Sunday, June 29, 2008
Just checking with all you Klopfenstein's...
Last summer when I often was barefoot or wore sandals, the back of my heel started hurting. This summer it has started again and is getting to be a problem! It's not the underside of the heel, but the back of the heel. I'm trying to go back to tennis shoes, but I hate it. Anybody else have such trouble? Foot trouble is new for me. One website said, "It is commonly found in the overweight and middle-aged." Humpff!
Saturday, June 28, 2008
After reading Aunt Ada's blog about "Her man's still got it" I was unpacking some boxes after our move last month and found these pictures in an old photo album. They're from 1993 when Ada and Jerry visited me in Antigua. Rhoda came later in the week and we all had a great time.
One photo is of Uncle Jerry helping me with a ceiling fan . . . I think it had rusted and we re-painted and he re-hung it (my cathedral ceiling was pretty high!). I really appreciated the help.
This photo brings back memories for us - my 5-speed Daihatsu Charade was having clutch problems and I had a hard time getting up this steep hill. Jerry, Ada, and Rhoda had to get out of the car and walk up the hill! I was so embarrassed! I didn't realize it was that bad until I had 3 extra people in the car. As soon as they left I had it repaired, but we still talk about their having to walk up that hill! Do you notice anything else unusual about the car?.
Owen's First Round
Owen enjoys an ice cold Coke during an interview after his first golf round this morning. He hit one great shot over the water that had me thinking I should call the Stanford golf coach and start the recruiting process now.
Art Camp
Mary Lee came home from an art camp yesterday. She studied drawing, water color, and photography, and took a 2nd place ribbon in drawing out of 18 students in the class. She had a wonderful time also! Her drawing is right above the ribbon.
Friday, June 27, 2008
Reunion Recap
Brief recap on Worldwide Klopfenstein Family Reunion, June 20 & 21, 2008, Grabill, IN, USA.
Well, June 20 and 21 have (finally) come and gone. My initial reaction is: a simply wonderful, delightful weekend--very difficult to be matched. Many people had a huge contribution to the success and deserve the biggest thank you that can be mustered. The lunch folks did an excellent job to expedite the large number. And to the multiplied number of the K family who came from many miles away, an equally huge thank you. Everyone, together, created the success!!!
The Klopfenstein family really poured out certain character qualities by showing a deep interest in its roots as well as in present day members. Meeting the variety of cousins, some up to the 8th level, is most unique and at best rare. An exact number is difficult, but, by close estimate, around 290 attended the First Worldwide Klopfenstein Reunion at the Fudergong Building in Grabill, IN. Twenty-five states represented half of our country. Someone said sixth cousins became first cousins.
Among the registrants there were at least:
30 in their 70s
15 in their 80s and
2 in their 90s
So many people have wondered about the location. FUDERGONG actually means in German--place of meeting and place of eating.. GRABILL, IN was selected as being more or less central in a concentrated area of Klopfensteins. There are other pockets of the family and hopefully a future similar meeting can be held in one of those locations.
The exchange of family friendship, fellowship, relationship, genealogy and history has been of great satisfaction to me and to many others who attended. The family heritage dictates continued meetings and involvement.
Please send your comments on the past weekend and suggestions for future meetings. Each one of you has a good story. I’d like to establish a quarterly type publication with family details but this will require your help and input. First off, write up a brief of your reaction and input to the meeting in Grabill. Then any family history that you’d like to share would be most appropriate. Also, send births, deaths, marriages and/or newspaper articles of interest. We can have a neat family publication.
1. Please send all the family email addresses you can. LynnK1905@Charter.net
2. Please send your photos of the reunion to share with others.
3. Would you like the bank of photos by Rhoda our daughter?
4. Print this and sent to family members without email capability.
Let me hear from you! This should be very interesting.
Lynn K. Decatur, AL
Well, June 20 and 21 have (finally) come and gone. My initial reaction is: a simply wonderful, delightful weekend--very difficult to be matched. Many people had a huge contribution to the success and deserve the biggest thank you that can be mustered. The lunch folks did an excellent job to expedite the large number. And to the multiplied number of the K family who came from many miles away, an equally huge thank you. Everyone, together, created the success!!!
The Klopfenstein family really poured out certain character qualities by showing a deep interest in its roots as well as in present day members. Meeting the variety of cousins, some up to the 8th level, is most unique and at best rare. An exact number is difficult, but, by close estimate, around 290 attended the First Worldwide Klopfenstein Reunion at the Fudergong Building in Grabill, IN. Twenty-five states represented half of our country. Someone said sixth cousins became first cousins.
Among the registrants there were at least:
30 in their 70s
15 in their 80s and
2 in their 90s
So many people have wondered about the location. FUDERGONG actually means in German--place of meeting and place of eating.. GRABILL, IN was selected as being more or less central in a concentrated area of Klopfensteins. There are other pockets of the family and hopefully a future similar meeting can be held in one of those locations.
