Eureka! Number 7!

I remembered the 7th movie we watched. I saw a commercial and thought that was the other movie. It was the Dukes of Hazzard! I must admit it was a little weird seeing the new people in the show. I think my favorite was Burt Reynolds.

Years ago we spent many a night watching the old Dukes of Hazzard. My boys must have really enjoyed watching the show. (and learning evidently) Later on, years later, in Alex's high school yearbook someone had written that they had fun playing "Dukes of Hazzard." Oh yes, this cleared up the mystery of the pinto returning home one night non the worse for wear. Poor pinto, bob drove this car 90 miles a day. Even after the "Dukes of Hazzard" incident the pinto just kept going and going. Just wait Alex, fun times ahead!!

Got one!

One of the movies was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. (I kept thinking of Randi, since she loves Johnny Depp and thinking why?) I know its just me.
Oh yes I also thought of the first movie and compared this one to the first Chocolate Factory. If I remember right the first time I saw the first Chocolate Factory was during the first year I was married. Wow way back then. I was baking the Thanksgiving turkey dinner for my family at my house. Ah the memories!!

Christmas Past!

Well another Christmas has come and long gone! I didn't feel too bad till I read everyone's blog. Oh well:)
We went to the Holt Christmas at Bob's moms and enjoyed a great meal. Played pitch, I won 2 out of 3 games, which doesn't usually happen. Arthur finally won one game and then we could quit. Funny guy!
At the Holt Christmas all of the truckdriver brothers brought everyone calendars, either small ones to stick in your car or some trucker calendars to hang on walls, Hmmm maybe I can send them to grandkids. Since their rooms are all clean now!! (See Randi"s blog) Funny grandma!!

We did watch quite a few movies, 7 in all. Let's see, Mr and Mrs Smith, (had a hard time, kept thinking of Jenifer Aniston) sniff!, oh yes, Sky High, Kirk Russell (Hubba Hubba, liked him since the early Disney movies), Fantastic Four (twice now once with Mistie and Connie at Pat's house), Stealth, (Bob picked out this one, it was better than I thought it would be), The Island(Kevin picked out this one, it was a good scifi), Great! I can only remember 5 of them. I will try to remember later. Guess they weren't that good.

Last week I did go and see the Chronicles of Narnia, it was a really well done film. Now I have decided to read the series. Finished the first one and now I am starting the second in the series. Thought I had better get all of the fun reading done for now. Starting in January there will be no fun reading at my house. Acckkkkl!

Where are the memories?

I was looking at my bloglines and checking out the Get Fuzzy and then looked down and saw my blog, Holt Family Memories, and I thought where are the memories? It has just been a very busy last couple of months. Thanksgiving just passed and now it is almost time for Christmas. Can't seem to get in the mood, Wonder why? May be because some people are far far away. In fact I haven't even sent the Christmas box yet!! But I will this weekend after payday.

It is very cold here in Kansas, but we do have some beautiful sparkling snow. I love the snow, it is the crunchy kind. I like it because when you walk you can dig your feet in and not fall. (unlike the ice kind)

Last week was fun. I was going shopping with my friend Brenda. It started out with a dead battery, then a two hour waiting period on the turnpike because of a wreck. And then all I wanted to do was get my tires balanced and rotated. Oh well $664.00 and 4 hours later I left with 4 new tires. Not sure how that happened. I am sure that when I went in the store the tire guys said, cheeching! Bonus! tonight boys. Oh well. We did have fun shopping anyway. Later in the week in the morning my windshield wiper flew off so I had to scrape the windows. Not fun.
Oh yes and remember when I took the GRE will it needs to do to Emporia so I can enroll in the Library Science program, well they hadn't gotten it yet so I told them I could fax the results that I had gotten to them. Well guess what? I can't find my results. I am sure I put them in a safe place, just not sure where. Good thing is that I have really cleaned my house and office looking for them. But they did let me enroll as pending enrollment. So next spring the fun will begin! And why am I doing this?

Well hope everyone has a wonderful day! R

Shopping or a Museum!!

