Mini me

Ok, tell me she doesn't look exactly like me!

It was a great night

We had a nice night tonight. After yesterday, I really had nowhere to go but up. But it was an unexpectedly good evening.

Uncle Paul and Aunt Dawn came up for the evening. They are flying out of Orlando airport tomorrow to go to their grandson's wedding in Minnesota so they came up early to spend the evening with Paula, John, and myself.

We all went to dinner at Logan's Roadhouse. John and I like that restaurant as we really enjoy a good steak or prime rib dinner every now and again. It's not usually overly crowded and loud, so it's a good place to be able to talk before, during, and after your dinner. I suggested the restaurant and everyone seemed to be very happy with their meal so I was happy.

Anyway, we don't get to visit too often with Uncle Paul and Aunt Dawn. They aren't in our neck of the woods too often and we don't get down to visit them as often as we should. We're only a couple of hours away, but we just never seem to make the time to visit. So it was nice that we were all able to get together and visit. It's terrible that we don't as Uncle Paul and Aunt Dawn are a hoot!

After we finished dinner, we sat at the table for a good 30 minutes just chatting about family and traveling and whatnot. Finally, we took the conversation outside. We stood in the heat and humidity another 15 minutes or so before we finally bid our farewells. They will be spending the night at Paula's and she will drive them to the airport tomorrow.

So it was a good night. We had a great dinner and some great company. And there was more than enough laughter going around! What more could you possibly ask for?

Oy vay, it's Monday

It's days like today the give Mondays a bad name.

First, I overslept. When the alarm went off at 5:45am, I reached up to hit the snooze like I always do. Today, however, instead of hitting the alarm, I shut it off. That's not a good thing, but I knew that I had my phone alarm still set, so I didn't worry about it. Instead I got up, grabbed my cell, and crawled back underneath the covers.

At 6:00am, the cell phone alarm went off. Since I had it in my hand, I hit the snooze right away. I had the TV on and "Becker" was on so I knew I still had a little time to play with. Becker is on from 6-7am every morning on USA. I also had another alarm set for 6:30am on my phone, not to mention that I only hit the snooze button when the last alarm went off so I still had my emergency back up alarms ready to go. No way I could over sleep. The next thing I know, Becker is over and it's 7:00am. Damn! Now I'm going to be late.

I got up and gave John a nudge to let him know he should be getting up too. (Actually, I think it was my loud "SHIT" that woke him!) I zoomed to the kitchen to get coffee, and then to the back door to let the dog out.

I zoomed around trying to get ready for work and make sure that I was taking everything I needed to take with me. Back to the door to let the dog in. Of course, she needs a cookie now because she was a good dog and went out and came back in just like she's supposed to do.

I always wait until morning to pack lunches. That works out best unless of course you get up late! But, being the loving wife I am, I still took the time to pack John's lunch and mine. Zoom, zoom, zoom, some more and I'm finally ready to leave at 7:25. Not too bad considering, but I am late leaving. I could still be to work before 8:00.

After saying my goodbyes, I kiss my husband, pet my dog, and zoom out the door. I toss all my stuff into the car, hop in the drivers seat, buckle up for safety, and back out of the driveway. As I'm driving down the street, I hear "thump-a-da, thump-a-da, thump-a-da". Crap! The car is driving funny and that sounds like a flat tire. I double check the dash and sure enough the "flat tire" light is blinking. I only made it as far as the corner before I turned around and headed back home.

Into the driveway I pull and turn the car off. I double check to make sure I was right about the flat. Yep. There it is. The drivers side back tire is flat. Crap again! Now I'm really going to be late!

I run into the house and tell John we have to switch vehicles because I have a flat. You gotta love having a man around sometimes. This was one of those times.

John comes out to inspect my problem and verifies that I do indeed have a flat. So he pulls out the air pump while I'm moving stuff from my car to his and from his car to the van. I don't have time to wait for the tire to be pumped up...it's already 7:40. So I kiss him goodbye and zoom off down the street in his car, leaving John to deal with my flat tire.