The exchange of family friendship, fellowship, relationship, genealogy and history has been of great satisfaction to me and to many others who attended. The family heritage dictates continued meetings and involvement.
Please send your comments on the past weekend and suggestions for future meetings. Each one of you has a good story. I’d like to establish a quarterly type publication with family details but this will require your help and input. First off, write up a brief of your reaction and input to the meeting in Grabill. Then any family history that you’d like to share would be most appropriate. Also, send births, deaths, marriages and/or newspaper articles of interest. We can have a neat family publication.
1. Please send all the family email addresses you can. LynnK1905@Charter.net
2. Please send your photos of the reunion to share with others.
3. Would you like the bank of photos by Rhoda our daughter?
4. Print this and sent to family members without email capability.
Let me hear from you! This should be very interesting.
Lynn K. Decatur, AL
Things I have learned.......
Got this from an Alabama friend who recently relocated to Kentucky.
THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM BEING IN ALABAMA ...
> Possums and Armadilos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
> There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in ALABAMA
> There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in ALABAMA plus a couple no one's seen before.
> If it grows, it sti cks; if it crawls, it bites.
> Onced and Twiced are words.
> It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
> 'Fixinto' is one word.
> There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then there is supper.
> Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
> Backards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.'
> You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
> You don' t PUSH buttons, you MASH them.
> You measure distance in minutes.
> Sometimes you have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.
> Nothin gets done on Saturday afternoons from September to November (SEC football is it)
> 'Fix' is a verb. Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'
> All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
> You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
> You know what a 'DAWG' is or 'ELEFUNT'
> You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.
> There are only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.
> The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
> 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a little warm.'
> We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.
> Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' Wal-martin' or off to 'Wally World.'
> A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.
> A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop . . . it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: 'What kinda coke you want?'
> Fried catfish is the other white meat.
> We don't need no stinking driver's ed . . . if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.
>Dollar General is easier to shop, cause you don't need to get dressed up like when you go to Walmart.
I wonder what the list of "Things I learned by being a Klopfenstein......" could have on it. Thoughts?
EDK
THINGS I HAVE LEARNED FROM BEING IN ALABAMA ...
> Possums and Armadilos sleep in the middle of the road with their feet in the air.
> There are 5,000 types of snakes on earth and 4,998 live in ALABAMA
> There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 live in ALABAMA plus a couple no one's seen before.
> If it grows, it sti cks; if it crawls, it bites.
> Onced and Twiced are words.
> It is not a shopping cart; it is a buggy.
> 'Fixinto' is one word.
> There is no such thing as 'lunch.' There is only dinner and then there is supper.
> Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar!
> Backards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.'
> You don't have to wear a watch because it doesn't matter what time it is. You work until you're done or it's too dark to see.
> You don' t PUSH buttons, you MASH them.
> You measure distance in minutes.
> Sometimes you have to switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day.
> Nothin gets done on Saturday afternoons from September to November (SEC football is it)
> 'Fix' is a verb. Example: 'I'm fixing to go to the store.'
> All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
> You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
> You know what a 'DAWG' is or 'ELEFUNT'
> You carry jumper cables in your car . . . for your OWN car.
> There are only own four spices: salt, pepper, Tabasco and ketchup.
> The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local gossip and sports.
> 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a little warm.'
> We have four seasons: Almost Summer, Summer, still Summer and Christmas.
> Going to Wal-mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' Wal-martin' or off to 'Wally World.'
> A cool snap (below 70 degrees) is good pinto-bean weather.
> A carbonated soft drink isn't a soda, cola or pop . . . it's a Coke, regardless of brand or flavor. Example: 'What kinda coke you want?'
> Fried catfish is the other white meat.
> We don't need no stinking driver's ed . . . if our mama says we can drive, we can drive.
>Dollar General is easier to shop, cause you don't need to get dressed up like when you go to Walmart.
I wonder what the list of "Things I learned by being a Klopfenstein......" could have on it. Thoughts?
EDK
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
WKFR Pictures
Following a busy weekend in Ft. Wayne and enjoying Mom and Dad's visit, I'm still too tired to go into much detail regarding the weekend's activities. However, here are a few pictures.
Dinner on Friday evening at Richard's. I think many enjoyed their fried chicken.
Uncle Perry and Nancy Stahl. Others in the PAK link outside of EJK's family were Larry and Nancy as well as Paul and Betty from Morton. Unfortunately my two pictures of Uncle Perry's speech are not the most clear.
This was before lunch when people had different effects out on tables and visited. You can see Dad kind of overseeing the activity.
Here is Aunt Ada and three of her grandson's explaining about Sophia Meiss Klopfenstein's life. I think the youngest (Miles?) stole the show with his recitation of "the horses".
