A Good Cry

I once sang a solo at Trinity and one of the lyrics really came to mind the other day, "He traded a song for the tears and the sighs, broken dreams and goodbyes." I was young and still bullet proof so I sang the song and blazed right through the words. Tears, sighs, broken dreams and goodbyes seemed far away from my experience. The evening of Mom's birthday they seemed all too real. As I sat remembering the last year the tear count was pretty high. The hurricane, Mom's death, the job change, it all seemed overwhelming. I have spent the last couple of days in a little bit of a funk. But today, it was really funny, Blaine put on the Avenue Q CD and played the final song, "Everything in Life is only for now." It's a riotously funny song about how everything is moving and changing, no one is completely satisfied, and it's all okay because it's only for now. The cycle will turn again. Dawn is coming. Once more into the breach...

Caleb's turning 12!

I still can't believe I'm the mom of a middle schooler! I don't FEEL that old! Haha...
Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know that we are celebrating the past dozen years on Saturday October 10th. If anyone is in the San Antonio area and wants to drop by we would love to have you. It will be at our house about mid day-ish. There will be an airsoft war going on early that morning for any GI Joe wannabees and I was thinking we'd do cake, ice cream, and gifts around 1:30. If anything changes I will be sure to update this post.

Mom's Birthday Favorites

I've been thinking about mom a lot the last few days and I've realized that it has been a very long time since I was actually with her on her birthday. It may have been my senior year in high school. So I'm stuggling to remember what some of her favorite practices were on that day. What can any of you tell me? What did she like to do? Where did she like to eat? Did she have a favorite dessert she liked to eat on that day? (Having just typed the word dessert reminds me of how I remember how to spell it. It was mom who told me that desert had one s and dessert had two s's because you always wanted a second!)

I think about you guys a lot more than I ever tell you! My bad!

Keith

Olmos Pharmacy

Well, another landmark from our past has joined the ranks of what was. Friday was the last day of operations for the Olmos Pharmacy. It nearly closed a few years ago until one of the waitresses, who had been working there for 30+ years, bought it and kept the fountain portion open. She's decided to retire and our memories go with her. I vividly remember them making cokes the old fashion way; squirting syrup into the glass then filling it with carbonated water. Some of the brothers preferred the milkshakes but I loved their cokes. What made it more special was the times with Dad when he'd skip "big" church and take us there. I hope you are all making these types of memories with your children.

Houston here I come...

Just wanted to let you all know that I FINALLY got a job and am packing my bags and boxes upon boxes and heading to Houston next week. I accepted a job in the ER at Houston Northwest Medical Center and start Septemeber 14th. Thankfully, the hospital will put me through a paid internship program for 3 months, so I won't be hurting people right off the bat. After a couple of weeks of classwork, I will be paired with a preceptor and will be working nights from 7pm to 7am. I can't wait!!

Now that I am not in El Paso, I expect that I will be seeing you all more frequently, especially those of you in Houston!!

I love and miss you all!!

Jessica Rogers, RN

I'm starting to think no one looks at this blog anymore. Am I really the only family member who is already thinking about Thanksgiving??

Thanksgiving

Has there been any talk about the holidays yet? I know it's still a bit early but I love looking forward to happy family gatherings. And for some reason it seems like forever since I've seen some of this Rogers Clan. Anyway, if anyone has any thoughts please let us know... Or we can start the thought process now.
Love you all.

Chrissi

Perpetuum Jazzile choir aka: Team Awesome

For all you musical folks out there. I think you will appreciate this!

