Walworth County Fair

The Walworth County Fair hasn't changed much in 30 years. Games, rides, tractor pulls, music, 4-H exhibits, & animals... it's still a lot of fun! The biggest change was the transportation to & from. Instead of a 15 mile bike ride, we rode in the luxury of a 2000 Chevy Minivan complete w/ tv & dvd player.

Short Video (3:20)...

Schnaubelt Cousins - Old & New

We made a visit to Madison, Wisconsin earlier this week and got to meet the newest Schnaubelt kid - a good looking cheesehead by the name of Sawyer James Schnaubelt. Sawyer likes to eat, sleep, and look around a lot. He didn't cry once for the 4-5 hours that we were there... must be a problem with the child. Joke, of course. Congrats to Ed & Jennifer on such a fine & healthy baby! And welcome to the world Cousin Sawyer!

Amanda is going to college in Whitewater, so on the way back from Madison the boys got to see their oldest cousin as well. Mandy is adjusting well. She acts, thinks, and eats like a college kid. We offered to take her out to dinner anywhere, and where did she choose to go? Taco Bell. Love it!

Lake Tahoe Vacation

Our annual summer vacation in Lake Tahoe was actually a vacation in Tahoe, Gardnerville, June Lake, and Carson City.

We stayed with Papa Jimmie & Grammy in Gardnerville, but we made many trips up to the lake, went camping at June Lake, and hung with the Morris crew in Carson City.

Many thanks to Craig & LeAnn for the use of their "rig", the boys loved it, and it was a very comfortable ride!

5 minute video...

Learning to Read Website

Ed & Kent Lee turned us on to a great Learning to Read Website. Starfall.com is for kids ages 3 and up, and it's really got Erik & Kurt hooked on learning their ABC's.

There are many levels. The page that we are playing with the most deals with letter recognition & phonics.

Here's a quick video (1:39) ...

How can this man forgive?

There was a terrible tragedy a couple weeks ago in the town of Cheshire, Connecticut. A home invasion resulted in a nightmare for Dr. William Petit and his family. After the two intruders beat Dr. Petit unconscious, they raped and murdered his wife and daughters. They left him for dead, but he miraculously escaped from his burning house and survived.

The cops captured the two men they believe are responsible. They were caught fleeing the scene, and are now charged with the crime.

My thoughts and prayers are with Dr. Petit as he tries to put his life back together. The big question I'm left is: How can this man ever forgive the two guys who did this? This would seriously test my faith. Forgiveness at this level just doesn't seem possible, and I pray that Dr. Petit can find peace in his life. I should also pray for the criminals, but I just don't have it in me.

God help us all.

Honey Lake Bass Fishing

Kurt was very excited yesterday. He caught this 17" largemouth bass on Honey Lake using a worm and an orange jig. He did everything but lift it into the boat... his brother Pete gets the assist for helping with that.

Big thanks to the Hollensteiner family for allowing us to use their boat!