Joey had a great idea of everyone putting a push pin on a map showing their home. Notice as far east as New York and New Jersey, south as far as Florida, and west as California, Oregon, and Washington. When the count of states got to 25 someone said, "Half the country is here!"
Mary manned the computer helping people find geneaological connections.
Mom stayed busy almost the entire time with registrations and t-shirt sales.
There are 143 pictures, but I'll not post them all. ; ) This should give a sampling of the venue and activities.
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
HE'S STILL GOT IT!
Last year we re-landscaped the west side of the front of our house. It's doing well with most of the perennials I planted returning this year. Last week Casey came by with his crew and dug out the overgrown bushes on the east side and removed all the white rock as well as the large river rocks that outlined the garden.
Jerry is now building a brick wall around the space and we will fill it with more flowers etc. He can bring about 40 bricks home from 'NARDS in his truck at one time and that's about enough for him to work with at one time so it works out well. This is the "in-progress" picture. I'll send another one or two when it is completed and planted.
So -- I'll have to say "my man's still got it!"
Sunday, June 22, 2008
We arrived home safely about 6:30 tonight. It was great to see everyone, and I have to give a special thanks to the kids that came too! I'm sure it wasn't considered an "exciting" day but hopefully someday you'll look back on it as a special memory (even though the pool wasn't working!) and be glad you attended the first Worldwide Klopfenstein Reunion.
As we sat listening to one of the speeches, I thought that this song from Steve Green would have been appropriate.
As we sat listening to one of the speeches, I thought that this song from Steve Green would have been appropriate.
Find Us Faithful - Steve Green (People Need The Lord)We're pilgrims on the journey
Of the narrow road
And those who've gone before us line the way
Cheering on the faithful, encouraging the weary
Their lives a stirring testament to God's sustaining grace
Surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses
Let us run the race not only for the prize
But as those who've gone before us
Let us leave to those behind us
The heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives
Chorus:
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
May the fire of our devotion light their way
May the footprints that we leave
Lead them to believe
And the lives we live inspire them to obey
Oh may all who come behind us find us faithful
After all our hopes and dreams have come and gone
And our children sift though all we've left behind
May the clues that they discover and the memories they uncover
Become the light that leads them to the road we each must find
Repeat Chorus
I guess I think a lot about the future generations after we've come and gone, and it inspires me to leave a footprint they can follow. Anyway, it was a fun weekend!
SUCCESSFUL REUNION
We arrived home about 2:30 this afternoon. It was about a 4 hour 45 minute trip for us including a food and gas stop and driving 60 mph on a mostly 2 lane highway.
The reunion was a great success - nearly 300 people there from far and near - including a barefoot (homeless?) man in a green t-shirt and a ponytail who I think enjoyed a delicious meal with the rest of us.
I think Lynn and Cousin Tom and anyone else who helped organize this reunion deserves a big hand. I mostly just walked around and enthusiastically said "Hi Cousin" to everyone. I'm hoping someone will post some pictures. The Klopfenstein name seems to be quite prominent in the Fort Wayne/Leo/Graybill area. We saw several business's with that name - including the huge furniture store to which the K Inn & Suites was attached.
Those present from the Peter/Sophia Clan were Larry/Nancy Stahl; the Morton Paul K and his Betty; Ang, Kelsie, Heater, Nathan; Jason, Janice, Zac, Noah, Miles; Lynn/Mim; Rhoda; Mary/Joey; Perry/Carol; Jerry and me. Alice/Keith were there but Alice got sick and didn't want to infect the others, so they left early.
A good time was had by all. Thanks, Lynn and Mim
The reunion was a great success - nearly 300 people there from far and near - including a barefoot (homeless?) man in a green t-shirt and a ponytail who I think enjoyed a delicious meal with the rest of us.
I think Lynn and Cousin Tom and anyone else who helped organize this reunion deserves a big hand. I mostly just walked around and enthusiastically said "Hi Cousin" to everyone. I'm hoping someone will post some pictures. The Klopfenstein name seems to be quite prominent in the Fort Wayne/Leo/Graybill area. We saw several business's with that name - including the huge furniture store to which the K Inn & Suites was attached.
Those present from the Peter/Sophia Clan were Larry/Nancy Stahl; the Morton Paul K and his Betty; Ang, Kelsie, Heater, Nathan; Jason, Janice, Zac, Noah, Miles; Lynn/Mim; Rhoda; Mary/Joey; Perry/Carol; Jerry and me. Alice/Keith were there but Alice got sick and didn't want to infect the others, so they left early.
A good time was had by all. Thanks, Lynn and Mim
RAMBLING ROAD TRAVELING THOUGHTS
Just thought I'd share some rambling thoughts as we traveled back and forth to the Klopfenstein Reunion.