Finally, I arrive at work, 10 minutes late. (I probably broke a few traffic laws, but hey, I was in a hurry!) I got things ready for my class to start and sat for about 1 minute before the kids started coming into the room. So much for taking a breather.

I have Law as my block class today, which means I have no chance to relax and recover from my morning as the kids are still in the classroom. So I'm zooming around the hallways trying to make sure I have everything I need for class. A parent had stopped at the office to drop off his child's back pack that she left at home. I said I'd take it since the student was in my class. So I picked up her backpack and, yep, you guessed it, everything fell out! All her books, papers, everything, scattered on the floor. Oy!

The book I wanted to read today, I forgot, so I had to juggle a bit. I didn't have any coffee and there weren't any cups to use in the lunch room so I wasn't going to get any from the community coffee pot. Suffice to say, it just wasn't one of my better days.

If I didn't have a calendar or any way to keep track of time, I would have known today was Monday. I'm going to bed early and pray that Tuesday is a better day.

Shopping

Have you ever noticed how people will just stand in the middle of an aisle in the grocery store and block traffic coming in both directions?

I just went shopping today and noticed an awful lot of that happening. What ever happened to being a courteous shopper? I always pull my cart over to the side as far as possible and stand on the side that I'm traveling while looking at an item of interest on the opposite side. If I want a closer look at an item, I take it and move back to my side of the aisle so the flow of traffic can continue on around me. Not so most other shoppers. They don't bother pulling their cart aside. Rather it remains in the middle of the aisle and they take up the rest of the aisle to stare at the products on the shelves around them.

And heaven forbid you ask to pass through. Usually you get the evil eye look followed by the disgusted "sigh" as they slowly move their cart. Just to make sure you realize the inconvenience, they don't move their cart completely out of the way...just barely enough for you to pass. I've scraped my knuckles so many times or locked wheels of shopping carts, that it makes the shopping experience less than pleasant.

Of course, I try to be the better person and I thank them for their (minimal) effort as I pass by cautiously. What I'd really like to do is to equip my shopping cart handle with phasers! Then when I come across the inconsiderate boobs that block aisles, I can just lock my phasers on stun and ZAP them! Then I can just push them out of my way and not lose so much skin on my knuckles! What normally takes me several hours to do, might actually reduce my shopping time by one half.

Just the thought of having phasers may be enough to help me keep a smile on my face the next time I'm shopping.

Weather

Ok, now I'm really mad! Let me ask you a question. What usually follows the first day of school? Anybody? Raise your hand. Don't be shy. Usually the first day of school is followed by the second day of school. (See? I knew you knew it!) Not for us. Our first day of school was followed by a hurricane day! That's right. What should have been the second day of school ended up being a day off because of Tropical Storm Fay.

I realize that hurricanes and tropical storms are serious weather conditions. If it had been a hurricane, I guess I could have dealt with it better. But this is just a tropical storm. They are projecting it to become a category 1 storm which means it will have winds between 74 and 85 miles per hour. I'm not suggesting that those winds can't be damaging, but after dealing with Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jean a few years back, all of which were Cat 3 or better, this panic over a tropical storm is really pulling my chain!

It was a beautiful day here. The sun was shining. There was a breeze and some rain later in the day but nothing that I would consider life threatening. Usually the reason we have to have the day off is because all the people down south in the areas that are getting hit hard by the storm evacuate north. Since I'm in the center part of the state, people evacuating make it as far as us then stop. The schools end up being used as shelters so we can't be there if people are coming for shelter. This time was no different. Several of our county schools were open to the public as shelters from the storm.

The wind had picked up about 6pm. But again, we've hand thunderstorms that have caused as much, if not more, problems then what we experienced today.

When the kids found out yesterday that there would be no school today, they were all smiles. I told them that it's ok to smile, but to remember, we have to make up this day so that means one of our days off will be changed to a school day. Some of the smiles disappeared. Some smiles shortened. And a few of my kids just kept smiling. They'll whine about it later when they have to come to school on a day that they planned on having off.

