Clean Up Columbia

Saturday we had the opportunity to participate in "Clean Up Columbia" through a group with State Farm. I really hate it when I see trash around the city, so I was happy to do it. We picked up trash along State Farm Parkway. There were some interesting things among the debris-- Madison's favorite was a page of a word search puzzle book. The category was "Dog Show". Gabrielle's favorite item was an old post-it note with "I can fly high like an eagle" written on it. We had lunch at Twin Lakes Recreation area with the Mayor. After lunch we decided to walk the trail around the lake. It was a good day! We hope to do it again next year.

Double Elimination

Did you tune in for the "dramatic double elimination" on American Idol last night??? Lil Rounds was put out of her misery pretty early on in the show, but the other contestants in the bottom, Allison and Anoop, had to wait until the end. Cutie David Archuletta sang the appropriate "Touch My Hand" amidst the cheering girls. Ultimately it was Anoop that had to sing his farewell song, "Dim all the Lights." Matt G, who was saved last week by the judges did well enough this week to save himself. He'll be back next with with rest of the Top 5-- Allison, Danny, Kris, and Adam. Here's where it gets GOOD!

Pie for Sale!

Thinking ahead to Mother's Day, the Young Women in the Bear Creek Ward are selling pies from the Golden Corral. The pies are $9 each and the funds they raise will help them go to girls camp. They will be available on Mother's Day in the following flavors: Strawberry, Coconut Cream, Apple, Cherry, Lemon Cream, Pecan, Peanut Butter and Sugar Free Blueberry. Just give one of my girls a call or see them at church and they will be more than happy to take your order. Thanks!


!!!! Fundraiser Update!!!!!!

Pies are still available! Homemade with fresh ingredients, minus the Golden Corral logo! If I get any more info I'll update here!
Sorry for any confusion! Mother's Day is May 10th-- the second Sunday in May.

Happy Earth Day

Earth Day

So, I've been saving this photo for a while. I thought it was appropriate to post on this Earth Day. We got these reuseable grocery bags at Christmas time at State Farm. I love them because they are about double the size of most bags. I keep them in the back of the car. The trick is actually remembering to bring the bags into the grocery store. So, that's me, just doing my part to save the earth.

Class Trip

Last Friday I went with Gabrielle's 6th grade team to the Winston Churchill Museum and Memorial on the campus of Westminster College in Fulton, Missouri. In the morning we toured the museum. The kids had a scavenger hunt to find the answers to questions about Churchill's life and legacy. It was actually at Westminster College where he gave his famous "Iron Curtain" speech being introduced by President Harry Truman. We ate lunch in the college's dining hall (one kid said it was like eating at Hogwarts. I don't know about that, but it did have a nice ceiling and it was much better food than I had in college). In the afternoon, we got to see the outdoor sculpture Breakthrough. One year after the November 9, 1989, fall of the Berlin Wall, President Ronald Reagan dedicated Breakthrough, an 11-foot-high by 32-foot-long structure sculpted from 8 sections of the Berlin Wall by artist Edwina Sandys, granddaughter of Winston Churchill, as the centerpiece of the Cold War Memorial on the Westminster campus. Following that presentation we toured the beautiful chapel. Twice destroyed by fire, the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury uses the phoenix as it's symbol. Dating from the 12th century, it was redesigned by Sir Christopher Wren in 1677 after the Great Fire of London. Left in ruins by World War II, the architectural masterpiece was saved from demolition by the bold idea to move it to the Westminster campus where it was reconstructed and restored. Here are a few pictures from our visit to this amazing historic memorial.

More Idol Good News

This from MTV's website: "In addition to the sounds of disco from the competitors, next week's elimination show will feature music from last season's runner-up, David Archuleta, singing his latest single, "A Little Too Not Over You". Cue the screaming teenage girls!