* Is there a McDonald's in 95% of small towns in the USA except Gridley?
* Is Gridley also among the 5% of small towns in the USA without a Casey's Store?
* Is Gridley as "tacky" looking as all the other small towns along the way?
* As we traveled eastward, we noticed an interesting dog kennel place with dogs tied up outside many small sheds.
* As we traveled westward, we noticed that the "dogs" were actually cows tied up outside the sheds - can't figure that one out!
* An Interstate access in a small town's backyard is certainly a boon to the community.
* Are there as many "hillbillys" in Gridley as these small towns.
* Illinois corm looks much better than Indiana corn.
* Think all those unfamiliar Klopfensteins were just as special as "our" Klopfensteins!
Now I better stop before I get into trouble.
* Is there a McDonald's in 95% of small towns in the USA except Gridley?
* Is Gridley also among the 5% of small towns in the USA without a Casey's Store?
* Is Gridley as "tacky" looking as all the other small towns along the way?
* As we traveled eastward, we noticed an interesting dog kennel place with dogs tied up outside many small sheds.
* As we traveled westward, we noticed that the "dogs" were actually cows tied up outside the sheds - can't figure that one out!
* An Interstate access in a small town's backyard is certainly a boon to the community.
* Are there as many "hillbillys" in Gridley as these small towns.
* Illinois corm looks much better than Indiana corn.
* Think all those unfamiliar Klopfensteins were just as special as "our" Klopfensteins!
Now I better stop before I get into trouble.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Klopfenstein Reunion
So the big Klopfenstein Reunion is going on right now. I'll be looking forward to hearing "reports" from those of you who went. I would have enjoyed going but it just didn't work out this time. So instead, Mike's family is coming for a BBQ this afternoon. Supposedly there will be about 30 people here (he has a brother and eight sisters!) but with his family you can never tell--some of the ones who RSVP'd yes might not show up, and some who we never heard from might be here the entire time.
I even contemplated trying to come for Perry II's wedding if the plane fares are right, but we'll see. It would just be nice to see some of you under a less stressful situation than a funeral. However, it's also hard to get away when the family is busy.
I even contemplated trying to come for Perry II's wedding if the plane fares are right, but we'll see. It would just be nice to see some of you under a less stressful situation than a funeral. However, it's also hard to get away when the family is busy.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Busy travel week
I'm back today after a short business trip to Chicago. Several of us from Marketing at State Farm met with several from Hallmark. Some of you may know one of my fellow travelers -- Ben Daily. He was a total hoot and made the trip very enjoyable. We had good meals at Weber Grill and Maggiano's. And, had a productive meeting. Now I've got a day to get things in order around here before some of us head to Fort Wayne for the reunion. Traveling from the Wetzel-Celis clan will be me, Kelsie, Heater and Nathan. Jerry and Heather both have to work. We'll see some of you there!
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Quotes I could relate to:
I just came in from sitting outside reading a book - gotta love it...because you know I love the sun...
Here are three good quotes I read:
"If I sit real still, I don't feel a day over twenty!"
"There are worse things than being fat, and one of them is worrying about it all the time." (Right now, I'm on a break from worrying about it. It's wonderful, until I try to get dressed.)
"Don't get fat on things that are only so-so; at least get fat on the things you like a lot."
There's starting to be some good-looking corn on the cob in the stores...so far I've resisted, but now that I've read the above, I do love corn on the cob, so maybe I'll consider it. Don't think there will be any fresh corn yet at the Farmer's Market.
Here are three good quotes I read:
"If I sit real still, I don't feel a day over twenty!"
"There are worse things than being fat, and one of them is worrying about it all the time." (Right now, I'm on a break from worrying about it. It's wonderful, until I try to get dressed.)
"Don't get fat on things that are only so-so; at least get fat on the things you like a lot."
There's starting to be some good-looking corn on the cob in the stores...so far I've resisted, but now that I've read the above, I do love corn on the cob, so maybe I'll consider it. Don't think there will be any fresh corn yet at the Farmer's Market.
Monday, June 16, 2008
NEW BAGS
I thought I would share my new creations with you. These are really fun and easy to make and it's fun to mix/match colorful fabrics. Michelle gets the next one - it will be black, white, and yellow.
I also have another new pattern that I want to make next week. If it turns out good, I'll show you.
Have a good evening. Ada
Weekend with Whitney
I can’t say I had a real Father’s Day weekend, but I had a great Niece’s Evening. Whitney was in a wedding in my area on Saturday afternoon. I picked her up after the wedding and got to spend Saturday evening with her. We headed to Grand Haven to walk the pier along the channel out into Lake Michigan. She had a new camera from graduation, and she took some very cool shots. It was chilly and very, very windy. We got blasted a few times as the water hit the pier and washed up and sometimes over it. Walking back we were hit from behind with wind gusts of 40 mph and thought we would get rained on; however, we made it back to the car with only a few sprinkles. We didn’t stay for the http://grandhaven.org/fountain/fountainhomefrm.html—not real exciting for a 21-year old anyway!
