Truman & the New House

This past weekend, we had the opportunity to travel to the Northeast corner of Missouri and visit our daughter Shallen at school, Truman State University (and for all you old timers, formerly Northeast MO State Univ). Kirksville is a nice, small town with very little to do outside of the college. Shallen, not surprising, loves the college life! Staying up till when ever and making that early class the next morning. The sleep deprivation finally catches up with her after about a week and she sleeps for a day or so...then back to the same old grind.

Stephan came up with Stephanie & I to visit with Shallen. We had breakfast together then met up with her later at the football game (Truman was playing host to Emporia State Hornets). It turned out to be a good game. Truman is not known for it's football program, so this was a nice surprise. It was tied 24-24 after 4 quarters and they went into overtime. The Hornets finally got a touchdown and it was all over.

Shallen plays in the marching band for Truman. They're not bad, not real good, but not bad. They did a couple numbers at half-time...one was a rendition of Thriller by Michael Jackson (of course they did the zombie dance during that performance). After the game, we met up with Shallen's friends at the nearby pizza place in downtown. Shelly and Claire are from North Kansas City and went to high school with Shallen at Platte County. Man, that was a long drive home with a full belly and little sleep from the night before (3 hour drive).

On Sunday, we went out to the new house to pull carpet, clean the kitchen and vacuum the carpet upstairs to make ready to move in. Oh, I guess I haven't blogged in so long, I didn't mention the fact that we finally sold our house and found another within two days. The new house is in Blue Springs, not much off I-70. It's a Colonial style with 4 bedrooms and sitting on almost a half acre lot. We plan to be in this house for about 5-10 years then sell to get into our dream home just in time for retirement.

We took a beating on the sale of our house - it truly is a buyers market right now. But, we also got a great deal on this new house. We bought it from the bank with the intent of selling in 5-10 years. I'll be posting some before & after pictures a little later.

Family!

Sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've missed putting my thoughts down.

This week, I was very fortunate to have dinner and visit with distant family members in town for a Dr.'s appointment. Genealogy has been such a great tool to reach out to family I never knew existed.

A few years ago, after my grandmother died, I really got the bug to find out about my heritage...where I came from and who was in my blood line. Much to my surprise, I found out that my grandfather's brother (Harold Elkins) was still alive and living in Overland Park, KS. In doing a little more research, I found that he had cousins still living in MO and IL. This road has led to some great friendships and interesting stories.

Steph and I met with the ladies after work on Wednesday evening. Sitting to my right is Mary Elkins. She lives in St. Louis, MO and is my great grandfather's (James D. Elkins) niece. Her father was Woodie Elkins, a postal carrier back in the 1930's.


To my immediate right is Betsy Wharton, the daughter of Russell Elkins, my great grandfather's brother. Betsy lives in Monticello, IL. She comes to KU Med Center once a year for a Dr.'s visit.

And to my far right is Marcy Buckles, Besty's daughter and my second cousin. Marcy drives her mom into KC. This year, they grabbed Mary and brought her along for the ride.

The only one missing was Harold. Evidently, a few weeks ago, he had what was reported as a mild heart attack and has been convalescing in a retirement area until he's able to return home. Our prayers go out to him and he gets better. What a great time we all had talking about old stories and creating new ones that we will cherish for years to come.

Thanks for the wonderful visit ladies...I really enjoyed myself!

Happy Birthday Stephan!

There were times during Stephan's 18 years you just weren't sure if he was going to make it. He lives everyday harder than the previous...and has a great time doing it. He was born at St. Mary's hospital in Blue Springs, MO on a very hot day in 1991.

When I started in the Navy, Stephan wanted everything camouflage. His blanket, cloths, everything was camo. I think he was really ready to move into that part of his life and he's never looked back.

As he's gotten older, he's taken on responsibility as a young adult and walked away from it when he still wanted to be a kid. He has a contagious smile and a good heart.

Stephan makes me very proud as I get older and see the man he is becoming. He still has a lot of growing up to do, but he isn't afraid to make mistakes and learn from them as every man does! Happy birthday Stephan...I love you!

Rock-n-Roll 1/2 Marathon - Virginia Beach

Steph and I have been getting up every morning at 5am to train for the Rock N Roll Marathon in Virginia Beach to be held over Labor Day weekend (Sept. 6th). The 13.1 mile course is suppose to follow the ocean front and end on the beach.

This is Steph's first 1/2 marathon and she's pretty excited about it. She got on-line last night and ordered our flight, hotel and car. We still have to sign up for the event - we'll probably do that in the next day or so. Since this is her first, I'm training/adding moral support to her daily runs. We're doing about 3 miles a day during the week and have a long run on the weekend.

