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Has anybody heard... 12-19-08 11:33pm EST
...who won the election?

Seriously...
Has anyone seen U Command Wall-e?
My quest today is to find one.
I've searched online and it appears that
this toy might be impossible to procure before
the holiday. :(
If you happen to have one that you'd be willing to part
with just throw it on the back of Santa's sleigh.
Thanks,
Charlotte



motherofallIs this a Charlotte post?? Somehow I think not. 
technologicalsophomoreI saw the movie "Wall E" but I know nothing of said toy. 
technologicalsophomoreI'd say yes to Monday night, but since Monday is my husband's birthday, I think I should probably save that evening to be at home with him to comfort him in his old age. ;-) 
lromanici agree 
dukiehello darling! yes, i have spoken with my bother- how sweet of you to check on me. i think of you often!! hope the holidays are looking bright for you! i know they are for me! LOVE YOU!! 
laurar209Hey, you!!! I'm SO looking forward to seeing you (maybe?) Wednesday night, but definitely on Sunday! :) 
mr_and_mrs_berryWhat is a U Command Wall E? But maybe they are right. 
lromanicI'm glad you enjoyed the meal. Wish I could take more credit. But seriously, Franz did just about all of it! I enjoyed all the food you brought very much. And the company of your whole family. We should do it again sometime soon! And maybe next time we can scrapbook! 
shandaNope, too cold and not enough time. 
sallyanneThanks! We sure did!

Happy New Year to you and yours!! :) 
snoopyhot chocolate will always be on my happy list :D 
dbsmelserMy friends list lied to me. It says you updated. 
video_nanaAmen to him - disappointed when there was no update!! 
technologicalsophomoreName was lit up -- I think someone hijacked, but it got deleted.... 
laurar209^ditto-ing that last comment. 
laurar209THANK YOU(!!!) for the lovely gorging of hot chocolate and warm, nutty brownies on Sunday afternoon. Wow... that was such a pleasant hour -- thank you, dear lady! :) 
jaydonThanks, the guys made it completely out of fudge. They had a gingerbread road. I was/am amazed at the talent of our group. 
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Worth The Wait... 10-29-08 10:41pm EST

The line of people anxiously awaiting the arrival of Sarah
Palin wrapped around the Field House,around the football
field,down the block and "as far as you could see."
I was standing in that line along with my four oldest
children, Bertina, Tabitha and Zach Smelser, and Shanda
Walker.
Together we braved the wind in 40-degree weather for over
two hours.
The rally was scheduled to start at 4:15 and the doors opened
more than two hours before the event. Security wasn't able to
get everyone through the metal detectors by the time it
started.
When we finally were in sight of the Heiges Field House
the police began announcing that after admitting 4,500 they
would be closing the doors. Leaving the line of 1,500
remaining outside feeling a mixture of frustration and anger.
We hovered around the closed doors and watched as some people
started expressing their emotions in rather unbecoming ways.
We were being asked to go the Luhrs Center to watch the speech
via a live broadcast. Whoopee!! Perhaps our desire to feel
immediate warmth kept us from stomping off in a huff and
driving home.
We asked a campaign aid if he would please
let Sarah Palin know of the overflow crowd that would be
waiting and hoping to still see her personally in the Luhrs
Center. We were told that he would certainly try his best. This
young man had definitely taken alot of heat and verbal abuse
which was really unfortunate.
The children ran ahead of us towards the Luhrs Center and
suddenly started screaming and shouting,"She's here! She's
here!" It was after 5:00pm and the Straight Talk Express
Bus was driving through the parking lot on the way to the
Heiges Field House.The children saw Sarah Palin through the
bus window and she was waving at them!
We quickened our step, suddenly excited again and entered the
Luhrs Center.

Warmth,cushioned seats and restroom facilities helped
us forget the disappointment we had all been feeling.What
really sent our blues pack-in though was when after viewing
the speech on a hugh screen we spotted the guy in the red jacket! (Remember him?) The secret service were moving around the stage and the people were getting excited.
Chanting erupted," Sarah, Sarah,Sarah!"
And then the First Dude walked onto the stage!!


Followed by SARAH PALIN!!!

Sarah had gone back to the bus and changed her clothing when
she was finally informed of all those leftover people in the
Luhrs Center.
She and her husband both spoke to the crowd and then Sarah
posed for pictures and signed autographs!
I rushed the stage at the end determined to shake Sarah
Palin's hand. Kramer told me that I was acting strange jumping
around. Sarah did look at me funny and passed over my hand at
the first attempt. My sad misfortune was that I had developed
a sore in my nose and it had become swollen and red,
bulbous and hideous, definitely an eyesore. Perhaps I
frightened her, but I'm thankful that she looked beyond my
grotesque appearance and finally on the second attempt
shook my hand!