THE VISITOR

Jake and I had a disagreement the other night. He wanted to be fed at 1am and I wanted to strangle him. So, in his frustration to get me to understand that he was STARVING, he pooped on the floor and buried it under some dirty clothes. I discovered it when I picked up those clothes to put them in the wash. We weren't on speaking terms for a few days. Last night Jake brought me a peace offering.
A mouse.
A live mouse.
In my bed.
Of course I handled the situation with utmost dignity. I quietly explained to Jake, while we chased the mouse throughout the house, that while I appreciated the gesture a mouse was not a suitable gift. He on the other hand, was delighted that we could share in this raucus adventure together. At times we seemed at odds with our purpose of removing the mouse from our abode. It appeared that Jake didn't want the mouse to leave. I'm sure that was just my imagination though. Eventually, we cajoled our visitor to leave via the back door and Jake and I congratulated ourselves on our mouse herding technique. Jake chose to make sure our guest got home safely while I calmly changed my shorts.

P.S. Any reports of a man screaming like a little girl are completely without merit.

Mark is on TV

Way to go Father-in-law!

Our Near Death Experience

You will not believe what Dad, Dalton, and I just did. Well as most of you know, we are in Colorado right now. We have been enjoying the weather and scenery and today we decided to take a wilderness tour. The tour takes you up a mountain on a very rough road in an old army truck, you stop at the top and enjoy a steak meal and a campfire sing along. We left in the bright sun, somewhere around 70 degrees. The ride up was very bumpy but enjoyable. It took about an hour and a half to get to the top. As it got dark, we enjoyed some great food and a fun singalong. When it was time to head down, it was pitch black, and some clouds around us were beginning to sprinkle, but it didn't seem too bad. As we discovered, it doesn't take long for weather to change. Within 5 minutes we were in the middle of a Lightning AND hail storm, in a roofless old army truck, speeding over rocks and boulders, down a mountain, in the dark. We joined the other 20 passangers in singing many songs to trying to keep our mind of the deathly experience. By the end we were drenched from head to toe, covered in hail, and freezing. Now, thankfully, we are sitting at the condo finally warming up. Suprisingly, even though we nearly died and were all super scared...it was still incredibly fun and exhilarating.

Father's Day

I'm sitting here in my recliner on Sunday afternoon--my shoes and socks are at my feet, the Sunday paper too (no, the comics are not in the bathroom). From El Paso, Jessica mailed me a father's day card with some joke about "resting my eyes." Couldn't help but think of dad. There are so many things I miss: his hand rubbing my back until I'm asleep; his choked-back laugh/cry (though I've seen the family resemblance in some of you); his devotion to mom (and her's to him); his teasing that turned to needling that turned to frustration that turned to anger; his sweat pouring off his face as he stood at the grill, working hard so we could enjoy the feast; his laugh; and his massive hug and gentle "I love you son," anytime I departed. Thinking of our father in all of you.
I'm grateful.

A New Adventure

Just when you think you've got everything figured out, life tosses you a curve ball. My curve ball came about a week ago. It seems our superintendant has decided to shift around some assistant principals. I have been reassigned to Space Center Intermediate. So instead of being with Blaine and Clear Brook, I'll be with Elizabeth at SCI. I am still adjusting to the news. Leaving behind the people I have worked with for a decade is very difficult. But change is good.

Some new pictures...

1st time in his walker to play...he loved it! Talked to that teddy bear for a LONG time. =)
I love this one...look at those ears!

Ok, so this one isn't so new but I still love it...

My handsome boys on Mother's Day.

Cody and Luna playing under his jungle gym.

Who needs a bed rail or pillows when you have a Luna?

Love this one of Daddy and Cody hanging out on the couch.

Subscribing update

So I know there has to be a way to fix it but I can't figure out how to make the blog both private and have a subscription. The subscribed people might have noticed a new message in their in-box and that is because I made the Rogers Clan public once again. Any suggestions would be great from all you computer geeks out there.

Great Experience

Not to ignore the significant post from Russell, but on Friday before I got the call on Saturday morning, I had the chance to participate in a team-building experience provided by this group called The Drum Cafe (http://www.drumcafe.com). I'm pretty jaded when it comes to "team building experiences," but this was really good (and different). Thought all of you other guys/gals who work with groups might be interested.
DWR

I ain't dead yet!

