That Time of Year...

* every cookout always ends with rides on the zipline *

Gas Station Adventures Part 2

We had a major dejavoo moment after the boys' basketball game Friday night.  So get a mental picture of this...

It's 10:15pm.  A car full of tired and crabby people - we won't say who was who in this story.  With our gas gauge blinking on empty, I figured the responsible thing would be to pull into the dark gas station and fill up... right?!  Right -- well, ok.  All was right except the part of leaving the key turned so I could roll down the windows.

Ok.  How lame is it that less than five minutes of battery usage like that would drain the dumb thing and leave us stranded???

 

Stupid.  I KNOW!  Thankfully our friends from across the field had followed us.  So we jumped out to quickly fix the problem.

Ok.  So maybe it wasn't quite as quick as we hoped.  There were a few minor problems to overcome.  

First.  This precious Couch we were driving had collided with another unlucky deer two weeks prior which left the hood completely crunched in.  This isn't actually the problem.  The problem is that the new mis-match hood that replaced it doesn't latch.  Well, doesn't latch on it's own.  It's being held down by miles of wire which made it very difficult to untangle.  

Second.  Hours later - it seemed - when the wire had been untangled, we discover the hood had been jammed down in the latch to aid in it's security.  This posed a new problem which also took hours - it seemed - and many object hitting it to resolve.  

Only with the amazing help of strong, handsome men, were we able to get the hood up, the battery charged, the hood re-jammed and wired shut before going on our merry way.  

Go figure.  Just another day in the life!

Several hours - it seemed - into this tedious process, we remembered the camera in the car.  Grace took these two pictures before that battery died.

Go figure.

(Of course it's the only shot we have and I'm the only one looking like a total retard... oh well.)

Sadie, Kayla, Amber

Our cousins three kids have the tradition of spending the weekend after Thanksgiving with us.  They are always so good and fun to have around. 

Sadie and Kayla - 4

Amber - 6, Grace, Sadie, Kayla, Beth Aubrey

When Chmelar's Get Stranded.

It can be a dangerous thing when we are sitting at a deserted gas station at ten o'clock at night... - Here's what happens - 

- Dancing - 

- Impersonations - 

(how do you like my impersonation of a brick wall?!) 

-The Discovery of The Fire Extinguisher - 

Ok, ok... I know - we're killin you.  So we'll stop.

- - - 

Goodbye

A New Friend...

On Monday night we had a new friend over for supper and games.  He is the campaign manager for Jarad Klein - the man running for state representative in our district.  It was fun getting to know him better and boy did we have FUN!!!!

From a typical Chmelar supper (which he lived to tell about!), to bowls flying across the table, to dancing and music, and then a wild game of charades, it was a night full of laughs!  We all hope he comes again real soon!  Here's a little look into our night...

- Guesstures - 

Cards in order...

Tap the top...

AND ACT!!!!

(I'll just say when the losing team rocketed ahead in the final round, the whole room erupted in wild delight!  I'm surprised the floor didn't give way!)

- LAUGHTER - 

"A merry heart doeth good like medicine"

Proverbs

The Summer's Last Hurrah!

The last weekend of September is always the Kalona Fall Festival... where we've been selling corn dogs for the past four years.  We were up and out early this morning to get the fryer frying the fried dogs.  K, that's really corny.  HEHEHE!!! ;)  I'll stop now.  

Here's what's happenin'

We gotta get ready cuz we have to take the stage tomorrow morning at ten and give an hour program.  Anybody care to come for moral support?!?!

Old Threshers Reunion 2008

So I have decided to take somebody's advice and post some pictures of OT.  Even though it is not really news more like history.  We still talk about it and laugh over all the great memories! Here are a few picture.  Enjoy! 

This is were all the cooks live during OT.  and my Mom happens to be one of them.  The food is to die for.  It's all cooked over an open fire and it takes all day!  Thank you cooks!
We got to OT on wed. and got to watch the parade.  Some of our log village family was in it.  
Preparing the inside of the tent for all the bedding.  (it was like the great exodus)
Tim along with Grace and Beth (his two side kicks) were instrumental in making sure the van was loaded and that we didn't forget anything.  They did a great job!  "Are you sure you have everything Tim?!?"  :p    
Not many moms would rough it for five days and four nights in a tent in the middle of Aug. But our Mom isn't like many moms.  WE LOVE YOU AND THINK 'you adorable!'  

Nicole feeding her face...  Have i ever mentioned how much fun I'm having with this girl?!?!
The school children
Micky=D
A bunch of us on a trolly.  We were really squished on those two benches. 

After supper is over, dishes washed, chores done, and lanterns are lit, everyone gathers around the porch and the instruments come out and we play good old country folk tunes and dance the virginia reel.  It's all in a days work at the Log Village.  Can't wait for next year!