Calvin Made the Blog!

This is Calvin.  Calvin, Hannah tells us, was feeling a little down that he's never made the blog.  You can kind of see the sadness in his eyes if you look really close.

Well Calvin, cheer up; you made the blog.  Calvin is one of Hannah's apartment-mates, along with Maggie at Cal this fall.  Hannah moved back to school midweek.  This is the first non-furnished apartment she's lived in. So, she's been sleeping on an air mattress while giving Julie and I some time to scrape up furniture. 

Julie did an excellent job finding her a bunk bed to fit into her smallish bedroom with Maggie.  She chose a bunk bed to allow a bureau and set of drawers to set below it for storage.  I assembled the bed while the kids went to Target to find some more storage.   Hannah clearly loves it.

Calvin was very generous to help with the hauling. 

 Here's the finished product.

Hannah's idea for 'organizing' her shoes was to buy this pink bucket and throw them in.  Done!

And here's some 'cubbie cubes' that Hannah and Calvin picked out for putting into the living room.  The idea is that when one of the roommates leaves something laying about one of the others can simply dump it into their cubby.  Sweet.  Hannah's is the pink one.  Maggie got the orange one.

After we got everything in - Hannah declared victory for fall 2010.  Go Bears!

When last I saw Calvin he was standing in Hannah's room trying to figure out what he's gotten himself into.  Good Luck Calvin.  At least you made the blog!

Big Victory

The Big Game around these parts is Stanford vs Cal. This year the game was the 112th Big Game and it was played at Stanford. We were a little bit nervous because Stanford has been doing so great the last few weeks. They have been one of the hottest teams in the nation.

After a fantastic - tailgate (sorry... forgot to take pictures). We went to our seats - and Stanford scored so quickly we got even more worried. Toby Gerhart is a horse. Literally. Often during a game he will have one or two people riding on top of him as he tromps down the field. He's already set the Stanford single season rushing record this year - and his 4 touchdowns during the Big Game means he set the single season touchdown record as well. It's been a pleasure to watch him achieve this level of success.















We sit right in the Stanford season ticket holder section so we were surrounded by rabid Stanford fans. And they pretty much got what they wanted for the first half. It was 14-3 at the half.















During halftimes this year Stanford has been honoring this year's inductees into their Sports Hall of Fame. During the Big Game they honored Tiger Woods. The ceremony was right in front of us! Here's a picture of Tiger surrounded by fans on the sideline just after he received his award. As Hannah says 'I can almost reach out and touch him!'.

















The second half was Cal's half!

Here's Maggie and Hannah getting into the game as Cal started their comback!















Odd. Maggie had never had garlic fries! Well, we took care of that!















Okay - since you know that Hannah usually only takes 'expressive' pictures.. here's one you would expect :)















Cal dominated during the second half - but Stanford was coming back at the end of the game. However, a late interception sealed the game for Cal. With the seconds ticking down - Hannah prepared to storm the field!

That's Hannah in the grey sweatshirt with Maggie in the Gold sweatshirt trying to catch her!

















Here's the last we saw of her and she joined the thousands of Cal fans who celebrated with the players on the field. They were so excited!















Seeing Hannah so excited was the best part of the whole game.

So, sorry Stanford. Guess that whole Beat Cal thing didn't exactly work out. Bummer :)

GO BEARS!! (where's the bowl game???)

Epic Fail Day!

Do you ever have a day that holds so much promise? That could just be soooo good if things just work out right? That you just roll out of bed to get started?

Well - today could have been that day. Instead, it turned into Epic Fail Day '09. We should have had a BBQ in it's honor. Sheesh.

First, Michigan breaks my heart by tieing - then losing to MSU. I am pleased for Julie - genuinely. And, begrudgingly I'm happy for those oddballs in my family that actually like MSU and root for them. But, come on! Julie spent the afternoon trying to find someone in Michigan that could buy her a 'three peat' shirt.. for next year. Epic Fail.

Then, our beloved Washington goes into South Bend to play the Neutered Dames. They, too, end up tied after regulation and go down hard in OT. Epic Fail.

Finally, Cal gets Epically spanked by USC.

