Hello? There was a stop sign. I totally paused.

I am not the world's best driver. I have had my fair share of car accidents and tickets. I don't really know why I am such a bad driver. Maybe it's because I learned how to drive from my dad. He was a very fast, aggressive driver and was lucky that he didn't get more speeding tickets in his life. Maybe it's because I don't pay enough attention to the road and follow too close.

I got in my first accident when I was 16 and had my license for only 10 months. I was at a stop sign and I swear I looked but I didn't see that there was a car coming and she hit me. It totally stunk. My car was totalled but luckily(?) my cousin fixed it for me in only 2 months time. Not the world's fastest mechanic. I could usually get rides from friends to and from school but there were several occasions where I had to *gasp* ride the bus. Juniors at my high school didn't ride buses. It was a horrible experience and I learned my lesson. No more accidents during high school. That were my fault.

I got hit by a stupid driver my senior year. She was trying to turn the wrong way through several lanes of traffic and hit me. My car was still drivable. Until I went babysitting one night and the people I was babysitting for hit my car in almost exactly the same spot. Hilarious thing is they hit my car on their way out for their date and didn't come in to tell me. Just went along their merry way and didn't tell me they hit my car until they got home. I guess it was okay since one of the kids cut the straps on their Johnny-Jump-Up while I was supposed to be watching him rendering it totally useless. So after they hit my car it made a horrible scraping noise and I couldn't drive it long distances. I got that fixed finally.

During HS I had several tickets including: running a red light(it was totally yellow), tail light out, violation of noise ordinance (my muffler was broken) and plain old speeding.

While I was at BYU I got only two tickets. Both were for speeding coming down from the point of the mountain near Draper on I-15.

Back in Michigan, I got two speeding tickets but no more accidents until we moved to Toledo. In Toledo, I got hit by a truck. It wasn't serious but annoying since it was my fault.

Then back to Michigan, I've been pulled over by the Plymouth or Canton Police 4 times. Twice for speeding, once for turning the wrong way and once for having expired tags. I ran into my in-laws garage door. Forgot to put car in park. ! I rear ended my husband at a red light following him home from a soccer game. I backed into Anna's car in our driveway. I backed into our neighbor's truck a couple of weeks ago leaving a big dent in the back of my van and $2900 worth of damage to his truck. Yesterday, I got rear-ended by a truck that didn't stop soon enough. Luckily, Chris' Jeep is one tough car. The other guy's truck had the bumper smashed into the front wheels. Chris' Jeep had two minor scratches.

So in 18 years, I've had 8 accidents and 12 tickets. That really sounds horrible when I write it out like that and one might think that my insurance is sky high because of my awful driving record. However, luckily my attorney father-in-law has gotten me off on all of the violations that involved points and had them reduced to violations that had no points. Also it doesn't hurt that Chris is in Rotary Club with the judge.

If you see my giant van coming down the road, go the other way. I've been voted number one driver but not in a good way.

Thankful Thursday 8/7/08

1. Beaches

2. Cold water

3. Free sewing machines

4. Sour Watermelon Slurpees

5. Free baby clothes

I wouldn't sell my bike for all the money in the world. Not for a hundred million, trillion, billion dollars!

Riding bikes in the summer is a glorious activity. Growing up in Toledo, riding bikes is what I did all summer long. I got my first two-wheeler when I was 5. It was orange and I loved everything about it. I rode it around and around and around and around the block. It saved me from various scary neighborhood dogs and helped me achieve respect from several neighborhood boys who would let me play with them because my bike wasn't pink. I was a rider in the days before the helmet craze. If you were crashing, you were hurting. I was a rider in the days of the banana seat and the giant pole with a flag attached. I loved my bike.

