GREETINGS to all who might be reading this. We had a wonderful time in South Dakota last week. It was great fun to show A. Jo and U. Eldie the sights of that state, starting with a picnic overlooking the Missouri River at Chamberlain, the Corn Palace at Mitchell (they declined going thro' the Doll Museum across the street), exploring the Badlands (with Terry holding the car keys over a big drop-off), shopping the the magnificent Wall Drug, and finally reaching the Black Hills.
The sisters had a very comfortable lodge with three bedrooms and a great room and kitchen, also a huge deck with a hot tub (the grandchildren seemed to monopolize the hot tub, but they had fun). The Smiths and the Petersons golfed on Thursday and Sat. Most everyone drove thro' Custer State Park (I got the closest to the buffalo!), travelled the Needles Highway, discovered the wonders of Mount Rushmore, & saw the animals at Bear Country. Most of the Reutter clan took an hour horse back ride. Bob and Jason rode the "bike" to Spearfish one day. Grandkids did lots of swimming, bouncing, etc. Sat. night we had a delicious catered meal and celebrated J & B's anniversary with memories and gifts. A wonderful time was had by all.
We DID miss all of you who were not there. However, if it makes you feel any better, we decided that another 20 people could possibly have been rather overwhelming.
We did set a date for the 2nd Grush reunion -- the 4th week-end of July, 2011. Please let us know if this is already taken in your planbook or if you see a problem with the date. We also decided to go back to Okoboji -- it seemed to be a better location for most. Sorry, Chris, but Mexico lost out. We'll look into accommodations -- if you have thots' on this, speak up now. Some liked the camp because it had lake access.
ALSO -- concerning the round robin.... Todd, would you please send out another invitation to those who are not on at this point. We will follow up with some calls to those who have not responded in 6 weeks -- approx. the end of August. Also, please call Ranae and see if you can help her get on. Someone was having trouble figuring out how to post a blog, so send all the instructions you can. I know it is easy for you, but it isn't for everyone.
I hear it is still warm in AZ. Hope you had a cool week-end up in the mountains. And that Kerri didn't have to work too hard.
Love you all. We did miss you last week and hope that we can all be together sometime.
A. Sue
Tuesday, July 8, 2008
Tuesday, June 24, 2008
Summer time...
It sounds like Iowa is finally sending all of the water to Missouri and possible drying out. It has been over 110 degrees in Phoenix for 12 straight days (the record is 18 straight days). Kerri and I are both averaging around 12 hours a day at work, 5 days or possible 6 days a week. Life is Good??????
Todd is in Hawaii for a friends wedding and we are working hard. We managed to head up north in the RV last week for several days to get out of the heat. There is a campground that is 97 miles away and 7600 feet elevation, 6500 above Phoenix. It is consistently 25 degrees cooler, very nice.
Not really much going on just wanted to leave a quick note and have a great time in Rapid City!!
Todd is in Hawaii for a friends wedding and we are working hard. We managed to head up north in the RV last week for several days to get out of the heat. There is a campground that is 97 miles away and 7600 feet elevation, 6500 above Phoenix. It is consistently 25 degrees cooler, very nice.
Not really much going on just wanted to leave a quick note and have a great time in Rapid City!!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Hello All
Good to see this thing actually getting used now and then! And with Rhonda now on board (It wasn't too difficult was it Rhonda??), we need to try to get the rest of the cousins on here. If the Aunt Jo and Aunt Jan wouldn't mind giving everyone a little nudge, i will again send out the instructions and invites for them to join here in the next week or so. Hopefully we can get everyone up and running on here!
Also, as a side note, i've added a few more pictures to the slideshow on the right of the Smith family when we were all home in Sioux City last November. You can view the full slide-show by clicking on either the pictures themselves or the link right below them. If you have pictures you would like to share with us, email them to myself (twsmith23@gmail.com) and i will put them up!
Enough of the admin stuff! Things here in AZ are warming up. It's been at or near 100 degrees most of the last week, and i don't think it's going to relent anytime soon. Then again, i was in Kansas City two weekends ago for a wedding and it was 95 and 90% humidity. That was much worse!
I'm off to Hawaii on Sunday the 22nd for a week for another wedding. It seems as though i'm at the age where everyone i know is getting married!