But, as I sit here typing this... I have to admit the day wasn't really all so bad. After all, I got to spend the day with Julie and I just love being able to do that. And, I got to text and phone all sorts of family and friends. I'm grateful to have such a great son, sister, nephew, father-in-law and friends that I can experience defeat in community. Defeat suffered alone can be debilitating. Defeat surrounded by love. Well, it's just not as bad, now is it? And I'm thankful we got to see Hannah and Maggie. They are so fun to be around and we had a great chance to laugh and enjoy a meal together. That was great! And I love that God provides so lovingly for us. We really do get to enjoy some fun times - things some people don't get an opportunity to. And after all - these games aren't meant to define us; but to entertain us.

So, this Epic Fail Day - it ain't so bad. But - let's not make a habit of it! Okay?

Away she goes!

We transitioned Hannah back to Berkeley this morning. She's got an aggressive week ahead of her. Finals for her Summer classes. An Econ final resulting from her illness at the end of last Semester. And RA training for the upcoming year!

As a result it was a quick unload and go - so she could get into her week!

Here's all the 'stuff' that made the journey back.





























We'll miss her.. but we have Indy.. so we know we'll see her soon! Have a great week Hannah!

Discharged!

A week ago we couldn't have imagined Hannah would be doing as well as she is. We are pleased to notify you that we discharged the twinvalids today. Yes, Hannah and Maggie - along with Mike have returned to Berkeley to complete finals week. Hannah has one oral exam and final over the next couple of days and left feeling very optimistic about completing them; a huge improvement in status from last week.

We greatly appreciate your prayers - and are convinced that they were instrumental in Hannah's recovery. She is feeling so much better and is now off almost all of her meds at this point.

Of course, you wouldn't be able to tell they were feeling better from this shot. But this is just because it's about 100 degrees today!















But, the last couple of days she has been getting back to her energetic self. For example - yesterday she remembered that she has a flute and decided to 'perform' for Maggie and Mike. I encouraged them to clap as hard as they could when she completed a song in hopes that she would call it a night.















Then, this afternoon Jon and Rachel came by.. and she felt the need to reprise her performance. Rachel enjoyed the show.. but Jon decided to modify the end of the flute (note the cherry tomato he inserted) in hopes of ending it early!















Thanks again for all your prayer support! Have a great week!

Pooter

Yesterday Hannah's boyfriend Mike joined us at Hospital Henderson. By evening the inmates.. oops.. I mean the twinvalids (Hannah and Maggie) .. were looking for something fun to do so we decided to play a game of Balderdash.

Just in case you've never heard of it the game - one player (leader for a round) picks one of the game cards which has a Word, Person, Initials, Movie Title or Date on it. He/she gets to choose one of those categories for the round. When the Word category is selected the contestants make up definitions for the word. Once everyone has written their definiton they turn it in to the leader. He/she then reads the definitions and the remaining players vote as to which they think is the correct one. You score points if you either have someone vote for your definition or you guess the correct definition.

This game can be a lot of fun.. and lots of times you remember the made up definitions far longer than you do the real one (bufagin!).

We've played this game for years and while we were playing last night we were telling stories about how Sharon (Julie's mom) was so great at this game! She was especially good at words - making up plausible sounding definitions. Games are a fun way of passing on family history!

You've probably deduced at this point that the word Pooter came up last night. I just wanted to share with you what the great minds at Berkeley (and Julie!) came up with. Also - it's your chance to play along. Once you read these fabulous responses please vote (comment) on which you think is the correct definition! No cheating now (drop that google!) and don't think about it too long. Give it a try ;)

Pooter: Domesticated cattle droppings used to grow high nutrient grasses.

Pooter: A bottle with a suction cup device that is used for catching insects.

Pooter: The arrow-shaped pointed top on a weather vane.

Pooter: A Greek form of measurement, equivalent to the length of a horse shoe, named after Aquinas Poot

Pooter: Sawdust used to diminish the smell of fecal remnants within latrines.


BTW: Maggie rocked on this one!

Hannah Update - Tuesday AM

Bienvenidas!

Many thanks go out to all of you who have expressed concern over how Hannah is doing. We really appreciate it.

