Offenburger.com

Along Our Way

What a way to end a summer! We Offenburgers were the guests on a late-summer weekend at the lake house of our friends Joe and Cindy Connolly. The Connollys live in Council Bluffs and commute many weekends to their get-away place on a private lake just south of Columbus, Nebraska. It was a real “kick-back” weekend with lots of sunshine, fun boating, good food and plenty of time to read.
[TO SEE THESE PHOTOS & OTHERS IN LARGER FORMAT, AND TO READ A BRIEF STORY, CLICK HERE.]

A conversation

LIVING WITH CANCER

with the Offenburgers

Chuck Offenburger was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins follicular lymphoma cancer on July 10, 2009, had six months of chemotherapy & is now doing well in a “maintenance” program. Carla Offenburger underwent surgery on April 26, 2010, for removal of a jaw tumor which was found to contain adenoid cystic carcinoma cancer. She underwent six weeks of follow-up radiation in June and July, and continues under close medical observation. We post updates frequently here, including brief insights from Chuck, Carla and at least one of you readers.

“Carla, if you were standing here I’d hug you. This is such a ton of stress and scheduling for anyone but then add that you are recouping yourself and it is nearly overwhelming. Yet here you are forging ahead.”

FOR THE LATEST UPDATE, CLICK HERE.

What’s the deal with the
black & white saddle shoes?

Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa.

Here's looking at life
at Simple Serenity Farm

Carla’s sister & brother-in-law Chris and Tony Woods, of Des Moines, were at the farm on Sunday, August 22, helping Carla do the lawn mowing and other yard work that we’ve struggled to keep up with lately, with all our medical appointments. The Woodses brought along their 18-month-old granddaughter Ari, who was a delight watching all the action from the porch with Chuck, catching up on her reading and then getting a moment on the lawn tractor seat!
Click here for larger format

Earlier photos in this series

Chuck Offenburger's
new book on sports
legend Gary Thompson
gets excellent reviews

FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE & HOW TO BUY THE BOOK, CLICK HERE!

''GARY THOMPSON: All-American'' is the new, 352-page biography of one of the state’s genuine sports icons. From 1950-’53 Gary Thompson led the Roland Rockets to high school sports glory in basketball and baseball, giant-killers from one of Iowa’s small schools. Then he led the Cyclones at Iowa State from 1953-’57, becoming the college’s first two-sport All-American. He’s had major success in broadcasting and business, from his home base in Ames. And he and his wife Janet have a family as solid as they come. “I’m the luckiest guy around,” Thompson says.

TO READ CHUCK OFFENBURGER'S COLUMN ABOUT THE BOOK AND THE ''BOOK LAUNCHING'' HELD EARLY IN DECEMBER, CLICK HERE.

TO READ DES MOINES REGISTER SPORTSWRITER RICK BROWN'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.

TO READ CEDAR RAPIDS GAZETTE SPORTS COLUMNIST JIM ECKER'S REVIEW OF THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.

TO READ AMES DAILY TRIBUNE SPORTSWRITER DICK KELLY'S STORY ABOUT THE BOOK, CLICK HERE.

TO READ DOUG BURNS' STORY ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE CARROLL DAILY TIMES HERALD, CLICK HERE.

TO READ ANDY GOODELL'S STORY ABOUT THE BOOK IN THE OSKALOOSA HERALD, CLICK HERE.

WANT TO SEE AND HEAR THE OLD ROLAND HIGH SCHOOL FIGHT SONG PERFORMED? CLICK HERE!

FOR INFORMATION ON WHERE & HOW TO BUY THE BOOK, CLICK HERE!

FOR PHOTOS FROM OUR BOOK LAUNCHING EVENTS, CLICK HERE!

SEE BOB MODERSOHN'S PHOTOS OF OUR BOOK CHAT AND SIGNING AT BEAVERDALE BOOKS IN DES MOINES!

Our Partners & Patrons
Iowa Hall of Pride
netINS, Inc.
Butler House on Grand B&B
Sam's Barber Shop
Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney
KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show''
Barack Obama story & coloring book
The Monks of New Melleray Abbey

Here's looking at life at Simple Serenity Farm

Is there anything better than family gatherings at Christmastime? The photos below show some of the fun we had this year.

Carla and Chuck Offenburger are shown with the Christmas tree in the middle of the living room of the farmhouse.

Ready for Christmas Day dinner at the Des Moines home of Chris and Tony Woods (left), with Sue Burt (center) and Carla Offenburger (right).

Carla Offenburger's niece Perri Woods and nephew Harrision Woods, when we were getting ready to open Christmas presents.

Chuck Offenburger and Perri Woods show off the gift Chuck received in the family's ''white elephant gift exchange'' -- a table lamp that has as its base a ceramic rendering of the Last Supper.

Chuck Offenburger used a string of tinsel from a Christmas package to decorate his eyeglasses, saying this could be a new trend. Just about everything else gets decorated, you know?

Carla Offenburger's nephew John Amsbaugh (right) and Jenny Golden, both of them natives of the Des Moines area, are engaged and getting ready to move to Savannah, Georgia. There John plans to work on a master's degree in oceanography and Jenny may continue her work in commercial photography.

Carla Offenburger's sister Tammie Amsbaugh, our hostess for Christmas Eve in Des Moines, was a little light-headed.

Two days after Christmas, a bunch of the folks in the extended Offenburger family got together at the home of Chuck's sister Chris Walsh and Karl Werner in Cedar Rapids. Here our brother-in-law Bud Polk of Omaha holds six-month-old Jack Walsh of Tucson, Arizona, and Chris Walsh holds another of her grandsons, three-month-old Lyndy Walsh of Cedar Rapids.

Chuck Offenburger's sister Chris Walsh holds grandson Jack Walsh.

Chris Walsh has her arm around her daughter-in-law Aimee Walsh, with one of Aimee's sons Yosi Walsh in the foreground. At the right are three of Chris' four sons (left to right) Tim of Tucson (holding his son Jack), Adam of Cedar Rapids and Toby of Cedar Rapids (holding his son Lyndy, brother of Yosi).

The Offenburger siblings, together again for another Christmas gathering, are (left to right) Sue Polk of Omaha, Chris Walsh of Cedar Rapids, Chuck Offenburger of Cooper and Beverly Watson of Johnston.

Send your comments to carla@Offenburger.com or chuck@Offenburger.com

Here's looking at life at Simple Serenity Farm Archives