College Searches and a Trip to Texas

Well, last weekend my son and I took a trip to Longview, Texas to check out a college there, and to find out if he is really interested in Biomedical Engineering. It really was a good trip - I got to see more of Texas, and Nemo got to take a couple of Physics classes and find out about the field he wanted to look into.

Our trip started with a flight into Dallas, where we got bumped from the "puddle jumper" flight to Longview because they overbooked the plane. There was another boy at the airport who was going to the school too, and he was also bumped, so we all stuck together to figure out what the next step would be.

I wanted to rent the car from Dallas and drive to Longview, a 2-1/2 hour drive, which would have put us in Longview about 6:30pm. But when we talked to the school rep, he suggested we fly to Shreveport, LA and they would pick us up and drive us to the airport to get out luggage. The drive from Shreveport to Longview was only 45 minutes, but we had to wait 2 hours for the flight to leave. But it did give us a chance to have some dinner, so we were able to find a TGIFriday's at Dallas' Terminal D and I was finally able to try Bada-Bing Betty's dish. It was yummy and the soup was excellent!

So by the time we got our luggage and picked up a snack, we got to the school about 8:30pm. Oh, well. Once I dropped Nemo off at the college, I headed to my hotel, but thought I would stop in at the KFC near the hotel to get something. I ran into a very nice Longview Police Officer, who I struck up a conversation with and found out that the school is excellent, but the area of Longview where the school is, isn't the best, and she advised me that if I did decide to send my son to that school, that I talk to him about being aware of the surrounding area and warn him of the dangers. She said the students think they can go anywhere, but if they do, they could find themselves in a bad situation.

I also asked her about the hotel I was staying in and whether I needed to be aware of anything, and she said that the one I had chosen was the best one in the area and they hadn't had problems there in awhile. So, when I got to my room, which was very nice, I locked the door and said a prayer for guidance and protection.

The next day, Nemo followed the students' tract where he learned about the program and took part in a project where they had to take some motors, balloons, and paper and "create" a plane that would go around a preplanned course.

The parents learned about the school, financial aid, housing, etc - you know, all the stuff parents worry about. At the end of the day, we got to watch the results of the project, which was fun.

By the end of the visit, Nemo had decided that he didn't want to go into Biomedical Engineering, but I was very glad he was able to get a more indepth overview rather than just having an ethereal idea of what Biomedical Engineering was about. What the parents learned about the Biomedical Engineering major, was that it is an awesome field and the results learned will help people tremendously.

The flight from Longview to Dallas was a little scary as we approached Dallas because there were high winds that blew the plane around a little. It was quite an odd feeling flying straight, but having the plane move sideways! But our flight from Dallas home was pretty smooth.

So, now we start over in the college search and need to remember to rely on God for His direction in Nemo's life.

It's a Sad Day - Betty is Asked to "Pack Her Knives"

Well, after watching Top Chef last night, we were all very sad because this was the night my sister went home. She did a GREAT job and we were all so proud of her. I was really happy to see that Ilan was there to give her a big hug when she got the bad news. That was really sweet of him.

There is a really nice interview with Betty that can be found on the Chow website. Be sure to take the time to listen to the whole thing. I was in tears by the end. God really blessed me with a great sister.

Be sure to vote for her as your Top Chef fan favorite on the Bravo TV website! She's the best! And yes, she really is "America's Sweetheart". Even Sweethearts get mad sometimes - haven't you?

Hope Your Christmas was Merry and Bright!

We had a wonderful Christmas! It's been great to be able to spend time with the kids during our vacation and to just appreciate each other. Christmas was low-key and relaxing. We had a nice dinner and the kids were able to play with their new toys.

What is Christmas All About? God and Family!

Merry Christmas to all of you, our family and friends, during this wondrous time of year. We pray that you are happy and healthy and that you are taking some time to enjoy the beautifully decorated homes and the Jack Frost twinkling on the lawns and rooftops.

The highlight of our year was attending Heather’s wedding. She looked radiant as she walked down the aisle to marry Darrell on November 18. They both looked so happy and the wedding was wonderful.

This year marked Pete’s 30th year with the Police Department and his responsibilities switched from overseeing Patrol to overseeing the Services Division, which includes managing the Dispatchers and Records Personnel. He also continues to enjoy his woodworking hobby. Pete is still a member of the Exchange Club and continues to put most of his efforts into the annual Crab Feed.

Early this summer, Pete went in for knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus. We were a little concerned – not because there were any problems with the surgery, but because Pete wouldn’t rest long enough to let his knee heal. He’s just too tough!

Nemo, 16, and Cooper, 13, are still in Scouts and are busy with school and playing video games. Cooper played on the Junior High’s Flag Football team and really enjoyed it. Nemo started working on his Eagle Project. He has also begun the search to figure out which college he wants to go to. His interests lie in Biomedical Engineering; Cooper wants to be a Veterinarian because he just loves animals.

Sherry continues to tap dance and performed in the dance recital, which was so much fun! Then this fall, she joined the competitive team. Sherry created a scrapbook for the kids’ Boy Scout Troop, which was entered into a competition for its sponsoring agency, the Veteran’s of Foreign Wars. She was surprised and thrilled when she was honored with winning awards for both the state and national competitions.