I’ve never spent time with just Whitney so it was really nice to connect with her on a different level than ever before. She’s maturing into a wonderful young lady, and I look forward to seeing how God directs her life as she makes some major life decisions regarding work.
The only downside to the short time with her was getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get her to a 7:30 flight!
I’ve never spent time with just Whitney so it was really nice to connect with her on a different level than ever before. She’s maturing into a wonderful young lady, and I look forward to seeing how God directs her life as she makes some major life decisions regarding work.
The only downside to the short time with her was getting up at 5:30 a.m. to get her to a 7:30 flight!
IT'S OFFICIAL
Well, I'm sorry to say, that I am now officially OLD! I just received my Medicare Card so I'll just have to give in and "suck it up". However, I want you to know that, in spite of this development, I do not intend to "act my age" - but I do, on the other hand, expect all of you to treat me with my "due respect". So there you are!
This has, of course, been a while in-the-making, with letters to read and forms to fill out -- all of which left me quite confused and befuddled (probably because I'm old), but apparently I've done it correctly because now I have my card. I know you are all thinking as you read this, "she's losing it", but Jerry has been telling me that for awhile - so there you are!
This has, of course, been a while in-the-making, with letters to read and forms to fill out -- all of which left me quite confused and befuddled (probably because I'm old), but apparently I've done it correctly because now I have my card. I know you are all thinking as you read this, "she's losing it", but Jerry has been telling me that for awhile - so there you are!
Saturday, June 14, 2008
HAPPY FATHER'S DAY
Today is a gorgeous, sunny, clear day in Gridley. Jerry has the yard all spruced up and is washing the car at this moment, I have the laundry done and house cleaned, and we will be heading to Vernon Hills this afternoon to spend some time with Drake and Michelle and their children with two purposes in mind: celebrating Father's Day and watching Grace play softball this evening. We are looking forward to this family time.
We want to wish ALL the father's in our extended family a Happy Father's Day.
As I watched some of NBC's Today Show with all the flooding, fires, and the sudden death of a famous newsman, I realized how fortunate we are and how thankful we should be for our family, our health, and all our blessings. Love you all.
We're also looking forward to a fun time in Indiana next weekend and hope to see some of you there.
We want to wish ALL the father's in our extended family a Happy Father's Day.
As I watched some of NBC's Today Show with all the flooding, fires, and the sudden death of a famous newsman, I realized how fortunate we are and how thankful we should be for our family, our health, and all our blessings. Love you all.
We're also looking forward to a fun time in Indiana next weekend and hope to see some of you there.
Thursday, June 12, 2008
Ants!
We have ants here in Eureka. Over the winter we would see some in our bathroom when the weather would get warmer. Finally we called Terminex and they came out and baited outside. With all the rain we've had lately they have been washed out of their nests. Jerime sprayed for weeds all around the house and now they are really thick! This morning I woke up to a nice line marching in from the window, down the wall, to a huge line crawling up into our kitchen garbage! Yuck!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
My Turn!
If you want a good worthwhile biography reflecting innovation and imagination, check out "Employee Number 2: The Story of John Cook and Cook's Pest Control." 168 pages of enjoyable reading of a real life. Contact Mary Medlen to acquire a copy. I'm almost finished.
I've more or less "started" on "Darwin's Plantation" subtitled "Evolution's Racist Roots." Dr. A. Charles Ware and Ken Ham examine the racist historical roots of evolutionary thought and what the Bible has to say about the disturbing issue.
I've more or less "started" on "Darwin's Plantation" subtitled "Evolution's Racist Roots." Dr. A. Charles Ware and Ken Ham examine the racist historical roots of evolutionary thought and what the Bible has to say about the disturbing issue.
Who Do I Look Like?
Judy said she thought the picture of my mom that Cleve posted looked like me when I was little. I thought that was interesting/funny since I could count on one hand the number of times I've been told I look like Mom.
However, I have been told many, many, many times that I look just like my father so I thought I'd share a few stories about that.
About 1990 I was working part-time at Berean Bookstore in Sheridan Village. I would have been late 20s then. A lady walked into the store, looked at me behind the counter, and said, "You must be related to Lynn Klopfenstein." She had no idea who I was and since Dad was in AL and I was in IL, my co-workers were about floored!
When I'm told that I look just like my father, my standard reply is, "Thank you. I've always wanted to look like a 75 year old balding man." It's meant as a joke, and Dad laughs about it. He even tells people that one.