Last week I went to Aurora, Co to a "Disaster for Libraries workshop." (now when I said that in front of a few people they were amused, you know who you are) But I did have a lot of fun. I was able to go up early and spend time with by brother, Rusty before he had to go to work. And then in the evening I went with my sister-in-law Cathy, my nephew Brian and Juli from work to the Cherry Creek mall. We ate at the California Pizza Kitchen and then went shopping. Ok now I have to tell you. Color me backwoods Kansas folk! Or would that be plaine folks from here in Kansas! Anyway we went to Nieman Marcus and I thought wow look at those prices. I told Cathy I feel like I am in a museum. Shirts, $330.00, skirts $400.00 and shoes were, Get This! $650.00. Then we just strolled over to Sacs Fifth Ave. I walked right up to a cute little leather vest with a little bit of fur for only $1300.00. More museums!! Ha!! After this I was need of some serious chocolate. Cathy took us to Stephanies and we bought a few boxes, the one I bought was called the "Denver Mint" Get it? (dark chocolate filled with delicious mint.) Oh by the way Brian did ditch us for the big compfy chair and big screen TV, I think there was a basketball game going on.
Next day went to the Disaster workshop, it was interesting and they did some hands-on activities. Juli and I stopped by Office Max and Sam's and then the World Market. I mentioned to Juli that Cathy had a card for Cosco's, boy she got excited so I called Cathy and she took us there. Then in the evening we went out once again. This time we went to downtown Denver. It has changed a bunch from when I had lived there. We ended up eating at the Hard Rock Cafe. Good food, grippy salesperson. I think we made her made because we messed up the t-shirts, oh well. We wanted to make sure we got the right size. We ended the evening at Barnes and Noble and bought a few books. I got one for mom and dad, the new Trent Lott book, Herding Cats. They couldn't find it in Mississippi, since they don't have any stores yet. I think the highlight of the evening for Juli was when Cathy took us to Cosco to do some shopping. (we don't have one here in Kansas yet) Well hope all is with you today, take care!!

New Blogger

The blogger bug has bit again. Yippee!
Nicole has decided to try her first blog. As she begins the kids decide to cause a big noise. Ha! I am laughing hysterically because I do remember those fun days.
Nicole welcome to the wonderful world of bloggerland!
http://holtdream.blogspot.com/

Waiting:)

I am sitting at Arthur and Pat's house waiting for Bob to quit talking. He helped Chad pour cement today. A small payback for him helping us frame up our shop. We still owe him big! Oh yes the shop is done except for the garage doors. Bob has one almost done. Yeah!
While Bob was helping Chad I was over at Pat's working on the computer. Seems like when I go somewhere I always have to clean out files, defrag, download new software, update drivers, get rid of spyware and popup ads. Hmmm, maybe it is because people think I am computer geek. I guess I don't mind doing it. It's so much fun!
Oh yes everyone have a safe and happy halloween.

Been a while!

Hi everyone,
Been a while since I have blogged. I kept thinking I need to post something but nothing outstanding came to mind. The crisp cool fall air is here. Bob came home the other night and turned on the furnace. Must admit it feels better in here in the house.
I talk to Mom and Dad quite a bit. They are working on thier house in Mississippi. They have a new roof and now they need the shingles put on. Wish I was closer so I could help. Not sure how much I would help considering I am afraid of heights. Ha!
I have been studying quite a bit so I can take the GRE, in fact I am going tomorrow at high noon to take the test. I am really apprehensive. My brain is only so smart. Just hope that the results do not reveal that I am an idiot. Guess if the scores are really bad that would be a sign I should drop the whole Masters thing.
Signing off for now. Ronda

Jerry

This fall is really going fast. We have a few days of nice cool fall weather and then it warms up again. In the last month Bob's cousin Jerry passed away. Jerry was a "special" person. He always was pleasant and was always full of questions. He always wanted to know if we were going to work tomorrow. How are Alex and Kevin? What day do we have off? Or he would ask about Cororado:)
I remember he was always thirsty for pop, but he would settle for water. His mom, Aunt Rosanna, would get onto him and say "Jerry you have had enough." (I think he was thirsty because of the medication he was on) So after not getting anything to drink he would continue with questions once again. I just had a thought, his thirst for water coincided for his thirst for questions. Jerry was a blessing to all of us. His innocence was refreshing. Jerry will be missed during the Holt family gatherings.

Done with vacations!

We just got back from Jonesboro. We had a great time. Best part I got to see Reagan with my own eyes. She is really a doll. I was “Reaganized", I just wanted to squeeze her, and she was so cute. Reagan is at that age where everything is an adventure and she sees everything with new eyes. She loved the lights from the disco ball at the wedding reception and she wanted to simply just follow the lights and dance around. Reagan is definitely a living doll. Sad to say I didn’t take one picture, which is so unlike me. Hopefully Debbie will send some. Hint hint!!

Leaving!!