(9 older comments)
snoopyDo you mean Mike? 
august28roseHaha! Mike is a good friend of ours who will be driving us home for Thanksgiving, as his parents just moved to Maryland at the beginning of the semester. Lord willing, you'll get to meet him the Sunday we're home. :) 
snoopylol! I think I can safely say that he just always has a big smile on his face and it had nothing to do with any nearby females!

Mike is one of my adoptive big brothers here on campus. We were both on the Brit Isle trip. 
bruck_will_loraceWow... I have fond memories of Kramer and I trying to get close to John McCain to shake his hand! :D Soon the Hardmans will have political influence if they keep attending rallys and meeting important people. 
mamaladyThat was a cold day..but fun and worth it! 
dbsmelserHey - The seminar in Annandale will end at noon on Friday a week from today. So I could come see you guys on Friday afternoon/evening, or anytime on Saturday or Sunday, whatever works well for you all - though I'll want to split my Sunday attendance between Gettysburg and Exton, doesn't matter to me which time at which place. I haven't really decided if I'm going to drive back home on the following Monday or Tuesday, so if none of those days are good, I could just decide to stay up there on Monday. :) 
slave_of_jesus_jdb;p 
jrosieSounds like a great experience! Congrats on getting her handshake. 
a_starrJust now reading this post. I can FEEL your excitement!! :)

How neat! Sorry about your nose. Is it better now? 
sallyanneThank you very much!! 
schmidtkinsThank you! 
raifhausThank you!. Yes, see you soon, Lord willing. 
motherofallThank you!! :) I think you need a new post. 
benbthanks so much! i was so grateful for the chance to see everyone there! 
technologicalsophomoreThank you -- our Thanksgiving was great, my sister's house was full! 
mamaladyIt made me cry to write it. Thanks for coming to my rescue today. I had to smile at your note. I smiled again at the spelling bee, because I actually used my own name as a demonstration word to show the kids what we would do. I knew my name wouldn't be on the list, so I used it. 
snoopyI miss y'all to!

Yeah! It was so exciting to see him! It made me happy! 
dbsmelseri answered on my page - and who are you pullin for? 
dbsmelserYeah, I was pulling for either Toni and Dallas (Mom & son) or Nick and Starr - very disappointed last week. I just didn't like Tina at all...constant griping at Ken, and would tell him to be quiet every time he offered some helpful advice. 
dbsmelserYep, that would be a good thing. 
keruxCuriosity now whetted. Given the words "extremely intriguing ideas" and "ingenious conceptions," what else could you expect? What's up? 
keruxI know that's frustrating. If it's easier, you can send an email to me at jeffsmelser at ntgreek dot net. 
autumn_rainHmmm....you know what I'm craving??? Hot Chocolate :) Maybe with some whipped cream....or some peppermint....or with a dollop of vanilla ice cream! Or maybe I'm just going to go to bed. 
technologicalsophomoreSo, Charlotte, when are we gonna watch that movie? huh? huh? when? 
motherofallI left you a phone message today. :) 
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Today... 10-28-08 10:54pm EST
I met Sarah Palin... I met Todd Palin...

...I shook hands with them both.

Always,

Charlotte :)
dbsmelserI see you've adopted Kramer's minimalist style of blogging about political encounters. 
shandaIt was great! I could not beleive that she came in!!! 
snoopywhat happened? 
turner120995very cool! pictures? 
technologicalsophomoreI've still got the ticket stubbs from seeing Sen. McCain -- would you like them for portfolios? 
schmidtkinsWow, that is really cool! 
slave_of_jesus_jdbNeat-o! 
blessings_of_a_momThat is wonderful. I am so happy for you. I saw them on live stream when they were in Hershey. 
heidiwThis was the second most to the point post I have ever read. I hope that you are doing well! 
mr_and_mrs_berryOh how fun - :) happy for you :) 
motherofallWonderful! Who all went. I wondered about the PA crowd when I heard they'd be in Hershey today. 
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Summer Passing 08-29-08 09:44am EST


We were treated last evening to Apple Turkey Burgers
masterfully grilled by Kyle. Fourteen burgers
dressed up fashionably in crisp green lettuce leaves,
rockin' red tomatoes, totally teasing onion rings and
punchy tempting dill chips.
Imagine all of the above dancing in pools of ketchup, mustard
and mayo in a gazebo of 100% whole wheat.

