Pig Song

Drama

2009-07-28T21:20:00.001-04:00

I'm in Texas now.

Lots o'drama. Everyone is okay, though.

It just makes me tired.

Saturday excitement ;-)

2009-07-18T23:25:00.003-04:00

I guess it has been a while since I wrote. Since then, lots has happened.

Ky is home (hooray!!!!!!) and I've been soaking her up, trying to be with her enough so that I'll have lots of happy memories to tide me over once she returns to school.

That event will come very soon. Probably the middle of August, which is waaaaay sooner than I realize. She'll move into her own apartment and I am very excited for her.

Today we braved Ikea to go buy up all the furniture we needed from there. Today they had some special event that allowed us to get breakfast there free. We made it barely under the wire, but we all got eggs, bacon, potatoes and coffee free. Even usually, that would cost only about a buck. I think they figure if they can get some of us in there before noon, we'll stay until lunch and eat lunch there before buying lots of stuff. Ikea sometimes gets a snooty look from folks because lots of their furniture is cheap, as well as inexpensive. We had done a lot of looking around, however, and I don't know why anyone would buy brand new furniture for their college student if it wasn't fairly cheap.

A couple of weeks ago, Ky and I went to every place I could think of to try to look for inexpensive furniture. I had found several items on Freecycle, but we don't own a truck or SUV and I had no way of collecting that furniture, plus it wasn't usually very good. Ky had taken her time and found exactly what she wanted. We purchased it all and once it was all in her little Scion xB, there was barely enough room for her to sit in the back seat and I was sitting a bit sideways in the front seat with my knees pressed firmly against her glove box. Kim was driving and I warned him not to hit any bumps or I'd be left knee-less. Thanks be to God that we all made it home safely and so did the furniture. Boy, am I happy to say that her apartment is on the ground floor. :-))))

We had a great time today. It will be so sad to see her leave again, but we'll get along. I hear from other parents that we'll eventually not mind her being on her own. Well, we'll see. I'm not so sure.

She and Kim built her a bed frame this afternoon. She is getting rather handy with tools. Oh, and she made us another cheesecake. Now, do you see why I'm reluctant to let her leave???

Good Day

2009-05-25T22:37:00.002-04:00

Today was a very good day.

We all went to Tysons Corner and saw Night At the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.

Been to the Smithsonian a lot of times. It was fun to see the museum, even though most of the show wasn't shot there.

It is good to know that decent movies can still draw a crowd.

People-Pleasers

2009-05-03T15:38:00.003-04:00

I just heard a sermon stating that everyone is a people-pleaser. It went on to state that there are two types of people-pleasers: Those who want others to like them and those who want to be successful.

The first will do what others want them to simply to try to stay on the "good" side of the people around them. Sometimes, though, they are forced to choose between people because one person will convince them that to be correct, the people the person used to please was wrong and should now be avoided/displeased/punished/whatever. (I've seen that happen quite often as children mature and form their own relationships.)

The second will do whatever is necessary to achieve their own idea of success. That would mean that in the first example, this people-pleaser is the one who tells the first person to avoid/displease/punish/whatever the earlier person that was that person's ideal. This person is a Donald Trump type of person. Not really interested in individuals, just in his/her own success.

I'm still mulling this one over. What do you think?

Question

2009-04-10T17:29:00.000-04:00

Why are Spring Breaks so short????

Happy Week!!!!

2009-03-08T22:12:00.003-04:00

Spring Break for VT is this week. I'll be sporting a smile and be breathless with happiness this week, since Ky is home.

Unfortunately, I must work this week, so Ky and I have had to do some speed shopping this weekend. Not for the faint of heart! We still have some more places to cover, so I hope there will be time to hit a store or two during the week. Everything looks great on Ky, so it is challenging to decide what is best. We get lots of good talking done while we are shopping, too. I guess shopping is an important activity for me because those were some of the best memories I have of my younger days with my mom.

SNOW DAY!

2009-03-01T22:02:00.000-05:00

Well, it's official. Tomorrow is already a snow day, even though we have no snow on the ground yet. That is scary.

Home Again!

2009-02-22T15:16:00.002-05:00

Just got home from a quick trip to Blacksburg. It was medicine to my heart to see Ky again. She is doing very well, it seems, in spite of the 18 credit hours she's taking this semester. Ugh. I don't think I'd have managed 18 hours in one semester, ever! My hat's off to her. That won't do much for her, but please just keep her in your prayers. She's got less than two weeks before spring break. Of course, her spring break will be a month or so before mine, so she can sleep late and relax with friends if she'd like to do that during her spring break. By the time my spring break happens she'll almost be preparing for her finals. Yeah. Add her to your prayer list, okay?

It feels good to be home again!

:-)

It's been a while...

2009-02-18T22:02:00.002-05:00

Whoa. It has been a while since I last posted. Just goes to show you how exciting my life really is. :-)

I just returned from a trip to my parents' home in Texas. Had to fly down quickly because my father had a heart attack. He was in the hospital all the time I was there, but as soon as I got home, he came home. I guess the Medicare rules say that if you still have a pulse after ten days, you go home. It is shameful that they would release him in such lousy shape. I felt he needed a day or two more. But, I'm on the wrong side of the doctor's desk to know for sure, I guess.

I flew down on AirTran. I swore in 2001 that I'd never fly AirTran again, after the mess they called an airline I experienced then. Flight attendants yelling at passengers--not because they were unruly, just things like they tried to put their luggage in a place the flight attendant thought was incorrect, or another tried to hold her coat in her lap, and other ridiculous things. They also taxied around on the tarmac for so long I missed my connection, which was also AirTran. They assured me, however, that they gave my seat to a worthy person--one who had missed his connecting flight for the same reason. They managed to get me on a flight about 15 minutes before they'd have had to buy me a meal, too. Yep, they were pros.

They have apparently tried to remake themselves, and from what I experienced, they did a good job. Everyone I encountered was nice. I think I'll fly them again, if I have a lot of extra time. You must stop at Atlanta, where the food is awful and expensive. It can take a long time.

I checked in on my return flight from Dallas. I mistakenly okayed it without checking to see what seats I'd get. I also got both boarding passes at once. I got on the first flight and landed in Atlanta. I had two hours before my flight would leave from gate D9. Great! I was at D6 anyway. I walked the concourse and ate a rather expensive Junior Whopper between D10 and D12. Then, I walked back to wait at D9. Sat down. The flight to Fort Myer left and I expected to see my fellow Washingtonians fill the area. About 45 minutes before my flight would leave, I was still alone. I checked my boarding pass again. There it was, gate---OH NO! Gate C9! I had some real estate to cover. I knew the cross-over concourse was around gate D17 or so, and made my way as fast as I could. I turned left toward concourses A, B and C. Thank goodness it was only Gate C! I had to go down an escalator. It was pretty long and steep, you know, a little like the Metro escalators. I got on and decided I'd better check my boarding pass again. I grabbed it from my pocket and---OH NO! Bump, bump, bump, bump. My rolling suitcase refuses to stand up straight and had just fallen over and began its metronomic journey down the escalator steps. There were about 20 steps between me and the nice man standing in front of me. Good, because it gave me time to act, but bad because the suitcase seemed to be gaining speed. There were about 10 people standing on the escalator in front of me and it looked like I was going to make a strike on my first escalator bowling attempt. Finally, when the suitcase was about five steps from him, the man turned around and saw the impending danger. He gracefully stopped my suitcase and held it for me to catch up to him. "I'm so sorry! It just got away from me! I'm so glad it didn't hit you! Thank you!" Of course, it probably came out, "I just got away! I'm so glad I'm sorry!" because I was so rattled! Whew!

So, I picked up speed and headed right for the moving sidewalk. This poor man was on the sidewalk in front of me and seemed to be trying to stay ahead of me. I was half-laughing, half-terrified that I wouldn't make it to the gate on time. I would have slowed if I hadn't been afraid I'd miss my flight. Poor guy!

I made the flight. Hooray! My dear husband whisked me off to dinner. Hooray! My dog nearly turned himself inside out greeting me. Hooray!

I'm glad to be home, but would appreciate all prayers for my parents and for those who are caring for them right now.

Warm and fuzzy

2009-01-16T22:49:00.005-05:00

Tonight is the end of a relaxing visit from daughter, Ky. She's been home almost a month from college. Starts back to school on Tuesday. We've had talked, laughed, eaten out, eaten in, cooked together, cried together and shared our hopes for the future in this short time period. If you know her, you know how I feel right now.

I'm so happy that she makes good choices and gets advice if she isn't sure which path to take. She has a mind of her own, but she is quite level-headed and mature. She thinks before she speaks.

I wish I could say the same for myself!

I'm going to really miss having her around. I haven't had to be in the same room or even at the same address to have a smile on my face for the past month. She just lights up a room and seems to be happiest whenever she puts the interests of others ahead of her own.

I'm going to miss you, Ky, but you are ready to continue on your Grand Adventure.

"The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious unto you. The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." (Numbers 6: 24-26)

The Party's Over!

2009-01-06T21:56:00.001-05:00

Back at work. Ugh.

A December 25th to remember

2008-12-26T23:48:00.005-05:00

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I also hope you were able to spend the day with people you love.

Ky and I were scheduled to fly from our home to visit my parents in Texas. Christmas Eve was spent packing and opening presents with DH and trying to remember the things that are so easy to forget. I received a notice in my email that I could check in both of us for our flight on American Airlines. I clicked the button and printed off the boarding passes. I checked to see when we'd need to be at the airport. The screen said "Departure: 12:30 p.m." so I planned to get to the airport by about 11 to be through security in plenty of time.

