PLAGIARIZING (a wee bit?) -

Rhiannon shared this FACEBOOK 'thought' from Joannie (hope you don't mind me sharing it, I thought it was very poignant):

I started crying in the car on the way home from work tonight. I was thinking about Scarlett going to Kindergarten and I was thinking back on when I went to Kindergarten.


My Mom would walk me half a block from home and accross 4th Street (the busy street) and then I was on my own to walk to Jefferson by myself.


I just can't imagine my little Scarlett walking all that way by herself. She just seems too little. Did Mom's heart clench up thinking about me walking all that way by myself or did she think 'Whew, one more out of the house. One more to go.'


Did Mom feel fear for me getting made fun of or picked on by the other kids like I fear for Scarlett?


Did she worry if I'd make friends or not?


I know I have to let Scarlett go and grow and mature and learn to handle things on her own and become a young lady. But I don't have to like it. Did Mom feel that way with us kids?


I really miss Mom at these milestone points of my life. The questions I have that will remain unanswered.

I can't speak for your mom with 100% authority, but my own mom heart tells me that her heart most certainly clenched up as she thought of each of her tiny people walking all that way alone ... every time she had to walk one of you that 1/2 block to cross 4th Street and watch you tromp off on your own from there toward the big brick school building! 

No doubt each time your precious little fingers let go of hers, you were sent with a prayer and a sigh.

Prayers that you didn't get picked on or made fun of.  Prayers that your classwork would be the perfect mix of easy and challenging so you'd remain interested and engaged; but not so much you got discouraged.  Prayers that you would find friends that would be good for you.  And a sigh as she thought how little you were in such a big world.

And like you will soon see - she also rejoiced with you over every 'pretty picture' and page filled with big awkwardly drawn letters as you learned to put them together into words.  She laughed with you and at you.  Her heart sang with joy, broke in sorrow and watched lovingly all along the way.

How much more we as adults/parents,  appreciate our parents.  Mom (Ludke) used to ask me all the time "what cute thing did ... Nick or Randee Rae ... do?"  At the time I thought it was funny she asked.  Now I can't wait to hear the next thing that my own grandbaby does.  It makes me chuckle to think about it.

The Bible tells me that God is my Father and He loves me; more than I love my own children.  That kind of love - honestly - is hard to fathom, if you think about it. 

Earlier this week I put out an 'all call' for some of you who have known me forever to help me remember things I've been involved in organizing and implementing.  I wanted pictures.  This on-going quest has led me to find a few old pictures.  So thought I'd share some of those with you as I said good-bye for this Ludke-ville.

These are (mostly) from Christmas 1999 at Jill and Mike's Farmington, MN home.  If you hover your mouse over the picture you will see the caption.

Please keep in touch with us -- Ludke-ville is supposed to serve as my communication with you, such as it is.  Please let us know what is going on in your world.

Thanks Deb for the heads-up on the ideas for my resume/portfolio.

MY LEFT BUN HURTS ...

Not as much now as it did a day or so ago.  I backed the car out the garage door on Sunday morning.  Then realized I'd left something in the house.  So I left the car running, got out, went in the house -- as I whipped around the front of the car, my feet decided to continue in the direction I HAD been traveling and my body was headed to the van door.

And, you know how it is when you  fall ... it's fast, but yet somehow it is still S-L-O-W enough that you have time for all sorts of thoughts:

• oh no ...
• I'm falling ...
• I can't believe I'm doing this again ...
• we should have sprinkled 'ice melt' ...
• I hope I don't break an arm ...
• I hope I don't break a leg ...
• shoot!  I'm old enough - I hope I don't break a hip ...
• what if I crack my head on the cement and have to lay here until someone misses me ...
• YIKES!  they're mostly asleep still ...
• I think I'm going to die.

Then BUMP and you lay there.  Then you're thinking:

• Hey!  I'm alive ...
• what's broken?
• am I bleeding?...
• wonder if I can call 9-1-1 myself ...
• nuts! my phone is IN the car ...
• do I hurt anywhere?...
• can I get up?
• ugh ... I'm getting up ... hope no one sees me.

And then off you go through the whole of your day saying "YIKES my left bun really hurts." 

By night time when all my family and fun and distractions left I could feel my knee was wrenched and my ankle a little tender.  In the a.m. I was hobbling and the knee had me a teensy bit worried.  Toward late evening and certainly by the time I got up the next day -- I was all reset and ready to head out and try manipulating around on NEW ICE!

We had such fun on the weekend.  Ryan, Rhiannon and Jaimee came for the weekend. They came on Friday evening (relatively early) and stayed until about 7-ish on Sunday. 

Saturday night Wynter and Andy came over.  Andy and Randy worked on "Frank-N-Puter" - a rebuilt computer they were working on for Wynter.  Randy enjoyed himself.  Wyn, Rhiannon and I stayed upstairs and played Boggle, Taboo, Backseat Drawing, Farkle, and probably more.  Of course we didn't have enough for teams - so we did the best we could. 

Mixed throughout the evening was soup and rolls and ... rocky road ice cream.  Can't go wrong there!

Now it is back to work - and another full week on tap.  I'm so fortunate to have these extra few hours - but please keep my resume in your prayers for the new job I have put in for.  That would be so helpful.  Got my eye on a couple of other opportunities, but I don't think I will be applying for them.

Randy brought home some Dominos pizza tonight.  Cheese.  You know they have been advertising that they have 'new and improved' the taste.  It's pretty good!  I would eat it again.

So now it's getting to be close to bed time -- and I better get myself up those stairs!

Here are some pictures of our little Lego-Lovely!  Her Crazy Uncle Nick has said from the beginning that Jaimee would only be fun AFTER she was able to play Legos with him.  I think we're there!  She had fun.  Nick is very gentle and nice with his little niece.  He always says "such a cute baby".

We have a little 'wager' on when she will walk.  We're not betting, but just guessing.  I don't have my phone here by me and I'm too lazy to get up and get it.  (Otherwise I'd fill you in on those projections.)  With the progress she made yesterday at their house -- I think Randy (who guessed the earliest time) will be the winner.

HOVER OVER THE PICTURES FOR THE WORDS ASSOCIATED WITH THEM.