After we realized how big Katrina had gotten we started gathering and packing. I wasn't sure what mom and dad wanted to take. Medicine, important insurance papers, a few clothes; I think we all kind of went in shock. My dad wanted to take some new tools that he had just bought. I think my mom thought that he was loading all of the tools so she didn't take much. My dad did take the very old portraits of relatives and I think my mom picked up a few things. And of course they loaded some coolers with the food from the frig. At one of the stops mom noticed how empty the truck was and said we could have brought more but by then it was too late. Oh well.
Now one of the reasons that we had went to Mississippi was because my dad had some overhead lights and electirical wire that Bob could have. He had also mentioned that he had a big stainless steel sink, all of this for our big shop. On Saturday they had loaded Kevin's truck and then here comes the Big Sink. Alrighty then it was a big sink, we strapped it down and it was as long as the truck bed. It has three sinks that are attached together. BIG, did I say big. It was big, when I get the pictures back I will post them on the blog. To say the least when we were going down the road we got quite a few double takes. I wonder what everyone thought. "Looky there! There goes a guy who is taking the Kitchen Sink with him!!"
Dad decided to take the back roads. A few other people did also, but definitely not as many as there would have been on the main roads. We followed dad down the road, I kept looking through the back window just thinking that there was one big, huge, hurricane coming. When we stopped to get gas the other people were in a daze also, most of the them had no destination. Town after town they had stopped and there were not any hotel rooms to be had. At one of the last stops we made after we had entered Arkansas, the gas station attendent had told people that they would probably have to go to Little Rock for a hotel room. I felt bad for them. But alas as the days went by, I realized that they were some of the lucky ones.

Vacationing with Katrina

Ok in my last blog I said that we were going to visit my mom and dad in Mississippi. We left on Thursday evening and drove all night. My mom and dad live between Picayune and Kiln. We arrived about 12 the next day. We visited some and then went to Gulfport to one of the casinos and had some of the best seafood that I have ever eaten. It was an all you can eat buffet, and we got our fill on shrimp, crab legs, muscles, and of course dessert.
After we ate we each took $20.00 to play the slot machines. I ended up winning my 20 back; I think Bob lost about 10. Kevin was the big winner; he had 50 to the good when we left. When we left, dad drove us around Gulfport and showed us all of the buildings that he had helped build.
The next morning we got up and drove into the French Quarter, walked around, took a few pictures. We stopped at lunch and had some shrimp Po’boy sandwiches. Walked around some more and left about 3. As we drove home we noticed the police were setting up the barricades by the roads. Originally we were going back the French Quarter, but decided against it.
After we got home dad and Bob decided to take a nap, so mom, Kevin and I decided to go to the gulf and do some swimming. We drove on along I-10, found a spot and walked along the beach and started walking in the water. We walked for about 15 minutes and the water hardly was over our waists. We did swim but there was oddness about the water. The water was very hot and had a sticky consistency. We started picking up shells and they had hermit crabs in them. Thought it was best to leave them. We went home and got dad and Bob and went out to eat again at Ryan’s in Kiln.
The next morning when I got out of bed I turned on the T.V. and all of the stations was reporting that Katrina was a category 5. When mom and dad woke up I told them about Katrina and we decided it was a good time to leave.

Weekend over:(

Wow the weekend is over, wish it was Saturday, oh well. I finished Eleven on Top. When I was reading this book I kept thinking poor Stephanie, her life is so dismal. Even Lula and Grandma's lives looked a lot better than hers. Now I bet Janet E. just writes just one more, to make it an even dozen. What do you think?

Bob finished the siding on the shop, he only has the soffits to finish. Now there has been much discussion about how to put them up. But I think we finally have it figured out. We kept asking people if they knew how to do soffits and no one knows. So I guess it's safe to go ahead and put them up and no one will know if they are not done right. Right!

Next weekend we are going to Mississippi to visit my mom and dad. It will be good to see them. Bob, Kevin and I will travel on Thursday night, stop somewhere to sleep and then finish the trip on Friday morning. This will be the first time that Bob has made a trip down to the gulf. I think we will go to New Orleans and maybe swim in the gulf. Of course Bob may not want to swim with his broken ribs. So I guess he can watch or maybe look for shells, Ha Ha!

The next book I am going to read is titled Eventide, it is about a town called Holt, Colorado. The library director, Micaela, where I work ordered the book since I am a Holt and I am from Colorado. Clever huh! I will let you know what it is like. Now my new strategy is that I will read when I walk on the treadmill and at night when I can't sleep (except tonight I am blogging). Then the rest of the time I am going to really study for the GRE. I need to take this test before I can enter the MLS program at Emporia University. Now why am I doing this? Oh yes so I can go back to school and acquire a Masters of Library Science. What am I thinking!!