We arrived at the AA self-check-in screen and I scanned my credit card. It told me it couldn't find my reservation. I had it search using my name instead. Same error message. I looked at my boarding pass (for the first time, actually,) and it said, "Departure: 10:45 a.m."

Okay, you know the panicky feeling I had then, right? Ugh. I went to the ticket counter. This was Christmas day, so there were two ticket agents, neither of whom could do anything without checking with the other one. There were two families with multiple children in front of us, but we finally got to the counter. "Honey, everything today is waaaay overbooked." I was pleased that she called me "honey" since it sounded so young but the "overbooked" made me think of spending days upon days in the comfort of Terminal D. She told us the next flight was at 4 and gave us stand-by boarding passes.

DH kindly returned to the airport to pick us up again. We went home, where I cooked lunch since I really needed to do something that would seem productive and keep me from kicking myself repeatedly.

At 3 we returned to the airport, got to the gate and waited with about 30 others who seemed to have the same type of boarding passes as we did. The incoming jet was delayed, so the 4 o'clock flight became a 4:15 one, then 4:30 and finally, 4:59. Unfortunately, that gave everyone a chance to be on time for their flight. The plane left with me and my above-mentioned 30 closest friends still sitting at gate D71. The gate agent told us that she'd put us all on the 7:15 flight. Fine.

Ky and I grabbed our stuff and headed down Terminal D's wide passageway in search of food, drink, and a clean bathroom. They have replaced all of the convenience food joints with restaurants. What does one do with one's two carry-ons while one eats a meal at a sit-down restaurant? How does one actually have enough time to eat a sit-down meal? We finally found a Ben & Jerry's.

Okay, Ben & Jerry's isn't haute cuisine, but it was just what we needed right then. We both ordered a small of some variety of chocolate and ate. That just made the entire day much brighter. We bolused and headed back for the gate, stopping a couple of times to pick up a bottled beverage and hitting the bathroom.

We sat in Gate D 73's area for a while and chatted and watched people and wasted time. Six o'clock arrived and I went to visit the gate agent to beg for boarding passes for the 7:15 flight, since we still weren't assured of seats on that flight. I went back to sit with Ky and pulled out my testing strips and slipped one in the meter attached to my pump. The way the pump is designed, it is more convenient for me to hold the pump so that the screen is upside down to me. I read the result: 489. What??? I turned the pump so that the screen towards me and noticed that the pump no longer had any tubing attached to it! It was cleanly severed.

The panic that hit me then far surpassed any panic I had felt earlier. There are ominous physical symptoms that accompany such a high blood sugar. My stomach felt queasy and I felt very heavy and slow. Imagine your teeth at their dirtiest. Double or triple that feeling and you've got how my mouth felt. I've heard others describe it as their teeth hurting and feeling "hairy" and that is almost right. Terrible thirst, nausea, and someone has put weights on me. Ugh.

Ky rummaged through her bag and gave me one of her unused infusion sets and I dashed off to the nearest restroom. The gate agents were letting passengers onto the plane already. I quickly inserted the set into my abdomen and ran back to the gate. Ky was trying to gather up our things. I reattached the pump and programmed it to give me a huge correction bolus. Hooray! We got in line to board the plane.

I heard an alarm on my pump, signaling that the line was occluded. NOOOOO! When it rains....

On to Plan B. We found our seats and Ky got out a regular syringe and tried to harvest insulin from the old syringe. After several attempts, she had enough and gave me a shot in the arm. I knew that would buy me some time, but I still needed to get a new infusion set in.

The plane took off and as soon as we were allowed to get up from our seats, I grabbed my larger carry-on and found yet another infusion set. I went to the plane's spacious (and clean) bathroom and inserted it.

Meanwhile, Ky was refilling my pump with more insulin and filling the new tubing. When I returned to my seat, I connected it and sat back down to wait.

My biggest fear, I guess, was that I might throw up right there in the aisle. I remember the old days in the 60s and 70s when at least one person per flight threw up. (What happened? Did people evolve into tougher animals in the 80s?)

Alas, the excitement was over. I'm happy to report that my blood sugar returned to normal within a few hours and I was almost normal again at the end of the flight. I shudder to think how different things would have been had Ky not been there to help me. Thanks, Ky!!!

So, how was your Christmas???

I'm happy!

2008-12-24T11:40:00.001-05:00

December again

2008-12-06T13:03:00.003-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving visit from Ky and can't wait to have her home again for her birthday! Thank you, VT, for having exams early enough so that we will be able to see her soon!

We took pictures of her visit, but I believe they were on her camera :-)

We'll just have to wait!

What a sight!

2008-11-15T22:57:00.002-05:00

We have had a rather gloomy week, weather-wise. It's been damp, dark and a bit windy all week long. I got up this morning and started my usual weekend chores and at about 3 p.m. or so, decided the dog might need to go outdoors. (He'd been out before, don't worry!) I looked out my front window and saw that the sun was shining pretty brightly, but it was raining. I grabbed the umbrella and the dog and headed out. As we got to the sidewalk and turned toward the northeast, I noticed a rainbow up against a very dark backdrop of sky. It was unusual in that it filled the complete sky. I could see all 180 degrees! I was noticing how I could distinguish all the colors, too, which is a feat for me since my distance vision has always been lousy. I enjoyed it for a couple of minutes and then turned to figure out what the dog was doing and when I turned back, it seemed like I could only see about 160 degrees. I wasn't sure, though, and I walked a bit further and encouraged the dog to keep moving. When I turned back, only about 3o degrees of the rainbow remained. It made me a bit sad to see it go, but I'm so glad I went outside when I did!

The Blue Pearl

2008-11-01T23:18:00.000-04:00

Arrrr.

2008-11-01T23:02:00.003-04:00

Well, DH and I participated in Trunk or Treat at our church. It was quite a lot of fun. I would have loved something like this when I was younger. In case you haven't heard of it before, a church turns part of the parking lot over to families or groups who set up a booth or demonstration or something similar and have games and candy for the neighborhood.

Our small group decided to go as pirates and one of the families decorated their blue van as "The Blue Pearl!" DH and I bought parts of costumes, as the entire costumes were either too risque (for me) or too popular and sold out (for him.)

I thought they decorated their van in such a clever way, and I can't get that picture to load. I'll try again later. Sorry. Sorry Blogger.

Don't have but a minute...

2008-10-23T20:23:00.002-04:00

...because I'm packing to visit Ky in BBurg. I can't wait to see her! It has been 62 days!

Gotta pack!

My pic

2008-10-21T21:54:00.003-04:00

Okay, I finally posted a picture. Only one of the characters is really me, though we are both rather scary. The photo was taken near the Tower of London. No, really, it was!

Date Night

2008-10-19T16:33:00.002-04:00

Last night, K and I went to a concert in beautiful (?) downtown Frederick, MD. We had a great time listening to Phil Keaggy and Fernando Ortega. No, neither of them lit their musical instruments on fire, but it was a wonderful concert, nonetheless. I was a bit dismayed to see that the average age of the members of the audience was...ahem...let's just say it was close to my own age. I really can't imagine getting to see and hear a better guitarist than Phil Keaggy. He was amazing.

When I listen to the music of Fernando Ortega, I am moved by his depth of feeling and how he can transport me to where I can see the landscape of the New Mexico area he loves. He sang quite a few of the songs I love to hear and I found them to be a bit different from his recordings, probably because he accompanied himself on a piano instead of playing with a guitar. The songs were emotionally stirring and I could understand each word. He is a classically trained musician, and he even sings properly, in a pop/folk way.

I had a great time!

Whistle While You Work

2008-10-13T21:54:00.002-04:00

I wish I'd had the seven dwarves around this weekend to help me clean. I'd have been happy to have had even ONE helper! Oh, well, I guess I can do more throughout the week. As if the work days aren't long enough....

At least I'll be back at work tomorrow and not see the mess. Because, of course, the mess is messier since I am only about halfway through cleaning. :-)

Columbus Day

2008-10-13T00:29:00.003-04:00

Christopher Columbus. How I love you! Because of you, I don't have to go outside of my house to work tomorrow! (I'm sure I'll find plenty of work inside!)

At our school, we have a very complicated schedule of how to get close to 1000 students into and out of all of their non-core classes and lunch, which is called a 6-day cycle. This also allows every grade level to go to these "specials" classes at the same time, which delights the teachers. It has become so complicated that we have to have a binder in the office with a listing of each student and his/her grade level and their team number and letter. Then, we have a set of tables to use to figure out exactly where each little darling is studying movement or music or art or dance. This year, thanks to the fact that one of our specials teachers is a techie, the specials "DAY" is shown all day on each and every television, alternating with the lunch schedule, the announcements, coming events and generally a nice picture or two. On Friday, the teacher found the coolest picture for Columbus Day! It was a picture of two ships sailing toward a cliff and one of the ships was in the process of falling off the edge of the world. I didn't hear any concerns about whether it was a little too frightening for the youngest and most sensitive of our students, but it was a great picture.

What is your favorite?

2008-10-05T14:11:00.002-04:00

What is your favorite Mexican food? Of course, I guess that could mean "favorite type of Mexican food" or "favorite Tex-Mex restaurant" or "favorite Fast Food 'Mexican' food," so have at it--answer it however you like.

Salute to Ky

2008-09-24T19:44:00.003-04:00

If you know me, you know that I have lots of connections to diabetes. Some people are really turned off by that. I guess they are afraid that if they acknowledge diabetes, they make themselves more vulnerable to it. I wish it were that simple. It grabbed my family long before I was born, by taking my grandfather when my mom was 13.

Then, many years later, it was diagnosed in my little brother when he was ten. It was pretty cruel to him and finally took his life in 2001. I walked in many walk-a-thons for him when I was young. When he was diagnosed in 1970, we were told that a cure was ten years away.

