SINGING

One of my hobbies besides photography is singing. Karaoke is great, but man when I get the chance to sing with the bands it is the best thing besides my kids. About fifteen years ago you could never get me to get up and sing karaoke in front of anyone, but now I could sing all night long. Monday nights I would actually have customers make me sing songs to them down at Eichman's.

Renegade Band is one of the bands I usually get up and sing with. I thank them for giving me the opportunity to do this. When I first started singing with them my leg would shake the whole time and I would have to have the words right by me, but now I'm getting more comfortable in front of a crowd.

One of the top female singers in Dubuque, Kate Sieverling who sang with Tantrum and now sings with The Stumble Brothers is one singer that I could just listen to all day long. She can sing from Ozzy to Sugarland. You name it she will try it. Well I had a great opportunity to get up and sing with them one night. She gave me a great boost of confidence.

Some songs that I sing with the bands..

Me and Bobby McGee

Burning Love

Hit Me With Your Best Shot

Your Love

Some songs I would love to sing with bands

Who Knew

Shadows of The Night

Far Behind

Sober

Alone

Stay

The Warrior

Gunpowder and Lead

The Sabers' Boys

Well where do I begin, lets start with BASEBALL BASEBALL and more Baseball. We started baseball practice in March and it was our life this summer. Chase played on three teams plus a traveling team. Zach played on two teams and filled in a couple of games on Chase's C ball team.

Chase played a total of 83 games this summer and fall. Zach played a total of some 23 games. We were VERY proud of the two boys. Chase did very good at 3rd base and shortstop, and also did some pitching. Zach what can we say, a very good catcher! We met a lot of awesome families that we got to know. Dubuque Complex was our second home. The kids got a lot of great memories from this summer.

Here we are into fall, Chase started football for Dubuque Colts Pop Warner. Al was so worried because, well lets face it Chase needs to get a little tougher. Chase started out in some positions that he really didn't want to be. Chase wanted to be quarterback (of course), but they need some meat on the line. He played offensive and defensive line. Then he got to do the kick off return and then he played running back which he LOVED. Chase played hard and he was determined and I will give him credit he would be hurting but he would stay in there unless it really was hurting bad, but only missed a couple of plays. Zach we just signed him up for Hockey. He had his first game last week. He really played hard, he just has to learn to stop. LOL. Zach loves to play.

School isn't going the greatest with the boys. Chase once again is struggling with his reading, and paying attention in class. Nothing was better then the teacher he had last year Mr. Dan Wendler. He could handle Chase and Chase respected him. I have a feeling we will be struggling with Chase with school for the next 10 years. I feel bad because I just can't help him. I do notice that he likes to listen to Faith and my dad about school more then Al and I. You would not want to be in our house every night. All we do is yell at him to sit down and read, it is an on going fight about reading. I wish he liked to read like he likes to play sports. I have tried every kind of book, but he just does not want to take the time to read. Now Zach loves to read, but his conferences we were shocked with the comments the teacher made about Zach and his schooling. Zach in preschool and kindergarten was very advanced in everything, but this year she said he is struggling in reading and everything but Math, which surprised us. Maybe we lack helping Zach because we just always assumed that he would not have any problems, so that was our fault. One thing with Zach is he has the determination to do anything that he gets told he is doing wrong.

Winter Shot

Fall Pictures

The Year 2008

This year was a very busy year for my family. January we played in snow for hours and hours between the snowmobile and the snow forts that the boys built with their grandpa Eichman. Spring came and we signed the boys up for baseball. Chase played for two teams, the Dubuque Twins and Sherrill. Zach played for Sherrill. It kept us busy from March to October. We really had lots of fun and lots of great memories. Chase and Zach did awesome!! We were so proud of them, they are our ALL STARS!

This year I also lost my aunt which was my godmother. She came down with cancer again, but this time it was not good. I just think that I didn't understand how bad it was. I kept putting off going and seeing her, one was because I'm not to good in these situations, and the second was I was SCARED. I'm scared of dying for sure now since I have kids, because I don't want to leave them with no mother. Then I look at if I know I have cancer and I have only a few months to live I don't think I could bear knowing that I 'm going to miss so much in my life that I don't think I could even talk to anyone. I don't know if you call it jealous of the other people that actually get to live their lives or stubbornness that I'm not going to get to live. You know I wanted to remember how she was, I didn't want to see her in pain. Also what do you say to someone that is dying. The last thing I would want to talk about is life. Anyway Debbie I will miss you and I'm really sorry for what happened in our family that made us lose 5 years of our lives together.