Yesterday we returned to Berkeley in style. Yes, Hannah got to wheel around campus in a stylish wheelchair. I believe at one point she indicated that, other than having her neck jostled around which caused her some pain, she thought that being pushed around campus was a perfectly marvelous way to travel.

Anyways.. we were able to meet with all the people necessary to work through the issues of her having missed two weeks of classes and struggling through finals week (this week and next). I am thankful to God and pleased to tell you that we figured out this whole 'hot mess' as Emily (another good friend at Berkeley) would call it.. and have a plan for finishing up this semester and Summer. The best news is that if everything goes as we expect it to Hannah will remain enrolled in the Haas business school next Fall! (Congratulations!**)

One spontaneous part of the plan came together when we got to Hannah's room. Maggie, one of Hannah's good friends is essentially living with Hannah because she broke her foot and walking back and forth to her room is near impossible since she lives up in the Berkeley hills. Well, when we let her know that we were taking Hannah home and would just be commuting to finish out the year she was game to come home too! (after confirming she only has papers to write and doesn't need to be on campus) So, since she is fluent in Spanish - we have enlisted her as Hannah's private Spanish tutor to get Hannah ready for her final and oral exam early next week. Her pay? Maggie negotiated hard.. but so did we. We finally worked out that we have to take her to Frozos every time Julie goes (like we wouldn't have!!!). Sweet!

So - if you plan to stop by the house.. we're Spanish only this week - so brush up.

Oh.. and just so you know. It's been tough scheduling.. but Julie remains a perfect 11 for 11 at Frozos in May!

Thanks for all your prayers and concerns. I think everything worked out for the best.



**too funny. Hannah had told me that one of the fun things about dealing with the folks at Haas is that whenever she identifies herself as enrolled for Fall.. they immediately say 'Congratulations!'. So, when we went over to talk with them and explain Hannah's situation.. she starts with 'Hi my name is Hannah Henderson and I am enrolled in Haas Undergraduate in Fall'... and the wonderful woman immediately interrupts 'Congratulations! ... now... how can I help you'. Hannah just looked at me and smiled as I smiled back at her. And help her they did. Whew.. those people are efficient. The folks at Haas should run the federal government.

Hannah Update - Saturday PM

First off - Hannah took a shower today. That is actually a very big accomplishment - so congrats to her. She is at home now and doing relatively well. The doctors have put her on a lot of pain meds which are helping her to be able to get some sleep and let her body do a bit of healing. That has been a blessing. However, she remains very tired and has a lot of pain so we are working through that.

We did have some time to think through the Berkeley plan. So far, so good. We wait for Hannah to have an hour or so where she is not too foggy from the pain meds and can get some classwork in. We have been helping her during those short windows as much as possible to get projects completed.

One big answer to prayer came today after Hannah emailed the professor of the class that has a Monday final. He is going to allow her to miss the final and base her grades on work that has already been completed. Praise God for that. That saved Hannah 4 chapters of reading and a day of studying - so we are so thankful.

And, Hannah just finished dictating a bunch of papers to me so we will be able to get those out tomorrow.

We will address the two other classes on Monday and see where we are at. Please continue to pray. It is working.

Progress is slow and now Hannah is exhausted. But, we are making progress. We started the day being told by the doctors that Hannah would need to withdraw from this Semester and now have two of the four classes addressed. We just pray for the energy to deal with the remaining two.

More when we know more.

Happy Birthday!

I couldn't wait to make this post wishing Julie a Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday beautiful!

Jules is up in Berkeley right now. She is visiting with Hannah and doing a little mothering.. and a little nursing. I know she is enjoying getting to spend a little time with her.

I'm just hoping she didn't visit her favorite Tatoo parlor again ;)

I can't wait to celebrate your birthday with you in person!

Love you!

PS.. just before Julie was going to run up to Berkeley I texted her to remind her to keep her unbroken record of Frozos runs intact. She did - grabbing a quick one before she left. 6 for 6. Only 25 more to go!

I Found It!

When Julie works on Saturday mornings (around once a month) I always try to bring the staff something yummy during the morning. That usually involves some still-warm donuts from their favorite - Stan's donuts.

When we were in Salem Joel introduced us to the Great Harvest Bread Company. As I recall, we just hung around the entrance, sampling all their goodies (they provide very generous samples in all their stores) and then bought some amazing muffins and bread.