Diabetes grabbed me in 1982 when I was 26. It was the same type of diabetes, Juvenile Onset, but it had allowed me a few extra years before it changed my life.

If that wasn't enough punishment, diabetes visited my family again when my three-year old daughter was diagnosed. She has made the best of it all and although she cannot ever remember a time when she didn't have diabetes, I can. I wish she could enjoy the carefree joy of eating food for the taste, not for the carb count.

Rant over.

Ky has formed a team to walk in a Diabetes Walk A Thon in Roanoke, VA this weekend. She has a site for information and donations at:

http://walk.jdrf.org/walker.cfm?id=87177414

Okay, blogger wouldn't let me post it without retyping it all, so if that isn't right, please let me know. I hope you'll visit this page and encourage Ky on her walk or, better yet, donate!!

Thanks!

A Somber Day

2008-09-11T21:34:00.002-04:00

Although today is somber in the remembrance of what happened seven years ago, I'd like to wish my niece Happy Birthday yesterday and my sister Happy Birthday tomorrow. I'd love to be with both of them, or even either of them, but distance will prevent that. I love you both!!

Monday, Monday

2008-09-08T21:15:00.002-04:00

So, why is a Monday such a dreaded day?

I think a Monday, in itself, isn't so bad. I think the dreaded part is that it feels like it is so far from Friday.

Here in lovely Fairfax County, elementary school kids get off school early on Mondays. It is supposed to allow the teachers to have time to "collaborate," and "plan," and whatever else they do. I can't exactly say what the teachers do during their Monday afternoons, but they have now progressed to the point that they get substitutes to collaborate and plan on other days of the week. We've got to be the most collaborative, planned group that has ever existed.

Of course, we're also known for having a very tough school system and we turn out lots of wonderful high school graduates. Of course, high school is a long way from elementary school.

I'm totally against the idea of trying to teach kids that school is fun. School is hard work sometimes, when you are surrounded by your peers, I guess, but that in itself isn't always fun. Learning is fun. And to learn, one must work. I think a lot of kids feel like they have been deceived when they reach about third grade and find that those multiplications tables are no fun at all and that there is no easy way to learn them. I still have trouble remembering some of the 6s, 7s, and 8s. I get them eventually, but I have to think about them.

Hooray!

2008-09-07T20:12:00.003-04:00

Hooray! It was beautifully dry today!

I'm so glad I didn't clean out the squirrel nest that was in our squirrel feeder in the gazebo! During the storm yesterday, I took the dog out and noticed something was in the feeder/nest moving around. I could see why--it was dry and nothing else was! I never saw who it was, but I am quite sure it was a squirrel--or two.

The basement is okay now and I hope we can get the sump pump fixed before the next deluge. I am, however, quite behind in my weekend work because I missed getting to do chores yesterday. Ah, well, the laundry is done and the house can be a little messier than usual for a few extra days.

We went to an Empty Nest party last night. It was a lot of fun and each couple's children's ears should have burned all night! It is almost like withdrawal, however, to return to a household without a child in it after at least 18 years!

Prayers, please!

2008-09-06T12:37:00.001-04:00

We are now getting the rain from Hanna. It isn't bad, it's just that there is a lot of it. And our basement is flooding. Please pray that our backs will hold out and that we can stay ahead of the rain!

Thanks!

Hello to Ky!

2008-09-04T22:39:00.001-04:00

Two down...

2008-09-03T21:22:00.002-04:00

Man, this year is going slowly!

As a team-building exercise this year, we all got little buckets. Little tin buckets with our names on them. The rest of the staff got an explanation and a bunch of large drop-shaped papers and they knew what the little buckets were for. We, in the office, have made our official "team" motto: "Last to know, first to get blamed." So, we had the little buckets and no idea why. I had nicknamed them "little buckets o' blame" for the fact that we really do get blamed for everything, whether we had anything to do with the problem or not.

When I arrived today, however, I had a little drop paper in my bucket that had a nice thing on it. Something about my greeting this anonymous person with a smile every day. (If I'm grumpy some day, will that drop evaporate????) Then, later, one of my APs put another drop in the bucket. Apparently, the buckets are supposed to be places where you can give each other kudos. Some day, when I have nothing to do, I'll think of something nice someone has done and give them a drop. If I can find their bucket. Which will be in their locked classroom unless they are in said classroom, which will make the drop not a surprise.

Okay, there's a fire drill tomorrow. Our first of the year. We must have one per week for the first four weeks, then one a month for the rest of the year. It is a wonder we get anything else done. I'm generally in charge of the grunt work for the fire drills and tomorrow we'll see how many mistakes I've made updating the lists and procedures. We have a crazy-huge population for an elementary school, so seldom do these things go off without some sort of fire faux pas. You must call one phone number ten minutes before the drill, then another number when the fire drill is pulled and get outside. Sometimes someone decides they have too much work and they are just going to stay indoors. Sometimes the fire department comes anyway and they inspect the building. If they find someone inside, the fire drill doesn't count and we have to do it all over again. So much planning takes place prior to the drill! It can't be a day when we have visitors (groups) or when we are testing. It needs to be while groups are in classes and not in the halls. The weather needs to be just right. It needs to be before lunches begin (10:50 a.m.) or after they end (1:40) and not between 1 and 2, when the Head Start kids are napping. It also can't be after 10:30 a.m. since that is when the cafeteria staff eats their "lunch." Mondays are out entirely since our student's day ends at 12:45 on Mondays. What a pain. When I'm queen, I'm just gonna walk out in the hall and pull the lever. Done. That is how fires happen, anyway.

We did have a fire once. Or twice. One time was just as our renovations were being completed and an electrical closet caught fire. It was a week before school was to begin, though, so it didn't count. :-| The second one was odd. In the office, we smelled smoke and couldn't decide where it was coming from. Finally, the Principal decided to just call 911 and pull the fire alarm to evacuate the building. The FD arrived and we told them about the smell. They went into the office with a weird-looking gun and pointed it around the room. A few minutes later, we returned to the office and I noticed that my computer monitor was being taken away. It had been on fire! They showed me what it looked like through the weird gun. Yikes. I coulda burned up!

Wish us luck with the Fire Drill. Oh, yeah. We are really wild at HW!

First Day of School

2008-09-02T18:06:00.002-04:00

Is there any day more depressing than the first day of school? Okay, stay-at-home moms are not allowed to answer that!

The phones rang all day long! We had parents who couldn't wait to get rid of their kids and those who couldn't stand letting their children go to their assigned class alone. (We are supposed to discourage parents from going to the classrooms because it is so disruptive. Also, parents have a way of asking the teachers "just one more question...") I try to direct all of my communications to the student, since I like for the child to have a chance to learn how to talk to adults and I feel that I am a safe person for them to practice on. Sometimes, the parents won't let their child answer anything. I feel that such children benefit more from school than from anything else!

Oh, well, it was the usual crazy day at school.

One down, 179 to go.

That is really depressing.

Home Sweet Home

2008-08-24T18:18:00.003-04:00

Last Friday, we drove two cars down to BBurg to move Ky into her new "home." She lives in a great dorm at Tech and has a wonderful roommate who shares her first name. In fact, the one thing that seems to be stressful for Ky is that there are so many of them who have the same first name! I'm sure things will even out once classes begin tomorrow.

When we arrived, the campus was packed and wall-to-wall lines of cars jockeying for position in the limited "unloading zones." We finally made our way to the right side of campus :-) and took Ky's things up to the 4th floor. I love elevators! I didn't notice that this picture had a door open that obscures some of the room. Just imagine two built-in wardrobes and small desk/vanities and a sink on the right.

Please join me in praying for a smooth start for Ky's freshman year!

Ky, please keep us updated with pictures!

How Big IS That Dorm Room?

2008-08-22T00:12:00.002-04:00

Happy Birthday to BTTB Bob!

2008-08-19T20:45:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday to my wonderful BIL Bob! Here he is with Ky at her graduation!

He's BTTB!

She's home!

2008-08-09T22:49:00.003-04:00

Sorry for the week-long hiatus from blogging. K went to Blacksburg to pick Ky up last Saturday. Ky had a great experience there and won an extra small scholarship from the campus bookstore! She came home exhausted and has spent a lot of time asleep. My main concern is that she gets enough time off to be ready to hit it again in only two weeks!

This past week we spent (mostly) shopping. It is funny, but we spent a good amount of time in places like Bed Bath and Beyond and Linens 'N Things and each place had at least one or two other Mother-Daughter off-to-college teams.

Needless to say, I've thoroughly enjoyed my week!

:-))

Tomorrow's the day!

2008-08-02T00:02:00.002-04:00

Guess who comes home tomorrow! I can't wait to see Ky again. We have a few short days before she has to go back for the fall semester. Please pray that she will have a great semester and that all her travels go smoothly.

Thanks!

Visiting Tech

2008-07-26T13:56:00.003-04:00

Well, we just returned from a visit to Virginia Tech. You see, our daughter, Ky, is scheduled to begin school there within a month. She was admitted to a special summer program called STEP which stands for Student Transitioning into the Engineering Program, or something similar. It started June 29 and we'll have to drive back down next Saturday to pick her up. On June 29, I was not sure I'd survive this long.

Ky has had three classes during this summer program: Chemistry, Calculus and Engineering. How's that for an exciting summer camp experience! She is getting a taste of what school will be like in the fall. They are hoping to give these students an idea of how rigorous the coursework will be in the fall. And how little sleep they'll get!

VT is in a nice college town. It reminds me of what Bryan and College Station were like when we lived there in the 80s. I love college towns.