Anyway, as i said i'm glad Rhonda is on here now. Let's work on getting everybody on board! Hope all is well with everyone, especially those in Iowa near the flooding and weather, and talk to you all soon!
Also, as a side note, i've added a few more pictures to the slideshow on the right of the Smith family when we were all home in Sioux City last November. You can view the full slide-show by clicking on either the pictures themselves or the link right below them. If you have pictures you would like to share with us, email them to myself (twsmith23@gmail.com) and i will put them up!
Enough of the admin stuff! Things here in AZ are warming up. It's been at or near 100 degrees most of the last week, and i don't think it's going to relent anytime soon. Then again, i was in Kansas City two weekends ago for a wedding and it was 95 and 90% humidity. That was much worse!
I'm off to Hawaii on Sunday the 22nd for a week for another wedding. It seems as though i'm at the age where everyone i know is getting married!
Anyway, as i said i'm glad Rhonda is on here now. Let's work on getting everybody on board! Hope all is well with everyone, especially those in Iowa near the flooding and weather, and talk to you all soon!
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
I'm Here!!!!!!
Finally I am officially on the Grush Family Round Robin - I think Todd had my wrong email, so it wasn't working. Be sure you have the "k" in rksobecki@comcast.net - or else some other rsobecki is getting my emails.
We are having a cooler June, as was the month of May - so everything is growing at a very slow pace. The kids and I are out of school, but this week we are all helping with Vacation Bible School - Patrick is doing recreation, Rachel is doing snacks, and I'm in the music area - so we are all busy! Rachel also has her first dance recital this Friday at the big downtown theater - so Rachel is a little nervous about this big stage that we have watched Broadway plays on. Then both kids go to church camp next week and John and I celebrate our 24th anniversary!
We will be leaving for 6 days at Yellowstone the end of June, before the jog over to South Dakota for the 50th anniversary party. The last time we had reservations at Yellowstone was in 1988 and the park closed due to the fire on the day we were to drive in - so I have high hopes of seeing the park this time.
Take care and stay dry all you Iowans!
Rhonda
We are having a cooler June, as was the month of May - so everything is growing at a very slow pace. The kids and I are out of school, but this week we are all helping with Vacation Bible School - Patrick is doing recreation, Rachel is doing snacks, and I'm in the music area - so we are all busy! Rachel also has her first dance recital this Friday at the big downtown theater - so Rachel is a little nervous about this big stage that we have watched Broadway plays on. Then both kids go to church camp next week and John and I celebrate our 24th anniversary!
We will be leaving for 6 days at Yellowstone the end of June, before the jog over to South Dakota for the 50th anniversary party. The last time we had reservations at Yellowstone was in 1988 and the park closed due to the fire on the day we were to drive in - so I have high hopes of seeing the park this time.
Take care and stay dry all you Iowans!
Rhonda
Greene Iowa
Jo and Eldie -- Greene, Iowa, made the front page of the Sioux City Journal today showing that almost all of downtown is under water. How awful !! Have the storm waters affected your house? We are praying they don't. I can't even imagine how difficult it will be to recover from the damage that flood waters inflict. And from what I'm reading, it seems like people only have a couple of hours if even that to get out of their homes. How do you even begin to decide what to take, if you have time to get anything out? Anyway, wanted to let you know we were thinking of you and praying your home isn't affected. Take care everyone. Love - Carin
Friday, June 6, 2008
Spring?? in Iowa
I'm not sure any one else is going to write, but we can enjoy each other's greetings.
Rod said he "couldn't remember to do it" -- "out of sight, out of mind". I will take the "old" letters and pictures to Rapid City and see what they say.
What a great 50th party Jan & Bob had last week-end. They figured over 140 people came to greet them, share "ribbon sandwiches" (YUM, Chris!), veggies, cake, punch, and mints/nuts. We found lots of pictures to show, one of Sandy's daughters wore my bridesmaid dress and headpiece. It looked very good for being 50 years old. Our mom was an excellent seamstress -- made all the dresses. She wore probably one of the few dresses she ever bought -- a mauve lace dress with a feather hat that fit close to her head (didn't stick up). Anyway, I think a "good time was had by all". I really appreciated Carin, Dan, and kids for coming up for the day. FAMILY IS IMPORTANT!