Recently, thanks to Seri, we found out there was a store in Berkeley - just around the corner from where we drive to visit Hannah. Last night I decided to surprise Julie's staff with some of their treats. So just after Julie left.. I popped up, showered and was off to explore.

I wasn't disappointed. Here it is.. the wonderful Great Harvest Bread Co. Berkeley! For you locals.. it's on College Avenue! Well, I brought about a 7 lb box of muffins, scones and cinnamon rolls to Julie's office a few minutes ago.. then came home and attacked the 9 grain bread loaf I got. Oh.. and the pumpkin-walnut muffin didn't survive the ride home ;0

I am glad this place is 45 miles away. It would be dangerous if it were just around the corner!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

This morning started out with incredible news from our talented daughter! Hannah recently applied to the Haas Undergraduate Business program at Cal. This is an intensive program and one of the most highly rated undergraduate business programs in the nation (#3 in one 2008 ranking... alas Michigan was #4).

As a result, this is an extremely competitive program. Essentially, you have to get into Berkeley (although some transfer students are admitted). Then, you study for a year and a half in preparation for applying. You apply as a sophomore - for admission as a junior - to the program. So, in essense you have to get into Berkeley (a tough gig).. study hard and demonstrate your leadership skills.. apply.. with about 2,000 other people.. then get selected. Only 350 students are admitted each year.

We have known for awhile that February 11th was the 'big day' for hearing back and I woke up this morning in anticipation. You know when Hannah calls before 9:00 AM.. that it is either really good news.. or really bad ;) She called at 8:27 AM!

I am so proud to tell you that the folks over at Haas (pictured below) had the incredibly good sense to admit Hannah. Yeah! Lucky for then, because her backup plan if not admitted was to get a different degree.. take over the world.. and then remove the administrators from Haas - one by one. Way to dodge that bullet people!

In all seriousness - this is an astounding achievement and one that I am so proud to share with you. Hannah has worked diligently on developing her intellect, leadership and interpersonal relationship skills and this acknowledgement from Haas is well deserved (IMHO). We love you Hannah and will continue to pray for and support you as you take on this wonderful new challenge.

P.S. Congratulations to Calvin as well - who was also accepted!

THE 2008 BLOGGIES

January is traditionally a month in which major media organizations within the USA and abroad celebrate achievements from the previous year. The Team Henderson blog is pleased to join the chorus by announcing its excellence in blogging awards.

Welcome to the Team HEnderson 2008 BLOG Greatest Items Ever Seen - or simply, THE 2008 BLOGGIES! 2008 was an outstanding year and the competition was fierce. However, voting was simplified by our lead writer making unencumbered, unilateral decisions in each category ;)

Congratulations to all our winners! And now, without further ado, on to the awards!

FOREIGN ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

BEST FOREIGN BLOG
Buckner’s Buzz http://bucknersbuzz.blogspot.com/
The inspiration for the Team Henderson blog – this blog epitomizes excellent in blogging. Written and (hardly ever) edited by Joanne Buckner – this blog presents a wide ranging array of subjects – featuring, in recurring roles, her three amazing children, husband, and dog Jaci.

BEST FOREIGN BLOG ENTRY - WRITING
August 28: The Proposal

by Joel Henderson and Carissa Schutter (not yet Henderson)
This story in dual voices exemplifies the art of encapsulating a moment in time using language. Critics heralded the piece as an instant classic.

BEST FOREIGN PICTURE
Nov 23: Sweet Victory!
Hannah Henderson and her friend Emily are captured at the moment of Big Game victory. This image is particularly effective when considering the photographer was also the subject. This picture – tastefully cropped by the editor - evokes the excitement and exhilaration only possible by dominating Stanford!

ACHIEVEMENTS IN WRITING

BEST BLOG TITLE
Dec 16: Oh No.. Jo.. b’fo Ho Ho Ho.. it’s Snow!
"A rhyming tour-de-force" chimes Times magazine! "I love it like a fat kid loves cake" says 50-cent!

