First Time Bowling

Ashley and Jordan bowled for the first time last Saturday November 18, 2006. In the picture you can see Ashley or was it Jordan (it was a team sport) watching the ball go down the lane. Hailey was also interested in why we were throwing the ball. Several times the girls would both lay belly down at the foul line and watch as the ball slowly made its approach on the pins.

The Village

On my recent trip to Wilburton I returned with the village. I remember Tim and I visiting the village often in the 1970's. The old town is showing its age. Businesses have shut down moving to the big city or overseas. I remember a Holiday Inn most likely torn down. Banners and signs on buildings no longer exist. There are not as many people as I recall living there. Citizens moving on or just getting lost through the years of change. The years of neglect and not enough residences have caused the city to show its age.

Jordan, Ashley and Hailey Duncan have revitalized the town. It is all new to them. They love visiting the village. Since Hailey started crawling she is right in the middle of her sisters.

The village is alive again!

Book Review: The Gunslinger

Just wrapped up one of my few excursions into the world of Stephen King. Melissa is a huge fan and has read just about everything he's ever written (and that's a lot of stuff!) except the Dark Tower series. I don't know why it never appealed to her. Maybe because it was a series of books and not a one-shot like his usual fare. Whatever it was, I decided to get her the first set in the series (there are seven installments now!) for Christmas last year. Tis the season, after all.

She has yet to read a single one yet.

Now I know why.

She started reading it one evening in the Spring. She had a perplexed look on her face. She tried again the next night. She then proceeded to explain how great Stephen King can craft a riveting tale... usually.

The Gunslinger, the first installment of the series, follows the path of the titular character, a man named Roland who incessantly chases after "the man in black". He crosses deserts, mountains and pitch dark tunnels in his pursuit. Sounds riveting, doesn't it? But I can't tell you for the life of me why he did it. Or why he didn't shoot the guy when he caught up with him (oh, yeah, hate to spoil it for you but he catches up in the end for whatever good it does him). I mean he was The Gunslinger after all!

But instead they spend there entire time talking at each other. Which isn't inherently bad. It would help to give the reader a clue about what they were talking about, though. I still don't know why Roland chased down this guy, who this guy was, or what exactly happened to this guy in the end. It was all just a very long waste of time, in my humble opinion.

There are hordes of King junkies out there who compare The Dark Tower series of books to The Lord of the Rings.

Well, I know The Lord of the Rings and you, sir, are no Tolkien!

NFL Picks

This NFL season Greg, Julie, Jordan and Ashley are picking our NFL teams week to week. Hailey decided to sit out this season. So far it is a close race. After week ten our correct pick percentage is: Greg 60%, Julie 50%, Jordan 55% and Ashley at 62%. In week ten Greg picked 12 out of 16, Julie 12/16, Jordan 8/14, and Ashley with an off week of 7/14. In week five Ashley had 12 out of 14. She picked Green Bay over St.Louis in a close one that went to the Cardinals (23 to 20). Her other lost that week was picking Tennessee over Indianapolis. The Colts came back in the 4th to win that one 14 to 13. Ashley picked 12/16 in week two. Weeks seven thru nine she was 10 out of 14 each week. Dallas is an automatic pick (grandpa's team). Although I've noticed the girls are not picking Dallas each week. How are your teams doing?

Yeah, it's been awhile...

Sorry I haven't posted in such a long while. I guess we've all been very busy in our own little worlds lately. Let me see if I can sum up the last couple of months.

We moved. Oh, yeah. You already knew that.

Well what you might not know is that moving can be a traumatic life event. It can rip the very fabric of one's social life apart. Friends get left behind, some never to be seen again. It's all very depressing.

But, seeing as Melissa and I have no social life or friends, we've been getting along famously! Cassie's made lots of new Friends at school and really likes her new teacher Mr. Tally. She's also been cheering for the Norman Optomist Club Football League - though she's had some issues with her coach.

Melissa's been keeping busy with working at the Omniplex on weekends every now and then, helping out with the youth program at our new church, Goodrich United Methodist, and coaching a group of cheerleaders for the Norman Optomist Club Football League.

And I've been working.

So now you're all caught up! Now... what have YOU been doing?