The Batchelder FIPP Adventure

Ride the Ducks.... in Branson

2008-08-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Neleha, loves ducks. In fact that is probably an understatement. I think she would be a duck if she could. It was no surprise to us when she requested to go to a Branson attraction for her 5th birthday. "Ride the Ducks" features the actual DUKW amphibious vehicles used in WWII. Of course they have since been modified to carry a bunch of tourists rather than gear and troops. Ms. Neleha was ecstatic as we arrived to enjoy the land and water tour of Branson courtesy of "Ride the Ducks".

Every passenger receives their very own "Quacker" which we were encouraged to use throughout the tour. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and included a wonderful history of Branson as well as the DUKW. Our Captain was kind enough to not only let each kid aboard the Duck drive while we were on the lake but he also had everyone sing "Happy Birthday" to Neleha while she was driving. Great times!

Graduate school presses on but when your baby duck has a birthday one must put away the books and take a ride all around Branson. Neleha had a wonderful time as did the rest of our family.

Missouri's 2008 Tax Free Weekend

2008-08-04T23:49:00.000-07:00

For the Tax Free weekend we hit the local Wal-Mart so we could "Save Even More & Live Even Better". The tax break happened to correspond with a big school supplies sale so life was good. We stocked up on the usual items elementary kids need, pencils, scissors, glue, backpack, folders, etc... The girls had a great time fighting the crowds and seeking out the supplies of their choice. Backpacks always seem to be the most important and second most important is folders both of which displaying the recent kid trends. The big trends this year was High School Musical and Hannah Montana.

Tax Holiday Weekend Applies to:
Clothing under $100
School supplies under $50
Computer software under $350
Computers/computer equipment under $3,500

A BIG THANKS out to Missouri for the well needed tax break!

Ozark Empire Fair 2008

2008-08-01T23:24:00.000-07:00

How much fun can be had at the Ozark Empire Fair? That is all a matter of perspective. If you like the greasy fried food that is typical of a fair then you just might enjoy it! Really how can anyone turn down a foot long corndog that has been smothered in mustard????

If you like watching a grown man wrestle and thrash around in a kiddie pool with an old and retired alligator, the fair may be right up your alley. The kids have loved the Kachunga show each year and this was no exception.

If you like to learn and observe all things to do with the miracle of birth in regards to farm animals then the Fair's birthing barn is the place for you. Our kids enjoyed the chicks, piglets, and especially the calf who they got to watch enter this world. Yes I mean what I said, they watched a cow give birth. In fact the fair administrators plan to have such event occur a few times throughout the duration of the fair, they begin with a fully line up of full term heifers and just wait and watch. Certainly a highlight of the festivities.

For me though it was the entertainment on the Grand Stand that drew me to the Fair. After all it is not a common occurrence to see "Weird Al" Yankovic for the cost of the fair admission ($10). He put on a great and hilarious show in front of a sold out crowd. More good times ......

Of course if nothing I have mentioned is appealing enough there is always the rides, and they have a great array of them. Our kids thoroughly enjoyed them....

Showing off the Twins at the New Student BBQ

2008-07-25T22:47:00.000-07:00

The New Student BBQ is one of the more relaxed events Student Council hosts each Summer and Fall. In the past we have always enjoyed good food, good games, good company but not until this year did we get to enjoy TWINS!!!! Yes I may be very biased but having the twins at the BBQ made the event so much better. Quite simply I thought it would be a great opportunity to show off our new babies and indeed it was.

The BBQ itself was a big hit reaping as many attendees as in times past. The food was great, the games were fun and the new students appeared to enjoy themselves.

For me personally however, the BBQ was a good hit for another reason, I got to show off my new babies. I truly enjoyed watching my sweetheart talk about the twins with my peers and even some of my professors. In fact I think some of my professors assisted Kristy with changing some diapers. Certainly good times were had.....

Twins...Variety Pack...to go

2008-07-14T13:39:00.000-07:00

Our TWINS have arrived!!!!
Life in graduate school is so crazy in and of it self. The thought of simply being married in graduate school is by far a maniacal endeavour. Add a job and now you have the making for a ticking time bomb. So how about throwing in a variety pack of twins, now that is what I call FUN!!!!

Our twins arrived without any problems. My sweetheart did such a wonderful job and she has made me so happy. Our baby twins are a far greater blessing than I ever expected to obtain in graduate school. I am not sure if I have Forest Institute to thank for my twins but all the same they arrived while I was smack dab in the middle of my doctoral education.
I certainly have many concerns with sleep, being able to study, maintaining my employment and of course hanging on to sanity, but look at these babies!!!!!! It is all so worth it.

From a family of 4 to a family of 6 in a matter of 3 minutes :)

Twins, variety pack, ready to go....

A Transition Item

2008-07-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

According to certain theories of psychology a transition item serves to assist an individual with a dramatic life change. The item serves as a means to assist in coping with the many adjustments that will be a result of the life change. In terms of our situation, while Mommy and Daddy are busy with the twins, Molly and Neleha will be busy with their transition item. At least that is the plan......

Thanks to our local Sam's Club we were able to purchase this very unique cabin style playhouse. Having Dale, Tove and Gary here to help me put it together was most welcomed. Relatively, it went together pretty quick, especially the roof, of course it had begun to rain and Gary, Tove and myself didn't feel like taking a warm Missouri shower if you know what I mean. The kids loved it and we got it just days prior to Kristy's scheduled delivery, perfect timing for a transition item.

Earlier.......

Firefall .... A Concert in the Sky

2008-06-29T23:40:00.000-07:00

I have heard about this Firefall event hosted by the city parks department ever since the first week I arrived in Springfield. For the last 2 times we have allowed the opportunity to pass without regard. This year however, I think we have caught the American Independence Spirit. We decided that this would be our year. The event takes place near the Springfield Airport and so we headed out for the short drive across the city. I am not sure what we expected but I know what we found. An $8 fee for a carload and a massive gathering of families all gathered in a big open farming field, sitting in their lawn chairs and listening to local bands set up on a grand stage. The great gathering was encircled by many fair style food vending wagons which included my favorite carnival food, the giant corn dog.

Although the food and music was nice and relaxing, we of course were gathered for a "concert in the sky"as they put it. A concert was indeed what we got. Not only was the fireworks truly a joy to experience the show was accompanied by the Springfield Symphony playing tunes in sync with the exploding fireworks.

The event came at a great time as we just entered our Summer Break. Certainly a wonderful way to begin our short, but well needed, vacation from class.

photos obtained from www.news-leader.com

Springfield's World Record "The Giant Fork"

2008-06-18T20:16:00.000-07:00

In front of the 3-story building inhabited by Noble & Associates, a Springfield ad agency, the "World's Largest Fork" is appropriately stuck in a garden of leafy greens. . Originally placed in front of a restaurant that failed on South Glenstone, it was purchased and moved to its current location. The brick and glass building is the company's "Idea Center" -- Noble does a lot of work for the food service and retail industry, so the fork makes sense...

There are no signs directing anyone to this magnificent monstrosity yet it is not far from the Forest campus and so I tend to bring any of our visitors to see our local claim to fame. This week my sweetheart's grandpa got to cast his eyes on the biggest utensil ever.

The 35 foot stainless steal fork is certainly a sight to see.

World's Largest Fork
Address: 2215 W Chesterfield Blvd, Springfield, MO

Directions: From FIPP go East on Battlefield then turn south on Kansas Expressway after about one block; turn right on W. Chesterfield. Turn right on Cox and then into the Noble & Associates parking lot on the right.

Springfield's 4th Replaces a Mall

2008-06-11T19:29:00.000-07:00

When I first arrived in Springfield there were 2 malls, one we shopped in and one we avoided. We no longer have to worry about avoiding the North Town Mall anymore however, it no longer stands. What is left behind is far from a vacant lot, in fact, in it's place is a massive, energy efficient, 184,212 square-foot Wal-Mart Supercenter.

Although this is a new Supercenter it is actually just an upgrade from the store pictured above. It was the last of the regular Wal-Marts left in Springfield. With the Grand Opening of Springfield's newest Supercenter the count is now up to 4, one on each corner of the city. I know some are not big fans of this retailing giant, but I have a very long and personal history with Wal-Mart. Because of this I could not be anything but ecstatic that this Superstore was opening it's doors today. You can of course bet on the fact that I was there, opening day, to enjoy all 184,212 square feet.

Short Drive for a Fantastic Adventure

2008-06-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

A short drive north of the city limits will bring you to a world away from the hum drum of graduate school. It is not too often one can find a nearby place to go to simply sit back and enjoy a relaxing ride through a majestic series of underworld artistry. In fact there is only one place in America, it happens to be right here in Springfield at "Fantastic Caverns".

Our family finally decided to see just how fantastic this cavern really was and to our surprise we loved the adventure. For a wonderful 40 minute tour we entered a massive cavern carried on a red Jeep drawn tram. We learned the extrodinary history of the cave and many scientific facts regarding cave formations. We truly enjoyed our relaxing tour of Fantastic Caverns so much that we paid the additional $5 to upgrade our single tour ticket to an annual pass. Well worth the money.

A 99cent Foot of Chocolate in Historic Branson

2008-05-25T07:27:00.000-07:00

My family loves Branson, I mean LOVES BRANSON!!
We visit this tourist town as often as time and resources will allow. The Memorial Day weekend provided us another opportunity. This time we decided to finally check out the Historic Downtown area. We had often passed through this part of Branson but never stopped to actually check it out. This was finally the day.

Along with the many variety type shops and tourist stuff shops we found candy stores, desert shops, diners, and even a theater advertising an Elvis Show. The atmosphere was far removed from the "Branson Strip" which is full of flashing lights, high priced shows, and chain restaurants. The Historic Downtown area was a more relaxed step back from the long lines of traffic. For me it was the advertised "Foot of Chocolate" for 99 cents that I was most interested in. The Fudge Shop honored their ad, in a rather strange way.

I am not sure what I was expecting when I dropped down my crisp dollar bill, but a foot of chocolate is what I got. In fact it was a foot print shaped piece of chocolate on a stick. I was well satisfied with my purchase. As for the downtown area...... we decided we liked the fast paced, flashing light atmosphere of the strip.

Rib Fest all month long....

2008-05-18T06:54:00.000-07:00

If it is not root beer that gets me through those stressful times in graduate school it is food. Springfield has no shortage of food establishments. Most are chains but there are some very unique local restaurants that are certainly noteworthy. However, in the month of May there is one chain that warrants much homage. I had never come across this chain in all my previous travels until I arrived here in Missouri and now I can't imagine a restaurant scene without it.

Rib Crib serves up some the best "St. Louis Style" ribs around but that is not the best part. For the entire month of May from 4pm-10pm a person can land as many ribs and sides they can eat for one low price, $10.99!!!!!!!! I don't even think I could cook ribs at home for that price.

Since we arrived here in Missouri we have made it a point to stop in during the month of May to take part in this tasty festival. I like to call it "Rib Therapy" but they call it "Rib Fest". There are 2 locations here in Springfield, our favorite is the one by the Clinic, they have been sponsors of the RJM Clinic Golf Tournament in past years.

If you miss Rib Fest spare no stress..... they have all you can eat rib night every Tuesday from 4pm-10pm.

To learn more about Rib Crib check out their web site http://www.ribcrib.com/

Missing the Fish....especially the Shark

2008-05-11T23:08:00.000-07:00

Springfield has many relatively unknown gems when it comes to things to do. There was one attraction that drew my attention from the first day I arrived in this city, Wonders of Wildlife. This museum offered both a massive fresh water as well as a salt water aquarium along with so many other habitats and interactive displays. We purchased a year pass and used it nearly every week. I truly enjoyed being able to take my sweetheart and our daughters to just go and sit and watch the sea life. I think watching the sharks was my personal favorite but the Large Mouth Bass was also very relaxing.

We renewed our pass back in August but to our surprise we showed up one day for our weekly visit and to our disappointment there was a sign on the door. They had closed the museum for renovations. As time has passed I have come to learn that they are going to be closed for a very long time. In a strange way I am experiencing a very real and personal loss. I have heard that Bass Pro has actually assumed ownership of the museum and so I have hopes that the renovations will be worth the wait. When they reopen the doors I would highly encourage you to see for yourself. For updates check out their website: Wonders of Wildlife

Stuco: a year in review

2008-05-04T22:03:00.000-07:00

Exactly one year ago I was sworn into the office of Student Council President. Along with my office I was also provided three companions that each brought to our journey their own unique talents, values and goals. Over the last year we have experienced the good, bad & ugly in our attempt to make this Forest experience a bit more relaxing, enjoyable and enriching. It has been such a fulfilling experience to serve alongside them. Together we have worked to bring about a wave of changes that will certainly have a lasting impact on the future of our program. It is certainly my hope that as they depart they will carry with them some thing positive from our year-long journey in student government, as I certainly will. With all this said I now will begin my second term within this office, I now have three new companions who are clearly up for the great tasks at hand. I am very optimistic that the year ahead will hold for us even more positive and enriching opportunities.

On a another note our little Spring Party provided a wonderful opportunity for me to enjoy an evening with my sweetheart. She and I got to spend time together and to hang out with our Forest friends and to simply enjoy a night on the town. This is not easy when your expecting twins, so we soaked up the fun. Good Times.........

Crashing for a Year

2008-04-25T23:14:00.000-07:00

The Student Council has just completed their 4th Community Crash event. These events originated out of a mistake the Student Council made due to some assumptions on our part that opened an outpouring of debate that may very well be the first outright Scholar 360 debate ever. From that experience it was identified that a more appropriate avenue should be opened to address current diversity concerns within a safe environment. The Community Crash was born. Our first event went beautifully, the movie was perfect, the discussion that followed was rich with heartfelt concern and genuine openness. It was very clear however that we had only begun to touch the surface of the many concerns regarding diversity that we face during our Forest Institute journey.

We decided that the Community Crash would continue each term and the movie selection would be based on the current needs of the student body. At first we simply based the selection on our own perceptions of this need. However, by the third event, we were receiving topic recommendations from students.

Our most recent event held tonight was a continuation of those events in the past. There begins with some hesitation as the discussion is initiated. Slowly the discussion starts to roll and before long everyone is desperately waiting their turn to participate. Along the course of the discussion it is typical to feel some tension which rises and falls from input to input. Some participate much, others very little. But in the end we all leave with a better sense of the world around us. It certainly has proven to me to be a most valuable experience each term.

Spring Term Begins...Good Time for a Battlefield Visit

2008-04-17T06:55:00.000-07:00

With Spring term now upon us many changes are certainly expected. These changes certainly will come in the form of new classes, new course assignments, and new clients (for those in practicum). I look forward to all these as they will each be enriching and most beneficial. However, one change that I have looked forward to since Labor Day 2007 is of course the Spring season. The warmer weather, the flowers, the trees full of bright green leaves, the dark thick grass, and of course all the new baby wild animals flourishing our undeveloped areas. I have discovered a very unique place to enjoy the wonderful changing seasons that can be had here in SW Missouri, a National Battlefield known as Wilson's Creek.