This was truly an end of summer mealtime sensation and
I didn't even mention the delightfully warm peach cobbler...

Graham has joined the Gettysburg Braves football team.
What an experience this has been for him. Despite the
cumbersome uniform, hot midday 3 hr. practices and
bruised body he remains excited and committed to football.

Kramer, Tess, Nora and I have taken to running. We
started just running the track at the middle school but
have changed gears and now run over a three mile course
on the battlefield.
Kramer is running at a faster pace than the girls and myself.
Last night he ran the entire course without walking.
He is preparing to run cross country next fall with the
high school team.
Kyle sometimes joins us for our runs and despite his
decree that he hates running he's actually a very good
runner.
Timster continues to ride 16 miles daily on his bike.
I believe for him it started as a desire to get in shape but
now I think it's more because he just plain enjoys it.

The summer months of 2008 are passing swiftly and
my family is looking forward to fall.

May the days and months ahead be blessed with opportunities
for you and your family to draw closer to one another.
Most importantly may your family and mine continue on
on our quest to draw closer to God.

(6 older comments)
bruck_will_loraceWith a little bit of editing, Mrs. H, you could easily change your entry to a rap song! 
snoopywhoa! I'm impressed by the running! Go y'all! 
sallyanneI'm inspired and impressed! 
lori_in_paRunning? Go, Hardmans. I'll be the one on the sidelines, glass of lemonade in hand, cheering you on. Somebody's gotta do that, ya know. 
schmidtkinsWow! Very active family! Hugs to you! 
mamaladySounds exciting. I have wanted to do similar things, but never seem to fit it in. Adam has done it on his own and is on the cross country team at FC this year. 
technologicalsophomoreyou gonna change your name to 7runninghardmans? 
lromanicWhere do I sign up to get Kyle to cook like that for my family? 
lromanicI have a great deal of admiration for your efforts at exercise. I'm just down-right pathetic when it comes to keeping up a routine of any sort. Here's to attempt number 43,976 
mr_and_mrs_berryexercise. hmmm. I could do that.... ..... ..... still thinking .... 
dbsmelserOf course! I just didn't feel like any comical comments at the same time I was posting the North Korea story.

But my response could have been one of fake-feeling-insulted: "What? No! It's Palin-Palin-Hurricane-Palin-Palin!"
 
video_nanaOK, check out my blog!! 
technologicalsophomoreI vote for Charlotte making a new post! :-) 
dbsmelserActually, yeah, I did like your comment, very clever! Tell you what, I'll send you the same prize I'm sending the others! ;) 
technologicalsophomoreI was looking forward to going with you, but you're welcome, of course, to go without me on Friday. It's really hard for me to make any plans at all, because I never know when I'll get called to work. Quite frustrating. I guess Thursday or Saturday won't work for you? 
video_nanaI'm glad you're enjoying that slideshow so much!! :-) 
heidiwIt's good to hear about your family! I certainly do miss you all! I hope that things continue to go well! 
crysnrobReally, I can't do her justice. You'd have to hear her explain, and she doesn't hang around Pleo. 
autumn_rainha. I don't ever remember Taylor wanting to marry me! I must have blocked it out of my memory ;) 
jrosieWhat a delightful meal. You are all so energetic, I can't begin to compare. 
dbsmelserMore succinct if you so choose:
ObamaNation
=
Abomination

As for me, I won't be up there until the week of Nov. 9-15. I'm kinda guessin you don't want to wait until then.
 
dbsmelserhmmm...maybe the = doesn't really look like an = when it's not inline with the other two things. 
dbsmelserYeah, go with yours. 
jaydonI would love your family to join us camping sometime. :) Seriously it would be fun for our congregation and yours to meet in the middle somewhere. 
dbsmelserHey, I wanna go, I'm just not sure yet about paying for gasoline to drive all the way up there, twice in the same month! 
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Joyfully Singing! 05-05-08 10:18pm EST



I could write you a paragraph explaining everything
that caused me to feel discouraged today and undoubtedly
it would discourage you as well. So I'll only share the
small part of my day that made me smile.

Today I didn't get outside at all to enjoy it's
loveliness and I felt rather miserable tending a necessary
indoor task. Working alone sorting through a mountain
of winter clothing screaming to be stored away for the
fast approaching summer I wasn't feeling very happy.