By early August, we'll be doing 4 miles each morning and 10-12 on the weekends...she'll be ready, and we'll have a great time in Virginia Beach over Labor Day!

Pictures to Remember...

At Derek's on the 4th we had another family picture taken. It's been a while since all of us have been together, so it's always nice to get a current shot of my brother's and sister and especially mom! In case it's been a while since you've seen the group, it's Derek (the youngest), then Caron (the oldest), then mom, me and Jeff (the goofiest)!

Steph and I took our turn getting a picture as well. This December, Steph and I will have been married 6 wonderful years! I love this woman more than I can ever put down on paper. Just to catch you up on our life: we are STILL trying to sell our house! We extended our contract a month with our Realtor with the provision that he start doing some things I want him to do to sell our home. I am a Project Manager by trade and selling a house is nothing more than a project. Define the objective, determine milestones to be met and deliverables...add in a marketing and communication plan and the project is on the way. We are using Craig's List now as well as the Realtor's site to reach out to everyone we can. His contract expires on August 6th - we'll see what happens!

Morgan came over and stayed with us this past weekend (she's the older one on my back)! We were going swimming on Sunday afternoon and invited Colby and Addison (on my lap) to join us. We got a free day pass at a new neighborhood pool with waterslides and a couple pools. The girls had a good time and so did we. I was pooped that night - I didn't realize I was so busy with going down the slides with Morgan and catering to Addison (she was a little cranky...she didn't get her full nap out).

Stephan's 18th birthday is this Friday, July 17th! There were times I though he would never reach this day; actually, we're not there yet, he still has the chance to prove me right. He is currently working on a horse farm in the mornings just outside of Odessa, MO (about 10 miles from his house). He enjoys the outside work and likes being around the horses. Have a terrific birthday Pal!

Outstanding Weekend!

Over two months...WOW!!! That how long since my last blog! I humbly bow my head in disgrace. It's not that things haven't been exciting - I just haven't been actively involved in keeping everyone up to date. I hope to do better...they say the first step is admitting your fault! ;o)

We had a great weekend. Mine started Thursday afternoon and went till 6:00 this morning when I had to get ready for work. We had a cookout and good family fellowship at my home on Friday for Steph's side of the family. Shirley (Steph's mom), Kay (Steph's sister), Craig & Nedra (Steph's brother & sister-in-law), Jessi (Craig's daughter) and Shallen enjoyed dinner together. This was a progressive meal as we drove to Shirley's for brownie's & ice cream to top off the evening.

On Saturday we met at my brother Derek's home in Grain Valley, MO for a little more "explosive" day! The kids were shooting off fireworks. My brother's Jeff (and his girlfriend Stacey) & Derek (& his wife Wendi) were there. My sister Caron & her husband Jeff was there. Mom was there enjoying all of her kids together once again. We had some good food and enjoyed everyone taking turns at "Guitar Hero!" There were a number of pictures taken...I'll be sure to include a few in my next blog.

Shallen is set to go to Truman State in Kirksville, MO this fall. We went up in June to a parent/student meeting with advisors. Shallen got her classes and we got to see her dorm room - it's a far cry from what I experienced as "dorm life" some 25 years ago when I first attended school at Central Missouri in Warrensburg, MO. She already knows her room mate and suite-mates given the social networking of Facebook!

Steph and I are preparing for the Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon in Virginia Beach on September 6th. This will be her first 1/2 marathon and she is somewhere between excited and sick to her stomach. I am playing the role of her trainer. She'll be ready! We ran a 5K on Saturday morning, The Freedom Run, in Lenexa, KS. She could have easily gone another 2 miles. My big run will be the Kansas City 1/2 marathon this fall...I'd like to run about a 1:35.

My hope is that this blog finds all my family and friends in good health. Please feel free to reach out to me as you all get the chance!

Let The Games Begin!

Kansas City Corporate Challenge kicks off this evening in the parking lot surrounding Arrowhead Stadium. Each year, Kansas City businesses of every size and shape get together to compete in events that mirror the Olympic games...and then some!

I am competing for H&R block in the 5K run and Tug-of-War. I'v been trying to focus on the shorter distance and doing a lot of speed work - we'll see if it helps. Tug-of-War is a tactical sport. The idea is to get more bodies on the rope than the opposing team...two additional legs can add a lot of support when the pulling starts. My brother Jeff also works for Block and will be on the Tug-of-War team as well - he's a moose!

Tonight's kick-off is about getting the companies together and having a rah-rah session to promote good sportsmanship and competition. While I'm competing for H&R Block, Stephanie will be competing for Applebee's Inc. in a smaller division. She'll be playing table tennis, volleyball and tennis.

Let the fun begin!