I got a call this afternoon saying that there will be school tomorrow. As long as the storm doesn't make any sudden changes in direction or pick up speed to make it a category 2 or 3 storm (which is unlikely as the storm is over land now and that usually causes it to lose speed), it'll be back to business as usual tomorrow. There better not be any changes. If I get up early, I might as well go to work!

Back to school

This has been quite a hectic week. Since I didn't hit it big at the casino's this summer, I had to start preparing to go back to work. This was my first week back.

It's been a long week! The beginning of the school year is always tough. I have a million and one things to do to get ready and no matter how much time I have, I'm always busy up to the last second before open house. And it doesn't stop until next summer vacation. I'm always working on a project, grading papers, planning lessons, whatever. This year I've taken on the added responsibility of being on the Social committee at school. And they're looking for a chairperson as last years committee chair is no longer at the school. Somehow, I get the distinct feeling, that I'm going to end up with that chair.

Anyway, my room is ready and open house is over. Almost all my kids came with their parents. It's great to meet them all. Some parents I will get to know better and others will blend into the woodwork and I won't see them again until graduation in June.

I have 3 non English speaking kids in my class this year. Non English speaking...nothing...nada! I guess this will be the year I learn Spanish! My high school Spanish still comes back to me sometimes, but not enough to carry on a conversation with either my kids or their parents. I know a few key words, but otherwise, I'm a English only speaker. This will be a learning year for both them and me I think.

I'm looking forward to this year. I have 24 students in my class and from what I could tell at open house, they are all great kids. I have some great projects planned. Hopefully some of them will photograph well enough to include on my blog.

My first week is done. The kids return starting on Monday. To quote those great Disney characters, "Hi ho, hi ho, it's back to school I go!"

Some butt kicking is going on

Ok, I don't care who you are, this is just too funny!

Kick his ass

The house that George built

Our vacation was quite eventful this year. During the drive north, we decided to make a stop at Mount Vernon, the home of George Washington, located in Alexandria, Virginia. What an estate! During that time, everything you needed was on your plantation/farm which pretty much made it seem like a city unto itself. Shoemaker, bakery, blacksmith, gardener, etc., were all located somewhere on the farm.
This is a view of the farm as you begin to approach from the road. The original house that George had was quite smaller than this, however, George spent many years adding on to it making it quite an exquisite home. By the time he got it pretty much finished to their liking, he died. It took about 35 years to build (remember, he was off soldiering and being president while building this home so that put a crimp in how quickly things would get done). But if you think this looks spectacular, just wait!
This is the rear view of the house. Equally as beautiful as the front view. They have a bunch of chairs on the back porch that you can sit and look at the view of the Potomac. Now that's an exquisite site to see!

Can you just imagine sitting on your back porch and having this to look at? It was just gorgeous. I could picture George and Martha sitting out there on a cool summer evening enjoying the view. Of course, they were very busy people, always working and putzing around the house so they probably didn't get to sit and enjoy as much as I did. It was hot in Virginia while we were there, but there was a beautiful summer breeze blowing as you sat on the chairs that made it quite comfortable.

These are all the picture I have of the house. They don't allow you to take pictures inside. Guess they don't want the pictures to get out and prevent people from actually visiting the estate. Pictures don't do it justice anyway. You really have to go there and see for yourself. The view of the Potomac alone is worth the trip!

On the estate, like I said, are many different buildings of all those who helped to make the place work. The gardeners home was a very simple place.
The kitchen was a separate building just outside the house. In those days it wasn't uncommon for fires to start in the kitchen and rather than lose the entire house, they built the kitchens separately. Pretty smart thinking. Easier to rebuild a kitchen rather than an entire house!
And of course, the garage. Or more aptly, the stables. George happened to be on the wealthy side. He had a couple of different carriages for his personal use. One "family" vehicle in which they could all ride comfortably. Looks a lot like a stagecoach, doesn't it?
And, to suit George's boyish needs, he had himself something that not many people had in those days. He had himself a sportster model, big enough for one!
When George died in 1799, he was laid out in the last room he added to his house...the fancy dining room. There he laid for 3 days while visitors came to pay their last respects. On the fourth day, they carried him to the tomb that was also on the property. This is now known as the "old tomb".
George isn't in there so don't go looking for him. Martha isn't in there either. They've been moved to what is now called "the new tomb". Prior to his death, George had written that he wanted a new tomb to be built. It didn't get finished while he was alive or in time for his burial. Several years after his death (I don't remember the exact number), the new tomb was finally finished. This is the new tomb.