One evening my mom and I went for a bike ride/walk to our neighborhood park. There was a baseball game going on and we saw some friends we knew. I had ditched my bike in the grass to play on the play equipment. After the game was over, the friends offered to take us in their car to get ice cream. My bike was forgotten as we piled into their car. The next morning, I went out to our garage and was confused at not seeing my bike parked in its usual spot. I ran inside yelling to my mom that my bike was stolen. She came out and was as perplexed as I was as to where my bike was. Then I remembered...I left it at the park! As fast as my little seven year old legs could carry me, I headed for the park. I can still remember the feeling of panic and fear of losing my bike and hoping it would still be there. I searched everywhere but it was gone. I walked home crying bitterly all the way. My precious bike! I had lost it! A few days later one of the boys in our neighborhood came over with his dad. He had seen my bike at another kid's house. Apparently that kid had taken my bike home from the baseball game and since it wasn't pink, he was keeping it. The boy and his dad went with my dad over to Bike Stealers house and retrieved my bike for me. I can remember sitting on the front porch dying with anticipation at being reunited with my bike. It was wonderful to have it back. We bought the neighborhood boy a toy for his reward for finding my bike for me. I never lost my bike again!

When I was 10, I graduated to a 10-speed bike. This bike and I were friends for a long time. We knew every uneven piece of pavement in the neighborhood that would send you flying when you hit it. We found the driveway that was really steep and fun to go sailing down. We spread our wings together riding to the library and Burger King and friends houses. Anna and I would go for bike rides after dinner. I remember how fun that was. I can remember the first time I let her ride her bike alone around our block. I'll never forget the panic I felt when she didn't return in what I thought was a reasonable time. I started running in the direction that she should come back from and pretty soon I could see her. There she was just happily riding unaware of the panic I was feeling. I stopped and composed myself so she wouldn't know how worried I was. She was so proud for riding all the way around the block all by herself.

I left that 10 speed at home when I left and I haven't had a bike of my own since even though I really long for one. The last experience I had on a bike was several years ago at Lifetime Fitness. I thought I would give one of the biking classes a try. Much to my surprise, those seats were painful! I couldn't stand it. I left the class before it started.

My children were all given bikes by their grandparents recently. Emily got hers a few summers ago and Christopher, Calvin and Spencer all got theirs this summer. Christopher and Calvin just on Monday. Yesterday they rode up and down our street and I sat in a lawn chair and watched them. They had so much fun and it brought back so many biking memories for me. Someday I hope we are in a situation where I can have a bike too and go with them. I don't know if I'll remember how, but it's riding a bike...you just don't forget.

Emily's scootering because her bike needs a repair.

You won't get any dancing here, it's illegal. Jump Back!!

One of my favorite summertime events for many years has been Music in the Park. Music in the Park is a gathering of children and moms and dads from the community in Kellogg Park, Plymouth. They gather to hear performers and dance and eat lunch and have fun. We have been faithful Music in the Park patrons since we moved here in 2001. Each Wednesday morning, I would get up early and throw blankets and chairs in my car and drive them up to the park and set them out so that we would be guaranteed a good spot in the front. In the beginning years, when Emily and Christopher were small, they would run up to the stage and dance the entire time of the performance. I began to notice a change in their enthusiasm about 2 years ago. Calvin does not like the spotlight and Spencer doesn't want to dance by himself. Emily and Christopher refuse to go anywhere near the dancers. So we sit on the blanket and eat our lunch and listen to the music. Today marked a new low in the experience for me when Emily declared that she didn't want to go and couldn't she just stay home. :( She stayed home and I took the boys and Anna and Lucy. Here's what my boys did for the hour we were there: Tore up styrofoam cups into tiny pieces, complained that it was too loud, dug in the dirt, begged for lemonade from Main Street Bank, signed up to win drawings for prizes, made faces at Lucy, laid on the blanket covering their ears, peeled all the labels off the water bottles, begged to go to see the fountain. So not only was Emily not there, but my boys weren't interested in the music or dancing. Little Lucy danced with Anna and I'll bet next summer she'll be on the sidewalk dancing her little heart out. Maybe she'll be able to get Cameron out there with her. Maybe you are wondering why I continue to go in spite of all the opposition I am receiving. It's 'cause I really like the music and the atmosphere. I like it and I'm going and I guess anyone under 12 in our family has to go too. So there.