When the tiniest voice interrupted my sullenness and
my ears strained to hear, he who was joyfully singing.
My sweet baby who will turn three years old this
month was singing "The B - I - B - I - E, yes that's
the book for me!"

He was joyfully singing.
A very simple song that my
heart needed to hear!



(7 older comments)
technologicalsophomoreBryce is adorable. (And I think he knows it!) 
motherofallTo God be the glory. 
smilingwide"rather miserable." How very like Mrs. Hardman. You have such a sense of irony, I love the way you understate things. I love you! 
dbsmelserNope, sometimes I'm in the passenger seat...taking pics of the driver. ;)

(this one was with my cell phone...not like I had a camera up in front of my face) 
dbsmelserWell then I'll watch my inbox. 
mamaladyThanks for all you do :) 
micahmy girl lives in huntsville. 
snoopyaw! Thanks! I miss you guys! I can't wait to see you all on Wed!! 
technologicalsophomoreWill you give me a buzzcut, too? 
heidiwYAY!!! I am glad that we are friends too! I hope that you know what great kids you have. I have really enjoyed having them around this weekend! Have a great day! 
aprilstarrAw, that is so sweet. Precious little voices. :) Oh, and I am glad to hear you didn't roll on the floor laughing. Somehow it doesn't sound very comfortable. :) 
technologicalsophomoreIs school out yet? He will be having "summer school" in two subjects.... 
benbhaha; thanks! i really hope i can see you guys! 
august28roseOh, they did behave! They just liked making strange poses and faces for the photos. :)

As for who all is going to camp, that would be the Amoros kids, Kathy Delgado, Darwin Paz, Jonathan and Samuel B, and me (I'm going as a counselor this year, though, not a camper). 
a_starrOh, yes! We have borrowed McDonald's bathroom before, also! We usually bought a sweet tea for $1, but sometimes we bought more.

I know how those projects go! We thought this one would take 2-3 weeks, but once we got into it, we realized all the extra things we were going to need to do (down to replacing the subflooring) and it got more and more complicated. I'm so excited to be this close to the end!! We still need to set the toilet and sink and once the shower is completely tiled, grouted and sealed, we can use it, too! I'm ready for this to be done!! 
sallyanneThanks for writing! :) I've been so busy and wanted to have time to post pictures (not as easy for me to do as I know it is for others!).

Trying to think of some food for thought so I can do a more profound post...not feeling profound, though! 
video_nanaI sent the recipe to you - did you get it?? I sent it yesterday morning. 
crazy_mamaYou know I gotta say it takes me alot of time. I have the ability to go on little sleep and so I do alot of it when my kids go to bed so I'm not doing this when they are awake. I clip MILLIONS of coupons and they help me. My 4 year old clips and my baby makes a huge mess with the extra papers! All the coupon organizing takes alot of time too. But all the planning and additional research is what takes me time. The shopping itself is time consuming. My husband's job took a drastic 20% pay decrease 2 months ago and we were stuggling so I started doing this a month ago and have picked it up pretty quickly. The other thing that takes time is sorting it and putting it away and then donating it to shelters. It's worth it to me right now cause we just need the extra money and free stuff. But I will be beginning homeschooling (my daughter will be 5 in 1 month) in Sept and I just don't know how much of it I will be able to continue to do. My husband and I are hosting a Father Daughter Retreat in Sept too which is turning out to be alot of work plus my daughter's birthday party and starting homeschooling and my husband has a more than full time job (he usually puts in about 55+ hours) and he's in school getting his masters in business and we both teach Bible class. Did I mention we have 2 kids?!?! So I just don't know how much time I'll be able to put into it in the next few months so I really wanted to make these weeks count. 
video_nanaYou must have an old e-mail address for us - didn't get your e-mail, but I looked on the church directory and sent the recipe to your new e-mail address - be sure to change ours! 
melmibellethat is definitely soemthing to be thankful for, can't wait till our little one gets here, can't believe it's only 10 weeks away, it has completely flown by, still have so much to do 
schmidtkinsGood to hear from you! Thank you! Wish I could see you again! 
aprilstarrWell, I was curious, so I checked- but articulateness is actually a legitimate word
blessings_of_a_momI keep a few extra in storage in case this one gets kills over. ;) 
laurar209I love you guys a lot. :) Thanks for being so awesome! 
dukiehaha! you mean you want more information than my recent thoughts on prayer? haha I MISS YOU! 
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