That is where George lays now. And Martha. And about 24 of their closest family members. Interesting fact about George Washington. He had no children of his own. However, Martha, having been married once before George, had two children that she brought into their marriage. (Her first husband had died at war.)

So if you're ever in Virginia and you're looking for something to do, I would recommend stopping to see George Washington's home. It's worth the trip.

This little piggy . . .

During our trip to Pennsylvania, we stopped in Virginia to visit family. Uncle Aubrey and Aunt Hilda have a huge farm on which they raise pigs. Prior to our arrival, one of the pigs gave birth to 4 little piglets. Sadly, the weather was very hot and she didn't pick a very shady spot to have babies. She didn't survive, but her piglets did.

They were just a few days old when we arrived. They had them penned up in a building near the house as they had to feed them every four hours. So during our stay, I got to feed the piggies! They were so cute. Just like a real baby. They would cry until the nipple of the bottle finally made it into their mouth and they would suck like there was no tomorrow! Suddenly, they'd stop and take a snooze. Just when you'd start to take the bottle out of their mouth, they'd begin squealing again, squirming in your arms, until you stuck the bottle back in and they could suckle again! Once they ate, they'd quiet down and take a nap.

Aren't they cute?

When they were hungry, you knew it! They would squeal and screech like crazy. They would travel in a pack back and forth along the fence until you would pick them up and feed them. They are so cute when they're little but once they become hogs, they're not quite as cute.

So these little guys got all the attention they needed. They were gonna make it...at least until New Years. By then they'd be so big, they'd be ready to be dinner!

Sunglasses update

Here's a sunglasses update!

Thanks to my sister and brother-in-law, I now have 2 NEW pair of sunglasses! One pair has white bows and the other pair is yellow and black and is a tad more sporty looking. Also, when we arrived home last night, I found my favorite pair of sunglasses sitting on the kitchen counter where I put them so I wouldn't forget to take them with me on our trip! After the luck I had with the other two pair, perhaps it's a good thing I forgot them!

So there you go! I'm back to three pair again. I thank you all very much for your concern but a special thanks to Maryann and Bill!

My eyes are winking at you right now!

Jake's Wedding

Well, we finally made it home from our long vacation north. It was worth it though to be able to attend the event of the year! Jake's wedding. I still can't believe he's married. It seems like just yesterday he was just a little guy, refusing to wear zippers and buttons and playing with pinwheels and flags. Now he's all grown up and married.

The wedding was very simple and beautiful. The bride looked beautiful. She wore a long sash that wrapped around her waist and trailed behind along with the train of her dress that was the same color as the bridesmaids dresses. I'd never seen anything like that before and it looked really nice. The groom and his men were all dressed in black tuxes wearing vests and ties that matched the color as well. They all looked really sharp. The girls all wore the same color, but their dresses were all different. Some were knee length while others went to the floor. Some were spaghetti straps at the top while others were more like an around the neck halter. It distracted me and wasn't quite that "uniformed" look you usually see at weddings. It wasn't bad, just unusual and I'm not completely sold on it. Of course, it wasn't my wedding so who cares what I think! They still looked beautiful.

Of course, the bride and groom looked very happy. I don't think the smile ever came off Jake's face! He was grinning from the time he walked on the altar until I left the reception. I'm sure he continued smiling well after.

The cake was very nice and quite tasty.

At the reception, which was at the Shrine Club (very nice set up and location), a good time was had by all. I tried to look for those Kodak moments and caught a couple of good photos during the reception. Of course, we had the bride and groom dance....

The bride and daddy....

And the groom and mommy. . .

The groom tossed the garter and Jaron, the ringbearer was the big winner. It's not that the line of 5 single guys really wanted it. They looked more like a firing line than a garter toss line. They just stood there and watched Jake toss it...twice. He needed a do-over as the first toss was a miss fire into the ceiling!