My family purchased an annual pass to the park last fall when we learned that we could see amazing foliage during that season. Our most recent visit proved to be just as enjoyable. The trees are filling, the animals are everywhere, and the wild grass can be seen all around. The history and legacy of this area amazes me and our kids love to watch the movie at the visitors center each time we stop in at the park. The park itself is very extensive and provides walking, biking, and horseback riding trails as well as a driving trail that circles the entire park. The park is located just about 4-5 miles from the academic campus of the school and is well worth the visit.

Kid's Night at Texas Roadhouse

2008-04-08T22:00:00.000-07:00

Although my duties and tasks as a graduate student bring me much fun and joy, it is the joy I find being a husband and father that make my life truly worth while. Within this role I am often seeking ways to unite and strengthen my family. The other day my daughter brought home a flyer from school that stated that Texas Roadhouse was sponsoring the school by donating to the school some of the sales of a single night. What a fun and delicious night it turned out to be. Best of all, it was a night of family fun!

From clowns making balloon animals to a Texas Sized Armadillo playing games, this night was made for kids. On top of this they also had face painting and build-your-own sundays for the kids. My wonderful wife and I along with a friend from school all got to sit back, enjoy some perfectly cooked steak, and watch our children have the times of their lives... Texas Style.

While we were there we learned that Tuesday night is always "Kid's Night" at Texas Roadhouse and with a nearby location to the school, it certainly may be a valuable resource for other family based Forest Students like myself...... a love for steak and fun is a requirement though!

Spring Break "1984"

2008-04-02T21:49:00.000-07:00

What to do when school is out for an entire week and you are spending it in Springfield, Missouri? Why not spend it 1984 style? Yes, 1984 is not only a year from the decade of "pop music" but its also a nostalgic arcade in downtown Springfield.

For a single $5 bill one can play all the arcade games they wish for an entire night. Yes, if nostalgic game playing is what you are craving, 1984 is the place for you.

I am not sure if it was the fun of watching my oldest daughter and my best friend smile and laugh as they concentrated so closely in their attempt to master the fine tuned moves of a joystick and buttons. It may have also been the fact that I got to play Xevious all I wanted without dropping a single quarter. Regardless, I had such a blast!

1984 is crammed with around 50 arcade games along with a handful of pinball games and a nice little snack bar. Not a bad place to spend an evening when hanging out in Springfield with nothing to do.

To learn more about 1984 check out their website: www.1984arcade.com

How I Got Through Finals: Party Keg...of Root Beer

2008-03-25T12:22:00.000-07:00

I am happy to say that finals are final. This term has been the most stressful yet but the funny thing is I say that at the end of each term. Welcome to graduate school...... you know what I mean?

So, I have decided to share my secret to getting through finals Winter 2008. The bottom line is that it was all about the beer.... root beer of course. There are not too many places one can score the 5 liter party keg of Virgil's Root Beer but our local Price Cutter Plus grocery store keeps these bad boys in stock. For a crisp $20 a person can walk in, shoulder this keg, and walk out without even being carded, regardless of your age. That is a sweet deal!

All jokes aside though, this brew has kept me up and alert at some extreme times of these most recent nights. Between having exams to study for as well as a term paper to complete, time was not on my side. The ability to stay awake through the wee small hours of the morning made all the difference. So with that I will embark on my Spring break by extending a big 5 liter thanks to Virgil and sending everyone else a happy "see you next term".

A Year of Change

2008-03-17T20:06:00.001-07:00

I recently gathered many Student Council photos from the past year to put together some photos to be displayed at St. Michael's Educational Sports Bar & Grille. St. Michael's is our student hang out and the place where we hold our monthly meetings. I know it may sound weird to hold Student Council meetings at a bar but some how it works.... it works very well. The atmosphere is so conducive to getting new perspectives out on the table and to having everyone relaxed during the meeting. With this said I should note that during our meeting we are not partaking of items from the bar but just from the kitchen :)

The owners of St. Michael's were very excited about having Forest call this place our hang out that they even offered to put up any memorabilia that we brought them. So at our last meeting we gave them some of our official t-shirts and these photos. Hence, I needed to gather the photos.

While I was doing this I realized how many changes our Council has been involved with this year. In some strange form of synchronicity it was also the year the name of the school officially changed along with a new logo. It was simply a year of change for Forest Institute. It has certainly been an honor to be involved in these changes. With change comes many expectations, I certainly am hopeful of the impact these many changes will have on the future at Forest Institute.

Supply & Demand at Spring 2008 Registration

2008-03-10T23:49:00.001-07:00

Since arriving at the Forest Institute campus back in the summer of 2006 I have registered a total of 6 times. Each time I have arrived to the campus around 8:45 am, usually just before a 9:00 am class, and dropped off my registration with no problem. This registration was different, much different......

I was told by Phillip Raleigh, the guy with all the info, that registration was taking on an all new form. There were many courses that had not only been capped but also sought after by more than the cap, many more. I knew I was going to have to arrive early.... of course early is a subjective measurement.

I arrived at 7:00am and was very surprised at the number of cars already in the parking lot. Once the doors opened I found myself in line behind around 15 other students. As we waited for registration to begin at 8:00am people continued to slowly file into line behind us. By the time I had finished my registration there was a line like I had never seen. Registration certainly did take on another form. Some how we have become a school with limited, yet highly sought after resources, especially including our courses.

A Week of Matching & Clearinghouse

2008-03-03T01:20:00.000-08:00

This week was the "great & terrible" week of Match and Clearinghouse for the internship applicants. Within my role in Student Council I have been able to experience this both last year and this year. What I take from these experiences is that it is stressful, no matter how you slice it, simply stressful.

The basic idea here is that APPIC serves as the mediator between interns and internship sites. It is through APPIC that interns obtain application requirements and related information regarding the many sites available. When the time comes you apply by sending massive envelopes of internship application materials to each site you desire to apply to. Then if you are fortunate you are extended interviews to some of the sites. After interviews you rank the sites that extended interviews as they too rank those who interviewed. APPIC tabulates the rankings and then: POOF the Match has occurred. However, for one reason or another some interns will still be without a placement and some sites without an intern. This could be because the interns were not extended an interview or simply did not get ranked high by the sites they ranked high. Regardless, those without a placement then participate in Clearinghouse.

This is when all the sites without interns and all the interns without a site are directed by APPIC to begin emailing and calling each other to fill in the holes. A very stressful time, many choices must be made very quickly, not fun. Sometimes you land a good site, sometimes a bad one, and sometimes none at all.

Each year the Student Council assist the internship applicants during clearinghouse. This opportunity to assist and gain first-hand experience is of greater value than any other preparation for this process. I again have gained great insight as to how I plan to approach this capstone event of my time at Forest.

Geocaching and Pho

2008-02-25T08:00:00.000-08:00

My best friend, Ray, stopped in for a short visit and so I decided to take advantage of the situation and introduce him to the wonderful sport of Geocaching. Despite the torrential down pour I was determined to help him find a cache. My hope was of course to share with him something I have quickly come to love. My accomplishment was far from my hope. Oh yes we broke out the handheld gps, we drove to the identified area, but it was when it came down to getting out of the car that the hunt went sour. The rain would not stop and neither would my stubbornness on finding a cache. In the end we were drenched but we were successful!

Ray did seem somewhat happy about the idea that we found this hidden surprise but in the end he was very wet and wet certainly does not equate to happy in the middle of the winter. So I figured it would be a good time to warm up to some hot soup. This of course led to me persuading Ray to introduce me to his native palate. Ray was born in Vietnam and although grew up in America clearly had a traditional Vietnamese home life. Thus when I attempt to get him to take me to Vietnamese restaurants he dismisses the idea because he figures he can make the food better than any restaurant. However, he was cold, wet and hungry and so he finally gave in. We headed for Bambu, the local Vietnamese restaurant.

Ray introduced me to the menu which was in both Vietnamese and English. He directed me to some "safe" selections for my first experience and we jumped right in to these BIG BOWLS of PHO (f-u). I thought it was the greatest soup ever, I am soup guy and this was like Disney Land for my belly. Even Ray agreed that the food was very close to traditional and gave his stamp of approval. I mean after all, we are in Missouri, to satisfy Ray is a big deal, at least in my book. We quickly warmed up, ate well and enjoyed some great conversation.

Geocaching and Pho, a good day indeed!

To learn more about Bambu home of Springfield's best Vietnamese cuisine check out their website. www.springfieldbambu.com

passing my time one Root Beer at a time

2008-02-17T19:53:00.000-08:00

Training to become a doctor of clinical psychology comes with many rewards. I have learned so much since arriving here at Forest Institute and I have experienced so much more. But it would be a bit over-reaching to declare that it has all been stress-free. In fact at times it becomes extremely overwhelming..... thats where root beer comes in, at least for me anyway.

Last March I began a tasteful journey with an olde-time friend of mine named Jeff. He and I go way back, we served in the Navy together and would send each other root beer through the mail as we explored the country. Well we came up with this crazy idea to make this effort a little more productive. Our idea realized in the form of a blog all about the American born brew known as root beer. Jeff and I submit posts about the current and historical world of root beer and also offer our own commentary on brews we come across.
Having this to distract me has at times been that much needed break from the demands of school and work. Aside from that it has also been one tasty way to spend my time in graduate school.

Certainly I would not prescribe that everyone should "pop a top" and sip down a nice cold root beer and blog about it to assist them through their graduate school experience. However, I would suggest that each graduate student find something that they can use as that personal positive distraction to break up the very relentless demands of our IEP (individualized education plan). If nothing else, you could simply pull up a chair, pop a top, and sip down some of the smoothest blog on the net at The Rootbeer Brothers.

Springfield's Gems: Best of 417 Awards 2008

2008-02-12T22:17:00.000-08:00

There are not many magazines I would ever admit to reading. I assure you that the list is short and carries a theme, guy stuff. I am talking Field & Stream, Missouri Game & Fish, Off-Road Adventures, Outdoor Life, Rangefinder and for my spiritual side I also pick up the Ensign. What you will not find on my list is girly magazines, like Cosmo, People, Elle, or Better Homes & Gardens. However, with all that said there is one magazine that is not like the others on my list that I am proud to admit to reading, 417 Magazine.

417 provides the outs and ins of everything Springfield and also the local areas like Branson. In those pages I have often learned about little gems I may never have known of any other way. There are museums, caves, parks, and festivals all usually free of charge or nearly free and all worth checking out. I found them all through 417 Magazine. Over the last year and a half however I have come to learn that the most important issue of 417 during the year is that which reports the "Best of 417 Awards". There are many reasons a person would want this issue, for me it is all about the food. I have followed the advice from the 2007 awards and have never been terribly disappointed. In fact normally I am amazed! These awards are right on the money, trust me.

The categories that I pay close attention to are of course the Best of Cashew Chicken and the Best of Local Restaurants and the Best of New Local Restaurants. I certainly encourage you to pick up your eating and everything Springfield "Best of" guide this month while they are hot off the press.

Best Cashew Chicken 2008
Hong Kong Inn

Best Local Restaurant 2008
Ocean Zen

Best New Local Restaurant 2008
Kai

I got one word for you..... Twins

2008-02-03T08:48:00.001-08:00

It was supposed to be just a routine follow-up from Kristy's first visit with her doctor which verified that we were expecting our third child. This visit was supposed to be a health and wellness check to make sure Kristy was doing good. Even though Kristy was told that no ultrasound would be done on this visit she was still hopeful that they would change their mind. We were just excited to get a glimpse of the newest member of our family. Well the check-up went great, Kristy was deemed healthy but there was one concern, the baby appeared to be developing in size way too fast... Kristy got her wish, the doctor ordered an ultrasound to verify the due date. The photo above was just before we obtained the ultrasound, I am sure at this moment Kristy was simply excited that we were going to get that glimpse of our new baby.......

The funny thing about this is that Kristy has always said how much fun having twins would be. In fact one of her good friends just had a set of twins last summer and Kristy was nothing less than jealous. I kept reminding Kristy that she just could not order a set but she was determined that she too would experience this blessing.

The ultrasound technician started the ultrasound and not 30 seconds into it she boldly said "well that’s why, you're having twins" I asked her if she was kidding and she stated that she never kids about something like that. I wish I could explain the excitement Kristy and I were feeling, we were simply overwhelmed. We have been smiling ever since!

Now this will certainly be an interesting experience as we continue on our journey of education but now too will learn something many will never know, the life of raising twins. I can't wait!

President Gordon B. Hinckley

2008-01-28T08:00:00.000-08:00

President Gordon B. Hinckley 1910-2008

It wasn't until I was well into my late teens when I returned to my faith. By then President Hinckley had been serving as God's mouthpiece for nearly two years. In many ways he has been the comforting voice that has taught me so much of the things that have formed me to become the person I am. It was through him that I learned of my Savior, Jesus Christ, and the role I had in the great plan of happiness.

On many occasions I have had the honor to be in the presence of President Hinckley and each time I was fully enriched. I know, just as I am sure he would certainly admit, that he was only a man but there was a divine greatness about him that could not be denied. When considering the many trials, hardships and devastations readily seen around the world I was always rest assured by his calm voice of joyful optimism, his pure love of all people and his unwavering devotion to God.

There is certainly an emptiness in my heart this day but in this very moment I also can find much joy in knowing that my beloved Prophet has returned home, to his eternal spouse and to whom he has served for so long, even his Father in Heaven.

The following is the official report from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

SALT LAKE CITY 27 January 2008 President Gordon B. Hinckley, who led The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints through twelve years of global expansion, has died at the age of 97.

President Hinckley was the 15th president in the 177-year history of the Church and had served as its president since 12 March 1995.

The Church president died at his apartment in downtown Salt Lake City at 7:00 p.m. Sunday night from causes incident to age. Members of his family were at his bedside. A successor is not expected to be formally chosen by the Church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles until after President Hinckley’s funeral within the next few days.

President Hinckley was known, even at the age of 97, as a tireless leader who always put in a full day at the office and traveled extensively around the world to mix with Church members, now numbering 13 million in 171 nations.

His quick wit and humor, combined with an eloquent style at the pulpit, made him one of the most loved of modern Church leaders. A profoundly spiritual man, he had a great fondness for history and often peppered his sermons with stories from the Church’s pioneer past.

He was a popular interview subject with journalists, appearing on 60 Minutes with Mike Wallace and on CNN’s Larry King Live, as well as being quoted and featured in hundreds of newspapers and magazines over the years. During the Salt Lake Olympics of 2002, his request that the Church refrain from proselytizing visitors was credited by media with generating much of the goodwill that flowed to the Church from the international event.

