Morgan presents Peyton

Oh my ! Can't you just see it at Grandpa and Grandma Lenz's house in a year or so? Morgan, Amelia and now Peyton will be taking over. I cannot wait.

Peyton Lenz Arrives

The newest member of the family. My sister Sue's son Christopher, his wife Tammy and their now (oldest daughter) Morgan welcome Peyton. She was just over 6 lbs and born midday today. Christopher reports that she has curly blonde hair and you can see she is beautiful. Morgan is just about the same age Kira was when Trevor was born. The cycle continues. Yay! Congrats to you. Now I have three great nieces that I will know. and a total of 5 that I'll probably never see, but who are also very cute I am sure.

AND TREVOR TURNS 16!

During a week that made political history (Trevor yawns about it) he turns sweet 16. We celebrated by going to Rochester so Trevor could pick out his present (a new air-soft rifle, what else?) and then on the 27th we went to dinner with our new friends, the Lynch family. My how time flies. It seems as if Trevor was just a huge "lump" or bullet in me! Here is Trevor with his new buddy Michael and Connor looks on.

Don't the Spencer's have an older son?

YES! His name is Trevor, but he is elusive and hard to "capture." He is a very handsome lad, however and he is doing very well. His days are filled with soccer practice, and he doesn't even "throw" any more during the conditioning part of practice. Since the arrival of Nathan on Tuesday night, Trevor also spends a great of time helping his dad with acclimating to Geneseo. "No Dad, we recycle that." "Yes dad mom only makes me mow the front lawn and she mows the back for exercise." "Dad, mom is not going to be happy that you lost part of her prized vacuum cleaner, you better give her back a massage tonight or you will be in the dog house." Anyway did I mention how much we love this kid and how proud we are of him? He has made so many very good friends and has adjusted so well to this move in a mature and positive manner. Plus he was an absolute life saving blessing to me all summer long as I attempted to be a "single" mom. Trevor was always there with a calm word, or encouragement or even a funny story. Thank you so much Trev.

Marlea made my day!

So it has been a very good and productive, albeit emotional week. I have been in classes the last two days learining SUNY G's online course management system "MyCourses" and it has been cool. I had a very crass post on this blog yesterday by a disturbed individual, and my sister and I were quite rattled and hurt to the core by it. (now that feature is disabled, we've gained perspective thus problem solved). I got home from work tonight to find a box between my screen door and storm door. It said "Live, Cut Flowers." Well I had ordered some bulbs, etc to plant in the "tree circle" of previous post, an I was thinking, "Oh no, why did the company cut my flowers...or "uh oh" I thought I was ordering bulbs for lillies and such, maybe I checked the wrong box." To my utter suprise, I opened the box and the most beautiful summer boquet met me. How breathtaking. I read the card and it was from a very special lady, Marlea O'Brien from my Iowa job. I burst into tears. I have regained my composure, but if you look carefully in this photo, you can see the "ptosis" on my right eyelid as a result of the crying jag! Ooops!

Connor Rides on a B-U-Teeeful Geneseo Summer Day

Another one bites the dust

Oh Johnny Boy

You were much too good to be true
too beautiful
too intelligent
too incisive
too tempting and tempted
The arrogance shone from the blue in your eyes
seducing
Now the collective sighs of Iowa drift into the air
the disappointment lies in bitter stagnating pools of spit
Alas, I am not suprised, only sad
that I called it

MAMMA MIA MANIA

(You can stop the music-video widget by clicking on the "play" button.)
Why was Mamma Mia the PERFECT movie? Because it mixed the songs I literally grew up with into a storyline that was romantic, touching, optimistic and fun, and it pushed all my hot buttons. Background-- in 9th grade Robin Selgeby and I were chosen to go to Red Cross Leadership Training Center somewhere up by Devil’s Lake, ND. We were so excited and we even rigged up a dance routine for the talent show and were dubbed “Dancing Queens” ala ABBA. While there, we both got huge crushes on Witt Pauley, a camp counselor with cherubic blonde curls. I, however, was astute enough to know that he was the “victim” in the drowning scenario training scheme. Boy did I run fast to get to the lake for that emergency (there was CPR involved!). That summer and the next ABBA was THE band for this girl. I bought the 8 track with the money I made working at Stephenson’s Music Store, and I played it over and over on my stereo. Those songs…ahhhh heaven. I swear I can still smell the coconut butter suntan lotion I wore while listening to those songs. I love every minute of the movie and I find the actors to be so natural and so full of joi de verve... but some special parts included when Merril’s character, Donna, runs through the chateau singing and all the village women drop what they are doing to sing and dream with her. We all need dreams. Of course I cried when Donna sings “Slipping through my fingers” as she gets Sophie ready for the wedding. Ohhhh I need to see this movie again and again with my Kira, with my Nathan and with all the people I love!

Prairie Women

prairie women
strong, quilted together
by the barren stark grasses

they are the husk of the life out there
and when their partners are
silent, they endure via
shared confidences, faith and
simplicity