Here's a video I shot today that shows the update of the high school and elementary school demolition. They started the big part of the high school demolition this past week, and it didn't take them long to get rid of what has been an eyesore since June 11. Depressing? A little, but definitely necessary.
I'm assuming much more will be done by the time we get back from traveling to Nebraska for the holidays.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
Jace and Mackenzie Shake It Like It's Hot
Jace has adapted an interesting dance technique to the Christmas songs we've been playing. I'm not quite sure where he got his dance moves, but I think it comes from my side of the family!
Needless to say, this has blackmail written all over it when he gets into high school!
Needless to say, this has blackmail written all over it when he gets into high school!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
OK, so maybe it's not a big surprise to you all, but for a town without a lot of stores left, Casey's opening back up was a big deal to us.
This story begins right after the tornado on June 11. Mackenzie was saying prayers one night when out of nowhere she says, "And I pray that Casey's gets fixed." When we asked her why, she said, "So that we can go get donuts on Saturday mornings again."
Fast forward to this Saturday morning, the day after Casey's was back up and running. She didn't know it had opened up, so we told her we had a surprise. She didn't know what it was, but she was not happy that she didn't get to eat breakfast first.
Jace, on the other hand, just thought it was cool to be riding in the car with his pajamas on!
Mackenzie's frown turned upside down, however, when we pulled up to Casey's and she saw the lights on and cars parked outside. Then she was fighting to get her car seat unbuckled as fast as she could!
After that, they headed straight to the donut aisle before contemplating their first purchases. It was a tough decision!
All that was left was to enjoy the breakfast back at home. Hey, donuts may not be a big deal to you, but to a 4 year old and 2 year old who have had to drive by an empty building for six months, donuts are just about the best food on the planet!
This story begins right after the tornado on June 11. Mackenzie was saying prayers one night when out of nowhere she says, "And I pray that Casey's gets fixed." When we asked her why, she said, "So that we can go get donuts on Saturday mornings again."
Fast forward to this Saturday morning, the day after Casey's was back up and running. She didn't know it had opened up, so we told her we had a surprise. She didn't know what it was, but she was not happy that she didn't get to eat breakfast first.
Jace, on the other hand, just thought it was cool to be riding in the car with his pajamas on!
Mackenzie's frown turned upside down, however, when we pulled up to Casey's and she saw the lights on and cars parked outside. Then she was fighting to get her car seat unbuckled as fast as she could!
After that, they headed straight to the donut aisle before contemplating their first purchases. It was a tough decision!
All that was left was to enjoy the breakfast back at home. Hey, donuts may not be a big deal to you, but to a 4 year old and 2 year old who have had to drive by an empty building for six months, donuts are just about the best food on the planet!
Sunday, November 30, 2008
More Mackenzie-isms
Here's a good story about why kids are great:
Mackenzie was coloring today and brought over a page she had been working on. Nichole commented how well she was doing at staying between the lines, and then she said, "When did you grow up so fast?"
Then Mackenzie says, "Don't worry mom, no matter what I will always be your baby, even when I grow up."
Of course Nichole and I did the usual proud parent response of smiling and giving each other the "aren't we lucky?" look. Then Mackenzie pipes in, "I'll be your baby until I'm 100. Then I'll get a boyfriend."
I can only hope she waits that long!
Mackenzie was coloring today and brought over a page she had been working on. Nichole commented how well she was doing at staying between the lines, and then she said, "When did you grow up so fast?"
Then Mackenzie says, "Don't worry mom, no matter what I will always be your baby, even when I grow up."
Of course Nichole and I did the usual proud parent response of smiling and giving each other the "aren't we lucky?" look. Then Mackenzie pipes in, "I'll be your baby until I'm 100. Then I'll get a boyfriend."
I can only hope she waits that long!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Extreme Home Makeover-Reveal Day
It was a crazy day in Chapman today, as our town size probably tripled (at least) with the "Move That Bus!" day for Extreme Home Makeover. I have a nasty head cold, so I missed out on all of the events, but Nichole was there for most of it.
We got out at 1 p.m. to watch, but the show moved up the events to 11 a.m., so half of the high school students ended up leaving anyway. The actual reveal (much like the entire process) isn't nearly as spontaneous as it looks on the show. They actually filmed the limo shot twice (the first with a fake family!).
The actual "Move That Bus" moment didn't even occur until mid-afternoon, so there were a lot of cold feet by that time! It was worth it, though, because a lot of them will probably be on the show.
After the family went into the house, the crowd was encouraged to go down to the park for a "special show." That show ended up being Gavin Rossdale, and English pop singer who used to be the lead singer for Bush (that's how I remember him). His concert will be part of the 2-hour show.
It was a really neat experience, and from what I've been told it will not be over today. Crews are supposed to stick around for at least another couple of days to finish up loose ends and clean up after themselves. I will be ready to drive to school without having to go a mile out of the way, but it was still worth all of the hassles.