In recent years, a number of major developments in the Church reflected President Hinckley’s personal drive and direction. In calling for 100 temples to be in operation before the end of the year 2000, the Church president committed the Church to a massive temple-building program.

In 1999 — 169 years after the Church was organized by its founder, Joseph Smith — the Church had 56 operating temples. Three years later that number had doubled, largely because of a smaller, highly practical temple architectural plan that delivered these sacred buildings to Church members in far-flung parts of the world. Many more Church members can now experience the sacred ceremonies that occur only in temples, including marriages for eternity and the sealing of families in eternal units.

President Hinckley was the most traveled president in the Church’s history. His duties took him around the world many times to meet with Latter-day Saints in more than 60 countries. He was the first Church president to travel to Spain, where in 1996 he broke ground for a temple in Madrid; and to the African nations of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Cape Verde, where he met with thousands of Latter-day Saints in 1998. In 2005, he traveled nearly 25,000 miles on a seven-nation, nine-day tour to Russia, South Korea, China, Taiwan, India, Kenya, and Nigeria.

At a general conference of Church members in April 2001, President Hinckley initiated the Perpetual Education Fund — an ambitious program to help young members of the Church (mainly returning missionaries from developing countries) receive higher education and work-related training that they would otherwise likely never receive.

Closer to his Salt Lake City home, President Hinckley announced the construction of a new Conference Center in 1996 and dedicated it four years later. Seating 21,000 people, it is believed to be the largest religious and theater auditorium in the world and has become the hub for the Church’s general conference messages to the world, broadcast in 91 languages.

Even before his term as president, President Hinckley’s extensive Church service included 14 years as a counselor in the First Presidency, the highest presiding body in the government of the Church, and 20 years before that as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

President Hinckley was born 23 June 1910 in Salt Lake City, a son of Bryant Stringham and Ada Bitner Hinckley. One of his forebears, Stephen Hopkins, came to America on the Mayflower. Another, Thomas Hinckley, served as governor of the Plymouth Colony from 1680 to 1692.

President Hinckley’s first job was as a newspaper carrier for the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City daily. After attending public schools in Salt Lake City, he earned a bachelor of arts degree at the University of Utah and then served two years as a full-time missionary for the Church in Great Britain. He served with distinction and ultimately was appointed as an assistant to the Church apostle who presided over all the European missions.

Upon successfully completing his missionary service in the mid-1930s, he was asked by Heber J. Grant, then president of the Church, to organize what has become the Church's Public Affairs Department.

President Hinckley began serving as a member of the Sunday School general board in 1937, two years after returning home from missionary service in Great Britain. For 20 years he directed all Church public communications. In 1951 he was named executive secretary of the General Missionary Committee, managing the entire missionary program of the Church, and served in this capacity for seven years.

On 6 April 1958, while serving as president of the East Millcreek Stake in Salt Lake City (a stake is similar to a diocese), President Hinckley was appointed as a general authority, or senior full-time leader of the Church. In this capacity he served as an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles before being appointed to the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles on 5 October 1961.

President Hinckley received a number of educational honors, including the Distinguished Citizen Award from Southern Utah University; the Distinguished Alumni Award from the University of Utah; and honorary doctorates from Westminster College, Utah State University, University of Utah, Brigham Young University, Southern Utah University, Utah Valley State College and Salt Lake Community College. The Gordon B. Hinckley Endowment for British Studies, a program focused on the arts, literature and history of the United Kingdom, was established at the University of Utah.

President Hinckley was awarded the Silver Buffalo Award by the Boy Scouts of America; was honored by the National Conference for Community and Justice (formerly the National Conference of Christians and Jews) for his contributions to tolerance and understanding in the world; and received the Distinguished Service Award from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 2004, President Hinckley was also awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President George W. Bush in the White House.

In March 2000 President Hinckley addressed the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. He also addressed the Religion Newswriters Association and the U.S. Conference of Mayors and twice addressed the Los Angeles World Affairs Council.

President Hinckley wrote and edited several books and numerous manuals, pamphlets and scripts, including a best-selling book, Standing for Something, aimed at a general audience. In it he championed the virtues of love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness, mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism and faith. He also testified of what he called the “guardians of virtue,” namely traditional marriage and family.

President Hinckley married Marjorie Pay in the Salt Lake Temple in 1937. They have five children and 25 grandchildren. Sister Hinckley passed away 6 April 2004.

2008-01-28T07:37:00.000-08:00

A Day to Believe It..... or Not

2008-01-26T22:04:00.000-08:00

This week we decided to take advantage of one of Branson's more main stream attractions, "Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum". I know the term has just begun but over Christmas break I began a new job at The Arc of the Ozarks and now with school into it's second week it was clearly time for a quick family get-away. Branson has been our favorite place to sneak off too but this time of year the options are slim. The good thing is that main stream attractions like Ripley's or the Hollywood Wax Museum are open year round.

So in the museum we found many odd and eccentric things including this disappearing jewel that we could see in the mouth of this icon but we just couldn't put our hands on it.

This crazy looking totum pole was a nice place to rest but not for too long, this was the exhibit about cannibals.

I got to have a little fun too.....

Our girls loved the many things we got to see and experience, after all it is not everyday you get to stand next to the tallest man on Earth. We certainly had a fun time together and enjoyed another wonderful Branson Adventure.

A Working Dog

2008-01-21T23:20:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful surprise this last weekend when our friend, Sol, (a fellow class mate of mine) stopped by to introduce us to his new Service Dog. Bebe is a beautiful Golden Retriever who has been trained from a pup to provide assistance to those with disabilities. Sol had been looking forward to bringing Bebe home for some time now and was finally able to do so after he did two-weeks of training with Bebe in St. Louis.
The girls thought it was a real treat to have Bebe over, they played and loved on her the entire time she was visting. The girls realy learned so much from Sol as he explained the many things Bebe was going to help him with. To be honest Kristy and I learned alot too. Sol has a cochlear implant which allows him to have partial hearing but with Bebe by his side he now has a perfect pair of ears to guide him along.

Bebe got to take off her working vest for a short time which was a signal to her that it was time to play. And play she did. We had such a wonderful time playing catch with our new friend Bebe, the working dog.

A Night that would Remind you of a scene from Twister

2008-01-13T19:25:00.000-08:00

I left work around 5:00pm and had no idea what the night had in store. It began around 8:00pm when some of the first reports of Tornado Warnings began and of course the town warning sirens began to blare. We gathered our girls up and followed the direction of the local news station in staying in a centrally located room without windows.

This is the second time since we moved to Missouri that our girls have been woken up late at night at the sounds of sirens and a news broadcast of immanent danger. Our girls actually had fun staying up with us watching the news and gathering our emergency supplies. Despite the fact that we were in the direct path of the multi-wave storm we only experienced a ton of rain and wind. We saw no hail and no twisters. However, we were very lucky as indicated by the following news story obtained from the local paper, News-Leader.

January 8, 2008
35 tornadoes in five waves of storms ripped through southwest Missouri, tearing the roof off a school in the town of Republic, collapsing several buildings in Springfield and destroying dozens of homes in neighboring counties, according to emergency management officials. In downtown Springfield, a community of 152,000, an F-1 tornado packing 100 mph winds collapsed two buildings and knocked down trees and signs around 3 a.m. Tuesday.Springfield City Utilities crews quickly restored power to about 10,000 customers who lost electricity from downed power lines.The twisters also hit a mobile home park south of Monett and damaged homes and a school roof in Republic before slamming into Strafford and touching down near Marshfield.

During the most intense times of the storm I kept looking out over the horizon for a dreaded funnel cloud but fortunate for us I never found one. There have been many interesting experiences that our family has had since moving to the Show Me State, this certainly is one of them.

Mental Note: loud sirens at night that wake you up is a sign to take cover, to take cover quickly

back for more..... Winter Term 2008 Begins

2008-01-07T20:17:00.000-08:00

Another wonderful holiday season has come and gone leaving wonderful memories for years to come. With the end of the holidays of course results in the beginning of another year and of course another term at Forest.

My family stayed up till Midnight to participate from our living room in the "sorta live" broadcast from Times Square where the traditional New Years Ball dropped us into 2008.

Winter Term 2008
As the term approaches I am looking forward to another great Psychology of Religion course, leaving the Murney Clinic and entering my first off-site practicum, and I am beginning IHC track courses. An interesting wind of change is upon me and I happily welcome it.

Along with all this is of course all the fun things happening in Student Council. We held our first meeting of the year at St. Michael's, of course, and had a very good turn out. We discussed what issues we wanted to focus the last 4-months of our term. We have accomplished so much during our term and it certainly is amazing to consider that our term is quickly coming to a close.

Cool things ahead for 2008.....

On a Side-Note
Over the holidays I took up a new sport, Geocaching, call me a nerd but I really dig this crazy activity. For those of you who have also caught the caching craze I encourage you to look for my caches I have hidden near the academic building and the clinic. There is also another great cache near the rear of the campus called "Juke Box Junkie" that is also worth checking out.

Team Forest at Kitchen 5K

2007-05-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

The Student Council elections came up roses for me and I along with an awesome team of officers were elected to take the reigns for the coming year. Our first major event was raising money and participating in an annual 5k run that benefits the local homeless shelter. We raised funds for 10 members of the Forest Institute community to participate in the run, I was lucky (or maybe unlucky depending on how you look at it) enough to be one of those participants. The following is the original email we sent out to the school after the event. By the way my time wasn't the best ever but not bad for it being the first time I ran all year- 31:30)

Team Forest arrived bright and early Saturday morning outside the City Utilities Building just adjacent to the starting line of the 16th Annual Kitchen 5K Fun Run. Uniformly clothed in our new Team Forest tee-shirts we were ready for a nice jog through the heart of downtown Springfield.

With the side-line support our trusty Student Council Secretary, Amy Duncan, we were certainly in a perfect position to do our best in this race that included over 600 other participants.

Our 10 person sponsored team included Brent Anderson, Emily Abel, John Weems, Kiri Tesnar, Polly Vandenburg and her Fiancé Bob, Renae Courtney, as well as Student Council 3rd Year Representative Andy Huls, Student Council Vice-President Dana Sweatt and Student Council President Adam Batchelder. With our sun glasses or iPods in place we were ready for the 5K ahead.

We each found our desired pace and then put our treads to the road in an effort to support this most noble cause.

At the completion of the race we each felt much better, better for helping the cause, better for our fitness, or simply better because we could finally rest, regardless of the reason we felt better.

We know that each of us gave our very best but one amongst us was recognized for their most impressive diligent efforts.

We are most pleased to announce Polly Vandenburg's 3rd place victory for her age category!
A BIG CONGRATS out to you POLLY of Team Forest!
We wish to thank all those who made this Student Council sponsored event a reality, the FIPP Administration, those who donated or purchased items at the bake sale, and especially those who got involved and participated in the event. Thank You!

Great Work Team Forest!!!

Sincerely;
Student Council

Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival 2007

2007-04-21T19:14:00.000-07:00

Bass Pro held a very awesome event that our friend Mickey would have certainly been jealous over. It was called the Rock'n Ribs BBQ Festival and simply put it is a massive bar-b-que cook off that any one is invited to participate in. Of course the only stipulation is that you have to cook about 200 lbs of bar-b-que in order to have enough for all the patrons that will visit the event.

There was about 60 or so contestants offering just a taste of their product and each of them hoping that they could win over the crowd. That's right, there were no judges, just a crowd of hungry patrons that would decide the best bar-b-que. Every person that entered the event was given a voting ballot in which you were allowed to place a single contestant on. You could only pick one as being the best. That was not an easy task. We tried so many different flavored and textured types of pulled pork that it was hard to keep track of the ones you actually liked. But it was fun trying.

This contest is so big they even had aliens trying out the bar-b-que.

It was such a cool experience walking along this very long line as you slowly made your way to each contestant booth. Some had their booth all decorated up as an attempt to have you remember their booth when it came to cast that single vote.

Neleha ate her self to sleep and ended up getting carried by most of the booths, but we sure had a fun time along with Angie and Aaliyah. We all ate our fill and had a fun time doing it.

Celebration City

2007-04-20T19:12:00.000-07:00

Our All-City Season Pass to Silver Dollar City also gets us in to another Branson theme park called Celebration City. It being the opening week for Celebration City we decided to head south to see what the other city had to offer. Angie and Aaliyah also have an All-City pass so they joined us as well and we explored this place for the first time together.

We found the same standard of cleanliness and family environment that was upheld at Silver Dollar City also at Celebration City. In fact the entire park had a theme just like Silver Dollar City. However, unlike the historical frontiersman theme, Celebration City promoted a 1950's theme. Everyone was dressed in 50's style clothes and all the food, rides, games, and shows held true to the theme as well.

The first ride we came to was the Merry-Go-Round and although it was very nice it was also slow, in fact the slowest one we had ever been on. I don't think the girls noticed how slow it was but us parents certainly did.

One of the gems of this park is the fact that they had an awesome go-cart track and it is included in the admission. That is right unlike most parks that would charge extra for go-carts, at this place you can ride all night if you wish.

I was able to capture some great photos of Kristy and Angie as Neleha and I sped past them.

For the most part Celebration City is like the midway of a county fair. They have pretty much the same kind of rides and food but let me tell you this place is 100% cleaner than your average county fair. Not to say that I don't like the county fair because I certainly do, but it is refreshing to have all the good parts of a fair without the bad parts.

From the Tilt-o-World to the Scrambler they got em' but just in much better condition than one would be used to.

Celebration City also has this huge Ferris Wheel which has always been one of my favorite rides.

One ride this place has that a fair doesn't have is of course the Wildcat roller coaster. Not the biggest coaster I have ever been on but it sure does the job. the picture below has Kristy and Angie riding the Cat.

The girls were very excited to ride this ride they call the Hopper.

After it started however I think only Molly ended up actually liking it, their faces certainly tell the tale.

There were many old-style kiddie rides for the girls to enjoy and enjoy they did.

I think the highlight of this visit was when the girls got to meet the Veggie Tales stars Bob and Larry. Our girls had not ever watched any Veggie Tales until recently when we learned that they were here at Celebration City. We rented one of their DVD's recently and they really liked it but of course I think that like turned into love once they got to meet these guys.

We all had such a fun time exploring Celebration City.

As the night approached we made it over to the game area of the park and were not surprised to see it appearing just like it would at the fair.

One of the big aspects of Celebration City is the huge laser, light, video, water, and fireworks show that they end the night with. They call it "Ignite the Night" and they even have this huge countdown clock in the center of the park to countdown the time to the show.