Bucket vs. gut!

I know I have not talked about loosing weight much. Wonder why. Oh yes I remember now, it is because I am in that place where I want to say enough. BUT I have made a resolution not to quit this time. So if I have a bad eating week that is ok. I will have a better one this week. I have lost about 15 lbs. but I keep thinking that this is just a drop in the bucket. I guess I just want the bucket to get smaller. Ha! No I think I meant for my gut to get smaller, yes I am still doing my sit-ups. I average about 30-35 every other day. Fun stuff!!

Bangkok Tattoo and Stephanie

“Bangkok Tattoo” was quite an "enlightening" book. The setting of the murder mystery was located in the unseemly side of Bangkok, Thailand. When I was reading the book I tried to think as a Thai would think. But I kept going back to the way of American thinking. The book did go into some detail about Buddhism and the influence that it has in Thailand. When I was in Okinawa last year I talked to a few of the enlisted men there. Most of them loved Thailand. Now I know why. Now I can say this with little conviction. After I finished the book I got to thinking that maybe Thailand is not as bad as the author portrayed. What I mean is that if someone in Thailand read a book about the unseemly side of America I am sure they would have a horrid impression of our way of life. So actually I suppose there is good and evil in all countries. It was one of those books that stay with you for a few days.
I am now reading the new Janet Evanovich book, “Eleven on Top”. I am about half way through. This is the 11th of the series. In this book Stephanie Plum has quit being a bounty hunter. But I think the “bounty hunter” has not quit her. The characters are still funny and after 11 books they are like family to me. In fact this morning as I read while I was on the treadmill I was feeling a little like Rex, Stephanie’s pet hamster. He was walking in his wheel and here I am on the treadmill. Well better go for now.
Love to all, Ronda

Busy! Busy!

The last few weeks have very eventful. Let's see, on a Monday poor Kayl hit poor Tristyn's head and his tooth fell out. Then on Tuesday my father, fell when a scaffold broke and thankGod nothing broke on him. He did have to stay in the hospital over night but he was only bruised inside. Then on Wednesday my husband Bob fell from a 8 ft. ladder and broke number nine and ten ribs on his left side. Then to top it off on Saturday I opened the top of my closet and it was full of mold. I thought this would make a great biology experiment. Whew! Then of course we had to clean it up with bleach water and repaint the closet with kilz paint. I kept thinking "thank you Lord, everything could have been much worse than it was". Isn't it funny how a person can have peace in the chaos.
The next week was much calmer, I did go to Overland Park for a conference at Johnson County Community College. We gave a presentation on our adventures with a wireless mobile lab. I went with the reference librarian. We had a great time. This was the first presentation that I had ever done. It was good experience. The title of the presentation was "Judy and Ronda's Excellent Wireless Adventure". We went with the theme of "Bill and Ted's ExcellentAdventure". We included mpeg files from the movie and all of our headings were pretty "Excellent".
So far this week has been good. We did go out and work on the shop and I am holding the ladder for Bob. I told him "Do not get on the ladder unless I am with you". Does he listen No! of course not. OH Well gotta love him.

Be still my heart!

Great day in bloggerland. Once again another wonderfully scrumptious blog. I am breathless and very excited to say the least. IT'S MY GRANDKIDS!
Bet you didn't know I had such a famous family. Wait a minute! if the Brady kids were around in the 70's how old would that make me? Oh well, check out the site and enjoy. http://lifeasabrady.blogspot.com/

Addiction and Bloglines and Humor!

I must confess, I now have this addiction to blogs. I find great joy everyday in sneaking a peek in others lives. Every morning I check to see if anyone has added anything to their blogs and look for the many comments. For all of you fellow blog addicts there is a web site called Bloglines that allows you to add all of your blogs. You only have to click once and any blog that has been changed will be highlighted. In addition to my family and friends my Bloglines list also has a few blogs from other librarians and a couple of comics: Get Fuzzy and Unshelved (this site is library humor, no snickering).
Ok while I am confessing I am also addicted to Get Fuzzy, I love the cat, Bucky and the dog, Satchel. They remind me so much about our dog and cat. Our dog, Kelsi is kind of laid back and a little bit goofy. Our cat, Zena-Warrior Princess Kitty, has an attitude, of course what cat doesn't. So, for a good laugh check out the Get Fuzzy web site… and for even more fun the Unshelved site.