This is a shot from the roof of the neighbor's house (which just happens to be one of my students). It gives you a pretty good idea of how many people were there, although there were a lot more outside of the camera's shot.
A shot from the street
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtXdBe61YJXLWtYjHXzXoCV6zd11FqQ45QZaYQvqRImOYcLTGxkZxgVlrosJyXPQJvC10U5sTDx2oIUqe6vb8_NnIW2AdStj2ifSi-oWp9OZpoLrg92mTxuoWz03rDo_94ieeoHaFfQY/s1600-h/IMG_7629.jpg">
The dad's Fort Riley unit was invited to be part of the festivities.
These are CHS students who were up on the roof watching the action.
Gavin Rossdale performs in front of the community center.
We got out at 1 p.m. to watch, but the show moved up the events to 11 a.m., so half of the high school students ended up leaving anyway. The actual reveal (much like the entire process) isn't nearly as spontaneous as it looks on the show. They actually filmed the limo shot twice (the first with a fake family!).
The actual "Move That Bus" moment didn't even occur until mid-afternoon, so there were a lot of cold feet by that time! It was worth it, though, because a lot of them will probably be on the show.
After the family went into the house, the crowd was encouraged to go down to the park for a "special show." That show ended up being Gavin Rossdale, and English pop singer who used to be the lead singer for Bush (that's how I remember him). His concert will be part of the 2-hour show.
It was a really neat experience, and from what I've been told it will not be over today. Crews are supposed to stick around for at least another couple of days to finish up loose ends and clean up after themselves. I will be ready to drive to school without having to go a mile out of the way, but it was still worth all of the hassles.
This is a shot from the roof of the neighbor's house (which just happens to be one of my students). It gives you a pretty good idea of how many people were there, although there were a lot more outside of the camera's shot.
A shot from the street
href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYtXdBe61YJXLWtYjHXzXoCV6zd11FqQ45QZaYQvqRImOYcLTGxkZxgVlrosJyXPQJvC10U5sTDx2oIUqe6vb8_NnIW2AdStj2ifSi-oWp9OZpoLrg92mTxuoWz03rDo_94ieeoHaFfQY/s1600-h/IMG_7629.jpg">
The dad's Fort Riley unit was invited to be part of the festivities.
These are CHS students who were up on the roof watching the action.
Gavin Rossdale performs in front of the community center.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Extreme Home Makeover-Day 6
I know I wrote earlier that we really aren't supposed to film footage of the week, but the film crews weren't around tonight when we went for our walk, so I'm calling it fair game and have included a video.
It shows four of the major projects. There are other smaller projects, and I'm sure there will be others that we won't even be aware of until we watch the show. For example, they made a flower garden at the assisted living complex for a elderly woman who loved to garden and lost her home, and they also are making a sign as you come into town. Supposedly it is going to be a big arch, like in St. Louis. We'll have to wait and see on that.
The major projects are coming along nicely. The house looks REALLY good, as you can see in the photos and video. The projects at the park seem like they are further away, but I'm sure they will come together by the end.
Here's the link to the video. It's about five minutes long.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2705299609988679460&hl=en
It shows four of the major projects. There are other smaller projects, and I'm sure there will be others that we won't even be aware of until we watch the show. For example, they made a flower garden at the assisted living complex for a elderly woman who loved to garden and lost her home, and they also are making a sign as you come into town. Supposedly it is going to be a big arch, like in St. Louis. We'll have to wait and see on that.
The major projects are coming along nicely. The house looks REALLY good, as you can see in the photos and video. The projects at the park seem like they are further away, but I'm sure they will come together by the end.
Here's the link to the video. It's about five minutes long.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=2705299609988679460&hl=en
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Extreme Home Makeover-Day 4
Sorry for the lack of photos, but my kids took all of the cameras for the weekend, so I don't have much to post. The photos were taken Friday morning by Nichole, so there's been a lot done since then.
The entire high school student body was filmed at the end of Friday when EHM announced that they were giving $50,000 to help rebuild the school. I don't think I got on TV, but it was very cool to see how the business works. My broadcast students have learned a lot in the past few days about how time-consuming every shot is. We filmed the same shot at the high school five times!
There was another "Braveheart Run" today at 7:30. Unfortunately only people over 21 could go, so we couldn't take the kids. I'm not sure what they're building now, but whatever it is I'm sure it will be appreciated. It will be amazing to see everything they did when it's all over.
The entire high school student body was filmed at the end of Friday when EHM announced that they were giving $50,000 to help rebuild the school. I don't think I got on TV, but it was very cool to see how the business works. My broadcast students have learned a lot in the past few days about how time-consuming every shot is. We filmed the same shot at the high school five times!
There was another "Braveheart Run" today at 7:30. Unfortunately only people over 21 could go, so we couldn't take the kids. I'm not sure what they're building now, but whatever it is I'm sure it will be appreciated. It will be amazing to see everything they did when it's all over.
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