Cooper Goes to Preschool

In what became a major turning point in my parental education, we've chosen a preschool, enrolled our son and have successfully gotten him there, on time, for several weeks. This is big.

I used to hear parents discussing moving into a community or across the city and having that wow-moment as they discussed pros/cons of different schools.  No one wanted X Teacher in X grade or there was some problem with testing at the feeder high school... it went on and my eyes glazed over. I didn't have kids and that process was totally foreign to me. Like changing a diaper.

Then Suz said it was time for Cooper to go to preschool and I said, "Great, where?" And the shopping began... how many times per week/hours per day, absence policies, curriculum, ad nauseum. She narrowed it down, did site visits, we went to an open house and then... it was first day.

The staff at Timber Lake Christian Preschool are just fabulous; from the first day when they met Cooper in the hall and called him by name. He's coming home with all kinds of skills and having great experiences.

So, here's a couple of shots from his first day going to school... he's so proud of his Spiderman backpack and the songs he learns... and the "Q" he can write and... the list goes on. We're pretty proud too...

United Way

Last year I was invited to join the board of the Randolph county United Way. I'm quite proud of what the UW does for our community and love the insight I receive into our agencies and partners.  In a world full of bad news, these folks are doing truly great work and I'm glad to be part of their support. Our board is full of wonderful people who are a blast to work with; who really believe in the difference we're making.

This year's fundraising goal is $290,000 and our theme is Find Your Inner Hero. I got the opportunity to collaborate on the scripting & shooting of the campaign's promo video with our executive director, Gina Fowler, and Shawn Ames, a local creative consultant. We set up at the College to do some headshots and then Gina & Shawn did some really nice location work with Gina's grandson. I think Shawn really captured the vision we developed in the final edit. Cooper's got a cameo and I think he did just fantastic... cape, mask and all!

Our kick-off party featured our board in red capes, all swooping around the conference facility; superhero theme music greeted arriving guests... it was all super fun. Here's the obligatory newspaper shot to prove it!

So, if you're local to Randolph county, find your inner hero and help us reach our goal to make a difference. If you're somewhere else, find your local UW chapter at www.unitedway.org and get involved.  Watch our video below...

Randolph County United Way 2013 from Corban Artist Studio on Vimeo.

Trading an Old Friend

In 2003, I was driving a 2-door Accord and trying to haul popcorn machines and giant inflatable cell phones in the back seat to area US Cellular stores.

Leather seats.

It wasn't working.

I was driving through Kirksville one day and noticed a yellow 2001 Ford Escape. The popcorn machine fit perfectly in the back and that began a 10 year affair with a truck that has been a wonderful friend to our family. It's literally traveled across the States, hauled any number of supplies, pulled plenty of folks from ditches and snow banks, and been incredibly reliable.

But after 180,000 miles, the maintenance list of need-to-do got long, and it was wearing thin in too many places.  It was time to trade.

I was determined to buy a vehicle locally and went to work with Moberly Motors to find exactly what we needed.  There aren't a lot of all-wheel-drive Escapes with less than 50K with dark interiors floating around, but they found a 2011 in Chicago.  

So, here are a few shots of the Yellow Escape in action and our last time in the driveway, before bringing the new guy home... Greg at Ford took an obligatory new car shot for us (Notice how he got both trucks in the frame).

We love the Grey Escape just the same. I added roof rails, painted the old rack and put it back in place; I (proudly) installed a new trailer hitch and wiring harness. It's not missed a beat and pulled our trailer with ease last weekend.  We're pretty grateful for the years of the old and the promise of the new... here's to more road trips!

Hoorah!

A Slide is Born

I'd like to say I documented every nut and bolt of this endeavor, but there's a few short of 500 of 'em... so I didn't.

To start, we go back a few years. Cooper was a li'l tike and we headed out to the Rothwell park for some family fun on the playground. He hiked himself to the top of the tallest slide at Candyland and, as I was sitting down to slide with him, tumbled down it alone. He landed, unharmed, at the bottom, head first, wailing like nuts.

He's never gone down it again. Or any twisty slide for that matter. Straight slides? Maybe. Wavy slides? Nope. Slides longer than Mom's arm? Nope. Slides just aren't this man's cup of tea.

Our narrative takes us to the Backyard Project in Question... the Pirate Ship. Since Jake and the Neverland Pirates have a slide on their ship, shouldn't we? And since we don't have enough room for a straight slide... we need a (cue dramatic music): 

TURBO SLIDE!

A full, 360 degree rotation from a 5' deck height!

Yep, it comes in a box that dwarfs large appliances.

And then you have to put it together. 

And don't be put off by those whose reviews claim to have installed it in only four hours! They're clearly amateurs. 

I spent Saturday afternoon bolting together all the individual pieces.  Then Suz came out and we wrestle each section until they mated into one hot, twisted mess of green polypropylene.  I built a frame on the side of the boat and called it a night. It was more than four hours, but who's counting?  

We're clearly amateurs.

Sunday afternoon, we hoisted the thing aloft and quickly realized that when the instructions said, "You will need two people to help balance the slide" it clearly meant THREE. As in two to balance and one to screw the thing in place. See, once together the slide felt like a wino hippo with hip dysplasia on a week-long bender, slowly tumbling right as you tried to pull it left... moaning about the yard and always landing just short of where you intended.