Falling away!

Ok the pounds are falling off, even as I write. I have this feeling in my stomach. I think it is called hunger. Haven't felt that one for a long time. For some reason Misty seems to think that she is going to win. We will see, of course she has youth on her side. HA!
So far lost 13 lbs. and holding, only bunches to go!

Another wonderful blog!

Here we are folks a new blog. It is from my son!! Cool huh! So check it out one and all! Not sure where he got the name. But I do remember a period of time during puberty that he wanted to change his name to Axel. Ha! Ha!
Whatever!!

http://livinglikearockstar.blogspot.com/

The Race is On!

My brother, bless his heart has lost a bunch of weight. Lookin Good! But now the girls in the family are the biggest ones. Not good at all! Even our Dad has lost some weight, and he looks good and even feels better, so mom says. Soooo. There are five siblings, I am the oldest, then Rusty, Rockey and the twins Misty and Cristy. Rusty has been thin for years(he runs 5 miles a day). So there was no pressure there. But Rockey now has lost weight, and I will say once again looking very good. Needless to say us'in girls are going to catch up with you boys. So watch out!! Love to all, Ronda

Missing Mexico!

Our friends in Puebla!
Finally got the pictures back from Puebla, I really miss everyone there. We had a really great time. We went out to eat every night at a different restaurant. It was fantastic! I loved the mexican food there. It is nothing like what we have here. Everything tasted so fresh and really really good. (part of it could be because I didn't have to cook)

View from hotel room!

This Folks is the Lap of Luxury!
This was the view from the hotel room. I had fun relaxing around the pool. What a life!

The wonderful stairs

The Wonderful Stairs
Yes they were wonderful, everyday, sometimes even twice I would walk up and down them. The first 2-3 days my legs were so sore, but then no more pain. I had to walk down them to get to the Gymnasio and then back up again. I worked out about an hour a day, first the eliptical, then the bike and then of course my sit-ups, I did 50 one day. I lost about 6 lbs. Yeah! The flowers at the hotel were beautiful and very colorful. I loved the palm trees and the giant aloe vera.

Hola!

We returned from Puebla! I do believe we had a fantastic time. The weather was wonderful, most of days were about 24 C.(figure out that one) In the evening most everyone desired a jacket. But alas we have returned to the old heat of Kansas! 101F Yipee! Air condition here we come.
It has been a busy week at the library, catching up on email, answering questions, and just having a great time reconnecting with everyone.
More to come!

Off to Puebla Mexico!

We leave in the morning, so I am packing like crazy and the house is upside down. Suitcases are all over, the laundry is being done and trying to decide what to take. Whew! Thought I would take a break and type a few.
I looked on the Internet today and the weather next week in Puebla is supposed to be in the 70's and raining. What!! I wanted to sit by the pool, tan and just veg. Oh well! I am supposed to be studying for the GRE. Guess I will be doing that if it is raining! Bob is happy about the cool weather, so I guess it will be good for him. And I need to remember that this trip is about him and his work and not me. I am just very thankful that I can go along. I did find out that there is Internet on the Executive level at the hotel. Maybe I can dress up like an executive and sneak in and log on. I guess we will see what happens. I would like to let everyone know how it is going. And yes I will remember not to drink the water:)
Well have a good week and keep safe. Ronda

The Roof is On!

Been a busy week at the Holt's this week. I think we have had company everyday. I guess everyone is coming over to look at the new shop, I know it can't be because of our winning personalities!!
We wanted to get the roof on before we leave on a trip we are planning on the 18th-25th to Mexico. Actually this is a working trip for Bob and a vacation for me. I know! Not fair to Bob but hopefully he can get some sight seeing in while he is there. Ok back to my story, once again our friends and family planned to come over this Saturday and help finish the roof. It rained half the morning, but by 10:30 Kyle talked Bob into getting started. ( I think Bob was planning on a nap, but Kyle would have none of that). Good for Kyle! They got done except for 4 sheets and they are coming over early in the morning and finish. Yeah!

