Future City here I come!

   Last Saturday I drove my daughter down to UIC to join her team in the regional Future City competition. I know, you probably have the same question I had...

What the Heck is a Future City Competition?

   I have a link - Future City! But for anyone who is just a bit busy, Future City is all about making the world a better place using math, science, public speaking, problem solving, time management, team work, and a whole lotta imagination!

   The kids had to research and propose solutions to engineering challenges, explore different types of engineering, learn about how communities work, and best of all, design a city of the future.

   This involved an essay, virtual city, a model, and three presenters who gave an oral presentation. Judges asked questions about the city, what resources the kids used, where they got their ideas and how they worked together as a team to implement and problem solve any difficulties that resulted from their efforts.

And I have trouble putting together dinner some days...

   This year's theme was Age Friendly City. There were a lot of neat concepts to encompass a growing senior community. They ranged from activities to the availability of services such as commuter options.

I was told there would be a senior shuttle for people just like me!

I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to be designated to the senior shuttle.

But I did like the way the future incorporated so many eco-friendly sources of power! I saw fields of solar panels, wind turbines and more.

I got a big kick out of water management, the emphasis placed on recycling, and how clean they kept everything.

Vertical gardens and indoor parks are also a part of the future. Nice for those rainy days when I just want to get out and enjoy.

With the integration of services such as fire and police protection right in the building I live in, what more could I ask for. They even put medical care where it could be easily accessed by all.

   Better yet were some of the ideas the kids had about how to more efficiently monitor an individual's health to offer effective preventative care and provide emergency relief when needed.

All I have to do is live about a hundred years and all this can be mine.

It was our school's first time at the competition and we ranked in the top five, making it to the finalist round! We didn't win, but it was a really exciting adventure and we all had a great time!

We would like to wish this year's first place region winners best of luck at the National Competition February 20, 2018!

For more information on Future City Competitions, please visit Future City.org where you can learn about this wonderful opportunity for 6th, 7th, and 8th graders to learn about applying math and science (and a whole lot of other skills) to building up our future. You might even be inspired to sign up a team, register to become a mentor, judge or volunteer. 

Godparents, Hand Picked by God

The other day my daughter asked me how we chose her Godparents. 

   I knew what answer she was expecting, because her Godparents are some of our oldest and best friends. Ones who have been there through thick and thin, good times and bad, when we were getting along just fine, and when we didn't get along all that particularly well.

She was surprised by my answer.

   Because we didn't pick her Godparents on account of their being our best friends. We picked them because God chose them. In our household God has a pretty big voice. I think I've mentioned before that he does a lot of shouting to get himself heard.

Well, we can be pretty thick.

In this case, he was shouting pretty loud.

   You see, at the time when most parents were thinking of having their kids baptized, we weren't thinking about it at all. Why would we? We didn't go to church. We didn't see ourselves as belonging to any particular church affiliation. My husband had been raised Catholic, but was not practicing, I had been baptized Catholic, but had not received any of my other sacraments, so it wasn't really on our radar.

God had other ideas.

   First Grandpa asked if we had made any plans. He said if we liked, he could baptize her. He was a deacon in the Catholic Church after all.

 Ummm... okay. 

   Then one day our best friends (you know those friends that we have known FOREVER and been friends with through thick and thin, etc, etc, etc.) came over for dinner and they brought us a present. A BAPTISMAL GOWN. A really, really, really, pretty, but really, really, really, LONG baptismal gown. And they told us they would love to be Godparents.

You know, just in case we were thinking about having her baptized.

No pressure, right?

   When we asked where exactly we were supposed to get her baptized (remember, we didn't go to church and didn't exactly belong to any church affiliation) they suggested their church, or maybe the church Jeremy grew up in, you know, the Catholic Church.

Where have I heard that before? Oh wait, wasn't Jeremy's dad a Catholic Deacon? Yes, that's correct, he was. And he offered to baptize her.

   We were asked not once, not twice, but several times by our aforementioned friends (as well as numerous family members) and finally, we got the message! So on 4/4/04 (That was Palm Sunday, yep, I'm not good with dates, so God picked one I could remember) our daughter was baptized. By her grandfather, with our best friends as her Godparents.

She cried the entire time.

Those were tears of happiness, right?

   There is photo proof.

   As well as a certificate.

   And the continued presence of her Godparents, who still remind me from time to time that should anything happen to us, they will make sure that she still is able to go to church weekly and practice her faith.

Because they are good Godparents!

God doesn't give any other kind!

   And I'm grateful that they were brave enough to make it happen. Thanks Guys!

   

Rules for Christmas Newsletters

  Dear friends and family,

   Thank you so much for your Christmas cards and letters. They were wonderful! I loved reading about your families, trips, and adventures. It was nice to be able to catch up on the current events that have slipped through the cracks of our busy lives. It brought a warm spot to my heart.

And a bit of an ache to my eye.

   Everyone was so busy this year! So many new jobs, promotions, additions to the family, and trips. Good heavens, is there anyplace in the universe your families haven't been?

Ok, I'll admit it, I am a little jealous.

Well, maybe a lot jealous.

You did so much! 

I couldn't even seem to get Christmas cards out this year.

   In my defense, I did spend a great deal of time searching for the magnifying glass. Because lets be real, I didn't want to miss reading your letters and you sure put a lot into them.

In tiny

                     tiny

                                            tiny print.

It was like trying to read a prescription bottle.


This is not email folks, I couldn't adjust the settings and make the font bigger!

   I am afraid I may have missed some of what you wrote, so thank you for pictures, they were quite helpful! However, as of next year, there will be Christmas Letter guidelines...

• All letters must be printed in 12pt, Times New Roman, double spaced, using black ink on plain white paper.
• All letters must have a large print edition available upon request.
• Extensive itineraries must be bullet point.
• All photos must be in color, unless artistic in nature.
• All people in photos must be identified.

Multiple pages are welcome! Heck, Multiple pages would be great.

   As for my Christmas letter this year... well I missed sending cards out last year, and the year before that. You don't really want a letter from me, do you?

All content is meant to be humorous in nature and not intended to offend anyone who writes Christmas/Holiday Letters. Above content is not  meant to be a slam on any one individual or individuals who may or may not have sent us a Christmas letter this year. This post may or may not indicate actual letters received, but in no way, shape or form wishes to discourage the writers from sending future letters...provided that they meet new standardized guidelines. ;)