. It was great to put names with faces and learn their personalities. =) I hope they had as much fun meeting us!

Vacation Day 3

Thank you Delana for the great pancake breakfast with homemade syrup!

And we are off, headed for Wheaton, MN. But first we have to get through South Dakota. We decided to go straight north out of North Platte to Pierre, SD. Pierre is the capital of South Dakota. We had lunch there and then headed east toward Minnesota.

It took all day, but we got there about 7pm. Had to use the phone at the gas station to call Brian's dad to come find us. AT&T has no cell service in Wheaton, MN. For someone who claims to not be attached to her phone, it was actually hard to not be able to use it.

Brian's family welcomed us with open arms. And so did the mosquitos! Welcome to Minnesota!

Vacation Day 2

After have a nice breakfast at our hotel, we headed northeast out of Salt Lake City and into Evinston, WY. I call the interstate that runs east/west across Wyoming and Nebraska the "treadmill highway". Once you get up out of Evinston, it is pretty much straight for hundreds and hundreds of miles. To me it feels like you are driving and getting no where!

We had lunch in Rawlins, WY at a park with a retired Union Pacific engine. It was windy, but nice.

We finally made it to North Platte, NE where my friend DeeDee and her family live. We had BBQ dinner and stayed up visiting with her and her daughter Delana until well past midnight. I wished we could have stayed longer here too. So much to talk about! Our boys and Delana's boys got along really well. We all decided we must get together again!

I totally forgot to take pictures. :o(

Vacation Day 1

I had great plans to blog each day of our vacation. So much for great plans! Too much driving, late nights visiting and being in the 3% of the US (South Dokota & Eastern Minnesota) that does NOT have AT&T cell service!

We had a great time even though Hannah and I started out tired. We went to the midnight show of Eclipse Tuesday night. This time I was on top of my game and bought ticket 2 weeks in advance! =) After the movie, we went to my office so I could work on a project I was trying to finish before leaving. Brian and the boys picked us up at 5:30am.

We drove to Salt Lake City. The kids have never been there and I had never driven in from the west before. The salt flats are amazing. People even leave messages written in them with rocks. After checking into our hotel and grabbing some dinner, we went to temple square. We got there just in time to watch the new Joseph Smith movie, but just missed the visitor center as it was closing.

Temple square is so beautiful and peaceful in the heart of the city. I wish we could have stayed longer, but the next day called for more driving!

Piano Recital 2010

The kids are still taking piano lessons. Hannah hates it, but we have a saying "piano is non-negotiable". Two of our three piano teachers and one friend (all women) told me that they wanted to quit at one point when they were teenagers, but their mother wouldn't let them. I hope some day Hannah will appreciate the talent and skills she has. =)

All spiffed up and ready to go!

We always have to have a goofy picture. ;o)

I took video of them playing their pieces, but can't figure out how to post it. I will keep working on it!

Mud Ball 2010

After shopping and a quick visit with my friends Brenda and Barbara in West Linn, Hannah and I arrived at Brad's house. The kids decided to play kick ball. Because of all the rain, the back yard was quite soggy. It soon became "Mud Ball".

Cole and Parker waiting for their turn.
Eli is pitching; Hannah is kicking. By this time Hannah who was the first to take a spill is covered down the left side in mud. =)

I love this picture of Cole headed in for a score!

Who is this guy and what is he doing in the game?

Memorial Day 2010

We went to Portland and The Dalles for Memorial Day weekend. We stayed with Brian's mom Margaret in Oregon City. On Saturday Hannah and I went shopping while Margaret, Brian and the boys went over to Brad and Diana's new house to BBQ.

I love this picture. The both have "the look". And they do it so well!

Brad playing badmitten with the boys.

Wait for it, Wait for it . . .

Parker is 12!

Parker turned 12 on May 21. He could hardly contain himself until the big day. 12 is a major milestone if our family. It comes with a later bed time and a cell phone. Not a major cell phone, but a trac phone which still qualifies. =) We figure it is a good way for the kids to learn accountability with the phone.

Parker was actually camping with the Boy Scouts (yes that is SNOW in the picture) the night of his birthday, so we celebrated Saturday night after dinner. We don't allow cell phone use on Sundays, but he carried that thing around - "just to tell time, Mom."

More USS Hornet

Anchor chain. Each link weighs 159 pounds. They use this hook to catch a link and lift it so they can put a clamp on, actually 2 clamps one on each side of the chain, to hold it in place.

YES this is an escalator!! It was not original to the ship but was added in the 1950's. Originally the room where they prep the pilots was right below the flight deck so it was not a big deal for the pilots to go up about 10 steps of a ladder in all their flight gear. But then they moved the room to below the hanger bay so it was more protected from enemy fire. So they installed the escalator to make it easier on the pilots. And yes it still works.