I wish I had taken some pictures. Okay, just close your eyes. Picture a nice college with everyone you see wearing either bright orange or maroon. There. That's it! :-)

Interesting visit today

2008-07-20T21:46:00.002-04:00

I went to church last night so I could attend a different church this morning. I'm supposed to sing at this different church next weekend. I sang with this church throughout the fall a couple of years ago, starting with the rehearsals for their Christmas program until the program was performed and then I was done. It gave me a good look at the place.

The place itself is nice. It is modern (I like that) with clean lines and open spaces. The choir (of which I was a part) sits off to one side while the majority of the congregation sits in the "audience" area. The Director of Music had only been there two weeks by the time I first arrived, so he was quite confused when I suddenly was gone at the end of December. He is an excellent pianist and organist. The most important part of the music here is that it is traditional. That is getting more and more rare these days.

The senior pastor is a man who looks like one of my old bosses. He has some of the same mannerisms, too. This man, however, is a very controlling guy. He is nice and has a charismatic personality.

I got involved with this church a couple of years ago when two friends from Chorale asked me if I wanted to sing with the choir for Christmas. I love to sing Christmas songs and I've noticed that choruses often are able to sing things that aren't typically sung. I mean, more than Jingle Bells and other little ditty songs. My friends told me that this church is very liberal and that they are congregational. That is an odd description, to me. Anyway, after listening to this pastor speak for a couple of months, I have concluded that they have no theology. I honestly don't know why they gather.

The service starts off with a nice prelude played on the organ or the piano. They have a welcome and announcement monologue. There is a song while the candles are lighted. Then, they have a written prayer that everyone reads in unison, ending with the Lord's Prayer. They specify that we are to say "trespasses" instead of "sins" and I guess that is very helpful. The pastor opens the floor up to anyone's prayers and praises. During this time today, they announced that there would be a special time on a certain Sunday evening in August. They will be having a demonstration and time for reflection using Tibetan Singing Bowls.

Next, is the Time of Centering. During this time, the pastor reads a story or poem (NEVER does it come from the Bible) and then offers to let everyone close their eyes to meditate on it. After that, they have two readings. At least one is from the "Hebrew Bible" which is what they call the Old Testament. The second reading today was from the Hebrew Bible, as well.

The pastor then delivers his sermon. It is sometimes a story or sometimes it starts with a Bible story. Today, it was about Guardian Angels and came from the text in Genesis 28 about Jacob's Ladder. I've heard numerous sermons about Jacob's Ladder before, but this one was unique. In it, somehow, the pastor came around to explaining about God's love. He said that their denomination was different. "The reason we are different is because we are worthy of God's love." I was watching for fire from above or something similar. None came, probably because God already knew what was going on there. I believe he was probably making reference to the fact that this denomination claims that they accept people from all walks of life, all religions are free to worship there with them and everyone is allowed to believe whatever they choose.

This denomination has gone gender-neutral, which has really caused some inconveniences. They had a couple of baptisms today and I was surprised to hear them baptized in the name of "the Father, The Son and The Holy Ghost, Creator of the Universe and Mother of Us All." That's the only time I've heard "father" and "son" used. Usually, the trinity is referred to as "Creator, Christ, and Holy Ghost." I'll admit, the changes make me listen more intently, because I don't hear the usual phrases. It has wreaked havoc with the hymnals. They are ALL gender-neutral, so the older folks are singing their old familiar songs, knowing that "man" refers to "human" and willing to call God their "Father," while those who are reading the hymns are tripping over odd phrasing and convoluted rhyme that just doesn't often make much sense. I tried to sing those with an open mind, after all, I can remember as a young girl wondering why God seemed only concerned with "men" in all the songs.

Okay, after the very PC sermon, there is an offering and then the Doxology and another hymn and the pastor gives a benediction. It is all ended with a glorious postlude played on the organ. I REALLY enjoy listening to an organ that is well-played!

I have enjoyed getting to know this church. We have had to change churches at times for one reason or another and each move has caused me to reexamine what I believe and why I believe it. I sat next to a woman on the plane last week who went to a church that I know a lot about and she told me that her denomination was right because they did one thing that mine doesn't do. I told her that was fine. She then told me that Jesus told his disciples to do this thing at a certain interval. I turned to her and told her that I have searched through the Bible and have never found that to be true. She said, well, the Bible says that the Early Christians did that. No, I told her, that is not in the Bible. I really hope she went home and searched for herself. I am appalled at people who are supposedly well-versed telling others the wrong stuff.

This pastor today said that Jacob was the first Biblical character who set out to go away from someplace with no knowledge of where he was going. How could he miss Abraham, or Noah's sons, or even Adam and Eve when they were sent out of the Garden of Eden? He also described Jesus' baptism as "John pouring water over Jesus' head." It made me thing that he, like so many others, just teach to shock people. I wish he'd get his facts straight and teach. There were people there who needed him to tell the truth about the Bible. I guess I sound old-fashioned. Maybe that's not a bad thing.

Radar, again

2008-07-17T22:32:00.003-04:00

His best side.

Okay, Blogger just doesn't like the photo I'd like to post. I'll try again later.

Thanks Blogger!!

8-((

Radar, again

2008-07-17T22:25:00.004-04:00

Isn't he cute?

I'm having trouble uploading another picture.

We play catch sometimes, but it really is "Radar in the middle!"

Okay, it won't accept the next picture. I'll have to try again later.

Blogger = :-((

2008-07-08T11:46:00.001-04:00

Okay, here's another interesting item listed on my local freecycle postings list:

Offer: Polish Pottery Large Cheeselady

What in the world is that?

Things

2008-07-05T16:03:00.002-04:00

Ky seems to be doing well. She has plenty to do to stay out of trouble, but it is hard to find yourself planted in an entirely different environment with complete strangers and to function well. If anyone can do it, she can.

The group she is with had a cookout yesterday and watched fireworks and saw a movie. Sounds like fun, doesn't it? I hope she makes some good friends there.

Please keep her in your prayers.

Thanks!

We're back!

2008-06-29T21:00:00.002-04:00

Well, we took Ky to V Tech today. It was sad to know that I'll miss her, but it was great to know that she will have such a wonderful opportunity. She is at STEP, which is Students Transitioning into Engineering Program. It is a five-week workshop in which students who are entering Engineering at Tech study Chemistry, Engineering, and Mathematics study those subjects with real professors. They will have tough assignments and lots of work. They will see how tough it is and how much work they will have to do before it really counts. They will use computers like those they will use in the Fall. These are tablet laptops and I would think familiarity with them would be a plus before the semester begins.

It is possible that Ky will decide she really doesn't want to do this much work for 4-5 more years. That's fine. I think she's been doing comparable work for the past year or two (five AP classes this year and two the year before and one during her sophomore year) and will enjoy the challenge. She is also still somewhat shy, but is learning to deal with that and has become much bolder in the past few years. She tells us that she plans to meet each of her profs just to meet them and she plans to not be ashamed to ask them for help.

Today, I was reminded how much I love college towns. Blacksburg is a cute little town arranged around the campus. It has a neighboring town called Christiansburg. I feel the area will suit Ky just fine. They even have a bus system to use--even if they want to go to the nearby WallyWorld! Is that great, or what??

As smart as she is, and as hard a worker as she has become, I plan to pray for her daily. I hope you'll join in and pray for her, too.

I'll miss her a lot, but she really seems to belong there.

Packing for the next stage

2008-06-28T14:21:00.002-04:00

Today is devoted to packing Ky up for her five-week stint at college. :-(

The frown is for her dad and me.

She is ready, of that I am sure. We are not, of that I am also sure. We'll survive, but it will be hard to change our lives this way. Other friends who will be packing their kids off to college soon will be able to add, "well, at least we won't have his/her temper tantrums" or "the house will finally be quieter" or something like that. We don't really have an upside that I can predict because Ky is fairly quiet, respectful and a very peaceful person. She is the same in public as she is in private. Just. plain. nice.

Wish I could say I know the secret to raising a really, really nice child into a great adult, but I don't. She came that way, pretty much. We were very tough when she was young (18 months until about 4) because we felt everyone needed to learn discipline and the younger you learn it, the easier and more naturally it comes. She is the most disciplined person I've ever known. She learns quickly and remembers everything. (Too much, sometimes!)

All in all, the only explanation is that God gave us a wonderful child who has grown into a fantastic adult. He gets all the credit and deserves all the glory. I'm sure she has only begun her journey and I'm excited to see where she will go. As long as she goes where He chooses, she'll do well.

Please pray for her and for us.

Thanks. :-)

How Time Flies!!!

2008-06-21T23:19:00.003-04:00

Could it really be that Ky has finished high school? As much as I'd like to deny it, she finished, and she finished well. This is a shot of her receiving a "Scholar's Medal" which is given to graduates with over a 4.0 average. There were 28 students who received those, I think. She worked very hard for 13 years to do that. I don't think it is something one can just decide to do once one enters high school, but it takes years of dedication and hard work. I'm very proud of her for her educational accomplishments, but am even more proud of her the quiet, gentle spirit she wears so naturally.

What a week!

2008-06-06T22:59:00.002-04:00

This has been a crazy week! Monday seemed tame enough, but at work things were chaotic, as usual. I mean, chaos is standard procedure in my school. Then, Tuesday morning, a girl in our sixth grade who had been suffering with an inoperable brain tumor died at 8 a.m. For some reason, the principal waited until about 1:30 p.m. to finish the letter she wanted sent home to all the parents via backpack. That meant we had to duplicate the letter, manually fold it and stuff it in envelopes, count it out and get it to all the classrooms by 2:30 p.m. We have over 1000 students, so this was a monumental task. Chaos, as usual.

