After everyone ate their fill of Christmas good cheer, the Olsen’s bid a fond adieu to our step-aunt as well as Meredith and her beau.  And then we headed off to one of our favorite holiday pastimes: the Christmas movie.  Every year, we pick one film that everyone can agree upon and we go and pad the holiday cinema gate.
This year, we all decided that we wanted to see The Tale of Despereaux.  Iwant do all of my loyal readers the disservice of a movie review.  I am altogether unskilled at objectively assessing films.  Indeed, I am a sap.  And I love a good morality story.  This movie was both.  Without giving away too many secrets, the story tells the tale of mice, rats, kings, princesses and a host of folks in between.  By the end of the movie, redemption is the message for everyone on screen – and for me as well.  Through courage and selflessness, the tragic heroes are redeemed from their own faults and frailties.  I just love happy endings like this!
When we got home from the theater, the entire crew retired for a nice night’s sleep.
When the morning came, it was time for Cindy to take daughter #2 to the airport.  Dana had an early flight that morning as she needed to be back at practice in the afternoon.  Cindy got her to the airport.  The flight was on time in departing and arriving.  So she made it to practice with plenty of time to spare.
While Cindy was taking Dana to the airport, I made sure the new Bluetooth rear view mirror was working in Cindy’s car.  It was quite simple to set up and make it operate.  I still have some tweaking to do.  But that will waituntil after the New Year.  But when Cindy returned, we tried out all the new gear.  With a grin on my face, I proudly showed her how everything worked.  And I am glad to say that Cindy is quite pleased with the electronics!
After a lot of cleaningand a fair bit of laundry, we started packing for our trip to Georgia.  I had my samll bag with my clothes and Cindy’s laptop.  And she had quite a large bag with everyting she needed to take.  We hit the hay early for the early-bird drive to the airport.
As noted in my last post, we got up quite early and headed off to the airport only to be met with flight delays.    The eqyipment was indeed in Missouri, but the crew did not arrive the previous night.  So the flight was cancelled.  Thereplacement crew arrived the next day an hour later than anticpated so the flight was delayed another hour.  ANd then we had a horrible problem while boarding.  One of the passengers apparently had a heart attack while boarding the plane.  So everyone was stuck in the gangway to the plane while emergency medical crews came on board, assessed the patients condition and then whisked the patient off the plane.  Fortunately, everything turned out fine – though I can’t tell you the exact condition of the patient now.  But he appeared well while deplaning in a wheelchair.
Once everyone reloaded the plane, we got out onto the tarmac.  And then another problem arose.  Within a thirty minute span, the temperature had dropped twenty degrees – which was below freezaing.  So the gentle rain that was falling when we first boarded had become a froen rain that needed to be treated.  So we waited on the tarmac while the place was de-iced.  We finally became airborn five hours after our scheduled departure.
When we arrived, it was time to meet Dana and go out to dinner.  We chose a simple asian “fast food” joint that had some super noodle offerings.  I chose a yummy shrimp and soba noodle  dish.  Dana and Cindy had some other dishes.  Normally, we share meals when we eat this way.  But we didn’t share that night.  Thank goodness we didn’t share (as you’ll learn in the next part of the Olsen Christmas saga).  After dinner, we went back to the hotel and wet to bed.
The next day was all ours – after Dana finished practice.  Cindyand I found a great breakfast nook call the Java Jive.  I just loved their menu and their homestyle joi de vivre.  We picked up Dana and headed over to the High Museum of Art.  The High Museum was having a show called “The First Emperor” which featured the art of the first Chin dynasty – including a number of terra cotta warriors.  We scheduled a visit for Tuesda morning as we couldn’t fit it into that day.
After we left the High Museum, we headed off to see my Dad and his wife.  And while I could go into great detail about how thrilling it is to see my Dad, I’ll just summarize.  My Dad is doing well, though his eyesight is failing.  But his wife take exceptional care of him.  So he is in need of nothing.  And like myself, he has gained a few extra pounds in thelast couple of years.  Good women (and lack of a commitment to regular exercise) will have that effect on men.  We feasted for a couple of hours.  We yakked about everything.  And we lined Dana up with a way to see Dad and Susan on a more regular basis.  So our mision was accomplished.
After a few hours, we needed to head back to the hotel as Dana needed to get up early for her pre-game shoot-around.  So we headed back to Atlanta.  We dropped Dana off at school and Cindy and I headed back to the hotel where we settled in for the night.