To make things a little brighter we got two new family members. Carson Shannon my step-brothers new baby boy who was born in March and Addison Schueller my sisters new baby girl. Carson lives in California so we did not get to meet him until Christmas Eve. Chase and Zach could not wait to see him, they were so excited. Addy was born in June, and boy she is a spitting image of Janell. She was born with some respiratory problems, we were all scared for a little bit, but everything is going good so far. Chase and Zach think the world of her, they love watching her.
Christmas was pretty cool seeing all four of them being together for the first time. Chase and Zach were sad to see Carson go, but they enjoyed the time they had with him.

This summer we took the boys to their first Cubs Game. What a great year to go with the Cubs being in first place it was a great feeling. The only bad thing was they lost! The boys didn't even get to see a homerun. The one cool thing was that it was Grandpa and Grandma Eichman's first Cubs game also and they got to sit up in Grandpa Eichman's sister's season ticket seats which was straight up from home plate and the boys got to go up there and watch some of the game.






September school started and boy it is weird having them both in school. I have Monday's ALL TO MYSELF! Zach is doing awesome in Kindergarten, which we new he would. Chase is doing well also, better then last years problems that we had. Chase loves his teacher Mr. Wendler. He understands where Chase is coming from and he knows what needs to be done to push Chase without hurting his feelings. He is a BIG confidence booster for Chase.

And now we are at the end of the year. Another year of good health with us. I just hope next year is even better! I'm ready and excited for what 2009 will bring.

Smoking Band in Iowa!

I was just sitting in bed one night and just started getting really mad about the things I have to do as a bartender. Like making sure no one is over served, now one in under age, and no one gets into a fight, so on and so on. But now they put this can't smoke in a bar band, which is one more thing that I have to watch because I could get fined. So the more I thought about it the more I got mad, because I'm dealing with people that are grown adults and can make decisions for themselves. Anyway here's what I'm writing to the Telegragh Hearld if I can get down to 250 words which is hard because I need every word in the letter to make my point. Not that this letter will help anything, but it makes me feel better.

A Little Note From A Bartender...

My family has owned a neighborhood bar since the 1940's. Many smart wonderful people have come through that door. We have men and women who served OUR COUNTRY in every different war, we have had law officers, respected people of our communities, and many others that are old enough to make decisions on their lives. As for me, I'm not a smoker, and lord knows I'm not a writer, but I do know this, in America, home of the free, it's not right that I have to be the one to tell these people NO, you can't smoke in here, go outside. These people who smoke can vote for the next person to run our country but they can't come in and relax BY CHOICE. These people who smoke can FIGHT for our country but they can't come in and relax BY CHOICE. These people who smoke can run a successful business but they can not come in and relax. Don't get me wrong I enjoy going home after work and not smelling like smoke, but I make the CHOICE to have a life that is around the people who smoke. I just think that the business should be able to decide. Then the smokers and non smokers have a CHOICE to go where they want to. Each and everyone of us could die tomorrow and by chance it could be lung cancer, but odds are it will be something else. I don't feel it is my job to tell these people that are hard working AMERICANS that they need to go outside to relax and smoke because SOME (mind you some) feel you are killing them with seconded hand smoke. If you talk to half the non smokers that come in to our bar they feel it's not right. I know things won't change but I feel that it should be up to the business.

Baseball

This summer of 2008 was a very busy one. Chase played for two teams. Zach played for one and sub ed on another. Chase and Zach both played for Sherrill. A great small town team with lots of friends from school. Lots of good times. Besides playing ball, after the games they would catch frogs all around the ball diamond till we shut the lights off.

Chase played for the Dubuque Twins this year. Made lots of new friends from different schools. He even signed up for a baseball camp thru Loras College with another kid on the team. I was more scared then Chase was the first day I had to drop him off with a bunch of strangers, I didn't even want to leave the parking lot. I believe I had tears coming down, because I was scared for him. What if he couldn't tie his shoes, was afraid to ask to use the bathroom, didn't know how to order his lunch, and so much more. I was more scared that day then him starting school. He did awesome was such a big kid and got to know lots of kids on different teams.

Dubuque Baseball is much more advanced then Sherrill, which is good. Played a lot more and learned a lot more. Zach sub in for the Twins on two tournaments. Boy was he sure proud that he could play with kids two years older. First time up to bat Zach had a base hit, and the only one that inning to get a hit.

Chase also played a fall ball. It was where the kids pitch and you can steel bases. Everything that they do in baseball, which was called C ball. This summer he was in D ball which is 6,7, and 8 year olds. C ball is 8,9, and 10 years old. He did good for being young and moving up.

Can't wait till next year!