We arrived Wednesday, as did about 10 school psychologists and social workers to try to help any children or their parents deal with this tragedy. Little Amy hadn't been in school since early December, and I remember being very sad at that time.

Wednesday afternoon, around 2 or so, the wind whipped up and a storm came through. We lost our electricity and even though it was dismissal time (at 3:15) we sent all the children downstairs as if we were having a tornado drill. Parents started phoning in asking what we were doing and whether we'd be dismissing the kids into this terrible storm! Over and over again, we answered that we'd keep the kids in school until we felt it was safe to release them. Parents started arriving at school to pick up their kids. Why do they think their little sedan is safer in a tornado or a bad storm than a big, heavy school bus with professional drivers and a staff that had coordinated the routes around the closed roads? There were many roads closed due to fallen trees. The traffic lights were mostly out. Extra cars on the roads help out a lot!

We got the kids home safely that day and dealt with power outages at home, too. Our power was out until midnight. Ugh. Fortunately, the refrigerator was not very full and we didn't lose too much in the way of food. We kept our freezers closed and that food was fine.

The next day was Thursday. I arrived at school a little before 7 a.m. and noticed that we still didn't have power. One of my co-workers called the principal, who told her that we were supposed to have school that day even though we had no power. There were about 40 schools without power that day. They had all the children arrive, then let us know (unofficially) that they were going to release us early--around 11. We only got official word at 10:15 or so! That means that 1000 kids have to call home to be certain there is an adult to meet them. Several of our phones weren't working and many of the children didn't know a phone number for their parent. Some kids got verbal permission to go home with someone else on a bus, but the bus driver wouldn't let them because they didn't have written permission. Needless to say, that was another hectic dismissal with confused kids and angry parents.

Today was Friday. Our school, along with about six others, still had no power. I got to stay home today. Sounds good, right? We'll have to stay in school an extra day since we missed a day today. Actually, we are still getting out a day early, however, since they already shortened the year by two days just about two weeks ago. Confused? Yeah, me too. All of our deadlines have suddenly changed. Ugh.

Another chaotic week at Hunters Woods!

Update

2008-06-01T16:37:00.003-04:00

I just went outdoors to the gazebo and found that the babies are all out of the nest. So's the mom. It could be that she moved them since the nest had become so popular. They were pretty big already, though. They have skinny rat tails instead of nice, bushy tails. Their mom wasn't much larger than they were. I hope they can survive. We have a neighbor cat who would love to torment them. Radar likes to think he will catch a squirrel, too.

Babies

2008-05-31T16:55:00.006-04:00

We have a gazebo. It's not pretty, but it came with our house. I hope we can sell our house before the gazebo needs to be dismantled. Nuff said.

Anyway, a few years ago, when the squirrels were keeping fat on our bird seed, Ky and I made a squirrel feeder and put it on the gazebo. It is not that close to the bird feeder, so it might work.

For a while, we were good at keeping it stocked with peanuts, but peanuts also have a cost and the squirrels were always walking out without paying for their meals. The squirrel feeder soon became just another odd ornament. About two months ago, I cleaned out the squirrel feeder, which is mostly a gallon jar in a wooden harness. I felt good about having the thing at least look clean. About a month ago, I noticed that someone had filled the jar with leaves or mud, or something brown. I mentioned this to Ky, who investigated and saw that it had become a nest for some baby squirrels.

Okay, I can't get the pictures to be "below" so you'll have to scroll back up to see them. I'll try with another shot:

Didn't work. Oh, well. I think the little squirrels are cute. Pretty soon, they'll be eating up lots of seeds and causing trouble. Still, it is fascinating. Mom Squirrel likes to sit in the entrance and watches every move we make. If we get too close, however, she runs off and that's how I got the pictures.

God made some pretty animals!

Prom 2008

2008-05-27T22:20:00.004-04:00

Prom was a little more than a week ago. This year, Ky and her good friends, Mag, D, Cath, J and M all went to eat at a restaurant and then to the prom and finally, to the After-Prom. Why don't they have an After After-Prom?

Graduation is coming, heigh ho, heigh ho!

2008-05-13T22:13:00.003-04:00

Ky graduates on June 16, 9:30 a.m. Anyone who wants to be there, is welcome. I plan to be there. She is going to the prom this weekend. She has finished 4 of her 5 AP tests this year. The last one is a make-up test since she had two scheduled at the same time. It is on the 23rd, I believe. It is English, which is a good one to finish out on. That means the tough ones--calc, German, computer science and physics, are done. Okay, English won't be easy, but having the others a couple of weeks after the rest would be torture.

Ky will have several pieces of graduation regalia to wear for the different honor societies. I can't recall all that she will wear. She's heard nothing from NHS (Nat'l Honor Society) and it appears that the hardest part of that group was the application. Just about the only part of NHS was the application! They have a choice of cords and tassels for most of the honor groups.

My graduation had no such fun stuff. I was in NHS, but don't recall that we had anything to show for it. I lived back in the boring old days. I need to remember to do a post on my early, black-and-white years. I don't know how (or why) we stayed awake during it all!

Anyway, stay posted for exciting graduation/prom stuff. I'll see if I can find time to count down the days, too.

I'm really proud of Ky for working so long and so hard! I only had 12 years of school! She's had an extra year--Kindergarten! I'm surprised I was able to get through all 12 years, and here, she's ahead of me. How did the teachers cram learning colors and letters and numbers into first grade with all that other stuff. Memories of first grade--that's another post!

Ky's prayer requests!

2008-05-06T22:29:00.002-04:00

FYI:

Ky is taking her AP tests this week and next. Then, she has one final one on the 23rd. Please keep her in your prayers. She has worked VERY hard all year and knows just about everything the teachers have tried to teach her, but I just pray that she'll be able to pull it out of her memory in the correct order and think straight during her tests. Today's test was Computer Science and the teacher admitted early in the year that he would only be teaching them about half of what they needed to do well on the exam :-( That makes for a rather depressing beginning to the testing weeks, doesn't it? Regardless, Ky remains confident that she is ready for tomorrow's test--BC Calculus. Someone asked her the other day if the BC stood for "Before Christ!" That brought all sorts of fun pictures into my head, of guys riding donkeys with slide rules and calculators, doing derivatives and integrals! I don't know what BC stands for, but it is the tougher of the two Calculus classes.

Next week, Ky has German and Physics (ugh) and finishes up the AP testing on the 23rd with English.

Also, Ky and her dad will be performing at a youth group coffeehouse on Friday night. They will play Orange Blossom Special--one of my favorite fiddling tunes. They sound great! Prayers for that would also be appreciated!

Monday, Monday

2008-04-28T21:56:00.005-04:00

I used to hate Mondays at work. I mean, they always seemed to catch everyone off-guard. More mistakes were made and lots of interruptions occurred, etc. At my present job with my present boss, however, every day seems like a Monday.

There is a great poster from Despair.com that I just really enjoy. Here it is:

http://www.despair.com/leaders.html

Our plan of action each day is:

1. Wait for fire.

2. Put fire out.

3. Do damage control.

4. Repeat.

I know it seems like I'm joking, but I'm not.

Take today, for instance. About eight kids were in the gym today when a fire extinguisher was used. The principal spoke to each child and had him/her write their version of what happened down. Each kid claimed they were innocent, so the principal called each parent and told them that since no one would rat out the perp, they all got to stay 1.5 hours after school each day this week to work as the custodians' assistants, since the custodian was the one who had to clean up the mess from the fire extinguisher.

Okay, the principal didn't catch one parent, so, before she left for a meeting, she had me relay the message to the parent. Luckily, this parent took it all pretty well and that wasn't so bad. Then, however, school was over and these eight kids reported to ME to find out what their after-school duties were. The custodian on duty at that time speaks very little English, so I had to escort the kids around the building to locate her and try to explain to her what to do. She had to stop her work and give them all the supplies they needed to clean the windows, walls, etc. Have you ever seen what a window looks like when a 12-year old is asked to clean it? A 12-year old who doesn't really care whether it is clean or not? I think the kids did a little time cleaning some of the bathrooms, too, but they seemed to have a great time.

Time with principal: 0 minutes

Time with me, keeping me from my work: 20 minutes

Time with custodian, keeping her from her work: 1 hour

Guess what? This scene will be repeated each afternoon this week!

Day after day, I am left in the office with several kids who were too unruly to be handled in the classroom. Am I trained in classroom management? How about child behavior? Am I licensed to care for any children?

Answer "NO" for all the above.

Do I have a job to do besides watching unruly kids?

The principals (we have a principal and two APs) are in meetings nearly every day, many of them are offsite. I'm not sure how they are supposed to use all this newfound knowledge they get during these meetings since they are seldom in the office.

I've decided the policy-makers haven't been in a school (on the front lines) in so many years, they have no idea what actually occurs in a real school. Do they really think kids sit in desks in straight lines and walk quietly to and from the lunch room?

Instead, should someone from the superintendent's office happen to come by, we must suspend our work for two days cleaning and decorating so they will think things are wonderful in the schools. I'd love to have the assist superintendent walk in while a teacher, a counselor and an assistant principal are trying to coax a mean, unruly little eight year old (who weighs about 70 pounds) into the office so his screaming and crying and whining won't disturb anyone except those of us in the office.

Schools aren't what they used to be!

Waning Senior Year!

2008-04-21T18:53:00.002-04:00

Well, Ky is finishing out her senior year. She is taking 5 (count them FIVE!) AP classes! The AP tests begin on May 6 and occur almost daily until May 13, then she has a make-up test on May 23. She is doing very well in all of her classes, but some of the teachers are not teaching to the test and have told the classes to expect lower scores just because they haven't been able to cover all the required material. That's okay since Ky didn't really need any of the credits, but she's done an awful lot of work and it will be disappointing to see that, although she has mastered the material she has been given, it is still not enough.

