Family
San Diego Vacation Pics
by Jeremy Zongker on Jul.08, 2010, under Family
After Phoenix we headed to San Diego. There wasn’t much to see along the way other than the occasional dust tornado. We had to stop at two border patrol check points along the way even though we never crossed the border. I could have sworn the 4th amendment specifically prohibits the government from detaining me (even momentarily) or searching my vehicle without cause, but thankfully they seem to be using the honor system here. “Is everyone in the car a US citizen?” “Yeah..” “OK, carry on.”
We arrived around dinner time, and after scoring some free Sea World passes for the kids ($140 off) at McDonald’s we decided to go swimming, which turned out to be a bad idea considering it was 66° and the sun was setting.
The next day we went to Sea World which was AWESOME! The weather was perfect, the shows were great, the crowds weren’t too bad, they had souvenir cups that you could get $1 refills with all day and we had time to see everything. Definitely one of the better parts of the trip. The only down side is the spray on sunscreen we had didn’t work at all so we all got burned pretty bad. We bought some lotion the next day.
The last day in San Diego we went to the zoo which is overhyped IMO. It was big and they had panda bears, but otherwise just your average zoo but with more hills and five times the price. After the awesome shows the Albuquerque zoo put on we decided to check out the cat acrobats show here, which turned out to be two guys and two girls jumping on a trampoline in cat suites rather than tigers doing some tricks. It was quite disturbing. The rest of the shows were similar. At one point they took a wolf by me on a walk through the zoo. They yelled at me “Sir, we’re coming through with our Alaskan wolf.” to which I replied “Ok.. So should I take a picture with it or run for my life?”. Turns out they just wanted me to take a few steps out of the way.
Videos
Phoenix Vacation Pics
by Jeremy Zongker on Jul.07, 2010, under Family
It was 109° when we visited Phoenix and it felt like it, so don’t give me that dry heat nonsense. 
We visited the science center and Chase Field while we were there which were across the street from each other downtown. We figured parking would be an issue as well as traffic after the game, so we parked near our hotel and road the commuter train in to town. Worked great for the trip in, but the ride back felt like a NYC subway at rush hour.
The science center itself was pretty neat, but there seemed to be one adult for every 6-10 kids and they tended to shove themselves in front of us at every exhibit which really sucked the fun out of it. The baseball game was great! I found a tip on foursquare that if you stand by the organ during the 7th inning stretch they’ll put you on the jumbotron. Sure enough it worked, Katrina and I made it on there, but unfortunately we didn’t get any pics of it.
Here are the pics and videos. Sorry about the blurry/shaky videos, I’m still getting the hang of using the zoom and focus rings at the same time while holding the camera steady.
Videos
Albuquerque Vacation Pics
by Jeremy Zongker on Jul.06, 2010, under Family
We had a great time on our trip. We took nearly 2,000 pictures, so I figured I would do a couple of posts showing some of the highlights of each location rather than posting them all at once.
The first leg of our trip was Albuquerque, NM. We only stayed one day there and visited the zoo, aquarium, botanical garden and Sandia Peak. Dinner on top of the peak was the girls Father’s Day present to me. Here are the photos and videos from that day. There are two pages of photos so click next. Double click the videos to watch full screen.
Videos
A Zongker Year in Review
by Jeanette on Dec.31, 2009, under Family
Well, 2009 was a busy one, for us, here! Lots of great things happened & although I tend to get a bit “long-winded” when I write, I thought I would attempt a post in a “photo-style-with-captions” way, so that it keeps things a little “shorter & sweeter”, this time around…
This photo was taken a year ago, today. Last January, we were still living in our 1-story, 3-bedroom home in south Broken Arrow, OK. A lot of our color scheme in our new home is the same (shades of gray), although the furniture in our living room is new. Alyssa was a little too young to stay up & ring in the New Year with us then, but Jeremy, Katrina & I played with the Bendaroos she got for Christmas last year, making a nice “mural” on the top of the Disney Princess tent the girls had also received as a Christmas gift, to pass the time before the ball drop on TV.
This was the only non-”house-related” photo I could find for the month of February. It shows how big Aly was getting — growing out of her crib. Jeremy turned the big “3-0″ & we also celebrated our 10th Valentine’s Day together — the anniversary of the date he proposed to me!
In March, Kat took after her Mom, in talents/hobbies by graduating from a 6-week course in clog-dancing. She, her Nana Annette & I still dance together, performing in shows in our locale. Pretty soon, she will be celebrating her 1-year anniversary of clogging!
April brought about 2 Birthdays, mine & Katrina’s. She had a TinkerBell-themed party to celebrate her 7th Birthday at our local Pump it Up inflatable playground & even Alyssa had a great time! A couple weeks prior to that, she had her first 2 baby teeth removed. Long story, but basically, they wouldn’t come out on their own & the adult ones were not coming in correctly, so we had to go through the oral surgeon route. She was a trooper, though & enjoyed a nice banana split breakfast & some great presents from the Tooth Fairy, after all was said & done.
