Monica's new hair

Hope Monica doesn't mind me putting these pics on the blog. Oops...too late.

The straight hair is different but I do like it and she assures me that it can still be curly. I can't say anything about the color since the last time I decided to take matters of Monica's hair color into my own hands she ended up with totally fried, bleached out, blonde beyond blonde hair! Not a good look - trust me.
Hope everyone has a great Labor Day weekend. I am going to go to Dodge City and hang out with Mom and Teresa. Ryan is going to Lawrence for the first KU football game, David and family are going down to Oklahoma to Lori's sisters. Rachel and Gunar are flying out tomorrow to San Diego for Gunar's class reunion. Monica is going to be a good little niece and help her Aunt Helen move. Don't know what Aimee and Sarah will be up to. Cindy will be busy potting I am sure.

Well, that's about all I know. Love to all!

Weekend soccer and concert

Well, I had a great weekend. Valerie had her first soccer tournament and did she play like a pro!! She is on a Club team now and I think it will be good, even though I (and Paul) have mixed emotions. She is having a good time and learning a lot, but it becomes really competive, really fast, and at this age (3rd grade) I am not sure about that. She really holds her own though. The coach asked her to come, but said she would not get to play because of late registration. Well, he subed her in for someone, must have been impressed and played her for the most of 2 other games! She was very happy about it. Paul was in California with a friend. Her Grandma is dying and she wanted someone to go with her. He was sorry he had to miss her first "real" game! I assured him there are many many more to come. And he promptly replied, yeah, but only one first!

Sunday evening, I and some friends went to the Melissa Ethridge concert. It was wonderful. Out in the open in an incredibly beautiful venue....and the skies had cleared just for that I think. Beautiful moon and stars....the mts in the background! And such incredible music! Had a great time! What a voice. She seems as strong as ever.

Well, starting the 3rd week of school, and all is going well. Hope everyone is doing the same. Love you all.....Cindy/mom

Update from Justin and Daniela Sprenkle

Hi! Its a family update. Justin is back at work, he is teaching 7th and
8th grade math again this year. Daniela is at home with the girls-
Avielah who is now 2yrs old and Eliyah who is 4 months old. Daniela will finally be back in school this September, due to many factors her
expected date of graduation has now been moved to spring of 2008, muchto Danielas disappointment. Our plans are to continue to stay in the area untill Daniela finishes Nursing. Justin will try and survive teaching untill then.
We have no travel plans as of now. We will keep in touch. Please continue keeping in touch with us, we love to hear from you. Love
Justin, Daniela, Avielah, Eliyah

This is an email that Justin sent to Cindy, they are not on the blog I just copied it. If anyone would like to email them, the email address is godsforever@hotmaildotcom

first week of school OVER!!!!!

Well, it has all gone well. Good start to the year. Big classes, and fortunately good kids.....so far! We are starting on some really fun projects and I am happy with it all.

Fired a very full bisque kiln today so will have to start glazing next week. The High Road tour is in a month!!! Time goes so fast.

Valerie has had a good start to her school year too. Likes her teacher and of course just likes being around her friends. Her teacher is the wife of a teacher I work with. He is a really nice guy. PE teacher.

Everyone is doing well. Still no word on the car, so guess the insurance co. will start the paper work for payment this coming week. It is such a hassle. Alan is giving Jessie a '96 Buick Riviera. Shes not wild about it, but coming around. Thinks its "too big"??!! Anyway, we haven't gotten it yet, don't know when they plan the trade. Trying to stay out of it as much as possible. Alan does a lot of bartering so he has a few boats, a truck and apparently an extra car.

Well, the rain is at it again. We have had rain (26 in for the month so far) and it has been raining for a 6 weeks now. We have had lots of flooding in different parts of the city. And Hatch (where most of our chilie is from) has been flooded twice!! Not much of a chille crop from there. Bet it is as expensive as gas this year.

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer, beginning of school, or whereever they are in their year! Love you all....and Aimee....I love this space!1 Thanks! Cindy

