And they're ny cousins!

One of the BEST things about moving to western New York. Some of my three most favorite and beautiful ladies EVER are right around the corner! Jackie, Mary and Kathy. I LOVE these three and guess what? I get to see them now whenever I want.

FLASH Dancers

This one says it all. ABBA! Unbridled enthusiasm from Dale and Neil.
The one below this is my cousin JR who really let it go as well. He was so funny. JR would make the funniest faces, do the moves, then as quick as that, he'd be done and exit the dance floor. Needless to say with all these three engaging men, the ladies were begging for more!

Even More

More Wedding Pictures

Wedding and Dance

Neil and Ginny Nathan bonds with my cousin Rich

My Godparents, Judy and Jack and my Uncle Neil
Trying to keep up with Dale

A really cool thing about being here is that we are close to family. I have been missing my mother so very much and there are still times when I'll rush to the phone to tell her something and then I'll just burst into tears.That happend a bit this last weekend when we went to the wedding of my cousin's son. My cousin Virginia or Ginny was named after my mother and her son Donny was married to Char his girl. Read this cute story of thier match. http://www.buffalonews.com/home/story/437063.html We had such a wonderful time with all my mom's kin and it somehow seemed to bring her back and I do know she wold have loved this event. Picts will be forthcoming!

CONNOR TURNS INTO A TEENAGER!

Right before our eyes, Connor turned 13! It seems just like yesterday that I was walking the halls of UIHC, trying to induce contractions, going to visit my office-mate Shelley and suddenly hitting the dreaded "transistion" and grabbing her arm saying "I don't know what the f I'm doing here! Well C-man it has been quite a ride and we wouldn't change a thing. We love you, man!

HUSBANDUS DOMESTICUS

On Fridays I try to work from home. I do a little bit of writing up research, or given that I am prepping (consantly for loooong lectures), I prepare teaching sessions. THIS Friday I looked out the window and spotted this rare bird in my backyard, and it appears he was engaging in nesting behavior. Note the symmetry in the completed project. Wow what a species, and quite a rare bird at that!

Obama Mama

So I am really peeved at the negativity displayed this week by the Elephants. All I can say is YUCK. Give me Hope, Help me cope, Give me Love, Give me Peace on Earth!

(but not the sarcastic crap of that R-party)

The Oak Tree 5K

First race ever! I finished in 30 min 16 seconds (ave of 10 min miles). I know, kids age 10 finished way ahead of me, but I am happy that I finished, didn't puke and kept it under 10 min miles. That was my goal. Next year, the goal is to get done in less than 28 minutes and perhaps to place in my age group. (If I was in the 30's age group, I would have placed third this year...hmmmm.) Nathan says its b/c women that age are having babies and can't train. By the 40's they have more time and I am of the generation from the late 1970's early 80's where there was a running boom (sic Prefontaine). Okay here we are. Nathan I will say finished in 23:22 and was 36th overall. A really fun race1

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

Oh how I love SUNY-Geneseo

I cannot tell you all how much I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this place. Shelley, I know you always tell me not to use CAPS, but I just can't help it. My office is funky and historical. I have two "adjoining" rooms linked by a door, and I even have a window that is now in the middle of summer covered with ivy. The building that the Com Dis and Science Department is in reminds me of a MacBride Hall at Iowa. There is a bell tower that chimes on the quarter hour and it is beautiful. In fact, we can hear the bell tower from our house and it is a very comforting sound. My office is right by the tower. The people in my department are such wonderful, warm, and well-integrated souls. Dr. Metz (my hero) just won Honors of the American Speech and Hearing Association. Dr. Mackenzie (the tallest audiologist in the world) is amazing, hard working and just a good person. Bob (Dr. Owens) aka "Chuck Norris with better politics" makes me smile. I got to meet Dr. Schiavetti, emeritis professor, and have another one of my academic crushes. The other two Lindas (Linda House, dept. chair) is great, and the Clinic Director, Linda Deats, I swear never walks anywhere, she is just constantly running. Bev Loftquist is the best and I am excited to work with her, Wendy Metz and Cheryl Mackenzie are two gems... I haven't met the others as yet. Oh and the administrative assistants ROCK. They are so helpful and so supportive which is such a wonderful switch. Stacy has been my right hand and already realizes how directionally challenged I am and Monica is my co-chocoholic. Right now, since nobody knows I am officially here, I am getting a lot done for Iowa. I still need to get my classes ready...yikes.

I also love the town. I can get to work, the post office, the bank, the downtown, the kids school in 5 min by bike or 10-15 minutes on foot. People here are friendly, hard working and just plain cool.

Here is a photo of the building I work in. So I grew up close to Sturgis, SD, and now I work in Sturges Hall. Kind of fun. The line points right to my ivy-window. It is not an Ivory Tower, but it might just as well be.

The Eleven as Adults and my Papa and his Bro

Joseph, Edward, Karl, Francis, David, Ruth Ann, Mary, Paula, Guy, Shirley and Michael. Whew. It is kind of like saying supercalifragilisticexpialadocious!

Robert and Donald (Bob and Don)