As you can see, Jaron was the only one who even made an effort to get it. And just for the record, there were a few more single guys at the wedding. They just chose not to participate. Remember the old myth about how the person who catches the garter and the person who catches the bouquet were the next to be married? That's not the case. Apparently, nobody ever told these guys!

The bride then tossed her bouquet. She was able to toss it on the first try (unlike the groom). Looks like some of the girls need to be informed about the myth of catching the bouquet as well. There were still a few more single females at the wedding but they didn't wish to participate either. At least these girls all made an effort to catch the bouquet. The winner was another little one on the bride's side. Guess it's become a kids game!

And no wedding would be complete without the Bird Dance! Some people call it the Chicken Dance. Either way, your flapping and shaking!

That's it! Once you've done the Bird Dance, you know the party is over! This is pretty much where my pictures ended. I have lots more of the ceremony and reception, but there's just too many to share them all here. All in all it was quite an eventful and memorable day. Definitely worth the trip (not that I would have missed it for the world!).

Another milestone has passed. My babies are growing up.

Bad week for sunglasses

This has not been the vacation for sunglasses for me. After we left the family in Virginia (I'll post more about that when I get home as I will have many fun pictures to share), and we're driving along, I happened to spot a sign that boasted being a memorial for General Stonewall Jackson. I'm a little into the American Revolution and Civil War eras right now as that's big in the5th grade Social Studies curriculum. So I wanted to stop and see what the memorial had to offer.

We pulled off the exit and had to drive about 5 miles down the road before we got to the park. There were a few display boards in the parking lot that showed what the land looked like during that time period. It also had a prerecorded explanation of the events that you could listen to while looking at the boards. Turns out that it was at that very place that Stonewall Jackson died. He was shot by his own men (they claim that it was accidental, but who knows for sure) at a nearby battlefield. Just so happened that Dr. Chandler had a plantation down the road. So they put Jackson in wagon and brought him down to the doctor. (As part of the life saving efforts on the battlefield, they ended up having to cut off his left arm prior to him coming to see the doctor.)

Anyway, they took the general inside the doctor's office and that's where he tried his best to save him. Unfortunately, it didn't help as Stonewall Jackson eventually passed away never recovering from his wounds. The rest of the plantation buildings are gone, including the doctors house which burned down, but the building in which they tried to save Jackson still remains standing and is a National Park now.

So by now you're wondering, what does that have to do with my sunglasses? Well, I had to go to the bathroom before we left. Everything went fine until I turned around to flush and my sunglasses fell right into the toilet bowl. They were too big to flush so I wasn't worried about that but I couldn't leave them there. I quickly removed them from the toilet bowl and deposited them directly into the garbage can. End of pair number 1.

I had another pair in the car so all was not completely lost. I got those out and was fiddling with the lens when it snapped. A piece of the corner of the lens chipped off! It was ok. I could still wear them. Today we went to the casino. I hung them on my shirt like I always do. As I was leaving the casino, that's right, no glasses. They had fallen off somewhere. Well, I wasn't about to try to retrace my steps and just chalked them up to another loss.

Now I can't find my favorite pair that I had. This has been a bad week for sunglasses!

I'm on vacation

It's been awhile since I've written but there is a very good reason for that...I'm on vacation! Just saying that word can put a smile on your face. Vacation. Another warm fuzzy moment.

Anyway, we've traveled north to attend the event of the year. My nephew, Jake, is getting married! Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday he had a toothless smile and was running around the yard to make sure all his flags were straight! But here he is getting married. We've been looking forward to coming home for this event for a long time. I've been able to catch up with most of the family and will be able to meet and greet a few extended family members that you just never see unless there's a wedding or funeral.

Tomorrow is the big day so I'll be writing more about the wedding and hopefully posting a picture or two. I'm sure there will be some good kodak moments that I'll want to share.

In the meantime, I'm still on vacation and loving every minute of it. Our hosts are doing a fabulous job of keeping us entertained, well hydrated, and fed. Uncle Joe and Aunt Lucy, you're the best!