Big Shop

Hi There,
Here is the product from the hard work of family and friends, thank you Lord for good friends and family! This weekend we will start the siding. Kyle thought it would be a good idea if we looked for instructions, what a funny guy! Bob and instructions, hmmmm, don't know about that. But I will try to find some today. Last weekend was very nerve wracking when they put up the trusses, Cece and I were standing below worrying and praying, even Riley joined in with "Careful Daddy". One highlight is that Sueburbon saved the day. (pictured above, she is green)The trusses ended up by the road because when they delivered them after a rain the truck couldn't get down the driveway. The guys moved a few of them with the trailor but that meant that they had to lift them on. UGGG! Someone suggested that they just put a chain around them and pull them down to the shop area with one of the trucks. So they tried but they wouldn't budge. Bob said lets try the suburban, sure nuff they attached trusses, Bob drove with tires spinning, Kevin guided the front of them with a scoop shovel, Chad jumped up and down on them to give them weight and Kyle was busting a gut. All in all they now have a fun story to tell. One other thing that happened is that I introduced Cece, Kyle's wife to blogging, she got really excited and started one of her own. Here is the address http://seeaboutcece.blogspot.com/
Well have a good day, Ronda
Big Shop

Now for the little....

A couple of months ago I went to the Big Well in Greensburg Kansas, the memory is still fresh in my mind. But I do not regret my decision to walk down into the “big chasm”. I do believe in balance so now that I have seen something “big” it was time for the “little”.
Last week with my fellow librarians we departed to Independence Community College to listen to a speaker. When the session was over we thought it would be great to go and visit the “Little House on the Prairie”, this is “an official Laura Ingalls Wilder home site”. It is located about 6 miles south of Independence Kansas. As we traveled down the road we saw three vultures, this brought up a conversation about other birds that eat dead things. We decided that they are buzzards. Riveting! I thought we did good, we only made one wrong turn. Nothing like traveling with 7 librarians, at least we were divided up into two cars. I did find out what a “K” turn was. It’s always fun to learn new things. I am just glad I didn’t have to do it, there was a “big” ditch close by and this was a day for “little” things, not “big”.
For years I have always said that when we moved to the farm out by Leon Kansas that I thought it was like the Little House on the Prairie. Boy was I wrong. As we approached the home site, we could all see that this was a “little house”. It looked so cute and compact. As we entered the small home we decided that they were a lot shorter and definitely smaller. The furnishings were sparse, no knickknacks in this house. The surrounding area was prairie grass, mingled with flowers, I was picturing Laura running and skipping through the field with her hair flowing. Maybe I have watched too many Little House shows. The “Sunny Side School” and the “Wayside Post Office” were also at the location. There was also a nice gift shop in the farmhouse next door. Which we had to promptly visit, I wanted to get at least a few post cards to remember this occasion. There were some paintings done by a local artist of the “Little House. I thought that I would like to have one to remind me of not only the Little House on the Prairie but of the days I spent on the farm in Leon. I had one picked out and someone mentioned that the frame didn’t fit the painting so I went back and looked for a different one. I saw one with a smaller frame and the number was 53, wow I was born in 53 it was a sign so I bought that one. Here is the website with lots of info http://www.littlehouseontheprairie.com/

Here is the picture I bought http://www.littlehousestore.com/description.asp?prodID=2009

Ok now that I have seen the “Big Well” and now the “Little House” I am ready for something medium.
Any suggestions?

And the rain begins....

Figures! One of the reasons we bought the house we live in now is because we wanted to eventually build a BIG shop, not a shed, not a garage but a shop. I guess according to my husband Bob there is a difference. So we have planned and thought about it for the last 8 or so years. The last two years we have poured the cement pads each 20 x 60. So this makes this shop a big 40 x 60 and it will have 12 foot walls. This year we finally ordered the materials for the shop and they were delivered on Saturday. Yeah! Now the fun begins. On Sunday we just kind of looked at all the wood and felt a little bit overwhelmed. We scheduled our vacation the week after Memorial Day so we would have lots of time to work on it, even though I am sure it will be a summer long project.

So far every night it has rained, and according to the forecast it will be raining till next week. So I am sure it will be raining during our vacation. So as we sit with our hammers, NEW nail gun, tape measure, saws and radio we wait for the rain to quit.

We will be chanting Rain! Rain! Go away!!

25...then...30!!

At the beginning of the year one of my resolutions was to get rid of my extra stuff around the middle. Ok, I know, let's just call it FAT! So I thought I might try sit-ups, ha ha! In January I tried to do a real sit-up, as my husband, Bob, calls them. Not the crunchy ones. I couldn’t even do one of them. But I thought I am going to work on this. So at first it was maybe just one or two, then five, then up to ten. I thought great I can do this. So yesterday I did 25 real sit-ups, not the wimpy ones. Then today when I got to 25 I thought I am going to do 30 and I DID! Is my stomach flatter, probably not? But that is ok. Next Goal 50! No make it 52 my age. Or am I 53!!

New Bloggers!

