The Elections

Now that the dust has somewhat settled (except for the Senate race here in a Minnesota) from the elections many of us are wondering what this new "change" will look like. Can I put in a request? Could we change the attitudes in our own hearts?

Over the past year, I could hardly believe the anger and just plain nastiness coming from all directions regarding elected officials and our government. It's one thing to disagree about policies and strategies for solving our city's, state's and nation's problems. However, so many of us have gone far beyond that. I overheard a woman say how she "hated" a leading city official; she attacked his character with such vehemence that even her friends were uncomfortable.

Is hate our default response when we are ill-informed on the issues, opposed to political decisions, or frustrated with the values of those in office? I'm sure we were all disgusted by the negative campaigning, especially the TV ads that interrupted our favorite shows. What we may not see so clearly is that the grassroots animosity in the population gave permission for these ads.

I can argue and disagree all day long during election season. Once the men and women are elected and set in office I have a responsibility to pray for and bless these people. I can still disagree, write them letters with my viewpoints, and keep my ears open for alternatives. But if I really want to see real "change" in my community I'll take special care about what's in my heart and on my tongue.

College Visits again!

With 2 children out of college and 2 currently in college, my husband and I have done more than the average number of college visits. By now we know what to look for and what questions to ask.

This weekend Faith and I are visiting Buena Vista University in Storm Lake Iowa. Jim and I graduated from High School in Storm Lake and his parents still live there. Two years ago we attended a large Prichard Family Reunion at the college. We were impressed with how much the college had developed since the 1980's. They've built new dorms, a new campus center, an incredible sciences building and business/ social sciences class building. While we were at the family reunion we talked with a young man who was an education major and involved with the Christian community at BVU. All in all, we had a great impression of the school.

This was Faith's first college visit. Except for the cold, snowy day we had a good day. We had lunch with the campus chaplain, met with a scholarship counselor, had a tour, went to a class and had an interview with an admissions counselor. To end the day, we had dinner with Gramma and Grampa Prichard at a Thai restaurant and cheesecake for dessert.

Since we hit all the bases on Friday, we've decided to forego the Saturday activities. Eating a tailgate lunch and going to a football game in the cold and snow doesn't sound like fun. So, Faith and I are chilling in a hotel room, watching TV in our pj's. We have 4 hours of driving in the blowing snow, so we might as well enjoy doing nothing for a while.

By the way, we drove through Pocahontas, Iowa and took a picture of the large statue of said Indian princess.

Can't You Say "Yes" to Anything?

This was one of those afternoons in which everything my daughter asked for, I had to deny.

Go to McDonalds for a snack? Nope.

Walk to the Bakery for a donut? Huh-uh.

Rent a movie? No way.

How about a hotdog at Tiny's? I don't think so.

Have just a little bit of time on the computer before I do my homework and practice my clarinet? Do I look stupid ... no again.

About 4:00 when this downcast little girl walked into the kitchen, I hoped she would ask me something to which I could say "Yes!" (Oh Jesus, help her to want something reasonable!)

Mom, can I have some pop? Sure, honey. Do you want a big glass?

The shoulders which had been braced for another rejection straightened. She smiled and relaxed for the first time all afternoon. I'd won all of the little skirmishes with her earlier .... she knew that this was a treat. Then ...

Mom, can I watch TV ........?

Pumpkin Extraordinaire

At our house, we have only recently succombed to decorating pumpkins. (For years we avoided Halloween because I don't like the history behind the holiday)

Once we joined the Prairie Creek community, we also joined the ranks of those attending Pumpkin Carving Night (a pretty big deal for the kids). One year we made leaf outlines. Last year Ryan carved a 3-dimensional face. This year, the theme of Ryan's jack-o-lantern was super heroes insignia.

Here's the one for the Incredibles:


Here's the Bat Signal:


And, finally, we have Superman's "S"



So, what do you think?

Facebook Frenzy

A little over the week ago, I joined the ranks of the bajillion people, young and old, on Facebook. Friends and family had been bugging me to do this so that they could communicate a little more.

Oh my! What had I gotten myself into? Walls, Profiles, Photos & Postings, Chats, Messages and Status comments. Is it a social networking tool, a contest to see who could have the most friends, or just another way to use up lots of time? Do I really want to get involved? Is it too late to delete all of my information and hide?

Unfortunately, I've found that I'm really enjoying the connections and conversations. (I say "unfortunately" because there has been a price to pay ... a good bit of my time has been spent on it.) Within a day, I had 13 friends. A week later, I have 63 friends. I get to hear about the little "stuff" that goes on in the lives of my friends and family. I can see pictures of my sister-in-laws grand Halloween party. I find out who has a headache and who is baking cookies.

I'm seeing that this is a great site for those extraverted, social animals. However, as my husband put it, for an introvert it's a net loss. As I explained to him how you post your status, update your profile, and uploaded pictures he was a bit overwhelmed.

Will I stay on Facebook? Absolutely. Will I spend time on it that I should probably spending elsewhere? Of course.

Gotta go.... gonna chat with an on-line Friend.....

Fall Leaves

I feel sorry for people who live in areas where the seasons don't change very much. I love spring, summer, fall and winter. Fall is my all-time favorite. I love the colors of the leaves. Every year I have couple of drives that I have to take ... Nerstrand to the Big Woods and the Minnesota River in St. Peter. I especially love the sumac!

We have 4 fairly large, leafy trees in our yard which means lots of raking. This year my husband had a "brilliant" idea. Instead of bagging the leaves, he thought it might save time to put them directly into the large 15 passenger van. We raked them all into one large pile by the curb. Conveniently under a tree, the kids climbed up the tree and jumped into the pile. Great fun was had by all.

By the way, the idea worked. It still took two trips and we had to sweep and mop the van; Jim and Ryan were quite a sight "shoveling" leaves out of the van.

Pumpkin Carving Night

Every fall Prairie Creek parents hosts a pumpking carving night. As you walk into the school's gym you are literally assaulted with the smell of pumpkins. It's a strong, unmistakeable odor! After the smell, you see the floor covered in newspapers and pumpkin guts. Besides carving their pumpkins the kids eat Gorp and play out on the playground with flashlights.

We've learned a litte trick to make the night more fun for us. We "gut" our over-size vegetables before we go. When we get there, the kids sit by their friends and talk about what kind of designs or faces they'll do. Because of the great community of the school, they encourage each other and oooh and aaah at one anothers creations.

This year I noticed that a lot of the "old timer" moms and dads were standing along the edge chatting with each other. The parents of the younger children were sprawled on the floor with shreads of the insides of pumpkins sticking to their pant legs. A few moms and dads were consoling their son or daughter over a face cut-out gone astray. The older parents knew that their kids could handle themselves and really didn't want our help. Many of them had already gone outside to play flashlight tag.

For many of us, this is our last year at Prairie Creek. We all met 6 years ago when our children started in kindergarten. So, each of us does our best to make the most of these get togethers.