HAPPY BIRTHDAY EDWARD!!!

Today our son Edward celebrates what I call one of those magical numbered birthdays. Yesterday the family helped him by gathering and getting his celebration started.

Some facts you might not know.

*** He was born at the Independence Sanatorium in Independence Mo.

*** He was an Indian guide

*** He played the saxophone,and piano in his high school band.






*** He qualified to run at the Mo. high school state cross country race.

***He holds the record at his high school for best cross country time.

{his school eliminated cross country racing after he set the record.

*** He was an actor in a high school play.
*** In his younger days he played baseball, soccer, and was a four year player in basketball for his high school.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Remember the "Best is yet to come" We are proud of you. Love!!! Mom and Dad

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER

I have had camera troubles loading from camera too computer so this post is about a month old.

Our granddaughter Kelsey better known as the senior princess plays the Oboe in her high school orchestra.

Photos are dark as I was at least 20-25 feet away.

In the first photo she is the second from the left.







In second photo she is the one with shorter hair and second from the left.

Third photo she is still the second from the left.

MARCH MADNESS!!!!!!!

In 1967 Nancy and I were living in Independence Mo. and one of the cities I was traveling too was Lawrence Ks. In March of 67 Kansas University. was the host of the Midwest Regionals. Nancy and I had the opportunity on a Saturday night to attend the famous Phog Allen Field house and witness our first NCAA basketball regional. Unfortunately I did not keep my program or ticket stub. We did see Houston beat Kansas 68 to 53 and SMU beat Louisville 83-81. Houston went to the final four but UCLA won again.

In 1973 on a Saturday March 24TH St Louis hosted the Final Four for their first time. A young friend fifteen year old Kerry Anderson and I went to the old Arena without a ticket even thought the local sports talk radio was saying that tickets were selling for $50.00 to $100.00. His father Neal thought we had no chance for a ticket at face value. We parked in Forest Park and walked to the Arena in case we could not get a ticket. We were not past the parking lot before I had bought two tickets for face value.Please note the price of ticket was $10.00 and the program was $1.00. The games on Saturday was UCLA 70 Indiana 59 and Memphis State 98 and Providence 85. On our way out I bought a ticket for the finals to be played Monday Mar.26TH for face value from one of the losing teams fan. On Monday night I again saw a basketball double header and also #18 on a list of greatest NCAA tournament games. Bill Walton of UCLA hit 21 out of 22 shots for 44 points on the way to leading UCLA to a 87 66 victory over Memphis State.

I have heard rumours that Kerry and his son Matthew have been to a few sporting events without tickets in advance.

In 1978 St Louis once again was the host for the NCAA Final Four basketball tournament.My memory is that my friend Bob Schwenker and I went to the game at least the semifinals and bought tickets out front for ticket price or less. Kentucky beat Duke 94-88 in the finals.

In 1982 St Louis hosted only a regional but their is an interesting story behind the event. My friend Bob Schwenker and I arrived at the Arena about two hours before tip-off and bought two tickets for face value within moments. We went for a burgher at a fast food joint were I noticed our tickets had limited view written on the back.We went back to the Arena sold our tickets and now had to try to find and buy two more. It was moments before game time when Bob bought two tickets for less than face value from a fan that had friends on an air plane unable to land in St Louis because of fog. My memory is we were eight to ten rows from the floor with the center line right in front of us.

I include the 1984 experience as Bob and I brought my son Edward about fifteen at the time and future son in law Joe and taught them how to buy tickets outside.We were successful in buying four separate tickets and before the second game started we were all sitting together.

If I have some time I will have some more NCAA experiences before the tournament ends.

In going to sporting events without a ticket it is always a good idea to have my friend Bob with you. Some day I will write about our world series adventures.

I MIGHT GET LUCKY
Tonight I will be answering phones for FOX2 NEWS for their "Ask the banker segment". Sometimes they put the camera on the banker and feature their answer on their newscast.
It could be at 6:00 or maybe at 9:00. Hope to be lucky tonight.

AN UPDATE ON MY 2009 GOALS

My goal for February was to lose two lbs. and I hit my goal.!!!

In February I wanted to read two books and I accomplished that goal.

I will give a brief book report.

1---"ESCAPE" by Carolyn Jessop

A true story of Carolyn's life growing up in a Utah polygamy family until age seventeen and then being a polygamists wife for seventeen years to a fifty two year old man. She finally engineered an escape along with her four children and how she made a life for her family in the outside world. It was eye opening for me as I did not realize polygamy was still alive in the USA. I would rate this book a seven on a ten rating scale.
2---' THE ASSOCIATE" by John Grisham

I did not feel John was any where close to the suspense and excitement he usually generates. For me the story was unbelievable that it would have actually developed in the real world the way John wrote the plot. Usually I cannot put a John Grisham novel down but in this case I had no trouble in moving on. I would give it a rating of five on a scale of ten.

THE POWER of GOAL SETTING


Nancy and I returned home from eight days in west county with two boys eight and five while their parents enjoyed Hawaii!!! for the second time in six months. I felt like I needed to share a few pictures from the three trips to Hawaii that Nancy and I have been blessed to enjoy.


Nancy and I had been married about one year when we set a goal to spend our 25TH anniversary in Hawaii. At the time I was making $375.00 per month but life was good.


We did spend 5-9-1984 on the island of Oahu. God is good.!!!


Photo one does not bring out the awesome beauty of Hanauma Bay.




