BEST BLOG ENTRY - FICTION
June 6: Elsie: Harley Babe
In this entry – legendary figure - (then) 82 year old Elsie Ness - explores her physical, emotion and sensual connection to the Hog. Not since Jack Nicholson bared his backside in the movie Something's Gotta Give have we seen a more honest portrayal of octogenarian romance. Yet, this selection reigns as one of our most controversial BLOGGIES given the growing rank of pundits that debate its status as fiction.

BEST BLOG ENTRY - NON-FICTION (ALL)

April 22: It’s a (Very) Small World

This epic, chronicalling the early Joel and Carissa days, spans 3 generations and thousands of miles to clearly present the evidence of God's unseen hand in the events of man.

BEST BLOG ENTRY - NON-FICTION (GUEST)

Feb 20: Cow Palace Dog Show

A touching story by Julie, mirroring human and canine friendship forged in the journey of life.

SPECIAL RECOGNITION – BEST BANNED BLOG ENTRY
June 8: Harley Babe in Training – Janice Griffioen.
This story – eventually banned from the blog by our executive editor, Julie – highlighted the life of Janice Griffioen as she took her first baby steps in becoming a full-fledged Harley babe. Revered by early reviewers as a triumph in bad taste.. this entry, alas, was removed before it could find widespread acceptance and acclaim.


ACHIEVEMENTS IN PHOTOGRAPHY

BEST USE OF PICTURES IN STORY TELLING
April 22: It’s a (Very) Small World
An 8 Act story spanning many locations and thousands of miles – this blog entry recounts the story of inbreeding in small towns.

BEST PICTURE – SCENIC

December 2: Holland 2
If only the photographer could have captured this image in spring! Still, the beautiful colors and contrasts make this our editor’s selection for 2008!

BEST PICTURE - JUMPING
Dec 27: Jumping Pictures and More
This highly competitive genre was dominated this year by one picture. Congratulations to the winners.

BEST PICTURE - SENIOR DIVISION
June 11: Nephew’s Rule
Unknown newcomer Martha comes out of nowhere to grasp victory from perennial winner Elsie in this beautiful portrait of beloved neighbors. Special thanks to Lurinda Shrauger for the use of her Nikon to capture this award winner.

BEST PICTURE - SIBLINGS
Dec 24: This Really Happened!
In a staggering upset– Joel Henderson is shut out of this category for the first time ever! Yes, this picture of Rachel and Hannah, siblings, tops 2008! Congrats.

BEST PICTURE – CROSS GENERATIONAL
June 10: Oh What Fun it is to Ride…
A rare combination of athletic prowess and emotional joy combine to bring us this best picture spanning generations. This was truly one of blog managements all time 2008 favorites! Enjoy!

BEST PICTURE OF THE YEAR
Our only tie - this award is shared between..

June 6: Elsie: Harley Babe
John Griffioen is the subject of the distinguished picture of the year award winner. The simplicity of the picture, which captures the subject in his element is both technically pleasing and esthetically satisfying. A 2008 best of!

Oct 5: The Great Glass Pumpkin Patch

Rachel Massey highlights this artistic rendering of life through the pumpkin colored looking glass - a triumph of color, composition and craftsmanship!

ACHIEVEMENTS IN COMMENTING

MOST COMMENTS – INDIVIDUAL BLOG ENTRY
July 14: HJ-112 Rest in Peace
This poignant, insightful, commentary on the loss of a fallen comrade received 15 comments; more than any other 2008 blog entry. Demonstrating that blog readers will rally support to the fallen – this award jointly goes to all who made this entry the winner.

BEST BLOG COMMENT
Dec 23: Admissions of a Fiction Writer
Succinct, flattering, evocative! That’s what it takes to win in this category – as Joel Henderson did in 2008!

His comment:
"Another golden nugget coated in chocolate sarcasm! Ummmmmm, tastes good!"

MOST HIGH-BROW COMMENT
April 15: Get a Job
Being long on big words, flattering, and intellectually stimulating are the keys to success in this category. This entry represents an astounding degree of sophistication and flair; as Joel quite easily distanced himself from the crowd with this award winning effort!

His comment:
You're just a regular Flannery O'Connor aren't you :D Nicely done. The pictures add an appropriate amount of verisimilitude to keep people wondering. The ending is particularly well-crafted, bringing the story back full-circle with a ring-composition and using indirect imagery to close the denouement, allowing the readers' own experiences of the "calm after the storm" to inform their unique visuals of mom asleep on the couch. Again, nicely done.