Iowa is no fun this spring -- it rains and we have major wind every day! The poor flowers that we did put outside are just struggling to stay alive -- don't have a chance to grow and produce nice blooms.
I love being out of school, but I'm still busy. Golf in the a.m. and the p.m. on Wed. -- so naturally a nap is essential in the afternoon. I'm directing a handbell group of 15 in preparation to go to a festival in Sioux Falls June 19 --22 -- there will be classes, concerts, and rehearsals for a concert on Sunday of 800 ringers. Pretty impressive to play in a group that size. Have started bringing scrapbooks up-to-date--have 2006 finished up! I'm just slightly behind! And we try to golf on Fridays and Sundays when we are in town. Right now I have 3 books to read before they go back to the library next Thursday.
AND, I have discovered a game called "Bookworm" -- I bought it and tried to download it -- took me all week, finally my friend found it on our computer and now I can play it. When I can't sleep at night, I get up and play (this a.m. I played from 12:30 till 2:30). You have to make words, and you get points for the more letters you use, the "special"tiles you use, and the more unique words that you can spell. But BEWARE of the burning tile -- if you don't use it by the time it moves down, you can be DESTROYED. This a.m. I got to level 18 -- that was a first! So you can see, that I could get "hooked". It's "Bookworm Adventure" under Pogo.com -- try it for free if you like word games. I'm hoping it will delay the "Alzheimer's".
I best stop for now -- I have only ironed 10 long sleeved white shirts for Terry this a.m. -- still have that many more short-sleeved and colored to go. What a fun way to spend vacation.
Have a wonderful week-end, wherever you are.
Carolyn
Rod said he "couldn't remember to do it" -- "out of sight, out of mind". I will take the "old" letters and pictures to Rapid City and see what they say.
What a great 50th party Jan & Bob had last week-end. They figured over 140 people came to greet them, share "ribbon sandwiches" (YUM, Chris!), veggies, cake, punch, and mints/nuts. We found lots of pictures to show, one of Sandy's daughters wore my bridesmaid dress and headpiece. It looked very good for being 50 years old. Our mom was an excellent seamstress -- made all the dresses. She wore probably one of the few dresses she ever bought -- a mauve lace dress with a feather hat that fit close to her head (didn't stick up). Anyway, I think a "good time was had by all". I really appreciated Carin, Dan, and kids for coming up for the day. FAMILY IS IMPORTANT!
Iowa is no fun this spring -- it rains and we have major wind every day! The poor flowers that we did put outside are just struggling to stay alive -- don't have a chance to grow and produce nice blooms.
I love being out of school, but I'm still busy. Golf in the a.m. and the p.m. on Wed. -- so naturally a nap is essential in the afternoon. I'm directing a handbell group of 15 in preparation to go to a festival in Sioux Falls June 19 --22 -- there will be classes, concerts, and rehearsals for a concert on Sunday of 800 ringers. Pretty impressive to play in a group that size. Have started bringing scrapbooks up-to-date--have 2006 finished up! I'm just slightly behind! And we try to golf on Fridays and Sundays when we are in town. Right now I have 3 books to read before they go back to the library next Thursday.
AND, I have discovered a game called "Bookworm" -- I bought it and tried to download it -- took me all week, finally my friend found it on our computer and now I can play it. When I can't sleep at night, I get up and play (this a.m. I played from 12:30 till 2:30). You have to make words, and you get points for the more letters you use, the "special"tiles you use, and the more unique words that you can spell. But BEWARE of the burning tile -- if you don't use it by the time it moves down, you can be DESTROYED. This a.m. I got to level 18 -- that was a first! So you can see, that I could get "hooked". It's "Bookworm Adventure" under Pogo.com -- try it for free if you like word games. I'm hoping it will delay the "Alzheimer's".
I best stop for now -- I have only ironed 10 long sleeved white shirts for Terry this a.m. -- still have that many more short-sleeved and colored to go. What a fun way to spend vacation.
Have a wonderful week-end, wherever you are.
Carolyn
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Parkersburg
I keep seeing pictures and video's on the internet of the Tornado in Parkersburg, it seems unbelievable. It is incredible that anyone managed to live through that destruction. I looks like it is only 20 miles south of Uncle Eldie and Aunt Jo, did you have any trouble with the storm or did it completely miss the town of Greene. Good luck with any cleanup.
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