About 10 years ago Dad sent an e-mail that said there was software attached that would take your picture through the monitor. Just look at the monitor, smile, and click the button. When you did so, the monitor would flash "processing . . . your picture will show in the monitor in 10 seconds" and then count down. At the end of the time a picture of an chimpanzee showed on the screen. I replied to Dad, "Dad, I've been told all my life that I look just like you, but I've never been able to see it until this picture." He laughed about that as well.
--Rhoda
However, I have been told many, many, many times that I look just like my father so I thought I'd share a few stories about that.
About 1990 I was working part-time at Berean Bookstore in Sheridan Village. I would have been late 20s then. A lady walked into the store, looked at me behind the counter, and said, "You must be related to Lynn Klopfenstein." She had no idea who I was and since Dad was in AL and I was in IL, my co-workers were about floored!
When I'm told that I look just like my father, my standard reply is, "Thank you. I've always wanted to look like a 75 year old balding man." It's meant as a joke, and Dad laughs about it. He even tells people that one.
About 10 years ago Dad sent an e-mail that said there was software attached that would take your picture through the monitor. Just look at the monitor, smile, and click the button. When you did so, the monitor would flash "processing . . . your picture will show in the monitor in 10 seconds" and then count down. At the end of the time a picture of an chimpanzee showed on the screen. I replied to Dad, "Dad, I've been told all my life that I look just like you, but I've never been able to see it until this picture." He laughed about that as well.
--Rhoda
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
More About My Dad--Follow up on Cleve's Suggestion
Our dad was twenty-eight years when he was welding a gasoline tank that had been empty for a year--but had some residual gasoline fumes. The resulting explosion took his life and that of a bystander, who was watching. I was nineteen months and my brother Chuck was three months. You can imagine how devastating this was for my mother. In 1930 the Great Depression was at its height. No funds were available for widows and dependent children and we moved in with my grandmother.
She said that as long as she had food, we would have food. The Lord provided well and we never lacked for anything that we needed. Like Ronald Reagan: "We were poor, but didn't know it!" Mother had the home that our dad had provided and rented it to folks that never did pay the rent. Apparently they didn't have any money either.
We never went through the pain of losing a father, but memories of a dad are a vacuum. Mother did not talk much about the past. She felt that the Lord permitted this in His plan for her life. I never heard her complain about being a widow at such a young age and this not complaining is an inspiration to me. At her death in 1980, she had been a widow for fifty years and one day.
My dad became a Christian just before emigrating to the States from the Black Forest area in Germany. To meet him in heaven is one of many reasons I look forward to that day referred to in I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
She said that as long as she had food, we would have food. The Lord provided well and we never lacked for anything that we needed. Like Ronald Reagan: "We were poor, but didn't know it!" Mother had the home that our dad had provided and rented it to folks that never did pay the rent. Apparently they didn't have any money either.
We never went through the pain of losing a father, but memories of a dad are a vacuum. Mother did not talk much about the past. She felt that the Lord permitted this in His plan for her life. I never heard her complain about being a widow at such a young age and this not complaining is an inspiration to me. At her death in 1980, she had been a widow for fifty years and one day.
My dad became a Christian just before emigrating to the States from the Black Forest area in Germany. To meet him in heaven is one of many reasons I look forward to that day referred to in I Thessalonians 4:16-17.
Successful Restraint
Yesterday was the used book sale again...I had planned an outing for our Bible Study, which takes a break over the summer. We met at the book sale, then went to Cracker Barrel for lunch and we were to "show and tell" what we were planning to read over the summer. It was a lot of fun. Very interesting to watch the group at the sale...one was just like me, fascinated with all the books, filling boxes, even called her kids to come and check it out. A few were enjoying it and reasonably choosing a few select books they were interested in. One I could tell wasn't sure she really wanted to touch the used books. I walked away with only one box of assorted books. Right now I'm reading a lighthearted book, "But I Wouldn't Have Missed It For The World (The Pleasures and Perils of an Unseasoned Traveler.) What are you reading this summer?
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Picture ID guessing game
A quick guessing contest: Who are the 2 people in this picture and approximate year?
Clue: We all know one of the 2, most of us know both. (A certain person/family is not eligible to participate...you people know who you are. Let's leave this up to the others for a few days). This is amazing! Try to take a guess at BOTH people. Remember, you can click on the photo to enlarge it. CLEVE
W. Michigan weather
While we haven't had tornadoes or even the sirens going off here in W. Michigan, we've certainly had our share of stormy weather. Last night Hudsonville got 5.5" of rain in just a couple of hours. The street leading to my condo had about 6" of standing water and today the muck fields are flooded as I've not seen them in four years. In about an hour we have another storm hitting.
This makes day four of afternoon/evening thunderstorms. I keep thinking that I wish we could send some of this to Alabama and SC!
This makes day four of afternoon/evening thunderstorms. I keep thinking that I wish we could send some of this to Alabama and SC!
