Thursday, March 31, 2011

Roller Hockey

Our local town started a men's roller hockey league. They meet every Wednesday for 8 weeks. Paul used to play street hockey when he was younger and really excited to play again.

Last night was his first game. We got there and everyone was super rude and no one said hi. It was all hick guys who's English vocabulary only included four letter words. I guess they don't learn much in school these days. The game went well and Paul didn't look bad at all!

Here are some action shots from the game:




Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Wordy Wednesday: "Door to Hell"

The Derweze area is rich in natural gas. While drilling geologists accidentally found an underground cavern filled with natural gas. The ground beneath the drilling rig collapsed, leaving a large hole with a diameter of about 230 ft. To avoid poisonous gas discharge, it was decided to burn the gas. Geologists had hoped the fire would go out in a few days.

That was 40 years ago.


Locals have named the cavern "The Door to Hell".




Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Addie's Second Birthday

We celebrated our niece Addie's 2nd birthday last Friday. Can't believe how fast she is growing up! We decorated Grammy and Popi's with pink and white ribbons. Made a special birthday chair for the birthday girl. Looked lovely.




Addie with her cousin Orie....


Birthday Girl!


Things got a bit rough for her at one point....


and then got worse....


But Popi fixed it with a wonderful game of "Race"....





Monday, March 28, 2011

Model Trains + Underwater Adventure

While my brother was in town with his family we all headed down to Union Station in Kansas City. They had a special exhibit on model railroads. We all enjoyed it especially the little boys.










Joey watching for real trains on our way over the railroad tracks.....


He loves his "Uncle Mater"


Next stop was the Underwater Adventure.

Here is Matthew...


Joe....


Paul....


The boys enjoyed a ride on a dolphin....


Paul almost got eaten by a shark....


Matthew just thought it was hilarious.....



Friday, March 25, 2011

Picture of the Day: My nephew

Happy Friday everyone....have a great weekend!


Thursday, March 24, 2011

Abigail & Carson

My brother, his wife and their three children are in town for a week. I got to see my niece for the first time last Sunday. She is such a cutie!

Her and Carson wore matching outfits on accident! :)

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Wordy Wednesday: "The Boston Molassacre"


The Great Molasses Flood occurred on January 15, 1919, in the North End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. A large molasses storage tank burst sending a wave of the sticky sweetener rushing through the streets at an estimated 35 mph. It killed 21 people and injured 150.


The tank holding the molasses was 50 feet tall, 90 feet in diameter, and contained as much as 2,300,000 gallons at the time of the collapse. Witnesses say that there were sounds like machine gun fire as the rivets shot of the sides of the tank. The collapse unleashed an immense wave of molasses between 8 and 15 feet high. Buildings were swept off their foundations and crushed. The molasses wave was of sufficient force to break the girders of the adjacent Boston Elevated Railway’s structure and lift a train off its tracks.


Here is the scene described by author Stephen Puleo:


Molasses, waist deep, covered the streets and swirled and bubbled about the wreckage. Here and there struggled a form, whether it was animal or human being was impossible to tell. Only an upheaval, a thrashing about in a sticky mass, showed where any life was…..Horses died like so many flies on sticky fly-paper. The more they struggled, the deeper in the mess they were ensnared. Human being, man and women, suffered likewise.”


Several factors that occurred on that day and the previous days might have contributed to the disaster. The tank was poorly constructed and insufficiently tested. One of the overseers at the construction of the tank failed to do basic safety tests, such as filling the tank with water to check for leaks. The tank actually did leak when they filled it with molasses but they painted it brown to hide the leaks.


It took over 87,000 man hours to remove the molasses from the cobblestone streets, theaters, businesses, automobiles, and homes. The harbor was still brown with molasses until summer.


The event has entered local folklore, and residents claim that on hot summer days, the area still smells of molasses.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Reuben Sandwiches

I made Paul Reuben Sandwiches for St Patrick's Day last week. We have a panini maker so I looked up a good recipe to cook them on that.

Here are all the ingredients:


Corned Beef (sliced)

Swiss Cheese

Sauerkraut


Rye Bread

Panini Maker


I assembled it all, butter both sides of the bread and placed them on the grill.....



.....pressed it down.....


A-mazing... :)

Monday, March 21, 2011

Exploring....Part 2

So I found some more pictures from our day of exploring on another camera. All these were taken by Caleb or Paul.

It was such a fun time. :)


My handsome husband....

Caleb showed off his climbing skills...


Found a tunnel but didn't explore it far....

Friday, March 18, 2011

Picture of the Day: Bric Allen II


My adorable little nephew Bric.....

Thursday, March 17, 2011

Happy Birthday Mary!

Today is Mary Elizabeth Roger's 16th birthday. She is Paul's sister. My sister-in-law. She and I wrote letters back and forth before Paul and I even thought about each other. Mary and I kept the families in contact so to speak.

Mary is a wonderful girl and is growing in the Lord every year. Happy Birthday Mary...love you lots!

(picture with Addie, her niece, a year or so ago)

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Wordy Wednesday: A Green Tradition



In honor of St Patrick's Day tomorrow and the fact that my husband is part Irish I decided to look up a random tradition for the holiday. Enjoy!!



Sometime in the 19th century, as St. Patrick's Day parades were flourishing, wearing the color green became a show of commitment to Ireland.

In 1962 the show of solidarity took a spectacular turn in Chicago when the city decided to dye a portion of the Chicago River green.

The tradition started when parade organizer Steve Bailey, head of a plumbers' union, noticed how a dye used to trace possible sources of river pollution had stained a colleague's overalls a brilliant green, according to greenchicagoriver.com.

Why not use the dye to turn the whole river green on St. Patrick's Day, Bailey thought. So began the tradition.

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Exploring....


Sunday we decided to do a bit of exploration. Earlier in the week we had noticed some intriguing woods with stone ruins. We decided to found out what it was all about.

We spent a good couple hours rambling through the woods. Took a bunch of fun pictures. It was a great evening. :)