Happy 3rd Birthday, Abbi! She's already had a fun-filled morning of chasing ground squirrels, napping, and playing with her polka-dotted squeaky ball (see picture at right). Today is also the Steven Stenger Memorial Tournament at Otis Park. Ed, Dad, Uncle Bill, and David have a team entered in the scramble. I'm going to ride with Ed and Dad on this beautiful day! Finally, the Fourth is 17 days away! To celebrate, go start some fireworks! This link has been on the Fun Stuff page since the beginning of JoKai.net, but now is a good time to draw attention to it!

Good Vibrations is back! The show will be at Schafer Auditorium on Saturday, July 8, at 7:00 P.M. (Email me for tickets!) We're also doing some numbers at Parkview Field on Independence Day before the fireworks. The photo to the right was taken during the first run in March; click here to view that slideshow. Wedding and moving plans are going quite well! I can't believe I'm getting married in 13 days!

It's nostalgia time! Dad and I have been trying to get his old Atari 5200 (a gaming system from 1982), working. Unfortunately, we realized we needed a very specific 4-port switch box adapter that we couldn't find anywhere in the house. Luckily, Dad found a guy who deals in old Atari parts. I called him on Wednesday; and today, the adapter arrived! Unbelievably, our Atari 5200 is now functional! We've enjoyed playing Pac-Man, Super Breakout, Missile Command, Qix, and Q*Bert today! To go along with the nostalgia, the picture to the left is from my birthday in 1982.

My first National Anthem experience at an Indianapolis Indians game was a blast! We were afriad the weather was going to be horrific, but the rain stayed away! The temperatures were cool and there was a nice breeze. Right before I sang, I got extremely nervous. My voice cracked a little in the beginning, but that was because I looked over at the JumboTron and saw myself singing with my name plastered below me! It was a bit of a shock! After the Anthem, I enjoyed watching the game with family and friends. The Indians won! I also was honored to meet Jackie Robinson's daughter, Sharon, that night. Check out my Indy Indians Slideshow to see some pictures! You can also find the the slideshow through the Fun Stuff page.

♪ Happy Birthday to me! ♪ Happy Birthday to me! ♪ Happy Birthday to me! ♪ Happy Birthday to me! ♪ As you can see, I've already made the wish and blown out the candles! This is my last birthday as a single girl! (Speaking of which, several people have asked if I've already gotten married since I changed my name on this web site. No, the wedding is still June 28, but I figured I'd best change the site now or I might forget afterwards.) Pray that the rain waits until after tonight's Indians game!

The pictures to the right are two pictures that I have left to share from the time when Insightbb wouldn't let me upload. (My guestbook is *still* not accessible! Argh!) The first picture is of my precious little Abbi, and the second shows my family and me on Graduation Sunday. I was recognized by the church for having received my Masters Degree from Olivet Nazarene University. This week is my first week of summer vacation! I'm following Sam in a golf tournament today, then Thursday is my birthday and Indianapolis Indians National Anthem debut! Should be fun!

Being second was (almost) the story of my life this week! Thanks to all of you who voted for me for the L.C. Idol People's Choice Award. I was first runner-up... again. However, this morning, there was an article in this morning's Times-Mail that had the headline "Hackney Not Deterred." It said I won an American Idol-related drawing for some free movie tickets. This was a nice surprise. I wasn't second *all* month, though. I won a $1,500 EDS Technology Grant, only eight of which are given in Indiana. I'm using the money to buy Geometer's Sketchpad for the BMS mobile lab. I was on the WRTV6 News receiving the grant at the Statehouse. It was pretty neat! Also, school's out for summer! I'm thrilled to have 79 consecutive days off work (now 78).

Go vote! Go vote! Go vote! Lawrence County Idol was last night, and I received first runner-up for the Judge's Choice award. All that's left to give is the People's Choice Award. That's where YOU come in! Click here, and you'll find the poll on the left side of your screen. My name is eight names down. Also, above the poll is a link to the videos if you'd like to see clips of the singers. They're all good! Go vote! Go vote! Go vote! (For me!) :o)

I had my second bridal shower yesterday! It was hosted by my cousins, Tammy, Kristi, Alli, and Jenna. We had a really good time! The games were a lot of fun, and the food was perfect because my cousins selected all my favorite snack foods! Take a look at the May 20 Bridal Shower Slideshow to join in the fun! More fun is on the way because school will be out in less than a week! This is always a sentimental time for me. You can't beat 79 consecutive days off, but I will certainly miss teaching 6th graders. It should be a fun week! By the way, I know my guestbook is down, and I apologize. Blame Insightbb. According to their message, the guestbook will be back up on Tuesday. Come back and sign it then!

Wow! I have been trying to update this site for more than two weeks! Insightbb.com has been "upgrading," which interrupted all uploading services. There were even a few days where all my sites were not viewable. (You know you're too dependent on technology when you're in a bad mood because you can't view and/or update your web sites!) Anyway, a lot has happened in the last two weeks. Pictured at the right are Sam and Mac competing in their respective spring sports (golf and track). On May 4, Sam shot 39 at a meet at Otis Park and tied for medalist (lowest score of the meet). He also had a hole-in-one a few days before that! Wedding plans are also moving along; check the wedding site for those updates. More has happened, but I'll have to spread it over several posts!