Preschoolers

Hi! So does anyone know how exhausting 19 3-5 year olds can be?! This last Monday I started my Preschool Summer Camp. It goes Monday thru Thursday from 9-12. It has been crazy! It gets better day after day but... Augh! I will be completely wiped out after the 3 weeks are over! I will need a spa day! I am working on this for the 31st of August. Anyway that is all I am doing at present. Planning and running camp. I love you all.
~~~Suz

A few Pics

Well what is going on with me...it seems like work work work. I brilliantly left my ATM card in a ATM machine the other day, so that was fun, my new card will arrive in 7-10 business days...grrrr! Who knew that ATMs EAT THEM like chew them up if you leave them in there, I suppose it is for my own good though. I also got a roommate, my friend Shalyn whom I have known since like ohhhhhh I was 4 I bet that most of you have met her at one time or another, graduation, birthday or some such. It has been nice haveing someone else around the house. We will be moving into a 3 bedroom town home in October I will keep you posted on that. What else? Blue Room is doing well and with a promise of a camera by September 1st I am taking on appointments starting after that. I am doing a few bands, an 8 year olds B-day pictures and some engagment photos for a friend, in October one of my best friends babies will be one so I am looking forward to doing some pictures of her too! I do a lot I swear but most of it isn't worth mentioning. And if it is worth mentioning you probably don't want to hear about it. Though I think I could write a book about some of the crazy and funny first dates I have gone on and been put up to lately, I am in no hurry to find a man but my friends seem to think otherwise and have set me up with some interesting characters that is for sure!!! I hope that you all are well and this satisfys your blog hunger for today! Love ya!
Monica

What I have been up to this summer a photo essay by Monica Wells.



This is a picture I took for my friend Natalie for a modeling competition.
I promise the bride thought my shirt was funny.
If you don't know which one is me then you are in trouble...this is the only one i have now more to come.
This is my new Logo for Blue Room Photography.

I'm not lost ....just busy

Sprenkle Kin

Wow, I can't believe it is August....where did the summer go ????? Nicole finishes summer school on Thurs. then drives down for a two week well deserved break. Ty on the other hand starts Fall sem. at the community college next Tues. We are leaving Fri. am for the river and returning Monday... will be nice to have the kids together for a few days R&R. Ty is still working recreation at the Christian Camp and enjoying that. He will still work part time after school starts. Nicole talked him into packing his 15 units into Tues and Thurs. Hope he does well with that... she loved it and continues to try to schedule herself like that.

Bought a pair of new tires for Ty's car this am, one had a bubble on the side wall, made me nervous with his driving up and down the mountain. Then I went with him to buy books ....ahhhh!!!!! Now I need to go on line and pay Nicole tuition for the fall. Scarey...scarey..scarey. I need a weekend at the river so as to forget about where all the money goes.

I am registering for a class up in San Fran. the 8, 9, 10 of Sept. That I'll get reimbersed for after I complete it BUT the flight, is mine. Not too bad tho about 150 - 160 for a round trip. Beats driving with 3.10 per gallon gas prices. I'll stay with Nicole and take the Bart over to SF. The class is on feeding disorders in children. I see so many kids with those probs. It is really bad when you find out the mom has feeding issues herself.

We aquired a new (never been assembled) wooden hot tub. It is quite small (2 people) and looks like a wine barrel. It's round and has steps that curve around it. Kind of cool looking but man good luck to Doug with the directions as everything needs assembled!! This pro hockey player that Kyle has been working on his house in Laguna Beach decided he didn't want it after all. The price was right...Doug will do 2 weekends of work for him as a trade and since he is leaving for Calgary for a year, Doug and I get to stay in the house for those weekends... I am, of course, getting the better deal on this one.

I am rambling... I should try to post more often and maybe these wouldn't be so long. I also need to figure out how to post pixs. Ty knows, but he's at work.

Hope all is well,

Love to all.

Kath

I am pretty sure this is Uncle David in a bear suit. Was really funny to see. I know the background is not exactly pine trees and green grass but I do love that I finally saw a bear!

Here's a picture of Jason, Ellen and kids and of me on the shores of the lake in Colorado.
Not much to say. Had a great vacation but I think most of you have heard via email and seen the pictures. I'm very glad it is Friday but no big plans for the weekend. We are in the process of painting the house...slow process but process nontheless.

Hope all of you have a great weekend and that it has cooled down on the east and west coasts. Us Kansas people are used to that 100 degree heat but I am sure it is hard on you transplants. Have enjoyed all the blogs. Even though I don't post so much, I still am reading.

Later.

You KIDs you!!!!

Just read Aimee's post and was moved in so many ways, but I wanted to share with all of you how very proud I am of all you "kids"!! I wish mine (beside Suzanne) were on this because I want to share this with all of you. YOu all make us all proud of you! Each one of you has worked and is working hard for what you want your lives to be. It amazes me you all have a vision of what that is and are willing to work so hard. EAch one of you is amazing. I know it is no walk in the park......Central Park at 2 in the morning sometimes maybe! But you keep going. It doesn't matter if its school or your personal lives or your jobs.....life isn't always sunshine and roses and you all hang in there pluggin' away. So to all of you....Lucinda,Jason, Jeremy, Rachel, Suzanne, Aimee, Paul, Justin, John, Monica, Jessie, Nicole, Lindsey, Ryan, Ty, Jake, Hali.....you all are awesome! We (guess we aren't the kids anymore) are so proud of you all! And I know your Grandma is moved to tears with all you have done and accomplished! Your potential is unlimited! You all are and will be the guardians, the inspiration, the support, for Valerie, Lindsey, Logan, Shelby, Alex, Madison, Megan, and Mckena and those to come. Thank you all! and bless you all with all the grace thats out there. Love you all so very much, Aunt Cindy/ Mom

No rest for the wicked...

I took a form to my department today, to get them to approve me for 19 credits this Fall. On the way out, I felt such relief that I actually got goosebumps and a little choked up!

I have worked so hard for so long to finish school. In 1995, when I first started college, I wasn't ready for it, not one bit. Sure, I had my high GPA, and a willingness to learn, but at that point I was so pent-up to bursting over being gay and not knowing what to do with myself that I literally could not sit through a class. I couldn't concentrate on anything other than the anxiety of coming out to both myself (its a weird process, just trust me), and to my family.

It didn't hit me at the time, but as I continued through my very important life-lessons/school of hard knocks, I would think about school a lot. And then came the questions "what's your major" "what did you study" "are you in grad school?" I felt like I'd disappointed not only myself and my family, but the nerdy little 13 year old who loved to learn and couldn't wait for college.

So, when I went back in 2001, I thought I'd just dip a toe in... and I did that for 3 semesters before committing to full-time school work. Now I've got 2 semesters left to complete my goal of graduating before I'm 30 (well, I turn 30 March 28th and will graduate May 18).

Being able to quit my job to finish this is a real blessing, and it speaks a lot to the relationship I have with Sarah. I happily helped to support her through school so that she could get her second degree and start on a career path she really loves, and now she's doing the same for me. If either of us was too selfish, neither of us could have succeeded in this.

3 weeks to go before the last school year of my undergraduate career. It's been rough (and will not be a walk in the park to finish either, I'm sure) but I'm so proud of myself for this. I made a commitment to myself and kept it. Go me.