Blogging is really great! My boss has been blogging for about a year. She had mentioned that I needed to do a blog. But you know a person gets busy and sidetracked, yada, yada, yada! Well anyway I had went to a session about blogging and the presenter mentioned that her granddaughter's class in Texas had a blog and she always checked on it everyday to see if it had been updated. AT this point I thought what a great idea! Since my grandchildren were all the way across the world in Okinawa this would be a great way to keep in contact. I know there is email, but with blogging you can read and reread everyday. So I contacted my daughter-in-law, Randi, and we started a blog. But she had difficulty adding to our blog. So she has made her own. Which is better anyway. The address is http://ourwildlife.blogspot.com/, I think the title fits.
The second new blogger is my wonderful sister-in-law Debbie who lives in Arkansas. Her address is http://roriefamily.blogspot.com/. Both of them are really funny, maybe even a little bit alike. So check out their blogs, I do believe you will enjoy both of them.

The Big Well!

Last Thursday I went with my friend, Kathy, to visit the town she has moved to since she got married. She now lives in Greensburg, Kansas, home of the world’s largest hand dug well. When we got to the well we went into the gift shop that was located there and purchased our tickets to walk down into the well. I am not sure what I was thinking but as we entered the small building that is over the well, my friend at that point said that it is a rather large hole. I walked in and looked down, my knees immediately became like jello and I broke out into a sweat. I pointed out to her that I am very afraid of heights and I have nightmares about this very situation. The well is 32 feet across and 109 feet deep with 4 flights of stairs. At first I just kept saying no way, but then I took a few deep breaths and said let me think about this. So we left and told the lady in the shop that I chickened out but I was going to think about it for a while and maybe come back. So we walked to downtown Greensburg, entered the Duckwalls, looked around at all of the cute items. I did see a couple of pillows and one of them said “That the Lord will be with you.” I thought good; but in my mind was looming the big hand dug well, not only just big but the largest one in the whole world. As we left the store I noticed that Kathy was once again walking towards the well. I thought Ok I can do this. She started down the well and I followed. I tried not to look down, but just looked straight ahead. There are four flights of stairs to the bottom then there is a wooden platform over the 32 feet of water. We rested at the bottom and talked a bit and then started back up. At one point Kathy asked me if I was winded, I told her I was not sure if I was winded or just simply scared to death!! But I did make it back out and I was glad that I conquered that fear. So if you are ever in Greensburg, Kansas make sure you check out the World’s largest hand dug well. Here is the web site with information about the well. http://www.bigwell.org/bigwell.html
Have a great day!

Taiko Drummer

My oldest granddaughter, Ashton, has started playing a taiko drum. She seemed really excited about playing it. Being the good grandma (and librarian) I thought it would be a good idea to look up some information about taiko drums. I found a really good Taiko drum web site with some great info. I can't wait to hear her play the drum. Go Ashton!

Curly Hair

Our oldest son always had the prettiest curly red hair. I used to always tell him that his hair was so cute and would look good on a little girl. (hope I haven't demented him, sorry Al!) Well he did eventually have children of his own, 6 of them if fact. Now some of them have the ol’ curly hair but much to my dismay none have red hair. Maybe God planned it that way; maybe He thought I might like that one a little bit more. On the phone the other day I was talking to 3rd from the oldest grandchild, Tristyn, who happens to have her father’s curly hair. I guess she was having a nice party and someone started to cut her hair. My guess is that they were probably playing beauty shop. Oh well! Anyway mom had to finish the cut. Now Tristyn has wonderful shorter curly hair. She said she really liked it. One thing about curly hair it will most always bounce back. Well have a good day!

Good day sunshine!

So far it has been a sunny day in Kansas. Someone once told me that people in Kansas always talk about the weather. I have noticed that the topic of weather always comes up in conversations. Now, is this just a Kansas thing or does this happen in other parts of the world?
So far this Monday has been good. I went on a walk out by the lake for about an hour with my friend. We had a good talk and we saw only one snake and lots of butterflies.
Speaking of snakes, the other day I was sitting in my backyard on a swing just thinking, contemplating, praying; just simply having a good time by myself. When I went to leave I got off the swing and took a step and a stick moved. I looked down and there were 3, yes count them, 3 snakes looking at me. I guess they were enjoying the day also. One of them was about 2 1/2 foot long and the other 2 were about a foot long. I do believe they were nice friendly garden snakes. Needless to say I very quietly returned to the house. I know that snakes have a good purpose, such as eat mice, etc. So I suppose I will share my yard with them. They just tend to startle a person! More fun in Kansas!

