Mom's

Mom and Dad were watching TV when Mom said, "I'm tired, and it's getting late. I think I'll go to bed."

She went to the kitchen to make sandwiches for the next day's lunches. Rinsed out the popcorn bowls, took meat out of the freezer for supper the following evening, checked the cereal box levels, filled the sugar container, put spoons and bowls on the table and started the coffee pot for brewing the next morning.

She then put some wet clothes in the dryer, put a load of clothes into the washer, ironed a shirt and secured a loose button. She picked up the game pieces left on the table, put the phone back on the charger and put the telephone book into the drawer. She watered the plants, emptied a wastebasket and hung up a towel to dry.

She yawned and stretched and headed for the bedroom. She stopped by the desk and wrote a note to the teacher, counted out some cash for the field trip, and pulled a text book out from hiding under the chair.

She signed a birthday card for a friend, addressed and stamped the envelope and wrote a quick note for the grocery store. She put both near her purse.

Mom then washed her face with 3 in 1 cleanser, put on her night solution & age fighting moisturizer, brushed and flossed her teeth and filed her nails.

Dad called out, "I thought you were going to bed."

''I'm on my way," she said.

She put some water into the dog's dish and put the cat outside, then made sure the doors were locked and the patio light was on.

She looked in on each of the kids and turned out their bedside lamps and TV's, hung up a shirt, threw some dirty socks into the hamper, and had a brief conversation with the one up still doing homework.

In her own room, she set the alarm, laid out clothing for the next day, straightened up the shoe rack. She added three things to her 6 most important things to do list. She said her prayers, and visualized the accomplishment of her goals.

About that time, Dad turned off the TV and announced to no one in particular. 'I'm going to bed.' And he did...without another thought. :)

Mom smiled, read a chapter of her bedside table book, closed her eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms in my life!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MN talk about one of Jake's Players

Highly-touted prospect Harrison Barnes has Minnesota Gophers on his list of colleges
Harrison Barnes, the No. 1 player in 2010 class, likes what Tubby Smith has done at Minnesota
mailto:mfuller@pioneerpress.com?subject=TwinCities.com:
Updated: 05/07/2009 12:18:19 AM CDT

The last time Harrison Barnes came to Minnesota, he might have gone overlooked by fans.
That won't be the case this weekend.

Recently named the No. 1-ranked player in the nation's 2010 class by Scout.com, the 6-foot-7, 205-pound junior from Ames, Iowa, mentioned the University of Minnesota among his top 12 schools. Others included Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA and Kentucky.

It's hard to believe the Gophers made that list, but it's true.

"I think he loves the coaching staff up there and what they have to offer," said former Tartan High School and Iowa State standout Jake Sullivan, Barnes' AAU coach with the All-Iowa Attack. "A unique thing with Harrison is that it's going to be a drawn-out process. I think he has as good a chance at going to Minnesota as anywhere else right now."

With coach Tubby Smith leading the Gophers back to the NCAA tournament last season and bringing in another top recruiting class next season, Minnesota fans have a reason to think big.
But Barnes, who plans to play Friday through Sunday in the Sabes Foundation Invitational at Bloomington Jefferson High School, represents the kind of player not even the most diehard Minnesota followers would have dreamed would be interested in a program two seasons removed from the bottom of the Big Ten Conference.

"I like Minnesota because coach Smith has come in there and really turned things around," said Barnes, who wants to take all of his official visits once he trims his list to five schools after the summer. "I haven't had a chance to check out the campus yet, but I definitely will."

Ames High School, which also produced former Iowa State and Timberwolves guard Fred Hoiberg, might soon be best-known for being Barnes' alma mater.

Barnes is considered the best small forward in the country and No. 4 overall prospect by Rivals.com, and he is solidifying himself as Iowa's best high school player ever.

"I think it's very humbling," said Barnes, who patterns his all-around game after Cleveland Cavaliers all-star LeBron James. "It just shows all of the hard work I've put in so far, but the rankings aren't over yet. At the end of the summer, I want to be the No. 1 player in the country."

