Yesterday's Lunch

Most of my family has heard me talk about Five in a Row - the first homeschool curriculum I ever used! It's also the online message board that I've had as my home page since 1999.

So it was a big thrill for me to get to treat Steve and Jane Lambert, the creators of Five in a Row, to a long lunch in Johnson City yesterday! An unexpected treat was to also meet a young couple, Heidi and Jay St. John, who are working to create First Class Homeschool Co-ops all across the country (and even in England) and are also working with the Lamberts to do marriage seminars specifically geared to homeschool couples (who have some pretty unique stresses). I really felt a kindred spirit with Heidi and Jay and got the extra treat of spending some time yesterday evening with all of them again.

I have a lot to think about now as to how I might be involved in helping host a marriage seminar in this area or if/how we might align our existing co-op with First Class.

We like Mike!

Today we took a "field trip" and went to a rally for Mike Huckabee at the airport. The kids were very excited that they got to meet both Governor Huckabee and Chuck Norris! It was a very enthusiastic crowd and apparently much larger than was expected.

We are going to be praying for Mike tomorrow and praying for the future of our country. I hope that more and more Christians will get involved in the political process and stand up for what they believe in. My kids were certainly inspired today!

Still a Pepper

Many of you know that I have been a fan of Diet Dr. Pepper for years. But you may not know that it's been over 45 years! This picture is the proof!

Actually, I drank the real Dr. Pepper back then. I started drinking Diet Dr. Pepper (then Sugar Free Dr. Pepper) when I was a senior in High School. I have a Dr. Pepper shirt, a set of Dr. Pepper salt and pepper shakers, a Dr. Pepper cookbook, a Dr. Pepper mousepad, and I have even been to the Dr. Pepper Museum in Waco, Texas! However, I'm not so brand loyal --- I switched to Walmart's knock-off, "Diet Dr. Thunder" almost five years ago.

Well, when we were in NY City, I didn't have access to Diet Dr. Pepper (they have lots of things in that big city, but this is one area where they are sadly lacking), so I gave it up - caffeine and all. I never even had a soft drink of any kind while we were there.

I had assumed that I was addicted (I normally drank two to three cans a day), but I guess I wasn't as I got no headaches at all. So when we got back to Dr. Pepper country, I decided to just give it up. It's been another week. I don't guess I miss the caffeine, but I miss the pleasure and I miss the bubbles.

And I guess not having Diet Dr. Pepper really increases my desire for food. I gained one pound last week. I had hoped it was just the eating during the trip, but this week I also gained a pound! My weight has been steady for over a year, so gaining a pound a week is definitely unusual and something I cannot put up with!

So today I went and bought a twelve-pack. I feel like bit like a drunk that has fallen off the wagon, but I'd rather have this habit than the extra pounds.