The USS hornet was the air craft carrier that picked up Neil Armstrong and the other astronauts after the Apollo 11 mission to the Moon. They have quite a bit of NASA stuff on board.

The kids thought this was a score board. But actually it is a compass heading and how many knots they are traveling. So supply ships could come along side and travel parallel while transferring goods. The flags to the right are countries the ship was in.

The whole time we were on board, I thought about my Grandpa Bill who served in the Navy during WW II and my brother Bill who served in the Navy during the Gulf War. My brother was on an aircraft carrier, the USS Nimitz. The Nimitz is much larger than the Hornet and this is actually the second Hornet. The first sank in 1941 so they changed the name of this new carrier when it was given it's commission in 1942. The USS Hornet had a maximum crew of 2,500 men. I believe Bill said the Nimitz had a crew of 5,000.

The ship had everything. Medical and dental facilities, library, chapel, post office, a store to buy gum or cigarettes and of course the brig (jail). I would definitely not want to go there. The cells had 2 bunks in them and were just big enough for the bunk and to walk along side them. If you have to use the bathroom you had to wait for the next "head call". There were 4 cells in a tiny little hall way, 2 decks below the water line. It was claustrophobic! I couldn't wait to get out of there.

The engine room was AMAZING! I always find it interesting the technology that they had before my generation. We look around us at all our modern cell phones and other gadgets and gizmos. They had none of that, but what they did have was very sophisticated.

I, of course, loved the whole experience. Eli had an upset stomach most of the time. But was a trooper and even slept the whole night with his group. I was with the other moms in another berth.

Oh and if your a fan of the show "Ghost Hunters" you can look up the episode they filmed on the USS Hornet. Apparently it is haunted!

USS Hornet CVS-12

Docked in Alameda is a retired aircraft carrier the USS Hornet. It was used in some of the raids off Japan during WW II. It is a museum now and has a program called "Live Aboard". You pay $60 a person and you get to eat and sleep on board for a night. You get to experience chow lines and 3 high bunk beds and very small spaces even though it is a very large ship, 984 feet from end to end.

In the picture above, you can see 7 port holes right under the flight deck. Our tour leader was a retired Navy boatswain that actually served on this carrier in 1968. The carrier was retired in 1970. It was really cool to have a guide who knew so much about the ship first hand. Anyway he took us up in this little room at the very front of the ship where all the maps were stored and told a story about what happens if you open one of those port holes during rough seas. The boys got a kick out of it.

This is Bill our fearless leader with Eli. Bill was a boatswains mate and had the boatswains pipe and we all woke up to reveille. Before this picture we had trekked up 3 or 4 flights of ladders to get to the top of what is called the "island". This is where all the controls of the ship are. I can't remember the correct name of the room.

This was a great display of the effect the crew of this ship had during WW II. This semester Brian is taking a history class that covers WW II and he had to write a paper about his opinion on whether or not the US should have dropped the atomic bombs. Seeing all the history on this ship really brought the part of US history alive for me.

Art - Vallejo, CA style

On Saturday, May 1, 2010 Eli and I joined other Webelos and their parents for a trip to Alameda. On the way the caravan had to stop in Vallejo to drop off a parent and pick up a grandparent. While we were waiting for the switch Eli and Joe, the two scouts in our care, noticed this car and got out to take pictures. As I was looking at them I was thinking this care could be used in the "I Spy" game for kids. I also wonder if the person really drives it around or if they just leave it on the street in the name of ART.

Eli earns his Arrow of Light Award

Eli and the other Webelos from Pack 405. The signs are the 12 points of the Boy Scout oath. They were supposed to be greeting the people when they came in the door. As you can tell they were more into being silly. :o)

Kim was Eli's den leader. She is an amazing gal. She had 12 boys and managed to get 10 of them through to receiving their Arrow of Light Award.

This is Eli crossing the bridge from Cub Scouts into Boy Scouts. Tom Wharton is one of the Scout Masters.

Our baby is growing up!!

General Conference April 2010

While the kids and I were journeying around Oregon, Brian, our Bishop and the Priest age Young Men from church were journeying around Salt Lake City. They had fun seeing the sites, attending two sessions of General Conference and playing a game called "Shoot the Moon". Apparently Luke is the Shoot the Moon champion!

Beading with Grandma Margaret

After Easter in The Dalles, we went to visit and spend the night with Grandma Margaret. We love going to Grandma Margaret's house. She makes the best grilled cheese sandwiches! :o)

Margaret's hobby is making jewelry. Hannah and Eli wanted to make something.

Hannah's necklace is brown and cream beads with one large bead at the center. It turned out really beautiful.

Eli's was multi-colored. Greens, blues, reds. The next morning he made a bracelet to go with it.