While we waited for the show we decided to let the girls go back on the slowest ride in the park again and then we headed for the mini-golf course that is also included in the admission.

The mini-golf course is a very well developed 18-hole course and it was so nice to have this also included in the price of the park.

The girls had a blast trying to move their golf balls around the course. Neleha eventually decided the best way to play was hit your ball once and then pick it up and drop it right in the hole, now you can't beat that score.

It was such a beautiful park after the sun set and all the lights illuminated the night sky. Angie took this awesome photo of Kristy and I with the rides and lights in the background. All the beautiful lights were complimented by my beautiful sweetheart.

After our round of golf it was finally time for the big show. We got the girls some glow toys and then settled down to enjoy the show.

The show was unbelievable, they used this pond and a carved out hill as the backdrop for this amazing presentation. They used this awesome water fountain to spray the water of the pond and then they projected lasers and even video on to the spraying water. At one point they had the Beatles, the Supremes and even the King himself. It actually looked like these people were out there putting on a show for us.

The show actually told the real story of America, from our sports to our entertainers to our heroes and of our love for God. It was the most uplifting show I have ever seen of it's kind. Afterwards one could not help but feel happiness in being an American.

Before we knew it our time had come to an end but we certainly are looking forward to coming back often.

Reason to Believe #10

2007-04-18T17:44:00.000-07:00

This was my follow-up email I sent out to maximize the number of students who would actually vote before the polls closed after being open for an entire week.

In light of the past two U.S. Presidential elections I wish to offer my pledge that "EVERY VOTE WILL BE COUNTED" there will be No Hanging Chads or long lines at the polls. In fact I provide my promise that this STUCO Presidential election will not be decided by the courts but by the students of this fine institution of higher learning. Every Casted Vote WILL Be A Counted Vote!

I hope that this pledge will put your minds at ease and build confidence for the great majority of YOU, the student body, who has hesitated to vote. The future of your Forest Institute is in your hands. Exercise your RIGHT TO VOTE, the polls close at 5:00pm this Friday, visit the polling booth at the library and LET YOUR VOICE BE HEARD!

Remember the lessons we have learned from Florida & Ohio "Every Vote Counts"

"Reason to Believe #10"

Reasons to Believe in Adam B.

2007-04-16T17:41:00.000-07:00

The following was my first campain email I sent to my fellows students at Forest Institute. Wish me luck!

As many of you are aware, the current Executive Student Council Officers have decided to not run for re-election. Rather their reasons for stepping down are related to some so-called "Evil Alien Agenda" or for personal reasons it matters not. Having worked closely with them for the last term as a Class Representative I have been inspired by their "Flippin' Sweet" spirit of innovation and improvement. I am therefore compelled to run in their absence in hopes that I might be able to pick up their torch and carry on the legacy.

The following is a list of
"Reasons to Believe in Adam B."

Many efforts have been initiated to obtain proper student representation in different aspects of our academic experience. These areas include the Board of Trustees, the Comprehensive Exam Committee, Direct Representation with the CEO, Student Housing Committee and the Academic Committee. I Believe these efforts have been worthy and most appropriate but it is now time that a renewed dedication be issued by the elected members of student council and that it be the highest priority in realizing this representation.

During this last term we have secured sponsorship from 3 area businesses including, McAlister's Deli, Village Cleaners and Wal-Mart. This is only the beginning, I Believe their is much more opportunity for the community as well as the student body to benefit directly from local area business sponsorship.

With the recent change in housing management many concerns have been raised regarding the future quality of life for those residing in student housing. I Believe that our student housing should feel like student housing, not some private apartment complex coincidentally located near the academic building. The many suggestions have included extending the Wi-Fi from the academic building to student housing, partitioning an area in the nearby field for gardening, property management/maintenance turned over to designated residence in return for rent reductions, improved efforts in maintenance and up keep of the grounds and the implementation of community meetings to voice concerns. These are not only appropriate suggestions but very feasible.

The most important aspect of a graduate program is student morale. Low morale equates to low achievement. I Believe the single most effective way to improve student morale is through functions hosted by the school. Such functions could include a return of the winter formal dance, organized discounted outdoor activities (horseback riding, skiing, camping, hiking, organized school sponsored sporting teams, concerts), and social events. Fostering an environment where bonding and comradery occur is the essential element of this effort.

Forest Institute has always fostered a reputation for unwavering service for the residence of Springfield and the many surrounding areas. I Believe that we must maintain this standard in order to continue to elicit the respect that has been established by the members of this community for Forest Institute and it's graduates.

Despite the many years that Forest Institute has been a member of this community there appears to be very little awareness of our presence by the general local population. I Believe that fostering increased community awareness will result in a drastic increase in the community outpouring of support for Forest Institute initiatives, be it community service projects or efforts to directly benefit students. One way this may be accomplished is through a Forest Institute extension being added to the Ozark Greenways Trail system which runs on the property in front of the academic building.

In the age of obesity, all organizations should promote good physical wellness. I Believe that it is Forest Institute's duty to lead in this effort to promote fitness to all of it's faculty, staff and student body. This effort requires very little organizationally, yet the benefits can truly save lives.
There are few experiences that can match that offered by military service. I am honored to have served a 5-year enlistment as a Navy Medic assigned to the Marine Corps. It was my privilege to serve alongside the finest men and women of this country. I Believe that those experiences have prepared me well to foster the leadership and motivation needed to serve loyally as an elected student body officer.

My abduction last Fall was by far the most intense education I have ever received. I Believe that everyone should apply their diversity training and overcome their fear of the unknown and embrace our extra-terrestrial allies by hosting a DIPI to discuss this very misunderstood culture.
-Thank you for your time and consideration-
Adam B. for STUCO President

Neleha: Photo Assistant & Forest Institute Celebrity

2007-04-12T19:10:00.000-07:00

My little Neleha tagged along with me one day as I was taking some promotional photographs for the school. The Admissions Department was updating their website and I volunteered to shoot some photos around the school and the clinic. Neleha and I had a blast walking around the campus and taking pictures. The best part was of course taking pictures of her.

Every time I would begin to take photos of another area of the campus she insisted on being in at least the first one. She was a wonderful model!

It really made her day when we went to the clinic and she got to pose for an actual promotional photograph. We needed a kid for a photo of our play therapy room and she served very nicely as our newest Forest Institute Celebrity. In fact she was a little upset when it was time to go.

To see all the photographs, including the one above of Neleha in the play therapy room, on the Forest Institute website just go to: Forest Institute Virtual Tour

Introducing "Silver Dollar City"

2007-03-20T20:09:00.000-07:00

For the Guinther's last day with us we headed south to Branson. We purchased season passes for the three theme parks in Branson with our tax return and as a bonus we received many free passes to be used during certain times of the year.Sherry & Dale's visit was just perfect for one of those times. This was the first weekend that Silver Dollar City opened so this visit was our first visit to the park as well.

The first attraction that caught our eye was Marvel Cave. It is a well known cave system located beneath the park and the tour is included in the admission price. So I talked everyone into waiting the 30 minutes so we could explore the great Ozark underground.

The tour was about one-hour long and included walking down a very long stair and ramp system. The sights inside however were well worth the wait and the stairs.

As soon as you finally arrive at the base of the main opening you are shuffled in line for their official pictures. The photo turned out pretty good so we decided to purchase it.

The cave had some very tight turns and declines and proved to be very beautiful all along the way.

The best part was the waterfall. This was a first for us, we have been through many cave systems but never one with an underground waterfall. Unfortunately we were not able to stay long to enjoy the scene but it was a very awesome sight.

I think Neleha and Garret had it the best during our tour as they were carried throughout the tour.

The kids had a great time exploring this amazing underworld and I think even us parents enjoyed it too.

We eventually reached the end of the tour which concluded with a train ride out of the cave. The train was the craziest train I had ever seen. It was a crooked train due to the fact of the steepness of the ascent out of the cave. It provided a nice smooth and relaxing ride.

Once we were out of the cave we began to explore this so called "City". It was quit an impressive place. They had a very unexpectedly large number of vendor areas where various carfts or food was sold all of which was made right here in the park. In fact most of it was being made right in front of your eyes.

We finally found the kids rides area and that is were we stayed. The kids had such a blast being able to spend time with each other and being able to enjoy all these rides.

Dale and I were able to hang out and talk guy talk while the kids road and while Kristy & Sherry also rode.

Everyone certainly had a great time!

Dale and I eventually did find a ride suitable for all of us, the kiddie coaster.

So we jumped aboard and had a ride to remember.

Before long we had made our way through all the kiddie rides and it was finally nearing dinner-time and while in the Ozarks there really is only one place for dinner....it was time for Lambert's.

Free Doughnuts & PFI Western Wear Store

2007-03-20T19:08:00.000-07:00

Bright and early we headed out for Branson but we first stopped into a couple of Springfield's hot spots. In fact "Hot" is what made the first place so good. Krispy Kreme doughnuts is one of our favorite places for Saturday mornings, especially when the red light is on indicating that fresh doughnuts are rolling down the line. That red light also means that everyone entering will receive one free hot & fresh doughnut. Sherry and Dale quickly fell in love with this place as well.

There is something very fascinating about watching anything being made, doughnuts are no exception. From the dough mixer to to the glazer the doughnut making process is simply amazing.

Being St. Patrick's Day weekend they had a very special doughnut that was in the shape of a clover. It tasted good as all their doughnuts do.

Our last stop before heading for Branson was PFI, it is the largest western wear store in the state of Missouri. I knew this place would really go over well with Sherry and Dale.

We all really enjoyed looking at the boots and hats and all western things in between. Braden and Neleha kept us pretty busy as they wanted to try on and play with everything.

At one point a funny thing happened when Barden was able to sneak away from us and was caught by one of the PFI employees. That walked him right back to Kristy and said there you go, theres Mommy. He does look way more like Kristy then Sherry so the mistake was understandable.

After having our Cowboy Store experience we were ready for Branson's very own Silver Dollar City.

Dynamite Fashion Show

2007-03-17T19:06:00.000-07:00

Ever year the Forest Institute Financial Aid Office hosts a fashion show to promote their "No Default" program. This program is essentially to teach people how to pay off their school loans efficiently and more importantly entirely. This fashion show is very unique simply because of the spending limit models can use to purchase their attire. What the Financial Aid Office does is give each volunteer model $25 for which to purchase their entire runway attire, and that is the limit. They also throw in the proper motivation to buy the nicest stuff you can find for such a limited amount of money by offering prizes for different categories.

When I heard about it back when I was first interviewing for the school I knew this was right up my alley. I don't know too many other guys that love to shop at thrift stores as much as I do....well with the exception of my favorite movie character Napoleon Dynamite. So to honor my favorite character I got my $25 and headed to Goodwill, Disabled American Vets, and the Salvation Army thrift stores to buy some threads to make me look like the man without a plan.

I found a 3-piece suit, clip-on tie, brown leather shoes, and glasses for less than my limit. I was in business. We were allowed to supply our own accessories so the additional wig and numb-chucks topped off my presentation. I edited a track from the ND soundtrack for my runway song, it was the suit-walk, it work perfectly! I put on the best show I could as did my best not too embarrass my sweetheart who was watching from the audience, but I think I failed in that effort.

My runway performance included me quickly pulling my clip-on off and throwing it in the crowd, swing around a pair of numb-chucks, and pulling out some tater tots from my pocket and eating them. It was so fun but to be honest I couldn't see a thing the entire time. The glasses were actually +3 reading glasses which made everything blurry beyond recognition. Fun times indeed!

In the end I was awarded the honor of having the most complete outfit, 'HECK YES I DID'. Better than that however Kristy ended up winning the big door prize which was a very nice over-night suit case on rollers. We had some seriously sweet luck!

Petra Rock Climbing Gym

2007-03-10T19:05:00.000-08:00

So Travis and I must have thought that we needed a way to feel young again or something, but whatever the reason in the end we felt older than ever. We went to the local rock climbing gym called Petra and took our initial belaying class to qualify to be able to climb at the gym. The class was very easy going and took about 40 minutes. We learned a couple of vital climbing knots and the essentials of climbing and belaying. Before we knew it we were climbing the wall.

These knots are called the figure 8 and the figure 8 follow-through, both are very essential to not falling which was the one thing that was most important to us.

So the climbing was great, very exhilarating, very satisfying, but very challenging. Travis and I made multiple climbs through the night.

An unexpected thing that was also at the gym was something called a speleo box. This is a climbers labyrinth. It was not very tall, maybe 7-8 feet and about 11-12 feet wide. Yet it had 4 levels and so many nook's and cranny's. It was not so much a maze as it was a challenge to climb through and get through all the obstacles. Travis and I went through this thing multiple times and let me tell you this thing is so fun! My best time was 2 minutes and 32 seconds and I was flying through that box.

It was a tight fit no matter how you approached this thing, if a person had even a hint of claustrophobia this would certainly send them right over the edge.

Climbing was fun but this thing, this thing was just way awesome!

Travis and I were sure not feeling to young by the time we were done crawling around in this thing.

Good times with my good friend Travis, some rope, and a big box labyrinth.

Check out Petra at http://www.petrarockgym.com/

Daddy-Daughter Date to Bass Pro's Hemingway's

2007-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Kristy and I decided that we were going to implement something that we have talked about doing soon after Molly was born......it has taken awhile but well worth it all the same. What we have decided to do is hold regular (monthly/bimonthly) nights were we each take one of the girls for a night on the town to do their choice of activities. Our first attempt at this effort went perfectly. Kristy took Molly and Neleha was with me. Molly chose to spend the evening at McDonalds at the playland and Neleha....well she loves Bass Pro, and so we headed for the fish restaurant as she calls it in Bass Pro, a.k.a. Hemingway's.

This restaurant serves up some very good sea food and local barbecue flavor on a buffet that just wont quit. On top of that they have a huge salt water aquarium over the length of the bar which easily captivated my little fish lover.

Neleha was especially fond of what she called "baby lobster" which actually was crayfish but not much difference really. We had an awesome meal and spent some real time together enjoying what my little Neleha enjoys, fish and food.

I later learned that although Kristy didn't get to enjoy the high quality food that we did, she had just as much fun with Molly. And so it was that our first effort went very well at spending time with our little angels.

Snow Bird Trip to Arizona - Best Timing Ever

2007-01-22T19:02:00.000-08:00

Using the opportunity that was provided by all of our schools being out for the MLK jr. holiday we headed down to Arizona for what was expected to be a very quick 3-day trip. During our 3 days we had no idea however that we had left Missouri just 36-hours prior to their greatest natural disaster in decades. Missouri received a massive dumping of ice which resulted in the great destruction of trees which ended up knocking out about 85% of Springfield's electricity for at least 5 days and for some up to 12 days. We did not even learn of the devastation back in Missouri until the night we originally expected to leave when my friend Hans told us about the ice storms we missed. We soon learned that our power was out and that many of the interstate highways were closed between Arizona and Missouri. Our 3-day trip was immediately extended and since all of our schools were closed, we had no reason to go back anyway. I wonder if we would have packed differently had we known that we would actually be spending 9-days instead of 3?