Double Header, Double Feature, Twisters, and Webcams
Our day was pretty typical in some ways yesterday and in other ways not.
The typical part: Grace and Owen each had a baseball / softball game at the same time on opposite sides of town. (Grace took this picture of Owen last weekend with her new camera, a 9th birthday gift.) We met afterwards for lunch and ice cream. Then Owen and I ran some errands while Michelle and Grace went to Toys-R-Us to buy a splash pool for the back yard - it's been 90F and humid the last few days. Michelle had a "Sex in the City" outing with about 40 women so she was out the door while I did some boat work and the kids played in the pool. The kids and I ordered pizza and watched a movie in the air conditioning.
The not-so-typical part: As the movie ended the tornado alarm was blaring. Turns out a tornado touched down a couple of miles away, fortunately without significant damage. So we just stayed in the basement and watched another movie while the storms passed. The kids were asleep in the basement by the time Michelle got home just in time for a three hour video chat with Angela, Jerry, Jason, and Janice. That was a blast and I hope that becomes more typical.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
State Farm Play Day
One of the great things State Farm does for us is give us our very own carnival on a Saturday in June. Today, I was disappointed when I woke up because it was pouring rain, but the tickets said "rain or shine" so I quickly did some housework, and Nathan and I headed down there. (The carnival is a bit "kiddie" so I didn't take the bigger girls. Besides, they were barely out of bed by the time we got home!) First off, Nathan got the biggest thrill of his life. He finally got to ride a yellow school bus! We parked at Corporate South and rode a bus to State Farm Park, and Nathan was in heaven! Truth be told, he was a little scared on that bus. Once at the park, he got to ride a few rides, feed some farm animals, ride a horse and eat treats galore. He's worn out now, resting in his room despite being covered in mud. The park was so muddy the events of today surely ruined the grass in many places, but sure was a good time! 
The first pic I posted is of Nathan almost completing a whole bag of cotton candy -- look how gooey good it was! When he was done, he said, "Water, water!" The second pic is him on the mini-scrambler. Too funny!That Basement Room
All the comments on that room in the basement have been most interesting. Apparently, it enjoyed a certain focus if not so much then, knowingly, it does at this later date! Isn't it simply wonderful to reflect on days of yore? That's why I wish we'd all do a better job of journaling. Our legacy could be quite helpful to the family heritage.
Friday, June 6, 2008
I'm fine, but...
"I'm fine, but....." is the message that popped up on my blackberry this afternoon while I was at work. I opened the email and read the following: "I had an accident with the lawn mower. I lost control going down the hill and it crashed into the trees and threw me off the back and then died. I don't know how the mower is, I was so shook up, I just crawled out of the trees and left it. I'm pretty sore and shook up... I'M SORRY! Love, Retta" Of course I immediately called to make sure she was ok. When I got home tonight, this is what I found. The first picture is taken from our driveway down the steep hill that runs to the timber along the side of our property. 
She's sore and still shook up, even hours later. But we are very thankful she is okay. This morning Retta called her Accountability Partner and BFF Danette to see how she was doing today. At the end of the converstion, Retta said she was going to mow the yard and Danette said, "Don't you have a kid who can do that?". Retta said she didn't want the kids mowing on the hills because she was worried they might have an accident. She cried for 30 minutes, thankful it was her on the mower, not one of the kids. Makes us realize somtimes we take the simplest things for granted. Praise God Retta is OK too!!
EDK
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
INTERESTING EVENING
We are having our annual VBS at church this week -- quite a big affair with all the school-aged children in their Sunday School rooms, the pre-schoolers in the fellowship hall with babysitters, and all adults in the church. We have guest speakers each evening. Our speaker tonight was Ken Hoerr from Peoria.
As Ken was speaking, the lightly rumbling thunder increased in intensity with some pretty good booms, the lights flickered a few times but never went out. Finally Roger Stoller came barging in from the hallway and said "Excuse me, will everyone please go to their designated shelter areas, there are tornadoes spotted north of town and we need to take shelter." You never saw so many old, feeble people move so fast in your life!
Fortunately, for the last two years, we have had "tornado drills" so everyone knows where to go. Can you see the problem though, as small children were accross the parking lot, children in the ss rooms, etc? We went on in the babyroom - our designated area and waited. About 10 minutes later, they informed us that there was another batch of stormy clouds to the west of town, but we could come out if we wanted to but may have to return to shelter later.
While everyone stayed calm, and I don't know what happened outside the babyroom, it was quite an ending to a nice evening. They did eventually serve the snacks, but many had gotten their kids and left. We noticed as we left the babyroom that there were a lot of people standing in the doorways trying to see the funnel clouds! Oh well!
That was at about 8:30, it is almost 10 now and I believe the threat of tornadoes has passed, but we are still having a thunderstorm and heavy rain.
Probably turn off this computer before the power goes out.