Jury Duty:)

I received a letter of notification that I would have jury duty for the month of April. OH NO! Not jury duty. This was my first time and I was really apprehensive. I had to call the evening before to find out when to report. I was told that I had to report on the following Tuesday morning. Most of the morning was spent deciding on the final 12. I had a funny feeling I would be picked because I didn't say much. But as an American citizen I was ready to serve. In the afternoon the lawyers called the witnesses and questioned them. As I heard the testimony my mind went back and forth, guilty, not-guilty. I was not looking forward to having to make a decision.
The next day we had to report at 9:00 am. I was ready to listen and try to make a wise decision. More witnesses were called and more testimony. ACCCKKK!! What to do? What to do? During the morning break the bailiff came in and told us there was deliberation going on and we had to just sit and wait. We were called back in the courtroom and the judge notified us that the trial was over because of lack of evidence and we were free to go home. I was a little disappointed that the 12 of us would not sit in a room and decide the verdict. I am glad that I was able to have this experience but I am not too sure that I would like to do it again. The funny part was that during the trial a juror is not allowed to talk about the case. This was hard for me. It was a civil case about hail damage. The funny part is on the Tuesday evening we had a storm and it hailed. I really wanted to blab but I was good and kept my mouth shut. I kept thinking that this is a test and I passed. I am very proud I didn’t talk my lips were sealed. As I reflect on my experience I can honestly say I am happy that I was a part of the judicial system.
Whatever!

Conference and Jury Duty

This has been an eventful week. I had jury duty on Tuesday and Wednesday and went to a 1 day conference on Thursday. The experience of jury duty I will post separately. At the conference there were 4 sessions. One of the sessions was about how blogs are being used in distance education. The presenter made some good points in how blogs were being used in the online class. The instructor has the students locate blogs that deal with mental problems and self help groups. I found it interesting that someone in the audience was very skeptical and didn't think that blogs should be used in an academic setting. They pointed out that possibly the blogger would fabricate, but the presenter said that this could also happen face to face. Touche'

In the beginning....

We started a garden, not the Garden of Eden, but the garden in my Kansas backyard. Over the weekend we planted a few veggies. We wanted some onions, so at the grocery store were a bunch of green onions, bought them. Husband thought we needed more so went to another store and bought some white, yellow and red onions. Ummm... lets see we planted about 360 onions, good breath for the summer! Also in the ground went some radish, carrot, brocoli seeds along with 8 cayenne pepper plants. Hot! Hot! Hot!
Speaking of hot, it was a hot and windy day in Kansas. Now we just need some rain for the ol' garden.
Oh by the way I had rice and fish for supper(not fish heads but frozen salmon). Yummy!

And this too shall pass......

Al is packing & I am thinking of ways to busy myself once he is gone. As usual we will likely spend all of our time with Kim & her kids. I am terribly thankful to have her as she gets me through the tough times. Looking forward to planning some fun things for the summer. Al & I have been discussing a trip back to Thailand. It will be the first time we have gone TOGETHER. Would be nice to experience the good kingdom WITH him! :) With any luck we will head back "Kansas" way in the fall (for a bit). Hoping that Alex will be able to join us. I miss everyone, but honestly, it isn't that much fun without him. I'm outtie. Gonna make my man some enchiladas before he is once again munching on nothin' but fish heads & rice!

Dodge ball and big toys!

Today, we went to the Dodge Ball game in Wichita, there were 2 teams from Pioneer Balloon. The machine shop lost both of the games, but the press room team won the first and then lost the second. The machine shop got out pretty fast, I think they need to practice for next year. Then after that we went to the Big toys for big boys show at Century II. They had a lot of old cars, and cool men stuff!! Also chocolate at the booths, I think this was for the girls! They also had lots of military vehicles there. We saw a big helicopter, can't think of the name, I am sure Dad/Al will know. Ok the question of the day, What is the name of the big helicopter?

Is everyone wearing big rubberbands there in Okinawa? I have a purple one that says READ. I saw some at the store and they are $1.99 each. I thought that was quite a bit for just a big rubberband!

Well post soon,
Love, Ronda/Mom/Grandma:)

First Posting

Hello,
This is the first posting of the Holt family blog. This blog will be a great way to communicate and share memories. Part of my family is in Okinawa and since they have such interesting lives there and of course I have an interesting life here in Kansas, so this should be an interesting blog. Ok probably only interesting to us!! Well I know this is short and sweet but I do not want to bore you too long.
Take care, Ronda