May Day!

What ever happened to May Day? We don't celebrate it in America anymore. In many countries of the world it is celebrated as International Workers Day, but in my mind that has always seemed to be associated with Communism and the militaristic pageantry of the May Day Parade on Red Square in Moscow.

This is what Wikipedia says about May Day: "May Day was also celebrated by some early European settlers of the American continent. In some parts of the United States, May Baskets are made. These baskets are small and usually filled with flowers or treats and left at someone's doorstep. The basket giver would ring the bell and run away. The person receiving the basket would try to catch the fleeing giver. If they caught the person, a kiss was to be exchanged." I can imagine that there were lots of slow runners back in those days.

I remember celebrating May Day at Santa Fe Trail Elementary School in Overland Park, Kansas. The teachers would erect a Maypole and about 10 or 12 kids would take the end of a colorful streamer attached to the top of the maypole and, half going one direction and the other half the other, weave the streamers around the pole and then undo them again by reversing the pattern.

Mostly, I just remember it being kind of a rite of spring. Winter's over and Summer's coming. Anyway, we don't do that anymore.

Tobi's been gone for 2 weeks now, and from all reports, has really enjoyed her visit home. She has officially approved our new family addition, Leila Jade Keddington, who made her appearance on April 14th. (Welcome to your first May little one.) She has seen all the kids and grandkids (7 now, with one more on the way).

She'll be back home again in about 44 hours. Yes, I've missed her. When we were younger, I used to have to leave home for weeks at a time for assignments with the FBI and that was hard, but I think it's gotten harder to be apart, the older we've gotten. Anyway, it seems that way.

Happy May Day Everyone! Go dance around a Maypole!

Scott

Easter Service Project

We have challenged all of our children to do a family service project each month for this year. Scott and I have been working hard at this project and it has been so wonderful.

In March this year I asked Scott if he wanted to help with the Embassy Easter Egg Hunt and Breakfast. I told him I wanted it to be a true service project. So I called the lady in charge and told her that Scott and I wanted to do this. That we would bring a dish to eat and come early to set up, serve, hide the eggs, play with the kids and then clean up. Well she didn't say no. In fact she was very grateful.

We started at 8:00 a.m. for the set up

Then Scott hid the eggs, if you can call throwing them on the lawn in perfect view, hiding.

Then Tobi helped to serve the food, it was very yummy.

It was so much fun watching the little ones pick up an egg then run across the lawn passing 10 or more eggs to get the next one.

The Easter Bunny was one of our tough Marines. He was an absolute doll to wear that outfit in all the heat.

It was a very fun great day. Scott and I had so much fun doing this service project.