If any of you watch the show Top Chef (season 2) on Bravo, you’ll catch Sherry’s sister, Betty Fraser. Every Wednesday night, we’re biting our nails and holding our breath to see what’s going to happen. She’s won several competitions, including the TGI Friday’s episode. The prize for that competition was getting her recipe on the TGI Friday’s menu. Check out the Tuscan Portobello Melt with Roasted Red Pepper Soup – her grown-up version of Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup.

We spent this year’s vacation in beautiful Texas Hill Country. Sherry’s mom joined us as we visited Austin, San Antonio, and zigzagged our way through quaint towns like Fredericksburg, Wimberley, and Dripping Springs. We ate authentic Tex-Mex in San Antonio, and Texas Bar-B-Q at the Salt Lick in Driftwood. We saw the bats of the Congress Avenue Bridge and visited “SoCo” (South Congress) in Austin, trekked up Enchanted Rock and experienced Hill Country living in Fredericksburg, and toured the Alamo and drifted down the Riverwalk in San Antonio. It was so wonderful there; we can’t wait to go back (well, Sherry can’t wait!).

Our hope for you is that you will have a wonderful and joyful Christmas and that 2007 will be a great year for you! We also pray that you will have time, this Christmas, to reflect on the precious Gift sent from above.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us – John 1:14a

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name,
he gave the right be become children of God – John 1:12

Top Chef Sister Interview with MeeVee

Some of the blogs out there can be pretty mean to my sweet sister, but this article was really wonderful. Read it here: MeeVee Exclusive! Interview with Top Chef’s Betty Fraser

A Top Chef Thanksgiving

What a wonderful time we had at Mom's house for Thanksgiving. It was such a blessing to be able to spend time with my mom and sister, Betty, (yes, that's Bada Bing Betty from Top Chef!). They whipped up a yummy, traditional Thanksgiving meal of turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry sauce, artisan rolls, etc, etc, etc. Wow! Everything was GREAT! Me, I'm lacking in the culinary skills of my sister, but did put together "Grandma's Seafood Salad", a combination of shrimp, crab, lettuce, celery, garlic, and other seasonings.

My grandparents used to host Thanksgiving dinner many, many years ago, and I remember going to their house as a child and enjoying the feast along with my cousins. My grandma would cook for hours, and one of the dishes I remembered and enjoyed most was her seafood salad. Actually, she would make one crab salad and one shrimp salad. The crab salad was truly a delicacy since crab was so expensive. So, now it is my turn to carry on the preparation of Grandma's Seafood Salad, and I happily do so.

My wonderful husband spent the whole weekend repairing my Mom's bathroom. She had to have some of her pipes replaced because they were leaking and Pete replaced her insulation, put the vanity back in place, rehung her curtains, and replaced her light fixture. He is so wonderful to do that for her and take all that stress off of my Mom. He's my hero!

Nemo and Cooper always love seeing Aunt Betty. We had a fun photo shoot before sitting down to stuff ourselves like the turkey! Usually the kids are fighting over who is sitting next to me at meals, but do you think that happened this weekend? Well, with Granny and Aunt Betty to choose from - they left me in the dust! That's ok - I know they love me.

I have set up my Google Alerts to catch blogs and websites that talk about my Top Chef Sister, but reading some of the comments on the other blogs is pretty hard. Don't get me wrong. I am really enjoying watching Top Chef and the show is fun stuff, but some people are just downright mean. But, be that as it may, Betty is a wonderful, funny, sweet, compassionate woman - but she's also outspoken, and won't put up with nonsense. Along with Betty, I really enjoy watching Chef Tom, Gail, Sam, Cliff, Elia, and Ilan. I loved the oh-so-subtle editing the producers gave us in the TGIFriday's episode. You know, the one where Betty finally got fed up with Marcel's whining. Did anyone else notice that when Elia was comforting Marcel and telling him that she always defended him when the other cheftestants were angry with him, that she was eating Betty's signature portabello mushroom and grilled cheese sandwich? That was brilliant! Hilarious!

As nerve-wracking as it is, I can't wait until the next episode. Of course, I'm rooting for Betty to win! And I'll be biting my nails along with the rest of you!

Do you ever just feel sad?

With two family members having outpatient surgery in two weeks, it's been nice to be able to help them, as they helped me last year. Since they are men, as you can probably surmise, they didn't want much help and one tried to do too much, but I tried. Even so, I feel sad that he wouldn't let me take care of him.

Being part of a blended family can be trying, especially when the family members don't get along. It makes me so sad when hateful words are exchanged and I feel so alone.

My friend is moving far, far away. Many years ago, I had several friends I had met through a study group at church. One by one, they moved away. It made mad sad. Now, I have a great group of friends, but over the last few months, things have changed. One of my friends will be moving soon, and I will miss her. As I told her at church last week, I have come to terms with hear upcoming move. But didn't tell her that it makes me sad.

It has been a long time since I have just been sad. Only God knows what the future holds and I just need to lean on Him and trust Him.