She decided to attend Virginia Tech next year and is in the process of filling out all the necessary forms. There is the "themed housing" application, the "STEP" summer school application, and the other scholarship applications that must still be submitted.

Keep Ky in your prayers, as her allergies have kicked in for the spring and she isn't able to get much sleep.

Hang in there, Ky! I'm proud of all the work you've done!

Back Home Again!

2008-04-18T21:25:00.004-04:00

Thanks for the prayers for our trip. This year, we had great bus drivers, great buses, great kids and great fun. We didn't get great scores, but that's okay. That's not what the trip is about, IMO. It didn't rain inside the bus this year, so I was happy. The driver didn't pull over for a nap in a deserted gas station, either.

The buses were pretty cool. They were new and had an interesting DVD system. Every six or eight seats had a video screen where you could watch either a DVD or DirectTV. I was in the front right seat and was in control of the entire system. No manual, but no worries. I hate manuals and wouldn't have read one anyway.

Disney World is a great place. It feels like utopia. If everyone acted and reacted to others the way the Disney employees do, the world would be a better place. It all comes at a cost, though. $$$$$

Okay, the pope is in town. I'm not Catholic, so I just don't get the importance of it. I like not having to go to God through a priest or a pope. The red shoes were cool, though. I don't know why anyone would go to the trouble of going downtown to watch the pope on a giant screen TV. It doesn't seem like you are really seeing the person, to me. They have started putting a few opera performances out on the giant screens like that and I'd love to see one of those. Hearing the pope's voice in person isn't worth the trouble to me.

****************

I've been doing a lot of thinking in the past week or two and I hope it will make me a better person. Keep me in your prayers!

OFF TO ORLANDO!

2008-04-09T18:01:00.001-04:00

Keep us in your prayers!

Travel for Dummies

2008-04-07T20:22:00.003-04:00

Speaking of traveling, I'll be chaperoning 51 orchestra students from my daughter's school on a bus to Orlando. Yee-ha. Ya know how many hours that is in a bus???

This will be my fourth trip. The first year, I was mostly a spectator. Bus trip to Orlando. A long trip, but a lot of fun. During this trip, one of the other chaps asked me to join the Orchestra Boosters Board of Directors, which I did. That pretty much guaranteed me a spot on any trip we took.

The second trip was to NYC. Short trip, crazy trip and although I enjoyed NYC, I don't want to escort 50 teens there. We saw Phantom of the Opera and hadn't really told the kids where the bus would be afterward because the chaperones were supposed to call the bus driver after the show and he'd tell us where he was able to park the bus. (Not many bus parking lots there!) So, when the show was over, we had to herd the kids and try to scream to them the location of the bus. We had a few mishaps, in addition, that night, but we eventually got everyone to the bus. Moral of that story: it is really crowded after the shows let out in NYC. The theaters are generally in the same area of town, many on the same block, and they all finish their shows at approximately the same time. It reminded me of the hallways in high school.

The third year's trip took us to Atlanta. Okay, so it was quite a bit less exciting than the other trips. We did, however, get to hear the Atlanta Symphony play. Earlier the same day, our kids had the pleasure of performing in that very same performance location! If you are a performer, the previous sentence means more than if you've never performed.

On the ride home from Atlanta, the one of the other chaperones and I talked about where "we'd" like to go this year. I told her, in no uncertain terms, I would love to return to WDW in Orlando. Why? Well, in spite of the fact that the trip would be long, the thing I like most is that there is so little to plan. Really, most of what you do is arrange a bus trip down and a hotel for the stay. When you visit a city, you have to do that AND arrange some sort of entertainment. The Broadway show and a walk through Times Square at night. The kids were walking blindly down the street trying to take pictures in every direction and the chaperones were having to herd them back onto the sidewalks and keep them from crossing streets in front of cars, etc! It was crazy. Try to find a restaurant that will feel 50-60 people at once in NYC that doesn't cost an arm and a leg. Try to find things to do that are legal that 50 teens won't roll their eyes at! When it comes right down to it, Orlando is a chaperone's dream. Take 'em to the park, tell them you want them to check with you at noon so they can pick up the money you have for them for lunch, then repeat for dinner and give them a time for evening pick-up.

Just in case you ever find yourself planning a trip for a large group of teens!

Blogs

2008-03-27T21:13:00.002-04:00

Have you ever thought about what different people's blogs are like? Just read a few and you'll get an idea of the "message" they are sending.

Some like to just journal. "Went shopping today. Saw a movie."

Some are based on a theme. (ho-hum)

Some are like regular editions of a newspaper. Monday is about X, Tuesday is about Y, skip Wednesday, Thursday is about Z and Friday is about the weekend. I admire people who blog like that because by the time I get to my computer to blog, I'm so tired I can't recall what day this is!

Then, there those who like to read all over the internet for odds and ends. It's almost a one-ups-manship type of thing. Okay, that may not be a word. Sorry, but you get my drift. It reminds me of Google's or Yahoo's "odd news" links. I guess that is interesting, but if I wanted to find the weirdest story online today, I'd be doing that instead of reading your blog.

What is my blog like? I don't know. There's no rhyme or reason to what I write. My purpose for writing is often to signal to the few who read it that I am still alive.

Ky used to journal a lot. She was determined to write something every day. So, most of her entries were, and I quote: "Norm day." Those are some of my favorites. I'm so glad she wrote. It captured a time period in her life that I'd otherwise have a hard time remembering--the day to day stuff, for certain. What will parents of kids do these days to do that?

Spring Break

2008-03-24T22:03:00.003-04:00

Today was back to school day. I really could have used another four hours of sleep! So, after Spring Break, we're on the downhill slide into summer! Hooray, if it weren't so long this year!

Over Spring Break, however, I got to do something I enjoy more than most anything else--spend time with Ky! She is such an interesting person and we had a couple of fun days at the mall looking for prom dresses! I'll remember those days for a long time!

We also went to visit one college that Ky was accepted to, but ended up not liking so much. That is progress! The choice is down to two, now! The decision must be made before May 1. I think the schools are as different as they can be, but we haven't visited one at all.

Does anyone know much about Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute? It is between RPI and Virginia Tech. RPI is near the Hudson River (close to Troy, NY--brrrrrr.) VT is in the hills of Virginny--Blacksburg. As Ky mentioned to me earlier, she didn't choose any warm places to go to school.

Well, cast your votes here, folks!

Five months

2008-03-19T12:09:00.001-04:00

In about five months, Ky will be going off to college. I can't believe it will happen so quickly. If she goes to VT, I believe she'll also be there for about five weeks during the summer, too.

What am I gonna do?

Spring Ramblings

2008-03-19T11:16:00.002-04:00

Spring brings many thoughts to mind.

...Flowers

...Showers

...Seed catalogs

...Warmth

...Break

...Pollen

...Allergies

...Cleaning

We're in the midst of our Spring Break right now and I have a bad case of the lazies.

We just got back from a road trip to Cleveland to check out a potential college for Ky. She liked the college less than the brochures, so I guess that's the last trip to Cleveland for us for a while. It is a nice place and the school was nice, but it has to be compared to Virginia Tech and that will be hard to beat.

When we returned home, there was a very happy puppy dog who served as our official Welcome to Virginia committee. We had a neighbor teen come by three to four times a day to walk him and play with him and check on him. She is an exceptional girl who Radar has seen on walks before.

Today, he won't leave my side. It is great to be loved and missed!

Ready, March!

2008-03-11T20:13:00.002-04:00

Can it be March already?

It is funny how time flies as I age. A day used to seem like a lifetime when I was a child. The week seemed like ages when I was in school. Now, the hours, days and years seem to fly by. Must be relativity at work.

Ky just picked up her graduation announcements. I remember when she was a year old going to another one-year-old's birthday party and the mom holding up her glass of juice (or probably milk) and toasting September, 1995. Why? Because that would be when we'd each put our kids on a school bus for the first time and finally have a life of our own again. Preschool was good, but small and I felt like I still had some control over my little one's life. The first day of kindergarten was a nightmare. For Ky. As soon as she got home, the questions began. "Do you like your teacher?" "Did you make friends with anyone new today?" "Do you have homework?" Believe it or not, that last one was asked in hopes that she did have homework. I just couldn't wait until she had homework. Last year, I was thinking that this would be the last year I'd have her home, but although she is home, she has a grueling schedule and enough homework to last three years.

I know it is preparing her for college. Without me. That may be the hardest part of the equation. She doesn't need me for much anymore. She walks, talks, reads, writes, she even drives--all by herself.

She has turned out rather nicely, if I may say so myself!

So, as we wait for the college decisions to be made, we'll talk and laugh with each other and maybe, just maybe, get to sneak out for a Starbucks every so often together.

Radar, The Innocent

2008-02-18T22:23:00.004-05:00

Just wanted to post another picture of Radar, the wonder dog. He's enjoyed a weekend of being pampered since Ky's been out of town. He is perfectly happy being spoiled rotten and nothing is too good for him.

What goes on in that itty-bitty brain? Not a lot, I'm certain. That's okay, his innocence is very appealing.

Have you ever noticed how innocence is appealing that way? People love children and pets for their innocence. Think of some adults who demonstrate some innocence. I like nearly every one of them I can think of. There aren't that many adults who allow themselves to seem innocent.

Think of the people who consider themselves just the opposite of innocent. Worldly wise, sophisticated, "been there, done that." How many of those folks do you hold dear? Not many, for me.

Just something to think about.

Fine Tuning

2008-02-18T22:15:00.002-05:00

Well, I listened to the tape of my recital today. Or at least most of it. In other words, I've heard enough!