As Ken was speaking, the lightly rumbling thunder increased in intensity with some pretty good booms, the lights flickered a few times but never went out. Finally Roger Stoller came barging in from the hallway and said "Excuse me, will everyone please go to their designated shelter areas, there are tornadoes spotted north of town and we need to take shelter." You never saw so many old, feeble people move so fast in your life!
Fortunately, for the last two years, we have had "tornado drills" so everyone knows where to go. Can you see the problem though, as small children were accross the parking lot, children in the ss rooms, etc? We went on in the babyroom - our designated area and waited. About 10 minutes later, they informed us that there was another batch of stormy clouds to the west of town, but we could come out if we wanted to but may have to return to shelter later.
While everyone stayed calm, and I don't know what happened outside the babyroom, it was quite an ending to a nice evening. They did eventually serve the snacks, but many had gotten their kids and left. We noticed as we left the babyroom that there were a lot of people standing in the doorways trying to see the funnel clouds! Oh well!
That was at about 8:30, it is almost 10 now and I believe the threat of tornadoes has passed, but we are still having a thunderstorm and heavy rain.
Probably turn off this computer before the power goes out.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
We Did It!
Brett & I finished the San Diego Rock & Roll Half Marathon on Sunday. Brett's time: 2:18:33. My time: 3:20:58. We're hooked! We're planning our next race for this fall and probably another fundraiser in the spring.
The guest speaker for our Pasta Party was John "The Penguin" Bingham, a frequent marathoner who prides himself on being in the back of the pack. He tells the story of the 2002 Chicago Marathon, where Daniel Njenga set a world record time of 2:06:16 (since broken). John interviewed him afterward, saying he, too, had run the race.
Njenga asked what his time was.
5:36 was the reply.
"That's a fast mile for a man your age."
"No, no, I ran for 5 hours, 36 minutes."
"...How can anyone run for that long!"
I can run longer than a world record holder!
The guest speaker for our Pasta Party was John "The Penguin" Bingham, a frequent marathoner who prides himself on being in the back of the pack. He tells the story of the 2002 Chicago Marathon, where Daniel Njenga set a world record time of 2:06:16 (since broken). John interviewed him afterward, saying he, too, had run the race.
Njenga asked what his time was.
5:36 was the reply.
"That's a fast mile for a man your age."
"No, no, I ran for 5 hours, 36 minutes."
"...How can anyone run for that long!"
I can run longer than a world record holder!
Monday, June 2, 2008
Lakeside Home
We experienced a heavy downpour in Central Illinois on Friday night. Someone said we got 3.3 inches of rain in 1 hour here in Lexington. Did anyone else get that much in your areas? The roads in front of our house and to the side of our house were completely flooded over. It suddenly looked like we had a house on the lake! Once it quit raining the boys begged to go play in the water. For about 30 seconds I said no, then I decided that is what little kids do, so out they went. It kept them entertained for hours. Things outside have pretty much dried up today. Our leaky basement is drying out too but our house smells like a rotten dish-rag. That's not going to help us get it sold I'm afraid!
Shelley
Worldwide Klopfenstein Reunion
June 20-21, 2008/the dates for the meeting of the numerous Klopfensteins who are invited from around the world.
To date, there 161 registered from 22 states. This has been an awesome experience--hearing from so many Klopfensteins that I never knew existed. Meeting face to face should be even a greater awesome. Plans are coming together quite well and excitement is running high.
If possible, you should plan to attend. This should be a profitable and informative meeting inasmuch as so many have expressed the desire to bring K memorabilia for review. There are some K history books to be on display. Tom K., Mishawaka, IN, has a manuscript on "A People of Faith," the Klopfenstein story. He'll be taking orders.
I just discovered a website, www.gameo.org, which provides an extensive history of the anabaptists persecution in Europe and ultimate emigration to Canada and the United States. Our K line is included.
So--send registrations to www.klopfensteinreunion.com and meet the rest of us in Grabill, IN. More details are available from the youngest oldest EJKer we know!!!
To date, there 161 registered from 22 states. This has been an awesome experience--hearing from so many Klopfensteins that I never knew existed. Meeting face to face should be even a greater awesome. Plans are coming together quite well and excitement is running high.
If possible, you should plan to attend. This should be a profitable and informative meeting inasmuch as so many have expressed the desire to bring K memorabilia for review. There are some K history books to be on display. Tom K., Mishawaka, IN, has a manuscript on "A People of Faith," the Klopfenstein story. He'll be taking orders.
I just discovered a website, www.gameo.org, which provides an extensive history of the anabaptists persecution in Europe and ultimate emigration to Canada and the United States. Our K line is included.
So--send registrations to www.klopfensteinreunion.com and meet the rest of us in Grabill, IN. More details are available from the youngest oldest EJKer we know!!!
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