Jen Greene, Princess of All She Surveys

Because I'm the Queen. 

Tom Greene, Golf Star

Yeah, he plays golf, too. 

Tom Greene, Baseball Star

Lest you think he's a one-sport wonder, here's Tom last summer. I believe this was the game where he got hit smack on the forehead with a ball. He jumped up, of course, and acted like nothing had happened, despite the collected gasp from all of the mothers. Hey, he did the same thing when he was hit by a minivan. No stupid ball is going to make him miss a baseball game! 

Tom Greene, Basketball Star

OK, 2009 update! The girl in the photo is the little sister of one of Tom's club soccer/basketball/track teammates. Her last name, coincidentally, is Greene - no relation. Her mom is the club soccer manager mom who swam for Ireland in the Olympics. No word yet on prom ...
2008 update: OK, here's how small my town is. This is Tom playing basketball in January 2006. The boy he's up against is his middle-school teammate (who also went to Bradley University basketball camp with him this summer). The coach standing between them? That's Tom's Junior Tackle coach from 2007. (Give me another few years and the girl in the photo will probably be Tom's prom date.) Geez.
Tom getting ready for the start of his first basketball game this year.

Tax Time

As far as shopping seasons go, the late-January through mid-April season is a pretty good one. The suckers who are going to buy a treadmill and get in shape this year have already done it, so the stores are free to have sales on good stuff like towels, sheets and home office organization stuff.
I love that, starting in January, people are supposed to "get organized" and get ready to do their taxes. All the neat paper-organizing systems are on sale right now, along with highlighters (huh?) and shredders (vrooom! vroooom!).
I have some news for you people buying highlighters and accordion files - if you don't have your FY 2005 tax stuff organized already, it's too late!! Now is the time to start desperately riffling through your shoe boxes full of paperwork in the quest for documentable evidence that can earn you a tax credit. Now is not the time to start organizing last year's restaurant receipts, going over each one to figure out if it's deductible.
Or maybe this is the second wind of new year's resolutions - this year, I'm going to keep my receipts and other financial papers filed neatly.
Yeah, right. Go dust off your treadmill and get back to me April 16.

The Terrible ... Eight?

I believe this is the first photo we've ever gotten of all of us and kids. The guy coming in the door will be really bummed to be cropped out of this. 

They're my best friends' kids

The Terrible Trio: The Next Generation 

Cool things about having a daughter, part 2

Pom pom camp. 100+ screamy girls learning dance routines. They even had a spirit stick.

Cool things about having a daughter, Part 1

She doesn't make snarky comments when we watch chick flicks. In fact, she thinks they're really cool.

Our large cats, Mango, left, and Tiger. 

Photos

Hope you enjoy the photos.

The Terrible Trio 

Drew, Jen, Tom and Cody in Tennessee - summer 2005 

My dad, Lyle T. Winge. He could shout down Bill O'Reilly.

Tom and his goofy friends at his 9th birthday party. They would later get in trouble for playing dodgeball IN THE HOUSE and keeping us up all night. 

Jen at her Christmas dance program. Note the Stayin' Alive pose, an ominous hint of what's to come ... 

My husband, Jeff, and me at a Vikings game. 

Welcome

So I'm starting this blog thing, and I'm hoping to figure out the photo software so I can share some of my photos, as well as my thoughts.
I read a lot of blogs, including political blogs from the right and left.
My personal view on American politics today? How did a dumb guy get to be president?