During our visit we had the opportunity to spend much time with Collin, we had so much fun with him. The girls sure do love hanging out with their Arizona cousin, they almost fight each other over being able to capture his exclusive attention. They have so much fun.

Dillon is growing faster and faster each time we see him. The more he grows the more he looks like his Daddy. He is certainly a mini-Tony.

A very unique opportunity that being in the Safford area that we took advantage of was visiting the childhood home of Spencer W. Kimball. He was our head church leader back in the 70's and 80's. I always thought it was so cool that I grew up in the same town as President Kimball. The town neighbors Safford and is called Thatcher.

Spencer Kimball was known for his faithful service to the Lord, always standing up for what was right regardless of how unpopular it might be. He stood for principles and he had a love for his people. His kind and undeviating heart and service reminds me so much of our current leader Gordon B. Hinckley.

This year the entire adult membership is learning about the specific teachings of Spencer Kimball which made this little visit to his old homestead that much more meaningful.

My sister Amy invited us all over for a wonderful Barbecue. It was so enjoyable spending time with her and her family, the food was great and the conversation was too.

I must say Amy has made such wonderful progress over the last two years, she has done so well with her marriage and family, I am so pleased with her. She is beginning to know happiness and it really shows.

I had to take the opportunity to get a photo next to her, after all she is the only sibling I have that I can stand next to and actually feel like the older sibling rather than a younger one.

We had a great time with great food, that is what it's all about.

During this visit I wanted to make sure that I took Kristy and the girls back to Roper Lake State Park but this time to enjoy the natural mineral spring hot tub.

Visiting the hot tub was one of my favorite activities as a child and it was so much fun to watch Kristy and the girls enjoy it as well.

Having Collin and Chad as well made the experience that much more fun. The hot tub is fed by a natural hot spring and it felt so good in combination with the slightly crisp desert air.

Before we knew it, the time had arrived for Collin to go back home, we sure did enjoy his visit and it was very clear that he enjoyed his visit with us. We sure do love our little nephew/cousin Collin.

One of the frequent activities that we participated in was of course stopping in at the Water Depot for their snow cones. We couldn't get enough of these things.

We talked Tony into cooking his very famous Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches. We quickly learned why these sandwiches are so famous, simply because they are soooo goooood!

One night we were able to hook up with Hans and April and their kids for pizza and a movie. We watched "Night at the Museum" and then headed for Pizza Hut.

We enjoyed the great company and the awesome pizza. Good times indeed!

Later that night us guys got together again for another game of RISK. We changed it up a little bit which made the game more entertaining but less time consuming.

Hans claimed the victory of this one but we all had a great time playing, as usual, it's not who wins, it's just about playing the game.

Kristy had a great time with Zoe and the girls, they had a great time listening to her iPod.

Kristy and I came across an interesting place in Thatcher. The Rainfire beef jerky roadside stand appeared to have much potential, I mean the idea was too cool. Even if you happen to stop in during a time that they are closed they have a 24-hour vending machine.
We happened to stop in during one of those closed times, but the vending machine offered many flavors of their homemade jerky. We purchased a few of the vending machine offerings but to our great disappointment the quality and flavor was subpar at best and mainly just simply a far stretch to be called beef jerky. Oh well, it was a cool idea.

Carmen's brother stopped over one afternoon after driving up the local Mt. Graham to play in the fresh snow. He loaded up some of the cold wet stuff and dumped it in front of Tony's house. This was very ironic looking back since the day we finally left Safford it actually started snowing and they ended up with a record breaking 10 inches.

Our last night in town we headed up the hill to Safford's finest dining facility, the Branding Iron Steakhouse. Tony had been talking up their ribs all week which they only serve on Saturday night. We originally did not think we would have the chance to try them out but indeed we did.

The Branding Iron not only serves up some pretty good food, it also provides the best view of the Safford night skyline which really sets an awesome atmosphere.

So we gathered for one great meal. Tony was right about the ribs, certainly worth all the compliments he had been awarding all week. We had a great time talking and eating and during this meal we even began some talk about a Grand Canyon trip for Memorial Day this year. Good times and good food!

Kristy looked so beautiful all dolled up which makes me feel so special to be able to parade her around my old home town.

The girls also had a great time, this was certainly a good way to close our very extended trip to Safford.

Late Aniversary Getaway to Big Cedar in Branson

2007-01-04T18:59:00.000-08:00

When we first moved to Springfield one of our trips to Bass Pro resulted in Kristy purchasing a weekend getaway package for the Bass Pro Resort "Big Cedar Lodge" in Branson. The package was very inexpensive and Kristy thought that it would be perfect for our anniversary. Due to school and the holidays we were not able to take advantage of our anniversary getaway until now, but we enjoyed it all the same. The one catch to this very inexpensive package was that we had to listen to a 2 hour sales pitch about time shares for the lodge.

The lodge was breath taking, certainly an outdoorsman paradise.

The room was unlike any hotel room we had ever stayed in, it was like staying in a log cabin crossed with a hotel room.

From the framed vintage fish lures, to the old time radio lamp and even the window into the bathroom; it was a singular experience.

The resort's restaurants were not exactly appropriate for a graduate student's budget but we were able to find a deli that was very good and pretty cheap.

They had such wonderful sandwiches and deserts, a place we could certainly appreciate.

So after lunch we ventured out to check out what the resort had to offer.

We found a huge Lincoln Log table where the girls got to attempt to build their own log house while Kristy got to decide what spa services she would indulge in as my gift to her for putting up with me for last 7 years.

We took a walk around the resort and enjoyed the crisp weather and fresh Ozark air.

The resort was so beautiful.

Kristy headed out for her spa appointment and the girls and I headed out for the lake.

Along the way to the lake we decided to explore the rest of the resort.

We crossed the hanging bridge and found the playground and the mini-golf course.

The playground was very fun for the girls and the last hole of the mini-golf course being in a big Bass was pretty cool for me.

We finally found our way to the resort marina on Table Rock Lake were we got to enjoy the complimentary paddle boats.

We squeezed into a 2 seater and paddled around having a great time on this most wonderful lake.

Afterwards we picked up Kristy who was most happy and relaxed however her dope of a husband was trying to be proactive and help her into the van and I inadvertently messed up one of her freshly painted toe nails. However the staff at the resort spa fixed it for free and encouraged her to have me stay away from her until her nails were completely dry. Advise that she certainly put to use.

So for our anniversary dinner we went to a Branson favorite "Outback Steak and Oyster Bar".

We heard so many good things about this place, which all panned out to be true.

Kristy ordered a steak........

Molly wanted the onion blossom.......

Neleha and I went for the "Gator Tail" which tasted like chicken??????

We enjoyed a wonderful meal together and highly recommend this "other" Outback Steak restaurant.

Back at the resort we decided to hit the indoor heated pool. We had such a wonderful time swimming and splashing and having a really great time.

We even ventured outside in the very cold crisp air to take a dip in the very heated hot tub. Neleha was so funny, she kept telling us that she wanted to go back to the "cold tub".

The next day it was time for Kristy and I to take our sales tour and sit through 2 hours of very boring sales pitch. The good thing was that Molly and Neleha didn't have to be tortured with the experience, they actually provided a class for the kids where they got to make and color fish and fishing poles.

Kristy and I however got to enjoy a very long but luckily very low pressure sales tour of the resort. In the end we decided that even if we had the money we would not put it here, the resort was awesome however, the time share options were very over priced.

All and all it was a very wise choice for Kristy to purchase this Big Cedar package for our anniversary. We had such a relaxing and enjoyable time. We would certainly recommend Big Cedar to anyone that is looking for an outdoors getaway in Branson.

To our first seven of eternity.......... I am certainly looking forward to the next seven.

Neleha's School at the Zoo

2006-12-18T18:57:00.000-08:00

Kristy took Neleha to her first of many classes she will be attending at our local zoo. We decided to enroll Neleha in these classes due to her eagerness to learn and our inability to get her into a Head Start program. Because we already have a membership to the zoo Neleha's classes are greatly discounted which is also a big plus.

Kristy told me how Neleha was able to quickly find her place within her class and had a wonderful time painting, making a bird feeder and above all learning about animals. She loved it so much she now calls it her "school".

Neleha told me herself how she got to pet a bunny during her class which in her mind was the highlight of the day.

Our little Neleha is growing so fast and learning so much, it is so wonderful to watch her have so much enjoyment from exploring the world.

Decorating our Tree in a Box

2006-12-07T18:56:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago we set up our first ever "artificial Christmas tree". We have had an actual authentic tree every year ever since Kristy and I were first married but this year it just seemed appropriate to vary from our tradition. I must admit the fake tree is less messy which was a big plus. The other nice benefit to this tree is that it already had the lights built in. You can't beat a pre-lit no mess tree.

Before we purchased our Christmas tree we discussed with our angel daughters the plight of our tight dual student financial budget in regards to Christmas decorations. We proposed that we make our own decorations for the tree and wouldn't you know it, our girls were more excited about that idea then buying decorations.

So on our FHE night Kristy helped them string popcorn and I helped with making a paper chain. The girls had a ball as we decorated our new Christmas tree.

The final product was certainly something to smile about.

The Nativity Celebration

2006-12-02T18:55:00.000-08:00

Our local congregation is hosting an annual live nativity celebration. The celebration included a live nativity scene as well as a massive display of hundreds of handicrafted nativity scene models from around the world. To top off the experience there are also Christmas song performances from local choir groups as well as actual well known Branson performers. All free to the public, a wonderful way to usher in the greatest holiday of the year.

So we chose this particular night to visit the nativity celebration because two of our friends were participating in the live nativity. Sean and Travis were both representing wise men, now that was a stretch j/k.

They along with all the other participants did a wonderful job in bringing our minds back to that most humble yet divine night of nights. Along with the actual live nativity there was an audio presentation describing the magnificent events surrounding the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ. It was certainly a most appropriate way to begin the coming holiday.

Inside the chapel we found so many beautiful depictions of the nativity. Each depiction carried with it pieces of the culture from where it originated. These many perspectives provided so much wonderful insight into the way people from around the world cherish this most important event. It was very inspiring.

To learn more about this annual event visit www.nativitycelebration.com

First Snow on the First of December

2006-12-01T18:53:00.000-08:00

We were aware of the impending storm long before it ever reached us. In fact it was 72 degrees on the 29th of November but all the same they predicted 4-6 inches of snow after a long day of freezing rain in the early hours of December 1st. When we woke to the first day of December the ground proved the predictions correct. Its funny, when we first moved here we were told that Springfield had not gotten over 2 inches of snow in a single winter for over 5 years. Kristy and I must be jinxed. When her and I were first married and living in North Carolina they had the worst snow storm ever recorded. Then we move to Maine and once again a record breaking 25 feet of snow total for our first winter. Ohio was no different, we got to experience another record breaking winter. I can't wait for the rest of the winter..........

So with the ground covered in the cold wet stuff we came out to survey the damage. Really the ice didn't make too much of a nuisance and the snow was predicted to melt quickly.

So the girls came out to play for awhile but they quickly realized that snow is very cold and not as fun as it looks. So we then decided to take the Suzuki out for a joy ride around the town. I never turn down an opportunity go four-wheel driving.

A Great Gathering to Chase & Eat Turkey

2006-11-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

It was amazing what a little turkey can encourage people to do, lucky for us we had a big turkey because not only did we have Kristy's parents, her sister, and a niece and two nephews drive in from Ohio, Tony called from Oklahoma to surprise us that he too was headed our way with his family. So in total we had Gary, Tove, Sherry, Emily, Braden, Garret, Tony, Carmen, Chad, Zoe, Dillon, Kristy, Molly, Neleha, and myself all in a very spacey 2 bedroom student housing apartment. Sounds like it would be cramped, but mostly it was just hot. So we all gathered the night before Thanksgiving for a turkey and to give thanks for all we have, especially each other.

With 15 people we certainly had to manage sleeping places for everyone, which actually worked out pretty well.

Thanksgiving morning was full of enjoying the babies, cooking the sides, and enjoying each other.

The kids were getting a little ansey so we took them out to the playground to get all their wiggles out. I think this was the most kids that had ever used our playground at one time. They sure got a lot of use out it.

Molly's interest in photography sure comes in handy such as being able to get a photo with my brothers. I think it is clearly official now that our assumptions all these years that I am the oldest has been proven incorrect. It is very obvious that I am the youngest.

Kristy and Sherry got to catch up on each others life during the countdown to turkey.

Molly decided to take some more photos which provide a much different perspective.

All morning I was telling the kids about these four wild turkeys that live in the woods near our apartment. We kept watch out for them and finally Tony caught a glimpse of them down in a gully so we all went out to watch some living turkeys just before we ate some dead turkey, ironic if you think about it.

After we watched them for a short time we let the kids chase after the feathered attractions, which resulted in the turkeys flying quickly away, almost as if they knew what today was.

The time had finally arrived to enjoy the festive meal.

Good food, lots of family, on a beautiful day... we certainly had much to be thankful for.

We took a walk down to the nearby Nathaniel Greene Park to off set the great feast we enjoyed.

Then we were able to simply relax and let the food settle. Of course there was much snaking on all the left overs from our big lunch.

Kristy got her Mom to cut Her and Neleha's hair, they looked so happy while getting their hair cut by their Grandma/Mom.

After all the kids were in bed it was time to plan our day after Thanksgiving sales that we would hit in the dark hours of the coming morning. Tony and I actually started out at 2:00am with scoping out Walmart which proved to be very interesting. There were some strange locals at Walmart during these wee hours of the morning. There was some lady with a white t-shirt which she had used a marker to write on it that she had a playstation 3 for sale. There was another lady that shared with Tony and I her conspiracy theory regarding how Walmart was going to sell their DVD's during the big sale. We decided to hit the nearby IHOP until the sales started rather than hang with these most interesting people.

We eventually hit the sales and caught up with Kristy and Sherry at Target. We made out pretty well, got some good deals, but more importantly, we had some real fun.

Thanksgiving Feast at Forest

2006-11-21T18:50:00.000-08:00

This afternoon our Student Council hosted a Thanksgiving Feast for students and staff. Since Neleha hangs out with me on Tuesday mornings while Kristy is in class, she also attended. But to be honest it only seems appropriate for her to attend a student function since she normally refers to Forest Institute as "our" school.