My first Bridal Shower was a wonderful event! Hosted by Selma and Susan, we enjoyed ourselves with food, games, and gifts! Hoovers Fountain Room looked like a Beach Bungalow. It was decorated with seashells, sand, nets, flamingos, palm trees, grass skirts, tropical flowers, etc. Don't take my word for it; view the April 29 Bridal Shower Slideshow, (also added to the Fun Stuff page)! Thanks so much to everyone who made it a great day!

Today, I'm posting a special picture of my friend, Bekah. (Bekah is the one who's sporting the blue lipstick with me in one of the pictures on the sidebar to the left.) I used to baby-sit for this chick when she was seven and I was 16. Now I'm doing her make-up for Prom! Click her picture to see her date, Brandon, and her sister, Katie (also a cool chick). Also, I added a cute site to the Fun Stuff page - Marshmallow Peeps! I'm a Cadbury's girl myself, but those Peeps sure are cuties. (I have a little stuffed one.) This site lets you celebrate Peep-dom all the year long.

I have two bits of news to deliver today. First, our engagement announcement was in this morning's Times-Mail! Go take a look! Second, the band and singers are being reassembled for another performance of Good Vibrations! It will take place at Schafer Auditorium on Saturday, July 8. I'll have tickets available soon!

Happy Belated Easter! We've had a nice four-day weekend. Friday's and Saturday's weather was near-perfect and called for some sunning and golf at Otis Park. Ed and I worked on wedding and reception stuff also. Easter egg hunts, Easter service at church, and Easter dinner (checkout Ed's Mom's cake at the right), were also very enjoyable! Only 27 more days of school until everyday is a weekend!

Happy belated birthday, Sam! What a beautiful day! I've enjoyed several outdoor activities during these nice days with DST! (I still ♥ it!) Senioritis has set in. However, I'm not a senior; I'm a teacher. Does that mean I have teacheritis? Whatever it is, I'm ready for sum-sum-summertime! And wed-wed-wedding!

Can I just say how much I dig Daylight Savings Time? I'm a converted woman! I came home from work, and the sun was in 2:30 P.M. position! I had an hour of good sun! The sun is still very much out right now! I ♥ Daylight Savings Time!

The wedding site is up and running! ("See the Sites" has also been updated.) Go visit to learn about Ed and me, the wedding, the reception, RSVPing, the registries, news, etc. It's neat! That's no April Fool! I'm freaking out about tomorrow's time zone switching. I've never switched my clock on Spring Forward Day, so I'm eager to participate. However, I truthfully wish the legislators would've left the clocks alone.

Look at the time! I can't sleep. I've been working for most of the day on a Wedding Web Site! (C'mon... you knew I was going to make one!) It won't be ready for awhile, but here's a teaser: it has a beach theme! Big surprise! The Fun Stuff page has some additions. First, the countdown clock is now counting down to the wedding (90 days). Second, check out the amazing Chris Bliss juggling video. It's mesmerizing! Finally, I added Otis Park's new web site to the Fun Stuff roll. In the description, I already mention something about my husband playing there. I figured I'd forget to update the language after the wedding. Time for bed on this Spring Break night!

Spring Break is here! The weather is scheduled to get progressively warmer and sunnier as the week goes on, unlike last week's spring snow, pictured to the right. Wedding plans are going wonderfully. We've planned a sunrise wedding for Wednesday, June 28, at Myrtle Beach State Park. We've purchased wedding bands, wedding clothing, and honeymoon clothing. Everything has a beach theme! This week, we plan to register for gifts and purchase some other household necessities. Also, bridal showers with beach themes are being planned. To celebrate, Abbi dressed in a new palm tree kerchief and played with her new "driftwood" toy, pictured to the right. Could she BE any cuter?

School was canceled yesterday, on the first full day of Spring, due to... SNOW! Indiana weather is nuts. In the excitement of my engagement announcement, I don't think I gave justice to the new Good Vibrations slideshow. While it isn't as exciting as Ed and I getting married, it is definitely pretty cool. Some of the pictures from the slideshow are to the right. Go check it out! (For those of you who missed Good Vibrations, there's talk of having a revival of the show in July.) I've also started using a new guestbook. I don't like it very much, but my old one quit working. Finally, I archived all Winter 2006 What's Up files. There's a link at the bottom of this page where you can still find them. Next time I archive, I should be super close to getting married! Ed and I have tentatively set our wedding date for June 28. Mrs. JoAnna Kai Cobb... I can't wait!

Happy Spring! It's time to tell the secret I've been keeping... Ed and I are getting married! He asked me on March 12, but we wanted to take a few days to get used to the idea, tell our families, and make some plans. Right now, we're planning on going to Myrtle Beach in June (after summer school if Ed's teaching it), and getting married on the beach. We'll have a big reception/party when we come home! By the way, I've finished the fabulous Good Vibrations slideshow, linked on the Fun Stuff page. Go take a look!