Spring is Here!

Hello All:

So much has happened for all four of us, it’s not surprising that we’ve a little remiss at updating this blog.

Spring is well and truly underway in the Borderland. The grass is finally greening up, and the trees are beginning to show buds. Spring activities are in full bloom as well. Stephen is running track, but has had to take some time off to catch up on some English AP. There is plenty of essay writing going on at all hours at the moment. Rachel started soccer this week. She was initially assigned to a team of strangers even though we had requested she be placed on a team with a lot of Falls kids, including several she knew from school. International Falls has no youth soccer, so falls kids cross the border twice a week to play in Fort Frances. The league generally groups all the Falls kids together for car pooling, and other reasons. We got her traded to the ‘Falls’ team for her second game, and she had a great time. She smiled more in the first five minutes than she did the entire first game.

Diane is up to her neck in summer reading prep, school visits, and several new computers. Be prayer for the computers. I’m serious. They are not cooperating. I’ll leave this space blank for Diane to fill in more.

I’m caught up with the Icebox Radio Theater, as usual. Our board is meeting again for the first time in a year, the theater’s tax exempt paperwork has finally been filed with the IRS, and we have a writer’s workshop is scheduled to start next week. This on top of a new relationship with Rainy River Community College, but all this is better left for the IBRT blog.

Cheers!
Jeff

A Rainy Saturday Night

Hi everyone!

Just checking in with a picture and a bit of new about the Adams family. The picture above is Stephen's gang on their way to the murder mystery party. It's prom night in the Falls and for this group, it's Anti-Prom night. I don't if it's because they're mostly sophomores and juniors, or they're just different. Most of these kids are on the speech team.

Stephen and Anna's time the state speech meet was good, though they didn't meet their goal of making finals. They were judged the best team in one of there rounds, however, and that's a positive thing.

While in the Twin Cities, the team visited the Mall of America and Stephen came back with a video game called Guitar Hero II which we are all now addicted to. Well, that's how it works these days.

Diane's busy at work, and I'm busy getting the IBRT business end of things going. Check out the IBRT, you're learn that we got picked up by our first station outside of Minnesota - this one in Alaska. God bless and talk to ya'll soon.

Jeff

Speech Results

Well, none of the Falls kids made the final round. Stephen and Anna were tied for 9th place with about four other teams. The top eight teams compete in the championship round. I haven't spoken with Stephen yet, but we went on line and were able to view the results of the meet at the Minnesota State High School League web site.

I know Stephen and Anna had hoped to make final round so I am sure they will be disappointed. We however are very proud of them. I believe that on May 12th the team is hosting a fundraiser and performing their pieces for the public. I am hoping that we can get an audio recording of the evening to post as a podcast.

Stay tuned for more details.

We are enjoying a very nice spring day of partly sunny and temperatures in the upper 60's, spring is definitely feeling like it is coming. No green yet, but it will come.

Thanks for checking in.
Diane

Some Icebox Radio news

I have some really, really wonderful news for everyone.

About a month ago, after the theater received a very generous and unexpected donation, I made the decision to join a service called PRX.ORG - a kind of online warehouse for community and NPR radio stations. And I just got the word that

WE'VE MADE A SALE!!!!

KTNA, a radio station in Alaska has licensed 'The Cabin Next Door'. No word on schedule yet, but this a big day for the IBRT.

WE ARE ON THE AIR IN ALASKA!!

And here is a link to the station

http://www.ktna.org/

Speech Results

I just got off the phone with Stephen (10:30pm). And he and his partner have won our section for the second year in a row!

They are frankly confused as they don't feel they did all that good, but I told him judges - like audiences - like what they like. There's no accounting for it.

Stephen and Anna are going to State once again!!

Spring?

Just when you think spring has arrived and we might begin to see some color our hopes are dashed. We are having one cold week with 5 - 6 inches of snow on Tuesday and a high the last two days in the low 20's. It was a cold 3 degrees when I got up this morning. It is hard to be hopeful and suddenly find yourself back in winter. But hope is again in sight. We are supposed to reach the mid 30's on Easter.

(picture is of my parents old yard, this was the background that came up on my computer this morning and I found myself pining for green and more! I am tired of brown and white.)

And of course last weekend I planted my starter plants. Tomatoes, basil and rosemary seeds are sitting in cold dirt in my living room window wishing they felt like growing, but it is too cold to think so positively. This is what happened last year when I started my seeds as well. Oh well, I have eight weeks before I can safely think about putting them in the ground outside so they can take their sweet time starting.

Have a blessed Easter and enjoy time with family. We will be spending the afternoon with the families in our Bible Study group. The three oldest kids will be hiding eggs for the three youngest kids. It should be fun.

Diane