The spread of food was wide and delicious. The Student Council paid for catering of the turkey, potatoes, and gravy and the rest was left up to what ever the students and staff carried in. Let me tell ya, they brought more than we could eat. The food was awesome and so plentiful that I didn't hesitate in having Kristy come over after her class so she too could enjoy the spread of Thanksgiving joy. A good start to the Thanksgiving Holiday celebrations.

Molly Volunteers for Intelligence Testing

2006-11-18T18:49:00.000-08:00

This morning my school was hosting a day of children intelligence testing for one of my current courses. In this course we are learning and qualifying on giving intelligence tests to adults, children, and toddlers. One of the requirements to qualify is of course being able to test appropriate aged individuals for so many practice trials. For me it wasn't hard to find kids to test. However, some of the students do have a hard time due to not being from the area and not knowing anyone in the area. So that is why they host this day to bring kids to volunteer to be tested. They lure the kids into testing through many ways, they tell them they are helping people become doctors, they are going to have fun, and they are going to feed them pizza. Molly was simply sold on the idea of being able to take a test at Daddy's school.

My friend and classmate was assigned to Molly so I was comfortable sneaking up to the doorway and discreetly snapping some photos during her test. She worked very hard and had a great time.

The unfortunate side to this is that because we are not licensed Psychologists yet we are unable to actually formulate any complete results of the test. So that means we won't find out exactly how Molly did, but I am sure she did great!

Trick-or-Treat 2006

2006-10-31T18:47:00.000-08:00

To start our Halloween night of trick-or-treating out right Kristy made us a special themed dinner. She broke out our trusty Halloween recipes book and decided on making Halloween turkey meat tarts. The tarts were great!

The weather was a little chilly and rainy so we headed to the mall for their trick-or-treat event. Most of the stores were passing out candy and a lot of candy at that. The girls made out very well.

One interesting thing that the girls got was a free can of a new energy drink called Boo-Koo. The girl handing out the drinks told us that the drinks are not intended for children. I told the girl not to worry that I would be drinking them, Molly corrected me however. She loves those energy drinks as much as I do. It's a good thing we never buy them and only drink them when we get them for free.

One store had their employee dressed up like an authentic wicked witch from the East as in the Wizard of Oz.

After the mall the girls got together with their neighbor friends Kara and Adam and went door to door in our apartment complex.

Even though we are all students and these were the only young kids in the complex, many people were actually waiting for them. They made out pretty well here to.

Certainly another successful trick-or-treat season.

Missouri State University Homecoming "Halloween" Game

2006-10-28T18:45:00.000-07:00

I have been itching to attend a MSU football game ever since the season started. That was one element of College I sure missed out on at Wright State since they have no football team. I was ecstatic when I learned that Kristy's school not only had a pretty decent team with a huge stadium, but most importantly she could get free tickets. So with Kristy's free ticket and the sweet offering of all costumed kids get free entrance, the Homecoming "Halloween" game was destined to be the one we attended this year.

The girls were almost as excited as I was to attend the MSU game, but especially so when they learned they were going to be a part of the half-time show.

The game started off with a bang as the marching band first took the field and then the team shot out of a huge inflatable football helmet.

The stadium was packed and full of kids in costumes.

The team put on a pretty good first half but Neleha only made it through the first quarter before she fell asleep.

When half-time finally arrived the girls were ready to be a part of the show. They were given kazoos to assist the band with making some noise.

The time arrived for the girls to make their MSU debut as they walked across center field in the kiddie Halloween costume parade.

As a reward the cheerleaders gave all the kids goodie bags and then they got the meet the official MSU mascot.

A great day for MSU football.

Student Council Representative Campaign

2006-10-17T18:43:00.001-07:00

In contrast to the very heated mid-term elections America is currently undergoing, the elections for Student Council Representatives for first year students is next week. Crazy as it may seem, I decided to throw my name into the running. Four representatives will be selected and so far it looks as if there will be five candidates. That results in a need for campaigning. So the following is my campaign email I sent to all the students which is nothing close to the adds we have been seeing on TV:

(Originally sent by email to the Forest Institute student body)

Adam Batchelder: before my Alien Abduction

I had big plans for my hopeful position as a 1st Year Representative for the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology Student Council....of course that was before I saw THEM!

I wanted to:
1) Increase Student representation in administrative decisions effecting education costs and seek out ways to lower these costs (more library scanners to convert documents/book pages into pdf versus printing them).
2) Establish student discounts at local businesses (like the MSU student discount of $.03 per gallon at local gas stations).
3) Continue to maintain and improve student social functions.
4) Organize discounted student outdoor-trips (skiing, horseback riding, fishing, rafting, climbing, camping, hiking, etc).
5) Established organized fitness programs.
6) Establish student led self-help and stress-relief groups.
7) Increase amenities for on-campus student housing (to be comparable to other local apartment units).

Once the aliens took over my body I knew that I would never be able to share with the 1st year student body the reasons why all of my experiences would help me be a great 1st Year Representative.

My experiences include:
1) Served five-years with the U. S. Navy as a front-line surgical medic assigned to the U. S. Marine Corps.
2) As a Husband of 7-years and a Father of 2, I am well aware of the need for lowering any costs we can as Graduate Students.
3) While in the Navy I was assigned as the MWR (Moral Welfare & Recreation) representative which duties included seeking local business support to discount or fully fund unit functions.
4) During that time I was also designated as the Leading Petty Officer for improving fitness standards within our unit.

Once the aliens turned me into one of them I knew that I would never be able to campaign my cool slogans to encourage 1st year students to elect me as one of the four new 1st Year Representatives.

My cool campaign slogans include:
1) If you vote for me, all of your dreams will come true!
2) Adam offers you his protection!
3) Vote for me and I'll catch you a delicious Bass!
4) Vote for Adam and tater tots are on the house!
5) GOSH......I'll do whatever I want to.....like Vote for Adam!
(special thanks to Napoleon Dynamite for the sweet slogans)

Now that I am one of them they are going to make me enforce their EVIL AGENDA!
Now you have no choice but to Vote For Adam for 1st Year Representative.

These are the two posters that I covered the school with.

Maybe if our politicians had a little humor in their lives they could have as much fun as I have been having. So I'll let you know how I fend through our very unheated elections at Forest Institute.

Apartment Party

2006-10-15T18:42:00.000-07:00

Now that all the new Fall students have gotten settled in, a party was organized so we could all get to know each other. We all brought a dish to share and pumpkins to carve. Since us and the Sargents are the only one's with kids we took it upon ourselves to let our kids dress up. We had a great time socializing and eating, and the kids had fun running, playing, and carving pumpkins. What better way is there to turn your neighbors into friends?

Clinic Clean-Up

2006-10-13T18:41:00.000-07:00

My schools Student Council decided to coordinate a clean-up project of our clinic building. So I ran the idea bye Kristy and she thought it would be fun to help out. When we got there we quickly realized how badly a clean-up project was needed. We were happy to see that many other students also showed up. Kristy and I helped out clearing away fallen leaves and accumulated dirt from the parking lot and the girls had fun picking up leaves from the grass. Although much work was involved we all had fun. To end on a good note the Student Council sprung for a free weenie roast with smores for desert.

Open House at Mark Twain Elementry

2006-10-12T18:39:00.000-07:00

It is so hard to believe that molly has been a kindergartener long enough to already have her parent-teacher open house. Molly was very excited to bring us to her school so she could show off all of her work.

We had the wonderful pleasure of Molly leading Kristy, Neleha, and myself all around her classroom and school to show us all of her work that was up on display. Kristy also had the opportunity to talk with Molly's teacher who had nothing but wonderful reports about our little Molly. She told us that Molly has already memorized all of the sight words that they will be using this year. So she has Molly read to the other kids that are having some trouble with their sight words. She also said that she had to purchase a more advanced computer learning software because Molly has mastered all that she had in the classroom. Our Molly sure is a smart little girl.

Molly wanted to make sure to show her Mommy the self-depiction that she did at home with Kristy's help.

Molly's teacher had a few little projects for the kids to do so that their parents could see first-hand how well their kids were doing. I thought it was so cute to watch as Molly looked up to her Mommy after each little project to confirm her approval.

We had such a wonderful time being a part of Molly's life at school, even if it was just for one night. I think the experience only made Neleha want to go to school that much more, she had just as much fun as we did.

Molly: our happy little kindergartener!

A Day of Science: The Discovery Center

2006-10-06T18:36:00.000-07:00

We visited the local children's science museum called Discovery Center. The girls had a day of real interactive learning. The museum was full of things for them to do including the first exhibit where they got to see what its like to discover dinosaurs fossils.

The Discovery Center also has a unique area that is specifically for kids under 6 years old. It is so enjoyable to watch the girls learn and explore.

From the airplane launch tower to the electricity globe, the girls found much to do.

The girls are at such a wonderful age where they are so open to enjoying the many blessings this world has to offer.

One of the highlights of the Center was the mock newsroom. The girls had so much fun pretending to be weather women. Kristy and I had so much fun watching them pretend.

Molly & Neleha, the newest weather team on KY3 News.

The girls got to learn about banking and how to use a fully functional ATM.

Kristy and I had so much fun watching the girls put on a puppet show for us.

We had the most fun in the Kapla room where we got to build stuff out of Kapla blocks.

Kristy built a tall tall tower and let the girls smash it too the ground.

I built a cactus and the girls did me the same favor. Boy did they ever love smashing these things to the ground.

From a walking wheel that actually powered a motor to learning how a wheel barrel works, we certainly had a great visit at the Center.

National Hunting & Fishing Day

2006-09-23T18:34:00.000-07:00

Bass Pro and their Wonders of Wildlife Museum hosted this years National Hunting & Fishing Day festivities. Their parking lot was full of so many things to do and the best part it was mostly free. So we stopped on in and started with the Daisy air rifle range where the girls got to actually fire pellet rifles. They thought it was so awesome to fire real rifles...sort of real anyway.

We got to do the same thing in this paintball rifle range as well.

There was plenty of furs and stuffed wild game and the girls really seemed to enjoy it all.

Between the big raccoon and the interactive fishing pond, the girls had no trouble staying busy.

However, the coolest thing happened when this guy who turned out to be Mike Webb, a professional fisherman, came up to Kristy and I and asked if the girls could be in a filming for a promotion for an upcoming fishing show called K.A.S.T. (Kids Are Special To) to begin airing in January.

The girls were very excited about the opportunity to be on TV so we gave consent.

Molly and Neleha are just natural born stars. They followed directions, smiled the entire time, and really had fun. They never once paid any attention to the swarming camera guys hovering around them.

After the filming Mike gave the girls his official sponsor, "Nitro Boats", hats. They thought that was a pretty good deal.

Meeting Mike may have been the highlight of the day for me but for Molly it was meeting Rachel Phelps. Rachel hosts her own fishing show on the Outdoor Channel and actually got the job by winning the annual Outdoor Channel's "Host Your Own Fishing Show" contest. She was here promoting this years contest. Kristy and Molly encouraged me to take a chance on the contest, so I did. I simply had to do a little audition and talk about my experiences fishing. It was fun but don't expect to see me on any fishing show anytime soon.

A fun day indeed. Learn more about Springfield's 2006 National Hunting & Fishing Day

Neleha: Forest Institute's Youngest Student

2006-09-01T18:33:00.000-07:00

There is a weekly occasion when I must be at school for my work study at the library and Kristy is just getting out of class. This results in a slight gap between when I can watch Neleha and when Kristy can watch her. I was able to come up with a very simple solution, I just bring her to the library. Neleha is usually able find things to occupy her while she waits for Kristy to come and pick her up. She brings her Leapster, coloring books, or simply plays on the internet. She enjoys these occasions so much that she often asks me if her and I can go to "our" school.

Fishing with Miss Molly

2006-08-18T18:32:00.000-07:00

I decided that I would spend Molly's last two Friday mornings before she started school with her fishing. She was very excited about the idea. So we got up nice and early and headed out to Springfield Lake.

Molly started out the trip by sitting on the bottom of the canoe but she soon gained enough confidence to over come her fear and sit on the seat. She was so happy to be sitting where grown-ups sit in the canoe. She is a brave little girl, that is for sure.

We enjoyed a very beautiful calm morning on the lake. Apparently the area was so relaxing that the fish were still asleep as we did not get even one bite.

But we did spot a deer walking on the shore line. We really thought the experience was fantastic to watch a deer casually walk along rooting around for food. The deer probably thought it was nice to watch a couple of humans out fishing on the lake.

No fish this trip......there is always next week. I must say I sure enjoyed fishing with my Molly.

Nathaniel Greene Park

2006-08-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

One very cool aspect of living in student housing is the nearby Nathaniel Greene city park. We often walk over to the park, feed the ducks, and let the girls play on the playground. Although we may be living in an apartment you would never know it with all the activity we do within walking distance away.

Just behind my school is the Greeneways Pathway which winds through Springfield and links many of the parks together.

The pathway also includes tunnels that go under the major roads rather than having to cross them.

The park has a very wonderful pond full of ducks, turtles, and fish. All of these animals are totally protected as there is no fishing or hunting allowed. Needless to say they are all very over fed.

The park is very peaceful and a wonderful place to spend time with each other.

Cashew Chicken & Movies: lonely behavior

2006-08-09T18:29:00.000-07:00

During my two weeks of waiting for Kristy to come back to Missouri I attempted to find activities to occupy me. I fished some, I exercised a lot, I played some disc golf, but mostly I just moped around.

I did take in a few movies at the local $2.50 theater. I saw "X-Men 3", "The Davinci Code", and "The Breakup". That last movie should serve as an indicator of how desperate I was for things to do. On the other hand however I did discover the $2.50 theater which is called "The Palace". It is way nicer than any cheap seat theater I have ever seen. The quality of this theater is better than that of the normal theaters in this town charging $8-$12. Of course the Palace only shows late run movies but that's cool, it's cheap and high quality.

So besides the movies I did check out one thing that Springfield is famous for. Apparently the Oriental dish known as "Cashew Chicken" was actually not invented in the Orient. Apparently one of the first Asian restaurants to open up in Springfield was not doing so well so the owner came up with a plan. He combined a local dish (fried chicken) with some Asian seasoning sauce and poof, he invented Cashew Chicken. The locals directed me to Canton Inn to take my first taste of this local legend. I must admit it was good, but it was a far stretch from Asian food. It was exactly what you would expect out of Asian food from the Midwest. But like I said it was very good. Check out Wiki's entry on Cashew Chicken

So to put it short, I was lost without my family.

p.s. I want to thank my best friend Ray for calling each day to check on my welfare while Kristy and the girls were in Ohio. I am sure at times (especially when I went and watched the chick flick) he was very worried about my continuing depression. But we got through it.

Cleaning the Playground

2006-07-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

When we arrived in our new apartment we doubled the current population of children under ten years old. I got to talking with the maintenance guy and he mentioned that he was thinking about putting down some new wood chips around the playground at the student housing complex. I indicated that our girls would get plenty of use out of it if he did.

