new blog

hey,
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I can't believe...

that anything related to Paris Hilton is actually getting air time on my blog. But this video is classic. Wait for the scream...wait for it...wait.
Also, check out the little guy in the Dodgers cap who is loving getting face time as well as the dude with the phone who is probably calling his lady friends and telling 'em to turn on the tube to see him.

Becks is back

After being left off the English national team list last year and a nine-game international hiatus, David Beckham is back on the pitch for England. Head coach Steve Mclaren named Becks one of his players for the matches against Brazil last week and Estonia yesterday. And a player Beckham was. Perhaps he had something to prove after England's disappointing exit from World Cup play last year as they lost to Germany in the quarter-finals. Whatever his motivation, he was spot-on yesterday landing two beautiful passes to Peter Crouch and Michael Owen, each setting up a goal.



Beckham to Crouchy in the 54th minute.




Beckham to Owen in the 61st minute.

The London Times reports that there is a tentative plan for Beckham to commute back and forth once he moves to Los Angeles to play for the Galaxy next month. England will play next against Germany in a friendly match at Wembley Stadium in London. After that, they will continue in qualifying play on September 8th at home vs Israel and then will travel to Russia to play on the 12th. I'm not a huge Beckham fan, nor do I support Man United or Real Madrid (Go Reds!), but it is exciting to see Becks wearing the red kit again.

Crushing Defeat

Last week, AC Milan beat Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League final in Athens. It was a tough loss to take, especially since I was watching the match with one of my friends who supports AC Milan. But there's always next year, and Liverpool has again qualified to play in the UEFA Champions League by finishing 3rd in the Premiership, above Carson's beloved Arsenal :). Here are a few videos of Liverpool supporters in Athens before the match last week:


Liverpool...Ring of Fire...what more do you need?


Liverpool fans in the metro in Athens. We shall not be moved!

more family history

Last week my uncle brought over some old slides to a family dinner. It was great to see old pics of my mom's side of the family. I found out how my grandparents met. My grandmother was a missionary to Japan.



Things were slow going for her while she was there, and her church back in the United States stopped supporting her. My grandfather was in the army and stationed in Japan. He and my grandmother were friends and decided to get married.


After that, they spent time in the US and Africa. My mom was born in Virginia but spent some of her early years in Africa. My grandparents were later divorced and my grandmother passed away about 5 years ago. She was an amazing woman who befriended many internationals who had just moved to St. Louis.

My mom when she was little.

Top 10 Dream Jobs

in no particular order:

Ocean Rescue/Swift Water Rescuer - either with the Coast Guard for ocean rescues or with whatever organization does rescues when places flood.

Bounty Hunter - My friend, the Swami, and I considered this briefly after the nun bun http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4562170.stm from Bongo Java 2 years ago. We thought we could catch the thief and get the reward money and that could start our career. I also like "Dog, the Bounty Hunter", so I thought that helped.

dolphin trainer - dolphins are just cool. Working in the sun and water all day sounds like my cup of tea.

Travel book writer - I like to travel. I like to write. No-brainer.

actor - When I was in high school, my friends and I would pretend to be the Fort Lauderdale Dog Patrol, or the Bike Police (not cops on bikes, but cops in cars who patroled people on bikes), or a student news network. It was always fun. I enjoyed the acting part of it and often wondered if I'd be good on stage.

national geographic photographer - I like culture. I like to take photographs. Another no-brainer.

sailor - who wouldn't want to be a swashbuckling scalawag? I would love to spend months at sea...I think.

professional European footballer - European football has so much tradition and energy. I'd love to play for a team traveling around Europe and making lots of dough.

Jedi - but would I switch to the dark side? Fear leads to anger...anger leads to hate...and hate leads to ...

switcher - When Travis was 4, he told his dad that he wanted to be a switcher. A switcher, as defined by Travis, is one who switches back and forth between two occupations. For Travis, I think he wanted to switch back and forth between being a pastor and a rock star. For me, it'd be being a dolphin...and brilliant.

Lindsey's art

My cuzin Lindsey just graduated with an art degree from SLU. Here are some of her works:

cuzins

got to hang with some more of my cousins, Mia and Ethan:

Family History

My grandfather grew up in Stockland, a farm town of 150 people located in east central Illinois. He was born on Sugar Creek Farm, and spent every year of his life there, except one, until he retired. His world was one of grain prices, cattle breeding, and keeping Japanese beetles off the soybeans.




Truck




Sugar Creek Farm from the air

During the summers of my youth, our family would relax on Sugar Creek Farm. My sister and I would run through the corn fields, fish in Sugar Creek, shoot grandpa’s .22, climb the grain elevator, or explore the basement of the farm house as we’d wait for grandma to cook dinner. Grandma died ten years ago. She was a good woman who had taught special needs kids and written some children’s books. She was a good wife and mother who spent her time listening to my uncle complain about how his younger brother, my dad, was getting away with murder. Grandma also kept up the farm house, which was built in the 1930s. Our family’s original house was built in 1862-63. In 1888, the whole house was moved and used to store grain and a bigger house was built. The one built in the thirties is the one that stands today.


The farmhouse


A plaque given to our family after the farm house had been in our family for 100 years. The structure has changed, but the original foundation hass been there since 1862.




Grandpa mows the lawn as I talk with grandma in front of the farm house.


Lola Honeywell Houmes and John Houmes, married in 1943. My grandpa says if she had lived ten days longer, they would have been married 54 years.

My grandfather’s father, John Elsworth Houmes, died when my grandfather was nine. He had appendicitis, and the doctor gave him ether as an anesthetic. Great grandpa Houmes was unknowingly allergic to ether, and died that day. My grandfather, along with his 3 brothers and 3 sisters ran the farm until my grandfather took it over by himself. My granddad says he doesn’t have a middle name, and his birth certificate confirms this, but there is still speculation that his father named him either John Samuel Houmes or John Elsworth Houmes, Jr.



John Houmes is a family name. My dad’s understanding is that there has been a John or Johann Houmes in every generation since the 13th century. Alongside my great grandfather and my grandfather, my uncle and me carry on this lineage.


Three generations of John Houmes’ at my sister’s wedding in 2005.


Grandpa 1937


Grandpa today


Me, my grandmother, my grandfather, my sister and my dad circa 1986.


My dad, my uncle and grandpa, still talking about crops yesterday afternoon.