Nancy with Pearl Harbor in the background. Every American needs to visit Pearl Harbor. My dad and uncle went through Hawaii on their way to the Philippines later in WW!!

Nancy 5/84 above the clouds on top of Haleakala on Maui Hi.





Diamond Head from Waikiki Beach in 1984

In Jan. 1988 Nancy and I visited Hawaii for our second trip with long time friends Cliff and Wanda.We spent two weeks on the north shore of Oahu at Turtle Bay.Each week we took a day trip to one of the other Islands.

This photo taken in 1988 but in 2001 we went to the top of this snow covered mountain on the Big Island of Hawaii near Hilo.

1988 photo of Waimea Canyon on Kauai. It is called the {Grand Canyon of Hawaii}

The ocean at Turtle Bay in January 1988. A surfers goal is to surf the North Shore in Jan. or Feb.

1988 Moving Lava flow at Volcano National Park near Hilo on the Island of Hawaii.If I remember correctly the Lava opened every eighteen minutes then with a opening it would move a few inches forward and the process would start again.

A sunset on Maui in Oct. of 2001

Nancy in Oct. 2001 enjoying breakfast at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on Waikiki Beach with Diamond Head in the background.

Taken Oct. 2001 from the deck of the battleship Missouri. On the deck of this ship the peace treaty between the USA. and Japan was signed.

A water fall near Hilo Hawaii taken in Oct.2001.

I have a goal to return some day for visit number four.!!!!

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY TO MY

SWEET HEART of FIFTY TWO YEARS!!!!
Photo from your front porch sometime in 1957




Our first Valentines day was 1957 but I am not sure what we did are what I got you.


1957


I was a freshmen in college.

You were a senior in high school.

Postage was .03 per first class letter.

I made $1.00 per. hour at Davis Photo Supplies.

I liked you Valentines day 1957 but I LOVE YOU on Valentines day 2009.




I realize we could be celebrating our fiftieth anniversary today if you would have had your way however May 9TH is something to look forward too.



Yellowstone park June 1999








Boca Raton Fl. 2006


Fate allowed us to meet, like grew into love and our commitment to God and each other is stronger today than 1957 are even 1959.

I LOVE YOU Happy Valentines Day
Ed

FAMILY CELEBRATES BIRTHDAY
#8 WITH KAYleigh!!!!!
Sunday the family helped Kayleigh celebrate her 8TH birthday.
She opened lots of gifts and we all had birthday cake and choices of ice cream to go with the cake.


James helps his cousin

Yes the cake was Delicious!!!!!

TERRY THE TOOTH!!!

Friday grandma and I attended 'Terry The Tooth" and witnessed Flossie Floss give an Oscar winning performance.

For me the junior princess was the star.!!!!

The play was creative,funny,artsy crafty, and very well done.

BIOGRAPHY BONANZA

Last night Nancy and I attended an event called Biography Bonanza at Paul's school. All the kids dressed in period clothes of the individual they had chosen to portray. They gathered together and sang uplifting songs and some had speaking parts. Then they went to separate stations and the crowd visited the stations. When you stood in front of a character they would respond by telling who they are and what they accomplished. They all were terrific.!!!!





Paul playing the part of Jackie Robinson




Jackie Robinson telling his story


Part of the group singing songs.

Leaving the stage.

Paul's best friend Jake posing as George Washington.

Grandma listening to family friend Madeline tell the story of Pocahontas.



The two brothers

I had to show this picture as the shirt tells the whole story.

SUMMER 2008

HAPPY 8TH BIRTHDAY KAYLEIGH
Today the junior princess celebrates her eighth birthday.!!!!

10/05/01

Happy birthday Kayleigh grandma and I hope you have a great day.!!!!

We love you and are very proud of you.

HOW AM I DOING ON MY 2009 GOALS

1-In January I wanted to lose 7lbs. of my 17 lbs. lost for 2009

Okay I only loss 4 lbs. but at least it is in the right direction.

2- Read two books and one of them to be a classic,

I read two and one of them was a classic.

"My War" by Andy Rooney was an okay read but not great. It was about Andy's experiences in World War II when he was a war correspondent for Stars and Stripes. He became a war corespondent by a lucky break of having gone to college and been on the school newspaper. He did not like General Patton and reporters who wrote stories of battles in France from the comforts of London as if they were actually on the battlefield. Like most self written stories he of course had the usual fight with a bigger and stronger man but of course he was the victor.

I read a classic "Wayward Bus" by John Steinbeck. I am rapidly becoming a Steinbeck fan. It is a story written with great details about eight individuals stuck in Arizona on there way to LA.

It is filled with great detail about their life,personalities,and were they would like to be at the end. I found myself not able to put the book down.

I am on my way to reading twenty four books for the year and at least four of them will be classics. I proably need to change the classic goal to six or possibly eight.

WINTER WARM UP THINK CARDS

On a cold snowy day lets think about Cardinal baseball.!!!!

Last week the Cardinals held their three day winter warm up at the Millennium Hotel and of course we offered tours of the stadium.

This year we offered a visit to the Cardinal locker room as one of the stops on the tour.[Nancy H. you missed it !!!}

First photo is Cy Young pitcher Chris Carpenter



Rookie outfielder Barton with Katie Felts

Rookie Joe Mather and Katie Felts

The locker room carpet



On the way to the showers!!!

Albert resides were the white plaque is.



Terrible picture but it describes Tony L.Through the doors and under "the sign" is the way to the dugout.