My kids enjoying Music in the Park several years ago.

My kids today.

Pool and a pond... Pond be good for you.

Today we participated in the RS Beach Party. The kids and I had so much fun. It was hosted by Lisa Nielsen, whose parents were so nice to let us use the private beach owned by their neighborhood. There was a shallow, roped off area for the little ones and a deeper area with a high dive platform for the bigger ones. My kids just loved every minute of it. I think we left with 50 pounds of sand in our car. I love the vinyl floor and seats. I can just sweep it right out!

Cameron loved the water and the sand.

Calvin having fun.

Anna and Lucy had fun too!

Spence loved the giant Shamu

We buried Calvin in the sand.

Christopher and Emily on the platform.

Weekly Top Five 8/4/08

Top Five Favorite Material Things My Mother Ever Gave Me

1. Flowered jewelry box from Avon.

2. Hand-crocheted baby outfit for my Cabbage Patch doll.

3. "I Walk By Faith" album.

4. Her copy of "Jane Eyre."

5. My first tape ever, "Whitney Houston" by Whitney Houston.

No one, and I mean no one, comes into our house and pushes us around.

Today was significant for two reasons. Number one, Emily got the Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer book and has had her nose buried in it since she got home this morning at 12:30. Here's a link to Anna's post about the party at Barnes and Noble. I think she might have slept a little. She is right now planted on the couch anguishing over an issue with a baby. I have not read the Twilight series for reasons that I keep to myself. I'm glad Emily is enjoying it.

Number two, it was equipment pick up for Steelers football. Christopher (CV) and Calvin (LV-little Vos) went with me to the field to pick up their helmets and shoulder pads and girdle and 7 white pads and vest and practice pants and practice jersey and game pants and game jersey and socks and butt pad and belt and mouth guard. I think I got it all. They got weighed and checked out and butt slapped more times than I can count. After that we went to buy the all important "athletic supporter." Best quote of the day was from Christopher, who said when I held up one cup, "Mom, I think it's kind of big." He was right. They got cleats with the proper number of molded cleats in the bottom and Daddy got a whistle to get their attention. There's lots of testosterone in our house today. Poor Emily tolerates it the best she can. Soon we'll have a little more estrogen here. I'm not sure that's such a great thing either tho. The emotions of a 12 year old girl...another time, another post. Little Spencer (MV-mini Vos) got in the action by wearing CV's helmet from last season. Everyone is excited for the start of football practice on Monday. This season we are trying to cope with the fact that the boys only get to play in two games because 6 of the 8 are on Sunday. It was a no-brainer decision for us...Sabbath observance or Football...hmmm. We chose Sabbath observance. However, I was surprised by the reaction of others. Many, many coaches and parents have tried to convince us that we should play. Some of their reasons are: we can go to church on Saturday, we can go to church earlier, we could talk to our pastor and get special permission, and it's a family activity. Several of the parents and coaches, however, admire our ability to live our faith. I hope our example touches someone. I hope next year more games are on Saturday. We are all praying for games to be moved this season still. This is a righteous desire, right? It could happen. I am also praying that the birth of our baby doesn't conflict with any of the games. The two we can attend are September 13 and October 4. I think we should be ok. I'll have the baby on the 19th and we'll be ready to go on by the 4th. Do you hear me, Lizzie? Please plan your arrival around football season or Daddy might not make it to the hospital!!

Where Em's been all day.

Buffalo Stance

READY!!

Brotherly Love. Don't you love Spence's different colored Crocs?

Let's get tough!!

The tubs of gear. Chris asked me where I'm going to store them. I suggested his side of the bed. He didn't find that amusing. Notice the box beside the tubs. Spence brought that out. It's for his gear. Cute!