BEST COMEBACK BY BLOG MANAGEMENT TO COMMENT
April 15: Get a Job
Demonstrating a dogged determination and willingness to dig into the back story surrounding a comment in order to respond with unique and appealing prose, this category highlights the quick mind, internet search, and cut and paste skills of our management staff. Touche!
Our comment:
Joel.. as most of our readers will know.. Flannery O'Connor is really Mary Flannery O'Connor. When O'Connor was five she taught a chicken to walk backwards, and it was this that led to her first experience of being a celebrity.

2008 LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Elsie Ness – 83 and loving being on the ‘bloggin’.
This multiple 2008 THE BLOGGIES nominee and award winner exemplifies what it means to be alive and thrive at 83. We are proud to award this year’s Lifetime Achievement Award to Elsie Ness!

4.0!!

I am so pleased to share with you that Hannah got a 4.0 (perfect) GPA at Berkeley last semester!

That girl is 'hecka smart'!!!!

We are proud of Hannah for so many reasons. I mean, there are SO MANY fabulous things about Hannah other than academic achievement!

However, today we celebrate your big, phatty, brain and competitive spirit Hannah! Well done!

Mom and Dad

Blog Browsing by Labels

Did you notice?

Check out the left column of the blog. You know, the one that includes "Who are we?", "Blogs you should check out" and more.

Scroll to the bottom of the column. There's a new feature there called "Select Blog Entries by Topic". Under that header is a number of 'labels' with parentheses () that include the number of blog entries that include that topic.

As an example: basketball (5)

That means there are 5 blog entries that have been posted as of today that include references to basketball. If you just want to read the basketball related entries... click on the 'basketball'. It will bring up a blog page that includes all the related articles. How cool is that?

Julie's the big winner so far (as she should be!). Oh, and that second julie.. 'julie l' - is julie logan!

And which school has more posts.. UofM or MSU?... actually neither. It's Berkeley - Go Bears!

My personal favorites? hmmm... try out 'sarcasm' ;)

Enjoy.

Hannah Has Great Taste

Hannah has great taste in friends. Last night she came home from Berkeley with 3 of her friends (pictured here) - Emily (Uncle O), Mike (Prancer) and Maggy (Minora). She wanted to show them around her 'hood. Julie and I got a chance to just hang out with them, play some cards and laugh. They were a lot of fun to spend time with!

Happy Birthday Tod!

Happy 48th birthday Tod.
I believe you love me.
I believe you love Joel and Hannah.
I believe you secretly love our pets.
I believe you are the most dedicated walker I know.
I believe you love Jesus with your whole heart.
I believe you think Michigan will win again.
I believe you have great friends.
I believe we will love growing old together.

Sweet Victory!

Cal vs. Stanford is the 'Big Game' in the Pac 10.

Yesterday Stanford came to Cal attempting to prove there is parity in the Bay Area!

Just checking out Hannah's joyous celebration.. you know that there is none! Cal handed Stanford a decisive spanking winning 37-16!

GO BEARS!!

So, Hannah text messages me right before the end of the game asking me "if I get arrested.. will you pay my bail?!". Too funny. The moment the gun went off to end the game.. off went Hannah and her gal pals to celebrate!

Here's the email I received last night from her:

Hi daddy, so i know you are probably depressed about Michigan getting their butts handed to them... so i thought i would cheer you up and send you the AWESOME photos we took today when we rushed the field!!! Unfortunately, i did not get arrested, but i did get to meet a lot of players and take pictures with them!!!! It was the best game ever!! K enjoy!!

So, Hannah - you perfect daughter! Here you go! Congratulations on a fabulous victory!

Making Mom Proud

Take a look at this poster found outside Hannah's dorm room. It was enough to make a proud Craft Queen weepy.

Yes, our little baby, Hannah hosted a craft project for her entire dorm. It was a tie dye extravaganza.

Julie was so proud of Hannah that she gave her an immediate 'field promotion' from Craft Princess to Craft Queen in Waiting.

Way to go Hannah. We love you!