In May, Aly got to experience a new first — getting her hair cut! She was surprisingly still & quiet & seemed to enjoy looking at herself in the mirror. This was her reaction to the whole thing! We were really proud of her. I think it helped that “Mommy” & “Big Sis” got theirs cut at the same time… 
June came & our new home was getting closer to completion by the week. This photo shows the paint color that Kat had picked out for all 3 upstairs bedrooms (our master is downstairs & matches the gray in the rest of the house). Needless to say, we were all getting excited… Katrina also went with her Nana & I that month to her very first clogging workshop in Grove, OK. The adults had even competed & won the gold in our division, for our categories! All of us had a great time!
The hot, Oklahoma summer was actually rather rainy this July. We went to watch the Tulsa fireworks display at the Arkansas river & it was cut short, we originally thought that was due to impending storms, but found out later, something had failed to go off, so they were unable to continue… No one was injured, just a fluke happenstance. In the middle of July, Kat & her Dad were able to pull her first baby tooth that came out on its own! This was a big deal, especially since those first 2 gave her so much trouble, she had to have them removed under anesthetic just a couple months before. Then, on July 30, Jeremy & I signed the closing documents & began moving in to our new home. It was raining cats & dogs that morning, when we picked up the U-Haul, to load it, but by the afternoon, once we got our keys, all was clear & sunny again, thankfully.
August meant a new school & a new grade for Katrina. She was more than excited, to say the least. We had found out that our new home was only 2 houses down from the bus stop! Our previous home was only 2 blocks away from her last school, so riding the bus was never an option. This made things so much cooler (not to mention, easier on Jeremy & I, transportation-wise). She continues to enjoy being a bus-rider & a big, 2nd grade student, with lots of new friends in her class & a great teacher this year!
In September, Jeremy & I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. While Grandma Linda watched the girls, he & I went on a long weekend vacation to Branson, MO. I had wanted to ride on the Branson Belle riverboat since I’d first seen it, as a kid, when I had a clogging competition in Branson. So, we got tickets & had a nice dinner & show cruise, as the sun set.
October brought about many of the “Fall Happenings” I mentioned in the previous post. This was the only picture I could find that was from a different event, not mentioned before — a trip to Woolaroc, a local museum & wildlife refuge, that we took the girls on, one weekend when the weather was cooperative. Gotta love a nice, sunny, dry, Oklahoma fall day! Just to recap, also during the month, Alyssa turned 3 & had a Curious George-themed Birthday party at our new house & the girls both dressed up as “candy corn witches”, when we went trick-or-treating with their cousins & other family members on Halloween. We took a trip to the pumpkin patch & Aly got to help create her first ever Jack-o-Lantern (see pics in previous post).
Our family Thanksgiving dinner was hosted by us this year, at our new home, as well. This was the first turkey I’d had the privilege of baking on my own & I have to admit, it was not bad, if I do say so, myself! We enjoyed having the company of those who came & are grateful for all our relatives, even those who were away, and/or live in areas to far from here to be able to join us on such an occasion. We’ve had a lot of blessings to be thankful for this year, as you can see…
And, the month of December will not be forgotten, of course! So many things happened, it’s been the “icing on the cake”, so to speak! Each of the girls had a special performance; first, Kat got to play “Frosty the Snowman” in a clogging performance with her Nana & I, out at Woolaroc, the place I mentioned above. Then, Alyssa was in the Preschool Christmas musical, “Don’t Be Scared” at our church. Her little group (all the 2 & 3 year olds) sang about 5 songs, which she participated so well in! We took the girls to see Santa & this year was the first one that Aly didn’t get upset — she even asked him for a specific toy for Christmas! The girls & I made Christmas cookies — 10 plates worth — & shared with family, when we went to visit each side. We’re hoping to finish the last of them off sometime this evening, before the ball drops on TV. Christmas is a true time to remember our Saviour & be grateful for the many ways God has so graciously given to us, out of His abounding love. We pray that all of you had a wonderful Christmas & like us, are anticipating the New Year with peace, love & joy in your hearts!
Fall Happenings
by Jeanette on Nov.18, 2009, under Family
Well, lots of things have been going on & keeping us busy in daily life, as they tend to do. I don’t want to write a novel, here, but just share some highlights of things that we’ve done in the past month or so. Below you’ll find pictures of these events. They are from Alyssa’s 3rd Birthday party, from our trip to the Pumpkin Patch, creating “Jack 2″, Aly’s first ever Jack-o-Lantern (Katrina’s first ever was named “Jack”, so hence this one’s namesake, for a little history, there) & from Halloween this year. We hope everyone is enjoying the cool, crispness of the season & staying warm & healthy, too!
A Day in the Woods
by Jeremy Zongker on Oct.19, 2009, under Family
I decided a few weeks ago that once we got a nice day I wanted to go on a hike and take some pictures so that’s what I did today. I got up a seven this morning and was able to watch the sunrise from our backyard and then headed out to Sequoyah State Park for a couple of hours first. I saw quite a few deer out there, but unfortunately they saw me too and wasn’t quick enough to get any pics.