Some might think Minnesota and Smith have no realistic shot at landing Barnes, especially when fellow national championship coaches such as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Kansas' Bill Self already have shown up at Barnes' high school and gotten him to attend their games last season.
Signing high-profile local products Royce White and Rodney Williams Jr. was huge for Smith. But getting Barnes likely would be one of the most impressive recruiting efforts of his career.
So far, so good. Barnes enjoyed his conversation with Smith and described him as a "very personable guy."

"I think he's a great coach," Barnes said. "Minnesota basketball had a good tradition in the past, and it's on the rise to getting back that prestige."

Barnes has Minnesota connections beyond Sullivan, his AAU coach and an Oakdale native. He called White and Williams his "good friends" since they were on the same team in summer camps. He also began playing part time with the Howard Pulley AAU program this spring.
Rene Pulley, the program's founder, compared Barnes to Kansas City native and current Indianapolis Pacers guard Brandon Rush, who earned All-America honors while leading Kansas to a national title in 2008. Rush also played with the Howard Pulley program briefly.
"He might be more skilled, as far as his ball-handling and jump shot," Pulley said of Barnes, who carries a 3.9 grade-point average. "He could end up playing in the NBA after a year or two years in college like Brandon, because he's mentally ready for that level. How he prepares for the game, his work ethic and intelligence stand out."

After his collegiate career ended in 2004, Sullivan, also a Howard Pulley alum, built an AAU club from scratch in Ames, where the Iowa State campus is. Sullivan's AAU club has about 300 members, but the player he helped develop from a raw seventh-grader to the country's No. 1 recruit put his program on the map.

"There's nothing he can't do on the basketball court, and he's so strong and so explosive," Sullivan said of Barnes. "I was actually thinking this past weekend that I wish I saw LeBron James play in high school, because some of the things Harrison was doing I had never seen before out of a kid in AAU basketball."

At one of the last tournaments we were at I noticed some of the younger Attack players that came to watch Harrison play...

And, they waited and waited until the end of the game to get his autograph! They were pretty excited.

Keep your eye out for Harrison...he's got a great career ahead of him!

Date Night!

Oh, you didn't think we'd miss out on Kenny Chesney coming to town did ya? His concert was perfect timing for a Mother's Day gift!

It was the BEST concert I have ever been to....he just got up there and sang....no show-ey stuff or razzle dazzle....just a guy in boots and a hat singing all his great songs!

We splurged and had awesome seats!

Now we are off to Minnesota for the next tournament! Grandma & Grandpa Sullivan here we come!

It's On My Fridge

Fall in love or fall in hate.
Get inspired or be depressed.
Ace a test or flunk a class.
Make babies or make art.
Speak the truth or lie and cheat.
Dance on tables or sit in the corner.
Life is divine chaos. Embrace it.
Forgive yourself. Breathe.
And enjoy the ride...

(By Solbeam)

Little Angel Jayla

We need your vote! We recently had a photo shoot done with Jayla (courtesy of Lori Nordstrom Photography) in which her image has been entered into the finalists for the 2010 Little Angels Calendar benefitting the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

If you would like to vote go to www.picturemyportraitonline.com and enter the event code 0435-00256. Jayla's image is located on page 4 and is #39. To vote, click on the green + sign which says add photo to order. Then, continue the purchase of your vote from there. You aren't really ordering a photo, but instead casting a vote. Each vote is a $1 donation to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

I am sure many of you have seen these calendars floating around (if you live in Iowa). The angel pictures are a neat backdrop to the monthly stories highlighting children who have been affected by Leukemia & Lymphoma. We have purchased one of these calendars for a few years (the photographer who does the angel photoshoots took our engagement & wedding photos), and 2 years ago bought one from a past All Iowa Attack player whose battle with Leukemia was highlighted in the calendar.

Thanks for considering a vote for Jayla!