Thankfully, our dear neighbor, Phil, could be bothered to come help wrangle the incalcitrant structure into place. Once I got some screws in its hide, its will was broken and it stood proudly at attention along the ship's starboard side. 

Throughout this whole ordeal, Cooper's been running amok calling out for duties to be assigned in his name... Daaad, he wanted to help, too!  Once the last bolt was ratcheted tight and every screw was reviewed by a responsible adult, we opened the newest addition for a test run.

And he refused.

Yep, I had to lower him down the curve to Suz waiting at the bottom. Over and over. We threw cars, tape measures and swords down its gaping maw, trying to establish a sense of safety, of normalcy (!), of tacit understanding that this was FUN! To no avail.

I now have a recovering alcoholic hippopotamus strapped to the side of a Pirate Ship in my backyard. My son's response at the end of the day?  

"When are we going to get a sail for my boat? Huh, Dad? We need a sail!"

A Proper Gangplank

I'd never built stairs before, so I created these tiny steps to get to the gangplank.

Tiny.

Cooper had to stop, turn sideways and then slowly climb down.  It was pitiful.  I went out to Lowes, picked up some runners and whacked out a new set.  I also added in some security in the form of rope handrails.  

It helps.

EXCEL 13

For the first quarter of 2013, I joined an intrepid group of leaders from Randoplh County for EXCEL 13. This EXperience in Community Enterprise and Leadship Development is a 90-day journey through city, county & state gov't, local businesses and non-profits.  Imagine peeking behind the curtain to see the engines that run your community. All those questions get answered about tax incentives, municipal bonds, education bills... oh, not your questions?

What about the one that goes like this, "What happens if I flush Buzz Lightyear down the toilet?" 

On that note, did you know it takes approximately 20 minutes for your poo to travel downhill to the water treatment plant and that they just might be able to find that diamond ring you washed down the sink?

Did you know if you have the right Legislative Assistant, you can trek to the top of the Capital Rotunda... and go outside?

For three months, I grumbled and groused about having to carve out another two hours, four hours, two days from my already crazed schedule to visit ____________________ . Only to get to the appointment and find myself completely enraptured by whatever topic we were covering that week. It's a true time commitment; one that, having just started a new job, I probably should have thought through a bit more... but I made it and I'm glad I did.

Seriously, in the paragraph above... fill in the blank. What in Randolph county do you want to see? Who do you want to talk to? At the state level? How about unfettered access to a State Supreme Court Judge for the morning? Who also throws in a tour of his private apartment above the Courtroom and pulls out his brand-new, official portrait... that he hadn't even shown his wife!

I don't have time to go into the details of the 36-hour tour that Ralph Boots, the Community Development Director in Trenton, MO, put together for us. Or all the details of the 48 hours of Capital time that Sam Richardson created in Jeff City.

I was just amazed at the unparalleled access to decision-makers at all levels, at the candor that area school superintendents described their challenges, at the way hidden heros of our public sectors describe their jobs with deep-seated passion. Every week was another opened present of coolness, linking us deeper into bowels of our local economy, education or... well, check out the schedule below. It's a lot to take in.

EXCEL is an MU Extension sponsored program that reaches into 40 communities around Missouri. Each program has a local board that prepares the series and plots the course of events. Our group had 14 participants from every section... from a MODOT engineer to bankers and business leaders.  We spent hours together every week, learning about each other, making connections and drawing correlations. I have a much greater respect for the efforts of public servants and why it takes so blasted long to get anything done.

Anywhere.

There are plenty of pix from my experience over here.

Serious shout-outs to all the EXCEL Board members and Dr. Johanna Adams for all their immense work.  I'm still chewin' on stuff we got into.

Visit www.randolphcoexcel.org for more details or to join up in 2015!

And there was Lumber...

Since the delivery that surprised even my contractor-friends ("Man, Scott... that's an awful lot of lumber"), I've been learning the fine art of shipbuilding.

Pirate-ship Building, to be exact.

I started with the base over Memorial Day weekend, but that was quickly rained out.  I had the deck spars in place, but then had to get the hull wrapped or it would be too dangerous to leave alone. That led to the upper decking and railing... which opened up a whole can of worms with the gang plank.  

And that can still hasn't been emptied.

Plus, (oh, there's more!) I had to rip out chain link fence across mine AND my neighbor's alley; and rebuild a new fence in its place. 

And get poison ivy in the process.

I've learned to cut 68 degree angles (those don't exist on a 45 degree chop saw). I've hurled planks across the yard while unleashing very sailor-like tirades on everything from bent saw blades to mis-measured railings. I've learned a lot about splinters and where they can go... and a lot about myself. And where my ego should go.

Anyway... My son has a ship in the backyard. Some day, once I get all my real projects (re: paying) completed, we'll add in the slide, swings... and the rope swing.

Ah... the rope swing. 

"But I neeeed a rope, Dad," he pleads, "so I can knock guys into the water!"

"I need water, too!"

It won't end anytime soon.

And I'm pretty pleased about that.