Next I drove to the J. T. Nickel Family Nature and Wildlife Preserve which is just off the Illinois River by Tahlequah (right by all the float trip places). It was my first time out there and it’s basically just 26 square miles of land that has never been developed apart from a road through it and some hiking trails. It’s partially hills, partially plains with a few springs and streams. I spent most of the day out there. Below are some pics.
Unfortunately on the way home I had a tire blow out on the highway. It pretty much shredded it before I could come to a stop and I think it may have bent them rim. Other than that it was a great day out though.
A Day at Woolaroc
by Jeremy Zongker on Sep.07, 2009, under Family
We went up to Woolaroc today and had a great time. We didn’t actually go in the museum at all, just around the grounds to get out in the sun a bit. Scroll down for some pics. (yes I’m too lazy to fix the WordPress template)
Gotta Love IKEA
by Jeremy Zongker on Aug.27, 2009, under Family
We bought a three shelf paper holder for the new house last time we were at IKEA and Jeanette put it together tonight. Here are the (full) instructions that came with it. Easy as ABC. Sort of..
A. Screwdriver!
B. Huh? Call!
C. Step 1 – Assemble it!
The other side just has a picture of the holder. No step 2.
A Zongker 4th of July!
by Jeanette on Jul.22, 2009, under Family
Once again, this Independence day, we enjoyed our recent tradition of going over to the girls’ Uncle Jason & Aunt Stephanie’s house for swimming & a barbecue with that side of the family. It was a nice time & the weather was surprisingly pleasant. It rained the night before, on into the morning hours, so we were kind of reluctant about getting into the pool (for fear that the water might be too cold), but when we were finished eating, the adults caught up for a bit, while the kids played together, indoors. Sometime during all the festivities, the sun began shining again & when we got in the pool, the outside temperature was in the mid-80s or so & the water was just fine!
After swimming, we all got changed to go out to a large park/soccer field near where our local fireworks show takes place each year. This has also been part of the tradition/celebration, the past few years. We all got our folding lawn chairs set up & the adults helped the kids set off our own fireworks in the field. I think my girls are just like me — we tend to go more for the sparklers and smoke bombs than anything else!
It was a blast, as usual… then, it was time for the “big show” to begin. We all settled in to watch, but we had also heard weather forecasts of impending thunderstorms on the way… About 10 minutes after it had begun, it seemed the show came to an end. Confused & worried about the possibility of getting drenched (figuring they called the rest of the show off due to rain), even though not a sprinkle had been felt, we all decided it’d be best to just pack up & call it a night. Little did we know there had unfortunately been something wrong with the local fireworks display — either a dud, or misfire, or something caused the show to come to an abrupt halt, we would find out later via the news & other friends & family. But, all was not lost — we had an enjoyable time, with family & we got to celebrate the holiday in our usual way. When we got home, it was about 10:30 p.m. rather than 12:30 a.m. & to be honest, with little ones, it’s probably better to get home earlier, anyway… Hope everyone had a safe & happy 4th! Attached are a few highlights of ours!
Grove for the Gold!
by Jeanette on Jul.22, 2009, under Family, Jeanette, Katrina
The clogging group that I’m a member of decided at the beginning of this year that those who wanted to should enter a national competition in Grove, OK. It happens every year around the same time & although it was last month, I thought I’d go ahead & tell our story. It was a long, determined 6 months worth of practice & hard work, but we were all in it to give our best & to have fun!
Not only was there a competition, but also a workshop. It was an interesting one, held at the Grove Civic Center. On one side, in a large room were cloggers, and in the other half of the building, there was a fiddle workshop & competition going on that weekend. Since both hobbies go well together, I guess that’s why they hold this event for each, at the same time, every year. In any case, the cool thing for me was that Katrina got to come & it was her first ever clogging workshop. She’s not a seasoned enough dancer to compete, just yet, but I figure she’d have fun & probably pick up some moves at the workshop, in any case…
The workshop was also a short one — only 4 hours on Friday. But, we were all invited to go to a camp on Grand Lake for dinner & dancing & enjoying fiddle music in the evening. Since she didn’t want to participate, Kat & I sat out, but there was even a special dance at the end of the evening, where some of the cloggers got to show off their skills to the fiddlers. Katrina’s Nana, Annette as well as a few of the other dancers on our competition team decided to take part in that & they did a wonderful job, showcasing some of the “mountain figures” they had just learned, earlier in the day!
The next morning was the “big day” for us competitors. We had 3 routines to perform, each in a different category. We were all nervous & excited at the same time. Although it was kinda’ “by default”, since there were no other teams in our age division (30+), we actually won, placing first for our category & division, all 3 times! We didn’t take any “overall grand champion” titles; those mainly went to the kids groups that competed, but we all still had a great time & it gave us a wonderful sense of achievement & accomplishment!
I think Katrina enjoyed just being there & getting to stay overnight in a different city — her first “roadtrip” with her Nana & Mama, to go somewhere else & enjoy the new hobby she’s really been getting into lately. I’m proud of how good she was for the duration, as well. And, thanks to all my clogging friends that helped to keep an eye on her, when I had to compete, too! It was a journey worth remembering! Enjoy the photos!