From the photo above that was taken back in June you can see a few problems with the playground. The old wood chips were overgrown by weeds and the playground equipment itself was covered in a dark layer of tree pollen (or sap, grime, or something).

When the maintenance guy came through for us with the wood chips we decided to take a family home evening and show our appreciation. We grabbed a bucket of soapy water and some sponges and cleaned off the equipment. The playground really looks inviting now. Kristy, Molly, and Neleha did such a wonderful job of scrubbing away grime.

After it was all clean the girls joyfully used the renovated playground.

Our First Vistitor - Ray Experiences Missouri Flavor

2006-07-21T18:25:00.000-07:00

Ray took the 10 hour drive from Texas and arrived in Springfield at dinner time.

When I got home from school I found him being overrun by Molly and Neleha who were so very happy to have their first visitor.

We decided to eat at Lambert's so Ray could really experience the local Ozark flavor.

During our expected wait the girls wouldn't let Ray have a minute of peace. He really didn't mind though, he has so much love for our girls and they for him. In many ways, Ray is just like one of the family. To be honest, I don't think the girls actually know that we are not related.

Once we were seated I caught some rolls and we instantly got some fried okra to snack on while we waited for our main dishes.

Our food was served in skillets and it was so good!

Ray's first catch of a "throwed roll"
I am not sure if Ray was sold on Lambert's from the food or when he caught his first "throwed roll", but all the same he was as sold on the place as we are. We all ate well, probably too well!

So to work off all those extra calories I talked everyone into a game of disc golf.

We went to McBride park near our apartment and took in 9 holes (or cages).

We all had a great time...at least for a few holes and then the girls decided they wanted to play on the playground so Ray and I finished up alone.

We joined them later on the playground and had a fun time trying to keep up with these girls.

Kristy was doing a much better job of keeping up with the girls than Ray and I was.

We had a great time burning those great tasting Lambert's calories and having fun with Molly and Neleha.

At some point we must have decided that we burned too many calories and decided to go redeem a coupon we got from joining the zoo for a free dozen of doughnuts at Krispy Kreme.
We got a wonderful surprise when we entered the store, they handed each of us a free fresh from the oven plain glazed doughnut. We soon learned that when their red sign is on it means that they are making donuts and anyone entering the store will receive a free fresh doughnut.

They also gave the girls free hats and from then on the girls (Kristy and mine as well) favorite donuts are Krispy Kreme's. After we enjoyed our fresh warm treats we watched, through the observation window, as fresh plain glazed donuts were going through the production line.

fresh donuts being glazed

Molly and Neleha became Krispy Kreme customers for life.
I think Ray got a good taste of Missouri during his first night here, he probably gained a couple pounds while doing so. What are friends for?

Bass Pro Shops - "Outdoor World"

2006-07-19T18:23:00.000-07:00

One can not live in Springfield, Missouri without coming to terms with the very prominent presence of Bass Pro. It is so bad that when you receive directions anywhere in the city from a local, they always start with "do you know where Bass Pro is?" You see Springfield is home of the headquarters of Bass Pro Shops and this is reflected in their "grandaddy" Outdoor World retail store. A three story sporting goods store which encompasses many aquariums, a very large indoor waterfall, three restaurants, an extensive boat display showroom, and all the outdoor/sporting equipment that one could ever want. On top of all this they also have a catalog outlet store that sells refurbished and discontinued items at huge discounts. They also own a multi-million dollar National Wildlife and Fish Museum. Both of these are within walking distance of Bass Pro.

Although I was able to take in some quick visits to Bass Pro with Molly and Neleha, on this visit Kristy was able to come along and we were able to take our time in checking the place out.

The girls love this particular aquarium because it has a huge 125 lbs catfish that is usually very active. He is HUGE!

The photo above is the one everyone gets when they first come to Bass Pro. In fact it is on all the billboards coming into the city.

There are little pools and streams full of trout throughout the store which really gives you the feel of being outdoors.

The 3 story waterfall also adds to that atmosphere.

We sure had a good time exploring the Outdoor World inside Bass Pro.

Our exploration made us so hungry that we decided to grab a bite to eat at the McDonald's found inside Bass Pro. They also have a Starbuck's and a Hemmingways restaurant.

During our first major tour of the store we discovered that they hold daily free fish feeding shows. So a few days later we returned to watch one.

The setting is at the base of their largest aquarium which is filled with many species of fresh water fish.

A diver with a microphone is actually in the tank and hand feeds the fish. There is also a host of the show on our side of the glass that talks about the many species of fish that are in the tank and throughout the other tanks within the store.

After the show we looked at canoes and boats. Kristy got a wild idea that we could sell our current canoe to her brother since he expressed interest in it and we could take advantage of a current sale on the Bass Pro brand of canoes. She called him up and ran the idea by him.

We decided to think about the canoe idea for awhile before we actually went through with it so we went and checked out the motor boat showroom. What a fun time the girls had.

In the end Eric said he still wanted to buy our current canoe and so my sweetheart talked me in to the new canoe (and she is not a big fan of canoeing but she knows how much I love it). I'm sure I didn't put up much of a fight.

A great store that I am sure will be seeing much more of us.
p.s. check out the sign above the girls......very true indeed!

Springfield Conservation Nature Center

2006-07-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

In our continuing search for free stuff, we were introduced to the local Missouri Conservation Nature Center. This place is very similar to the Brukner Nature Center in Troy, Ohio however, this one is state owned rather than being privately owned. Missouri takes conservation very seriously, they even send out a monthly magazine to all residents to report their current efforts.

The center had many wonderful interactive things for the girls to do but they were especially fond of the nature puppet area.

We found many fish aquariums as well as a bird watching area. Unfortunately our girls were a little too anxious to sit still long enough to be able to draw in some birds. It was a relaxing area all the same.

The nature center also has a few miles of paved hiking trails so we decided to "take a hike" so speak. Neleha found a water fountain just her size to hydrate at before our hike.

We picked a trail that went along some of the shoreline of the nearby Springfield Lake, it was a very peaceful walk.

The girls had the opportunity to get a little closer to nature as they got to watch a squirrel eat an acorn, they were mesmerized by this site.

We completed our visit by reading some nature books to the girls. A very nice and free time, for sure.

"Incredible" Pizza

2006-07-14T18:21:00.000-07:00

We discovered an alternative to Chuck E. Cheese, the place is called Incredible Pizza. I was told that it was like CEC but that it also had appeal to the older crowd.

After hitting the very long buffet of pizza and salad we found many options for dining atmosphere. There were 50's style, new age style, family style, and this gymnasium style which the girls chose. I think their choice was more based on the large TV rather than atmosphere but it worked all the same.

Although the pizza buffet is the main front for this place obviously it is the game area that draws the younger crowd. They had all kinds of arcade style games and little rides. They also had an indoor mini go-cart track, bumper cars, and mini-golf. The place was an indoor carnival.

The place was loaded with all kinds of games to choose from but Molly quickly found her favorite, the Elvis limited edition pinball game.

Kristy really loves air-hockey and I think her little girls are starting to build that same love. They played for a long time, especially because it was messed up and wouldn't end their turn.

What was most impressive was the advanced system used to purchase credits for the games. They have an internal debit system, you buy a debit card from them with however much money you wish. Then you swipe the card at the machine, as pictured above on the bottom left, and your card is debited what ever amount the game costs. A very nice system indeed, no more quarters or crazy tokens.

The girls had a great time, Kristy and I also had a great time following them around from game to game.

First Visit to Dickerson Park Zoo

2006-07-13T18:20:00.000-07:00

Springfield has many awesome parks within the local park system and so we decided to check out one of their pearls. The city park system owns and manages the city zoo, Dickerson Park Zoo.

We got some literature and checked out their website and decided that this would be a good place to have an annual membership. The fee for the membership was very inexpensive, especially when you consider how much our girls love to explore new things.

We were greeted by this peacock which is one of many that roam free through the zoo. Neleha loved chasing these long feathered "chickens" as she calls them along with other birds that walk rather than fly.

We found that Dickerson Zoo was just as interactive as other zoos we have visited in the past. This area was where you were encouraged to feed a baby goat, calf, and camel. The girls really enjoyed having these animals lick the food from their hands and then being able to pet them at the same time.

The most amazing of the interactive areas was the giraffe tower where you could also feed full size giraffes. Kristy was as excited as the girls were about this opportunity. We purchased some giraffe biscuits and then got to hand feed these long necked spotted African natives.

For the first time we each got to pet a giraffe, a very cool experience indeed. What was most funny about the occasion was that at first Molly mistook the giraffes tongue for a fish, she asked why it was eating a fish. She quickly realized that it was a tongue as they used it to gather the biscuit pieces from her hand. Their tongue was very long and did resemble a fish, so it was easy to see where she could get confused.

Neleha was right at home in the reptile house. This girl is afraid of most fury animals but you bring a snake or a lizard out and she wants to take it home.

Neleha was very impressed with this huge anaconda that was slithering around in the above pictured water exhibit.

We also came across a little water play area were the girls got to cool off. They always have a blast playing in water.

On our way out of the water play area they both wanted to strike a pose atop of this frog, these girls sure are beautiful, just like their Mommy.

Neleha is a big fan of Thomas the Train and so when we came across the zoo train she knew what she wanted to do next.

Kristy and Molly looked so cute together during our little relaxing train ride. At one point the engineer even stopped and picked up two long peacock feathers to give to our girls. They thought that was very awesome!

Neleha was having so much fun on the train that she wouldn't even look at the camera.

After our train ride we stopped at the play area and then headed for the Asia exhibit to see elephants and tigers.

At one point Molly got tired of walking and so Neleha agreed to share her seat with her. Later on they got to cool off one more time at a misting tree.

Our first of many visits to our local zoo, I'm sure......

Getting Wet at Jordan Valley Park

2006-07-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

Kristy was introduced to another of Springfield's city parks by one of her other new friends named Alicia. Her and Alicia have been hanging out at this park for many reasons. The park is free, there is lots of water to cool off in, and there are plenty of other things for the kids to do.

Molly loves the trademark robot sculpture for this park which can move it's legs, arms, and head through the use of a man powered gear.

Neleha is very fond of the climbing rock that is surrounded by big chunks of blue rubber. Even if you fall off the climbing rock the impact on the rubber is so soft that you would not even notice. When you walk on the stuff it feels like your walking on air.

The water fountains and wading pools are of course the biggest draw to the park. a free mini-water park, how could we say no?

The wading fountains are made up of a series of pools all declining down to a main pool that surrounds an area where the water is sporadically shot up into the air.

The depth of the pools is perfect for our girls, and when the water starts shooting up out of the fountains the fun really begins.

Jordan Valley Park conjoins with the Missouri State University campus of which Kristy has recently completed her admission application to. I got her an official MSU t-shirt to commemorate her application and hopeful acceptance into their program. She has gotten great grades at Wright State so I do not foresee any problems. The photo above is my beautiful sweetheart sporting her new MSU t-shirt.

The girls sure have fun at this park, they are at such a wonderful age of exploration and enjoyment of life in it's fullest.

Jordan Valley Park is certainly a wonderful perk from living in Springfield.

Lambert's Cafe "Home of the Throwed Rolls" and a Movie

2006-07-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

We decided to explore the local legendary Lambert's Cafe, home of the original "throwed rolls". We have heard about this place from many different people all of which praised the place to the highest degree.

We were forewarned that we would have to wait, they do not take reservations, and they are usually packed. The cool thing is that they give you a menu while you wait so you will know what you want when you get seated.

After a 40 minute wait we were shown to our seat. The atmosphere alone won us over. It is as if you are on a farm, just outside a barn or something. The wait staff were most friendly and then of course there were the throwed rolls.

I caught my first throwed roll when a young kid in red suspenders came by with a cartfull. He yelled out "rolls" and I indicated I wanted four. He yelled "heads up" and then he started throwing them at me one at a time but when I caught the first one he tossed the remaining three as fast as he could one right after the other. I think they like to keep you on your toes. The rolls were fresh and hot, right out of the oven and those babies were good!

It was so fun to ask for more rolls just to be able to catch em, sounds weird I know. But you really get caught up in the excitement when everyone is yelling for rolls and their flying through the air in all directions. The dude just stands pretty much in one spot and lets em rip, even all the way across the room if needed.

All the food was great and although it is not exactly advertised, seconds is free of charge. The wait staff also constantly brings around what they call "pass arounds". It is basically the sides for your meal, fried okra, fried potatoes, some macaroni in a tomato sauce, sorghum molasses for your rolls, etc.... There is plenty to go around, let me tell you. We had a very great time and a great meal, Lambert's is certainly worthy of the legendary status they hold. To learn more about Lambert's Cafe to go: http://www.throwedrolls.com/

After our wonderful meal we headed to a local park for free movie night.

Founders Park is located right downtown Springfield and is perfect for a movie. With the skyline as a backdrop and the stadium style seating, you would almost think they had these movie nights in mind when the built the place.

Springfield has a wonderful park system from what we have seen so far. This movie night is put on two weekends a month during the summer on both Friday and Saturday night. It obviously draws a pretty big crowd.

The movie was "Wizard of Oz" and not only did we get to enjoy the movie, they also passed out temporary Wizard of Oz tattoos for the kids. Our little family had a wonderful time enjoying each others company and watching this wonderful classic.

July 4th, Missouri Style

2006-07-04T18:16:00.000-07:00

Our new friends Rachel & Sean invited us over for a holiday cook-out. Our kids got along great and we all had a relaxing time just getting to know each other. The food was plentiful and the kids put on a little 4th of July parade for our entertainment. We had a great time.

After the cook-out we headed out looking for the city fireworks display. In Ohio we always used this method and it worked. However, in Missouri fireworks are not illegal, I'm talking any fireworks.

So many people were shooting off professional style fireworks that we could not discern between the city display and private citizen displays. We decided to just find a parking spot on a hill so we could just watch fireworks going off all around us.

We lucked out by finding a hill with a family lighting some off in their yard. I am not talking a big yard, I am talking their tiny little in-city front yard. We jumped up on the roof of the van and enjoyed the show. We could fireworks all around us, as far as the eye could see. It was nice however to be only about 100 feet away from these guys who were letting them rip right in front of us. The girls and Kristy and I were overwhelmed by the great colorful show in the starry sky.

After we hung out for about an hour we decided that it was time for a cold treat. Missouri does seem a bit more hot and humid compared to Ohio, so even at 9:00pm we were all getting a little warm. We headed to "Andy's" it is a local chain of frozen custard stands. Let me tell you they are soooooo good. You start off with vanilla or chocolate frozen custard and then you tell them what to mix in it. This place is going to be hard to stay away from. To learn more about Andy's go to www.eatandys.com

Another great Independence Day.