It’s early Saturday morning and I’m in the Kansas City International airport.  Normally, I like to get to the airport a few minutes early. And I never have time to scribble down my thoughts.  But today is different.  I am sitting in the airport in the unsecured area.  I am with Cindy.  She is reading her book and I am listening to the Daily Source Code (with Adam Curry).  He is talking about conspiracy theories and circumcisions in Uganda.  So with that kind of mix going on, I just have to start recording my thoughts.
Cindy and I were awakened at 4:00AM to a phone call.  We didn’t grab the phone in time.  And in fairness, I don’t even remember hearing the phone.  After all, I was asleep.  We both rolled over and slept until my alarm went off at 4:45A.  We got up early so we would arrive at the airport an hour before our scheduled takeoff.  We woke Bailey up and grabbed a couple of bagels.  And then, we were off.
The drive was quiet and dark.  There was little (i.e., zero) conversation.  There has been a whole lot of stress the past few days.  Most of it is the natural friction between parents and their young adult children.  And in Bailey’s case, this friction has been betwwen her and Cindy.  I hate to intervene in such matters.  So I find myself in the uneasy demilitarized zone between two women that love one another – but are still feeling a lot of conflict. Wow.  Life sure is complicated.  But I’m wandering off topic.
We got to the airport and gave each other hugs and kisses.  And Bailey headed off into the darkenss of KCI aprport.  We went into the terminal and saw why we had received a phone call at 4A.  Our flight to Atlanta had been cancelled.  While Atlanta is a hub, Kansas City isn’t.  We assume that an inbound flight was delayed or cancelled.  And the next Delta flight to Atlanta was three-and-a-half hours later.
So Cindy and I grabbed coffee at Starbucks.  And we settled in to a long winter wait.  As you can tell, I’m using my time typing up my idle ruminations.  And Cindy is reading.  For a lot of people, a few hours in an airport is hellish.  Well, I feel the same way.  But it does give me plenty of time to tap out a new article or two.  And since I can’t bear to do work at 6:30 in the monring, I’m going to assemble some fleeting and disjointed thoughts.
Christmas was a wonderful time at the Olsen’s.  As is our custom, we went out to eat on Christmas eve.  This year, we went to a local Asian noodle joint called Blue koi.  And as usual, it was quite wonderful – but quite pricey.  But we had three of four kids with us.  So we had another chance to love on the kids a bit.
After dinner, we went to Christmas eve service at Heartland.  And it was one of the best Christmas eve services I can remember.  We arrived and folks were singing solos from the stage.  We all checked our watches to make sure that we weren’t late.
Uh oh.  As I’m typing this, Adam Curry has broken into some Christmas music.  Yeah, I’m listening to the 12/23 Charlie on 12/27.  And Adam is playing one of my favorite Christmas songs: The Night Santa Went Crazy (by Weird Al).  I’m grinning and hearing about Santa grinding up Rudoph into reindeer sausage.  But I’m digressing…
Where was I?  Oh, I remember.  I was talking about Christmas and the celebration of our Lord’s birth.  As we checked our watches, we knew we were on time.  And then we realized that this was the pre-Christmas “concert” everyone was talking about.  It was wonderful.  People were trickling in.  And they seated themselves to the sound of wonderful Christmas cheer.
The service was fantastic.  There were carols, a brief but very pointed redemption message, a communion, and the traditional lighting of Christmas candles.  All of this was done within one hour.
And the best part is that it set the mood in my heart.  My life is always crazy.  I have twenty things to do with dozens more on hold.  So it would be easy to go through hte motions w/o remembering the meaning.   But this service reminded me of the real reason for Christmas.  Christ was born on this day.  And we remember his birth.  But how many of us actually remember the reality.  And the reality is simple: He came to Earth to give up his life on our behalf.  He lived for the purpose of dying.  As I type these words, I feel a tingle running down my spine.  I am so capable of being blown away when I am in God’s presence.  When I am reminded of his, I am left mute in awe.  Even now, I find myself struggling to write down these thoughts.  When God is near, I tremble.  And when Christ came to Earth, the Earth trembled.  The angels sang.  And the kings came to worship
After the service ended, we hustled home for the traditional Christmas gift exchange.  And everything went wonderfully.  Yes, there were gifts.  But more importantly, there was a calm and peaceful sense of of well-being.  It was interesting to note who got what presents.  Dad got some movies and some music – with a few bottles of designer cologne thrown in.  Mom got a very Bluetooth Christmas.  Everyone got clothes.  Dana got a replacement computer. And Adam got a lot of lacrosse equipment.  Bailey was the most interesting.  She is growing and changing.  So she wanted to give everyone an hour’s worth of service.  But she realized just how commercial things are.  So she crumbled and gave people lots of music.  And in our house, that is very important.  She received all sorts of music from latin singers and mex-american bands.  But I am wandering off-topic…
We set out the milk and cookies for Kris Kringle.  And we went to bed.  We all slept well.