I AM HOME! Didn't think it would be this fast but I am home and feeling terrific. There is still work to do on my heart(maybe) but for the most part I'm fine. Yes, this has been a wake up call. Yes, I realize I have a second chance. Yes, I am going to change a bunch of things. I have a prescription for one of the new stop smoking drugs...and yes, I will use it. Thank you everybody for your thoughts and prayers.

Thank you

Thanks for all of your support and prayers. We are doing much better and working things out. I feel so sorry for people who don't have a wonderful family like we do. We are truly blessed.

Testing the subscription

Testing testing, 1, 2, 3...

I have been getting reports that the subscription for whatever reason is not working. I am still troubleshooting...

And now we wait...

Prayer request

We are having some problems right now. I won't go into detail and I'm sure things will be okay but I thought some prayer to help it along couldn't hurt. Please say one, or two, or twenty for us that we can work things out and come out a stronger family very soon. Thanks. Love you all.
~Chrissi~

Mission Trip in Costa Rica

All,
The School of Education will be taking a group of students on a mission trip to Costa Rica during spring break 2010 (yes, that's next spring). This past week, I and 2 other faculty members went to meet with churches and schools in the San Jose area to plan activities and make arrangements for next spring. Of course we had to try some of the local area attractions to make sure they would be safe for our students.

P.S. Russ, I think the story idea is great; I'll work on my contributions soon.

IT'S TIME

For several years now, I've been toying with the idea of putting together a book for the grand kids who may not have vivid memories of Dad and now Mom. Some of them never knew Dad and poor Cody will never know either of them. I think it is time we put down on paper some of our favorite memories. While we are still grieving over the loss of Mom, those memories are in sharper focus and I think we should take advantage of them. Perhaps it will bring us closer to letting go and moving on. I'll leave the psychology to the PH.D's.

So, here's what I'm asking all the brothers, those wonderful women who joined our family, and the grand kids who remember a special time with Pop Pop or Dee Dee, to do. Write down your favorite 2 or 3 memories, and send them to me. We all recognize how special these two people were. We need to share their lives. I undestand that not all memories are of peaches and cream and neither was the journey we shared with Mom and Dad. Those are important as well. I'm asking for your most poignant memories. Those that have shaped your life. And, since the brothers are getting older and their memories are slipping, as evidenced by the fact that Mark thinks it was Tim who rode his bike into the wasps' nest, we probably shouldn't wait.

I'll start with a quick one that has given me the working title for Dad's volume. Before we moved to the house on Savannah, which became the house we associate as 'home', we lived three blocks over on Beryl. Yes, we moved three whole blocks. But, when you're seven, that move seemed like a relocation to Mars. Life on Beryl wasn't mundane. There was the guy next door, who was Mark's age, who showed us that airplane glue could burn doodle bugs in the most fantastic way. And, the twin sisters down the block who had to wear neck braces...I don't know why. But none of that matters. What matters is the fact that we had bunk beds and that Dad came in every night to kiss us good night. Before your sentimental hearts melt, let me set you straight. This was not a pat on the head and 'sleep tight'. This was an assault from a man whose whiskers could strip paint from a Buick. It is truly amazing that we we grew into men considering the number of times we screamed like girls when Dad came to tuck us in. We ran for the sanctuary of our flimsey sheets and our double decker fortress of solitude, vainly trying to escape those 'hairy kisses'. But each night we were vanquished with an 80 grit smacker and a simple 'love you, son'. How my heart longs for just one more.