Given: I missed a crucial note in Glitter and Be Gay and I will be sad about that until I am able to do it properly in public.

Okay, now for the rest of the tape. It really wasn't too bad. I need to take it to my teacher and see what he says. He'll be all happy and say how great it was. Okay, I'm not deaf. I know where the mistakes were. It helps me to just get them out in the open so I can deal with them. But overall, I am pretty pleased.

I learned a lot. First of all, be certain of the order of songs before you agree to do a recital. I had planned to to the hardest piece last. It got placed as the third from the last song I did. That threw off my timing and I didn't feel I was ready for it and that is my theory of how I missed the note. (It was Glitter and Be Gay--a torturous song from Bernstein's opera Candide. You can look it up on YouTube, especially when Kristen Chenowith does it and you'll love it. I happened to study the version done by Dawn Upshaw. I love her musicality better than Kirsten Chenowith. Dawn Upshaw actually sings it, Kirsten Chenowith gets silly and wimps out of the lower parts.

All of this is just me being picky, I know. I'll have to listen again when I have more time, but school resumes again tomorrow WAAAAY too early in the morning, so I need to get to bed.

Twenty-four hours ago

2008-02-10T17:45:00.000-05:00

Twenty-four hours ago, I was a basket case. Okay, it was really about 30 hours ago. I felt sick and worried. I really wanted to call off the entire performance! I finally decided I couldn't bail out and that helped make things a little better. We had all been up late Friday night due to my dress rehearsal, so I expected us all to sleep in. Kim got up and went to his early-Saturday-morning small group Bible study. He is the most reliable person I've ever known! I got up and made brunch around 10:30 and Laura got to eat a little before she went off to a rehearsal. She and a group of orchestra members accompanied the District High School chorus. It was about 3:30 before they actually performed, so Laura rehearsed, came home to do a little homework, went back and performed and then had to do some shopping for her German Club. I tried to lay low all day to rest up for the night's performance.

In the meantime, Kim was keeping everyone going. He coordinated Laura's comings and goings, took pictures of their performance and helped her arrange her schedule (of which I was pretty much oblivious!) to be sure she'd be home in time to ride with him to my recital. From our house, it takes about an hour to get to the church on Capitol Hill. He took me to dinner on the way to the bus and got me there just in time to catch the bus, which was a few minutes early. Whew!

I got to the church and waited for everyone else to arrive. Tim arrived and we both admitted that it was quite a frightening evening ahead of us.

The performance went quite well, but there were not very many people present. That was good, in that I made plenty of mistakes. That was bad because it was a fund raiser for the church choir. I still had some fabulous friends show up to hear me. Many thanks to Pam, Janelle, Cheryl and George! Okay, George was invited by Paul, but I believe he came to hear me. He is, by the way, a very talented pianist himself and I hope to get him on a stage soon.

Several of the choir members were there, too, and it was great to see them there. Traveling to Europe with that choir was a highlight in my memories and those folks are very special to me.

My very favorite audience members were there on the front row: Kim and Laura. They have been so supportive in the past few weeks. I am so blessed to have them both in my life.

Ugh.

2008-02-09T00:03:00.000-05:00

Well, I just got home from a ragged dress rehearsal. I don't think I was able to sing any of the songs as well as I had hoped. That is scary.

Then again, it was wonderful to be up on stage and to push myself so hard. I really enjoy performing and I love to perform with my accompanist and with the other soloist.

Now for some hot tea and rest.

Countdown!

2008-02-07T18:26:00.000-05:00

Today I had a lesson with my voice teacher--the last lesson I'll have before my recital. I thought he'd just run through several songs and give me a pep talk. No, we worked hard and I've got several things to try to correct before Saturday night. Ugh.

I've sung in public many times. I've sung solos many times in public. Each one is a little scary, but not nearly as scary as I used to think it would be before I started performing. In fact, while practicing, I can think of a way I think I might mess up and nearly always, that is what I'll do onstage! I really have to just keep myself from thinking of those things!

This performance is different. Before, I either was in a chorus or singing one or, at the most, two solos. This time, I may be singing eight solos and one duet. Okay, the duet also has a solo in it. That seems doable, but I need to keep my voice strong to get all the way from song 1 through song 9. Plus, song 9 is much tougher than songs 1 through 7. The last two are very tough.

Also, it isn't too hard to sing nine songs, but it is hard to sing nine songs loud enough to be heard in a church sanctuary--all the way to the back. I doubt we'll have that many people, and maybe they will sit closer, but it is tough.

Okay, now I've expressed most of my troubles. No pity or negativity allowed from this point on!

Tomorrow night, we'll go straight through the program and I'll let you know what I think.

Gulp!

Feb 3

2008-02-03T22:47:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to you,

Happy Birthday, dear Ki-im,

Happy Birthday to you!!!

Okay, once again, you can see that I can't turn the pictures around. Maybe that should be my blog's theme!

Recital plans

2008-01-31T17:20:00.000-05:00

Here is a poster my friend Tim did for our upcoming recital. I cannot figure out how to have it read correctly. I have re-done it about eight times and it remains sideways. I also can't figure out why my text is underlined. I'd appreciate any help from anyone who has a solution to either of those problems. Anyway, just turn your computer on its side and you'll be able to read this.

Impatience

2008-01-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

I have decided that I am impatient.

Why? Okay, only those people who don't know me well will say that. Those who know me will wonder what took me so long to admit it! I just got a hankering for an Uncrustable. Have you ever eaten one? I never would have if Ky hadn't been around. She dislikes sandwiches. I don't know that she has ever actually eaten a sandwich, but she is extremely sensitive to food textures. She's not quite a "food can't touch" type of person, but she's close. When she was young, she threw up every time we had spaghetti. I eventually realized that it wasn't because she was ill, but she simply couldn't tolerate the texture/taste mixture. Anyway, somehow she had an Uncrustable. She liked it, so I got some more. I eventually tasted them and I agree. They are good.

Uncrustables are pretty weird, though. They are a blob of jelly surrounded by an even layer of peanut butter which is surrounded by two slices of bread crimped all the way around in a circle to keep everything neat and tidy. No crusts, either. (I LOVE crusts, but that's a different story.) Uncrustables are meant to be kept in your freezer and you get one out and it thaws in about half an hour.

As I said, I got a hankering for an Uncrustable. Got it out of the freezer and carried it around. I don't really want to know what would happen if I microwaved it. It would be a cool experiment, though! I finally ate the thing frozen. It just took too long and I was thinking about all the pb & j goodness. MmmmmmmmGOOD!

It's not really very good frozen.

Now you know and you don't have to try it yourself.

I think I need some Diet Dr. Pepper!

Texas, our Texas

2008-01-19T21:39:00.000-05:00

Here I am in Texas, until tomorrow, that is. I have been visiting my parents at their home in the Lone Star State. I was hoping for some warm weather, but they have had weather comparable to that taking place in my hometown. Thanks, Texas. It really doesn't matter. Who spends that much time outdoors, anyway? Certainly not I.

We have had a good time together, but my mom apparently hadn't been to a hospital in a few weeks and needed to go. Yesterday afternoon, that's where we ended up. She is still in the hospital, but she seems (to me) to be back to her normal wonderful self. Now, all she needs to do is convince the doctors that she is back to herself and she can break out of there.

Have you ever noticed how hospitals keep the peace? The do it by keeping visitors/guests/patients confused and lost. Lots of doors, misleading signs, multiple sets of elevators. Most people in hospitals look as though they are wandering around in their jammies. While visiting Mom today, I left to retrieve a newspaper. I went downstairs, asked for directions and followed them. Each path was traveled several times as I felt that I was following the signs, only to find that they led to dead-ends or a set of double doors with "Authorized personnel only" signs. I eventually went outside, found a small building and asked a workman for directions. He sent me off in a different direction. Once I found the correct building, I asked a security guard for directions. He told me to go to the "vending area" I'd find at the end of a certain hall. I went up and down that hall about eight to ten times before I found the newspaper machine. Then, I needed a drink. I decided I had explored pretty successfully already and I took off down a different hallway. I had already traveled about 15 minutes in order to find this vending area, so I felt I would have to ask for directions to return anyway, so I might as well explore a little more. As I took that hallway, I noticed that things looked pretty familiar. Aha! There was the cafeteria, but certainly it couldn't be the one that was across from the elevators I had taken down at first. Ah, but it was!

Well, I fly home tomorrow. I wish I could be here to help my dad while my mom is hospitalized, but I can't. I've had a good visit in spite of Mom's problems and I was glad to be here to help out.

Building character

2008-01-15T19:46:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was interesting. After work I had to rush home, pick up three girls and drive them down to Old Fairfax City. The four girls were playing background music for a dinner honoring two scholarship recipients. It was quite nice, but long. The girls started playing before 6 and got finished around 8:15. That is a long gig. They played several things three or four times. They also sight-read some music. All in all, I thought they sounded pretty good.

Ky also had homework. Her school has block scheduling, which means she has periods 1, 3, 5, and 7 on "Red" days and 2, 3, 4, and 6 on "Black Days." On Friday, a Black Day, she had to go to District Orchestra. It is an honor to be chosen for District Orchestra, but once you are in, you are committed to two long days of rehearsing. She was there from 9-4 Friday and 9-6 Saturday, but still had homework to do. We went out to eat Saturday night and got back home around 9 p.m. The homework began and didn't stop until 2:30 a.m. this morning. Ugh. This online Physics class is just eating up much more time than it should. I admire Ky for persevering. She is also staying as active in church as she can. She's building character. I admire her!