Goodbye Fairborn ........... Hello Springfield

2006-07-01T18:12:00.000-07:00

In a matter of a few days we packed up and moved away. A small U-Hual trailer behind my Sidekick and the van fully loaded, we were all ready for our next adventure in Missouri.

After a long nine-hour drive we arrived at our new home, which is actually a campus apartment, in the late morning, signed our lease, got our keys, and began to unpack.

We got some help unpacking from our neighbor Rachel who is a member of our church that we met on one of our previous visits to the area. Rachel's family (husband and 2 children) live right across the sidewalk from our apartment. Its so nice to have instant friends.

Molly and Neleha were very exhausted after our big move and so we set up their beds first and they quickly put them to use.

And so our life in Missouri begins.............

Farewell Lunch at the Piqua China Garden

2006-06-30T18:10:00.000-07:00

As the tradition has it, any Case Manger departing from Miami County Mental Health Center (MCMHC) has a farewell lunch. My last day finally arrived and they all came out to Piqua China Garden to eat well and bid their best for my next chapter in life.

The photo above depicts the most humorous person I had the wonderful opportunity of working with at MCMHC. Duke made life very interesting for all of us. He supplied us with chocolate which at times was all that separated us between sanity and hysteria. He also introduced me to the world of the "Star Wars Kid" (for info on the Star Wars Kid go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_wars_kid ) and the "Numa Numa" dance (go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Numa_numa ) which has all made my life so much more peaceful.

I will miss Duke as well as the rest of the crew:

Jodi & Carol

Kathy & Chrissy

Duke & Heidi

Linda & Angie

Maggie & Ann

Tom, my faithful counterpart.

I will miss them all including those not pictured: Tina, Paul, Abigail, & Mindy

I sure had a great time with this crew and will ever benefit from this experience.

Batchelder Family Vacation 2006 Days 1-2

2006-06-12T18:06:00.000-07:00

What better way to start our annual family vacation than with the police pulling us over before we can even get out of our own city. That is exactly what happened at 3:30am as we departed from Fairborn. I guess I was a little excited about heading out for the west that I wasn't watching my speed. He clocked me doing 15 over but was very nice and only issued a warning.

After about 7 hours of driving we stopped at our first attraction, the historic Mule Trading Post in Rolla, Missouri. This was once on the famous Route 66 but now interstate 44 zips right past this all but forgotten reminder of bygone days. As a child on a trip to Maine I can actually remember stopping in this place with my family. I got a t-shirt that had the Mule Trading Post logo on it. Over the years I have had very fond memories of the Missouri Ozarks simply because of that memory of my first visit to this trading post. It was very inspirational to now bring my family here to form new memories. While we where there the girls got stuffed animals, Molly got an opossum and Neleha got a squirrel. Kristy signed the guest log before we left.

Our next stop was in Ozark, Missouri. This is a small town just outside of Springfield. We were doing some apartment hunting and even looked in one apartment. However we concluded that life may be a bit easier if we just lived in the Forest Institute student housing. We made some calls and in 10 minutes secured our new apartment.

With the girls approval we sealed the deal with a quick stop at the playground and it was back on the road for us.

We arrived in Lubbock, Texas early in the morning after about 18 hours of driving.

The girls got to meet Jarred and Johna for the first time and we had a very relaxing couple of days.

We even got to visit Jarred at work. He is the Assistant Manager of the local Denver Mattress.

The girls loved the idea that this store encourages everyone to jump on the mattresses. It did not take them long to fit right in.

We fell in love with the many mattress options available and the girls especially loved the thought that some of the beds came with remote controls.

Kristy was soled on the spot when she experienced the adjustable massaging bed options.

We all had a great time just visiting with Jarred and Johna. One night we were able to stay up and just catch up with life and things, a very good start to our vacation.

We soon headed on back down the road and arrived in Safford, Arizona 18 hours later just as the moon was setting behind Mt. Graham.

UVMC .......... Always Been Good To me

2006-05-20T18:03:00.000-07:00

As my time runs short here in Ohio I have had to come to terms with the fact that I will soon be leaving my current employer. Upper Valley Medical Center has provided me one of the greatest employment experiences ever, second only to the Navy. I originally started out as a PCC (a glorified nursing assistant), then I did some time as a Mental Health Tech on the in-patient Mental Health Unit and finally landed one of the coolest jobs ever as a Community Support Specialist (a case manger for clients diagnosed with sever mental health disorders). I have really enjoyed working as a case manager and working with my fellow comrades at the Mental Heath Center in UVMC.

As you can tell from my desk I really felt relaxed and at home, UVMC is certainly one of those things I will miss when we leave Ohio.

Accepted into Forest Institute of Professional Psychology

2006-04-19T17:57:00.000-07:00

I recently received this acceptance letter into the Doctorate Program at Forest Institute. It came with some surprise but mostly it provided fulfilled hope. Kristy and I have worked hard these last four years and in some way this acceptance letter serves as a reward to those efforts. There is no question in my mind that we could not be in this position had I not had the unwavering support of my angel wife. We look forward to our new adventure in Missouri, we go with hesitation as we leave our family and friends in Ohio, but we are hopeful that we will find our place amongst those who we will soon meet for the first time.

The program begins on July 5th and our current plans are to remain in Ohio until the last of June and then to make our way west. Kristy plans to spend some of the summer with her sister back in Ohio as Sherry is expecting her third child at the end of July.

So on to another adventure and last one at that....at least as far as school goes. The Doctorate of Psychology takes four years and then to obtain my license as a Doctor of Psychology (Psychologist) I will be required to serve a one-year internship/residency some where in America. So here is to another four years of school.......

Our First Visit to Branson

2006-03-04T17:52:00.000-08:00

Our first impressions of Branson were formed from atop of the city in what is known as Inspiration Tower. The elevator ride to the top was in a glass elevator which the girls really enjoyed. The view was wonderful and provided a clear picture of the vast beauty of the Ozarks.

We stayed in the tower longer than we normally would have under regular circumstances simply because of the cost of this attraction. We figured we should get our moneys worth. After we descended back to the earth we decided to take a drive down the "strip" and around Table Rock lake.

During our exploration of this tourist town we decided to check out this western wear store. Molly found a hat that she really loved.

Of the many shows offered in Branson one provided something that was very appealing to the Elvis lovers in our family. Legends in Concert although had many other celebrity tributes, the King was the headliner and we were sold on the idea.

When we purchased our tickets we requested general admission but was given VIP front row seating at no additional cost. We think it was because we had young children.

The show began with a tribute to Neil Diamond and then Marilyn Monroe took the stage.

The last of the acts prior to intermission was the Blues Brothers who shook the house with their dancing and singing.

During their show the Marilyn and Neil Diamond tributes really showed our girls much attention and so when they offered autograph sessions during intermission Molly wanted a photo with both of them.

After intermission an Alan Jackson tribute took the stage and was by far the most effective of all the shows. Had we not known that this guy was only an impersonator we would have never guessed that it wasn't the man himself.

Diana Ross then swept through the hall with songs from her Supreme days.

With all of the other acts behind us it was time for the King of Rock N Roll to take his place on the stage. This impersonator was not only very good at singing the classic rock hits but was also very humors making jokes about how old Elvis would be these days if he was still performing among the living.

With costume changes and songs from all three of Elvis' decades of music we enjoyed a very good show.

Molly's big eyes must have caught the King's attention because he decided to include her in his show.

Molly didn't know what to do when the king came right up to her and sang to her but then he even gave her a token of his appreciation for attending the show. Molly was speechless.

After the show the girls got to have a meet and greet with Elvis where he signed a photo and posed for one as well.

The girls also stopped to get photos with Diana and Alan.

Our last stop in Branson was an all you can eat Rib Shack. The buffet was great the ribs were the worst I ever had, guess you get what you pay for.

Molly slept with her Elvis scarf which she was constantly pointing out to us that Elvis' makeup was still on the scarf. After being dead for over 25 years the King is still melting the hearts of young girls.

A Reward for Neleha

2006-03-03T19:51:00.000-08:00

While I was at my interview day at Forest Institute Neleha decided that it was high time to be completely potty trained. Kristy and the girls were at the hotel and Neleha started to independently go to the bathroom. So Neleha was potty trained and now she wanted to collect on a promise we made her..... Chuck E. Cheese's. I am not sure if it was the promise about Chuck E. Cheese's or if she just decided to be potty trained, but regardless she did it. By no means do I want to down play the great diligence Kristy has put forth with working with Neleha since August and all that work has finally paid off. Kristy is such an awesome Mommy!

The girls had a great time with all the games and the pizza but there was one attraction that made it all worth while.

Chuck the mouse was of course the real reason why Neleha had looked forward to obtaining her reward and Molly was also able to enjoy the reward. Molly is currently attempting to obtain a similar reward by not sucking her thumb any more. Molly's goal is to be done with the thumb by May so she can have her Birthday party at the Mouse House. As for Neleha, she very much enjoyed her reward and Kristy and I will very much enjoy Neleha's new found independence.

Interview Day at Forest Institute of Professional Psychology

2006-03-03T18:30:00.000-08:00

I was invited to return to Missouri for an interview day at Forest Institute. We were very surprised that this invitation was extended but all the same most hopeful that it would result in an admission into the school.

My day at the Institute was filled with tours of the facilities, Q & A sessions with staff and students, detailed outlines of offered programs, expected performance standards for accepted students, and intern/practicum offerings within the school. The day was working up to of course the 3 professor panel interview.

My interview was much more intense and critical than I had expected which resulted in much doubt about any possible future at the school. But I did my best and hoped for the same.

After the interview was over I picked up Kristy and the girls from the hotel so we could take a tour of the student housing. The housing was very nice and modern and even had a mini play ground. However the largest apartment was a 2br 2bth but for our growing family this could become too small too fast.... that is of course if our need for housing in Missouri actually arrives.

The girls enjoyed the playground, I enjoyed the day at Forest, and Kristy enjoyed the hotel. We all had a great day.

Gateway to the West ... including Missouri

2006-02-13T16:43:00.000-08:00

Due to some unexpected change of events at Wright State University I was compelled to look into some Doctorate programs elsewhere. You see it all started when my Graduate Internship package was turned down. I was told that there had been a mistake made by my advising professor and I had taken my courses in the wrong order. This was a problem because the governing board that directs the Mental Health counseling liscensure required that I take certain courses prior to my internship. This oversight by my advisor resulted in me having to put off my internship for another year. One of the main reasons I stayed at Wright State for Graduate school was because it was an easy "in" and I was already in the area.....maybe not the best reasons but my reasons all the same. I had planned to complete my Masters and then enter the Wright State Doctorate of Clinical Psychology program. Although Wright State's Doctorate program specializes in child issues and victimized populations. Not that I don't love my children or have a place in my heart for the victimized people of the world, however, my interests lie in much different directions. This was a compromise I was willing to make under the idea that the time table presented allowed me to be completely done with school by 2012. That is where the recent turn of events comes in. With the oversight of my advisor and the one year delay of my internship for my Masters degree I was now looking at 2013. Man as if I am not already behind the college curve for age as it is.

So I decided to look at some preferred schools that provide Masters and Doctorate programs in Clinical Psychology with concentrations in areas of my personal interest: Marriage & Family Therapy, Religion Psychology, Forensics, and Neurological Psychology. Of the schools I had investigated over the recent few years one had always been a favorite, Forest Institute of Professional Psychology. As I did some more detailed investigation of their program I learned that their Masters degree was integrated into the Doctorate of Clinical Psychology (PsyD) program. I contacted the school and learned that if I could get accepted for the next class I could complete the program by 2010.... three years of my life refunded, sort of.

One of the reasons why this school was of most interest was because they offer concentrations in all of the areas I wish to specialize in. So with that and the more acceptable timeline, Kristy and I decided to really consider applying to Forest. Our first concern was that we had only been through Missouri when we were very young and could not remember what the area was like. We also had concerns about the school as we had also never been there. So we decided to head west to see for ourselves. I spent a few weeks preparing an admission packet and we did some research on Springfield, Missouri. A few days before the deadline for applications we headed west and passed the great Arch on the way.

Our girls have always loved hotel rooms and so the quick overnight adventure to Missouri was worth while since it required a hotel stay. Our first impression of Missouri was the low cost of lodging. We paid $35 for a night in this Inn and got our first experience with the lower cost of living which is typical of the Springfield area.

The next morning Kristy got the girls all dolled up to make a good impression at the school. Kristy and the girls were very beautiful and ready to explore Forest Institute and the city of Springfield.

(above photo obtained from FIPP website)

We visited Forest Institute of Professional Psychology where I first went into the admissions office and discussed some questions I had about the school and it's programs. Then Kristy, the girls, and I all received a personal tour of the facility and was able to peep into the classrooms, library, and clinical rooms. The facility was very impressive, the staff was very accommodating, and the school as a whole was overwhelmingly perfect for our needs. We submitted my admission packet with some hesitation as we had to recognize the very competitive nature of being accepted into this program. We figured it couldn't hurt to try. To see more about Forest Institute go to http://www.forest.edu/

(above photo obtained from museum website)

To make the 9-hour trip more worth it for the girls we also went to the WONDERS OF WILDLIFE : American National Fish and Wildlife Museum located in the heart of Springfield.

The museum was full of fish and all sorts of wildlife and interactive learning devices.

The rope bridge was a favorite of the girls, I think we crossed it at least three times.

Molly & Neleha was very intrigued by this friendly turtle.

Molly gave her input about the museum on this comment card.

Kristy followed the girls through this hollow log and popped up to surprise Neleha.

The museum had many of these huge aquariums, which where full of both fresh and salt water fish. From sharks to bass they had them all.

In this interactive display the girls got to learn all about the anatomy of a fish.

In this area we actually got to go on an interactive fishing exhibition. Molly caught a huge bass.

The girls loved watching the sharks and touching the horseshoe crab.

This rare albino alligator was actually on loan from the Alligator Adventure in Myrtle Beach. I had the privledge of seeing this same alligator when I was in the Navy when a few of us guys headed down to the beach to check out the famous gator farm. This gator has aged well, pail as ever.

The girls got to sit at a camp fire and learn all about the fishing adventures of an old Ozark local.
This partridge (Grouse) fell victim to Neleha's misidentification when it got chased by her because she thought it was a chicken.

We had a great time at the museum and then decided to check out the rest of the city. To see more about the museum go to http://www.wondersofwildlife.org/

We stopped at the Battlefield Mall after driving through this big city. Our first impressions of the city haven't been that impressive. We were hoping for an area like what we have in Ohio, some place like Beavercreek, Ohio maybe. But the Mall was nice and the school was great. We also heard that the gem area of this part of Missouri is Branson. If an interview to FIPP is extended then maybe we will get to see for ourselves.