I got up early to walk the dogs and make coffee.  And I decided to do a little spot cleaning of the kitchen floor while I waited for everyone else to get up.  I probably went a little overboard on cleaning.  But I felt the spirit of my mom being channeled through me.  With my step-aunt coming for dinner, I wanted things to look good.
When Clarin and Meredith came, we rousted all the over-sleepers (i.e., my son).  And we had wave two of presents.  Interesting observations came with this second “gifting.”  In particular, Meredith had spent a great deal of time on her present.  She settled on a them of women’s togetherness.  Every woman in the family got a special stuffed bear.  And they all relate to one another.  It is far too complicated to explain it here.  But the point was simple: all of hte Schwerin women (both in Kansas and in North Carolina) received a part of the themed gifts.  It was very cool seeing my daughter focus on a broader meaning.  It was heartwarming and it made her Dad quite proud.
And then the food work began.  Cindy and Clarin started chopping.  And Bailey and Dana started to work on side dishes.  The main course was a wonderful beef Wellington.  Cindy makes individual filets that are individually wrapped in pastry.  The pate is made from mushrooms and ham and a litany of other wonderfully tasting goodies.
And the cranberry dressing was outstanding.  It had  cranberries (cut in half, apples and even a little orange.  And the tastes were quite wonderful when assembled together.  Dana added her signature green bean casserole.  While Meredith and Bailey assembled salads and deserts.
In short, the meal was astounding.  I am quite blessed to have a plethora of great cooks in my kitchen.  Praise God!

The SMS Lady Raiders won their Kansas State 6A quarterfinal round yesterday. It was a classic inside-out game. The other team knew my daughter’s stats – so they keyed on her. That left the outside open. One of the sophomore girls stepped up – big-time. Peyton Whetstone buried five three-pointers. So what did that do? Yep, it opened up the middle. So my daughter got to work inside. And she went 7 for 8 from the line in the second half. It was a lot of fun.
So with this victory, my daughter has achieved all of her pre-season goals. She wanted to lead the team this year. At the beginning of the year, she was voted team captain. And she has led the team in their joys and challenges. She wanted to be the fifth Lady Raider to break the 1,000 point barrier. Her career total now stands at 1059 – and still going. She wanted to be in the top five of the all-time lead scorers for the school. She is now #3. She wanted to land a NCAA D1 scholarship. She will start her career at SIU one week after she graduates from high school. Finally, she set a goal to lead her team to the state final four this year. With this last victory, she has achieved that dream.
But it is now time to adjust her vision. When you meet your goals, it is time to broaden your vision – not just rest on your laurels. She now has the chance to expand her dreams beyond the limits she previously set. She must now reach for a vision that was beyond her dreams just a few months ago. She must now dream bigger. The SMS Lady Raiders will play the #1 team in Kansas. And they can win it if they fully believe in themselves.
So now is the time to dream big dreams. Go Raiders!
[My daughter was the focus of a great feature article in the JoCo Sun this morning. This kind of stuff makes me bust out with parental pride!]
-CyclingRoo-

Eighteen years ago, my wife was still pregnant with our second daughter. I never would have imagined that I could ever call that daughter a “dawg.” Now I can. And I can do it with a grin and a heart full of pride. As of yesterday, my daughter has signed her National Letter of Intent (NLI) for the 2006-2007 academic year. She will be a proud SIU Saluki.
Like always, there were a couple of hiccups in the process. Apparently, the staff at SIU expected the paperwork right after 7:00 AM. But Dana didn’t sign until 3:00 PM. I think she was supposed to sign the originals in the morning and sign a copy later. But since no one gave us that guidance, we probably gave the coaches at SIU some unintended fear, uncertainty and doubt. But once Dana signed everything, it was faxed by her high school coach. And everything turned out well.
Dana was surrounded by her family, her coaches, her teammates and her friends. I can’t think of a better way we could have told her just how proud we are. We are proud of what she has done. And we are proud of what she will do – both in high school and in college. And we are proud of the confident woman that she has become.
As I thought about everything that was happening, I knew God had His hand on her heart and her spirit. She is a dedicated and extraordinary young woman. And I hope she knows just how much we love her and support her. I pray that she will dedicate all that God has given her to His service.
Congratulations, Dawg!
-CyclingRoo-