So, send me your stories for "Hairy Kisses" and its' companion volume "Uh-oh, she said DAMN!"
My e-mail is russell_rogers@hotmail.com. If you have pictures that coincide withyour stories, send them too.

subscribing

After a lively discussion about the pros and cons of subscribing, it has been decided that a subscription button would be an added benefit. I actually have been trying to put this button on for a while, but it continuously told me that the address wasn't valid. I thought the validity checking site was not working so I kept checking back and it kept giving me the same message. And then it dawned on me, it was one of those light-bulb moments: the blog is privatized! Ah ha! Soooo.... I unprivatized it, the validity website recognized the site, I placed the subscription button on the blog, and re-privatized it. Now, I am not sure if it will be a problem that it is private, so if anyone has any problems with the subscription business let me know, and I will try and trouble-shoot. And I don't know why the button looks different than on my website, but I figure you are all smart folks who can figure out how to click on a link. So there ya go! Subscribing is up and running!

House Videos

Kyle helped Russell and I paint this weekend, and on Monday morning he helped me make these videos touring the house. (I was hoping to show you all how wonderful it looked painted and with the carpets cleaned, but we just didn't get it all done before I had to leave. Sometime during the day Sunday - when I was thinking about Mom and trying to just paint instead of get emotional (huh, fat chance) - I realized it was possible that I wouldn't be back in the house again before it sold.

So I thought I would tell something about the place we called home for 45 years. Afterwards, I realized there were dozens of stories that could be told, just by cueing off the places in the place.

Feel free to add your own comments, stories, etc.

Turtle Yard

Mother's Day Garden

Front Steps

Garage Bedroom

Table and Bar

Stove

Back Yard

Living Room

Furnaces

Back Bedroom

Front Bedroom

Mother's Day

Spent a lot of time today, thinking about you guys and our parents (especially mom) on this day. She really was an amazing woman. I am dumbfounded as to how she managed to do it all. Today, my house is a wreck--there's laundry to be done, dishes to be done, cleaning to be done, and bills to pay and I don't want to do any of it! It just seemed to "happen" with mom. I know we all did our parts, but it didn't feel "heavy," like it does now. Maybe that's the blissful ignorance of childhood (or lack of memory brought on by aging), but I don't think so. Something about the way mom handled it all appeared seamless--moving in and out of multiple activities. I get tired just thinking about my day, but mom survived her days and made many of them special for me and I know for all of you too. On days like today, I miss them both VERY much. I know we said we would think on the epitaph again. Here's another phrase that I wrote as I was thinking about mom today, "...she lived simply, but loved extravagently..."
DWR

Well looks like i am going to be helping clean out grandma dee dee's house. If I had known about this earlyer I would have gladlee voluntered. But my mom says I have to get money somehow to replace my phone (screen cracked :( ). I feel weird doing it for money but I am geting paid anyway.

( btw i just read the full blog congrats blaine , hopfuly I get some of my family's musicle skill next year )

A few more pics

These aren't real recent but I'm going to just try to upload a few at a time so as not to bombard everyone with a million pictures of our gorgeous boy!
Cody is awesome at making faces...

Our little sleeping angel...

1st Cold

So, Cody has his first cold plus ear infections in both ears. Today was supposed to be my first day back to work but instead we spent the day at the doctors office and getting antibiotics... speaking of antibiotics, it's next to impossible to get an infant to take his medicine. Not sure how we are going to get enough down him to get him well. Poor baby is so congested and choked up. And I have to leave him tomorrow to go back to work. At least my mom is watching him this week, and I trust that she knows what she's doing. =) Oh, and at the doc we found out that Cody weighs 12 lbs 9 oz and he's not even 7 weeks old. He is definitely a little chunky monkey!
Nothing much else going on here. Caleb is getting ready for middle school, we are filling out registration forms and talking about band instruments. He has to list 3 choices in order of preference so he picked percussion, flute, and saxophone. He's pretty excited. Oh, my dad and Asher built him a new bed too, I'll have to post some pictures here when I'm on the desktop computer. We don't have them on the laptop. It's TOO cool. Anyway, I hope everyone is well. Can't wait to see everyone again. Love to all!

Thanks David

LOL This is the most hilarious video. I don't thin I will stick my finger in Cody's mouth while he is teething. If you think this is funny you should look for Blhuud. I know it is spelled wrong, but it is the way this kid says it. XD