A wonderful day - teasing us!!

It hit 60 degrees today! Everyone was outside this afternoon. Leslie and I took Bob for a walk so she could ride her bike. When we got home she decided to play in the backyard after she had changed into her ballet outfit. She loves the swing! Even Bob enjoyed a little sun in the backyard. As soon as Lindsey got off the bus, she and Leslie had the sidewalk chalk out and played tag.

Daisy Scouts

Lindsey has been enjoying Daisy Scouts after school this year. They have completed 3 of the 10 petals, and had a pinning ceremony to celebrate. The girls sung songs and did the Girl Scout Pledge. And then each had to say something about one of the petals. Lindsey had the "Considerate and Caring" petal, and said "Do not yell at others, talk nicely." She was referring to how she talks to her sister sometimes.

Leslie gets to be an honorary Daisy, with her friend Kaylie who also has a sister in kindergarten.

School Project

David got to do his first real project with Lindsey for school. They were doing a unit on space, and got to visit the planetarium. The task...building a rocket! Right up his alley. The only criteria was that it had to fit in the doorway. So to the workshop they went. They drew up a plan, found the stuff they needed, and put it all together. Then Lindsey painted it by herself. Turned out very nice!

Obama in the House!

As you probably saw in the news, Obama successfully made it in and out of Bldg HH. Unfortunately, I was across the parking lot watching a live feed of the event. The tickets were very limited and most were given out to the hourly folks. The preparations were crazy. The entire area in the factory was surrounded by stacks of track shoes for security reasons. As one of the engineers from our Skinningrove, England facility noted, "Your president is surrounded by hundreds of tons of British steel." The Secret Service said he likes to walk and talk so they do their best to contain him. The press had taken over the cafeteria and the White House staff took the Learning Center. After the morning meeting, I took off for the other side of the parking lot away from the chaos. After Air Force One landed at the airport, I went out to the street to see the motorcade. Since I was looking for "The Beast", I didn't see him as he went by in the SUV. The whole event was over much faster than when Bush visited. He had a dinner to attend in Springfield soon after and could not stay long. It will be interesting to see the aftermath in the building tomorrow. I have had enough excitement for one day.

Yes...Obama is visiting my factory

Everybody keeps asking, so I might as well let everybody know. President Barack Obama and a whole herd of Secret Service dudes will be stopping by Bldg HH on Thursday. The Secret Service has already been snooping around and there is a lot of cleanup going on. There is an all employee meeting tomorrow morning with all the details, so I don't know much yet. I don't even know if I will be part of the event. When George W. Bush visited Bldg SS two years ago we shut down production and traffic was a mess for a while. I remember having to meet with suppliers at Steak-n-Shake down the road until the motorcade left and I could get back into the facility. I am guessing Barack is not visiting Bldg SS because everybody in Bldg LL/NN/SS is temporarily laid off this week. Not the best timing, but it does provide a nice backdrop for his stimulus package. I will keep you updated on what is planned, should be an interesting once (?) in a lifetime event.