the vrbi: 04.09

Sunday, April 19

Proud Moment

I know this is totally braggadocious and all, but sometimes you've just gotta toot your own horn a bit.

Amy and I went to the Nebraska Press Association convention in Kearney last night where 'The Wauneta Breeze' (where I work) snagged a total of 28 individual Best of the Press 2008 awards (12 firsts, 8 seconds and 8 thirds).

Now before you go thinking I'm bragging about myself, please keep in mind that I was only at the paper for three weeks last year. My editor, Tina Kitt, received 16 individual awards, further proving that she is AMAZING! Susan Jones, our ad creator, got two awards, and our publisher, Russ Pankonin, also won an award. I got three awards: firsts for Sports Column and Web Site, and third for Editorial (I had no strong photos to submit). The overall staff received six awards.

Overall, we were second among all weekly newspapers in the state for points and received first in General Excellence for our class. I hope the paper that won this year enjoys the traveling trophy, because next year it's returning to Chase County.

Sorry. Just had to brag up my paper. I love my job and love the people I cover; recognition just makes it that much more enjoyable. Community journalism is what keeps our citizens informed and I believe so strongly in the newspaper industry. (In fact, I have this week's editorial brewing in my brain about this very topic!)

Now, roll your eyes and go about the rest of your day...

Dave

Monday, April 13

Another Eggs-cellent Easter

If this post doesn't annoy you as much as it is annoying me, I will consider it a win and count it on the books. Blogger is PO'ing me to absolutely no end. Why can't an internet program in 2009 figure out a better way to upload photos, for the love of Christ (who died for our sins on Good Friday and rose again on Easter, the point of this post).

Of course, you wouldn't know this is the Easter Vrbi post because Peyton's photo posted first.

Whatev. After the Palisade and Wauneta egg hunts, which the Vrbi attended, we promised Jack and Peyton that if they were good in Walgren's, we'd take them to the Wauneta park (which RAWKS, by the way). Fun ensued.

Peyton on the swinging planky things. She was having a ball.

There she goes. She had them mastered within 47 seconds or so. She's apparently been practicing.

Love this photo. It'll return later in this post. Forgive.

Up the windy ladder thingy.

Jack bein' a dude.

He is mos def not the same kinda daredevil that his BFF/Cuz Peyton is.

This contraption was so cool, it made me wish I was three years old again. Of course, pretty much everything makes me wish that...

Pleasin' with some cheesin' on Easter weeken'.

My fave little person in all the land.

Monkeys in a bubble.

Oh, look! An Easter basket! Like from out of nowhere it came! We were at the park and viewing photos of that and up popped this &*#$&% picture instead of more park pictures, which I tried to put toward the middle anyway! I'm really a stickler for organization, so this is miffing me pretty bad folks.

Jack's loot. A kite, a bubble mower, eggs galore, books, sidewalk chalk, Hot Wheels. He is completely and utterly spoiled. And do you think we could use the mower, kite or sidewalk chalk on that rainy Easter Sunday. (NO is the answer, FYI.) BTDubs, how do ya like the floor?

I got up at 5:30 to put a trail of Easter Eggs from our bedroom (where he slept because Emily and Mike had his bed) to his loot.

Not sure why it's necessary to publish two photos of his Easter Bunny booty, but whatev. Deal with it.

There he is with Aunt Emily. He was quite tired...

...but immediately warmed up to the idea of playing with the bubble mower!

Lovin' his mower, and we tried to limit his bubbling to 'That 70's Porch' of ours. We are using the same flooring from the dining room out there, but we had to give Richard a break. He spent numerous nights at our house in the past week-and-a-half and needed a break. Poor guy.

Jackles before Church on Sunday. I read the Scripture for Rev. Judy cuz she dressed up as Mary Magdalene and gave a GREAT and very poignant sermon.

Rock Band was the event of the day at our house. Here, Emily, Amy and Mike prepare to do some rawkin' on...

Dan was quite enteraining, as you can all imagine.

He rawked it out hardcore.

Mike and Emily crashed for a while before they left town for Lincoln. We had a blast with them, needless to say.

Tweeder is a Rawk Star.

Emily brought this scrump-diddly-umptious carrot cake. She made it herself, which turned out much better than the three batches of rolls she and her older sister tried to make... ahem... moving on now...

Dan will be very happy that this photo of him golfing on the Wii highlights his arms, which he might have mentioned are much bigger now maybe about seven or eight times that day...