Recital

2008-01-06T00:26:00.000-05:00

Things have been up in the air for the past couple of months--in terms of my upcoming recital. First one thing, then another. It has been looking quite grim especially in the past two weeks. Then, today, I received an email and a phone call that has me excited again about singing. I relayed the information to my DH and he was very supportive. He usually (for 27.5 years) doesn't give me his opinion on anything, even if I ask. (Wouldn't it be great to have that kind of self-control??) This time, however, I think he knew how desperate I was, so he helped me sort through my options and see things from a different perspective.

As a result, I will be singing in a recital on February 9. Now, all I must do is write my bio, find the additional lyrics and translations, practice, practice, and practice. Oh, and try to invite my friends. Everyone I ask says, "where is it?" and when I tell them, they suddenly have other obligations. Sigh. It is on Capitol Hill in DC. Quite a drive from here, but a great building to sing in. The acoustics are pretty good. Much better than most places around here.

Wish me luck!

Prayers

2007-12-30T23:03:00.000-05:00

Please be in prayer about several things:

That Steve Godbold would be released. He is a missionary in Chad who was kidnapped in October.

That my Mom's broken hand would heal quickly.

That the problem with Ky's class would be favorably resolved.

That things will work out for the best involving my upcoming recital--or not.

Most of all, please pray that God's will is done in each situation. I guess I don't want specifics prayed for, just that God would intervene and work things out according to his plan. In each situation, I feel helpless!

Thanks!

Getting older!

2007-12-28T13:34:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Ky! I didn't want to post this on her birthday so I will now. I love you!

Ma

Fun Day

2007-12-27T23:51:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was a lot of fun. All three of us went to Ikea! It never disappoints, but it always disappoints. It is a cool place and you'd have to go there to understand my last couple of sentences.

DDD (aka Ky) LOVES to go to Ikea, as do I, but it is located down south of the Washington DC metro area and there is no easy way to get there. Ky had received a new GPS from Santa (since she'll be driving off on her own to college soon) and we decided to try it out. We basically just ignored it as long as we knew the way and only used it at the end because it was determined to get us on I-95. Of course, it told us we had arrived about a half mile early, but by that time, I knew where we were and could guide us the rest of the way. Weird. On the way back, it took us WAAAAY out of the way. Probably because we were preoccupied ignoring it!

We found a kitchen table and chairs we like. We had to assemble them at home, but we did quite well. The table is a translucent glass with a green tint to it--the Coca-Cola bottle green tint. We had been painting the house, but stopped halfway through the kitchen. The walls used to be a pale pink and one is now a pale battleship gray. Now, the green table makes the gray look icky. Gotta rethink the gray. Maybe pink again? I don't know. We have some accent walls throughout the rest of the house. They are navy blue and maroon. I wish I had any type of gift with colors, but I definitely don't. The green and gray are driving me crazy, though.

Well, hope the end of 2007 keeps everyone safe and sound and the beginning of 2008 is peaceful.

Messiah

2007-12-18T22:04:00.001-05:00

Hooray! It is over! The Messiah went quite well on Sunday afternoon. I felt good about my solos and although there were fewer people there this year than last, it was fun. I seldom have anyone from where I live come to hear me, but many of the people in the church choir with whom I toured in Europe in 2006 come out and it gives us a chance to keep up with each other.

My dear husband drove me downtown and that made the whole thing more special. The weather wasn't very good, but we had been projected to have snow/sleet/ice and having cold wind gusts only was not too bad in comparison.

In other singing-type news, my recital has been moved to February. This time, I'm ready, but two others are not. I guess we can always use time to practice, but it resets my practice. I'll have to change up things a little--can't do the Christmas duet I had planned to do--have to work up another one. I guess we'll have time :-l

Ramblings again

2007-12-15T22:38:00.000-05:00

TIme is flying by! Tomorrow is the Messiah downtown. Tonight, we are supposed to get that double storm. Fortunately, the temperature has been above freezing for quite a while, so although it is cold, nothing is freezing. I hope that keeps up. I don't like to drive downtown, especially if, once I get there, I have to sing. I generally take a bus and the subway. The church I sing at is about equidistant from two Metro stops. It is about a fifteen minute walk regardless. Tomorrow it is supposed to be really raining hard, so I guess I'll wear one outfit and carry my performance outfit. Just keep praying for the weather to be above freezing!

Musical Ramblings...

2007-12-01T20:20:00.000-05:00

Things are moving right along...

I have a recital coming up. I think it is January 12. One of the three tenors with whom I'll sing has asked me to sing a duet with him. It is actually a soprano/mezzo duet--The Flower Duet from Delibes' opera Lakme, and I'm not sure how it will sound. We'll see. I have always wanted to do that song, but he has only just ordered the music. Do you notice what I just said? I haven't seen the music, so I haven't even worked on it. Ever. I still have my other songs to work on.

I am already scheduled to do a duet with another tenor, but it is a Christmas duet, so we may have to think that through. We've never sung that duet together, either. We sang a wonderful duet together once, but I don't know if it was wonderful to hear. We had practiced the music separately, but never together. Never until we got out on the stage. I have a DVD of that performance and when I look at myself, I think, "Was I that nervous?" I guess I had good reason to be.

On another note, my lessons both this week and last, centered around Rejoice Greatly by Handel. I love the sentiment of the song, but hate singing it. I sang it for the first time just before last Christmas in a freebie sing-along with the Capitol Hill Chorale and DC Church of the Reformation. The building was packed. This song is not so special except that you need three lungs to sing it. I hated it last year and as soon as that performance was over, I deleted it from everything I had. I sang all the soprano solos, but Rejoice is the only one I despise. The others are easy. I thought I was in the clear this year until just about three weeks ago when my teacher asked if I'd sing it again for them. Ugh. It is one of those things you do when you feel like you need to, not because you want to.

I've sung all my life, but never took lessons until about four and a half years ago. My teacher is an amazing musician and is willing to put up with my quirks. Like when I sing something and then add: "I hate that!!" or when I tell him I am done and I won't ever sing again because I am so frustrated. He pushes and prods when he needs to and then strokes my ego when I need that. He has a piano concert a week from tonight that I'd like to hear. He sits behind the piano and it seems like there are no wrong notes on it. His hands fly across the keys and he laughs a little as he plays. It is obvious that he was born to play the piano. I hear him play a lot, but I could always listen to more. I think the reason I am singing Rejoice is because I had so much fun doing the sing along last year. I got there early and he was up on the stage of the sanctuary practicing the organ. I turned the pages for him and sometimes, when I'd turn a page, he'd say, "Oh, no! The next piece has to be done on the piano!" So that was my cue to move out of the way, as I was in between the organ and the piano. It was funny. Okay, I guess I enjoyed it some.

So, wish me luck. I have a lot to work on in the next two weeks.

Freecycling tidbits

2007-11-20T17:13:00.000-05:00

I am a member of a freecycle group. It is online and hosted (I think) by yahoo. It has quite a few odd rules, but basically, you may post anything for the taking, as long as it is free. Nothing is too big or too small and I've seen some strange
listings. I have collected a few to share here. They may be things that you'll
look at and think aren't odd, but from my perspective, they are odd or maybe just sound odd. Here they are:

offer: large divided plate(looks like hen) From: mims_4_hkt

I'm trying to picture this one!

Offer : Preggy pop drops From: Marla Vargas

Offer: Bag 7/8 Girls From: Rebecca IS THIS LEGAL????

offer: two safari kids rugs From: kmabela

Offer: Juvenile bearded dragon pellets From: struesda (ewwwwww!!!)

Offer: boat canal From: Nathan

TAKEN: PPU Muscle & Weight Gain

PPU means "please pick up" and I'd gladly offer my weight gain if someone would please pick it up, but not my muscle--or what there is left of it!

offer:4 needlework books for babies From: mims_4_hkt Don't they hurt themselves when they work on it? Perhaps that is why the books are available. Or maybe the baby didn't finish the work and is now a toddler!

Offer: Adult disposable Brief From: mhomesch Just one? What condition is it in???

offer:Patches of Joy From: mims_4_hkt I want ALL the Joy I can get--not just patches!

Offer: Fold Away Basket Ball Thing From: Rebecca

OFFER: foam stickers From: ses8292001

Reoffer: Camping Wood From: Lisa Okay, how can you re-offer camping wood. Isn't it out in the woods someplace? What differentiates it from regular wood?

OFFER: Barbie Swan Lake costume From: sicmck2652

OFFER: Mosquito lantern Must be very tiny!

I have recieved quite a few seriously good things from freecycle. You may want to join one, too!

Gotta run see if I can find anything to post!

"Turkey" day

2007-11-16T20:31:00.000-05:00

Today was the annual Thanksgiving dinner day at my school. I work in the office of a VERY busy elementary school. Over 1000 students. The logistics of a regular day's lunch for all 42 classes is astounding, but when you add in the hundreds of parents we get on Turkey day...you can imagine.

I love watching the first classes of the youngest students walking down the hall to lunch wearing the head dressings they have made this week. I saw turkey hats, pilgrim hats, Native American Indian hats, you name it. The little kids generally have BOTH parents visit and everyone eats the turkey from the cafeteria. The Sixth grades send a few volunteers to serve and clean tables for everyone (a job they are usually loathe to do) and very little actual school work is done. They ask for teachers and staff to help serve the food, as the cafeteria staff simply helps keep the serving lines stocked. The teachers/staff who serve usually give out waaaaay too much food, so that the cafeteria manager said she always orders 500 extra meals that day. Otherwise, she says, the last classes would be getting Thanksgiving pizza! She says since the food for the children is subsidized, she only makes profit off of the adult meals. Interesting.

My job is to do attendance, so I am generally too busy to be able (ha!) to help out on the serving lines. I served my time working in food service while I was in college, so for me, the thrill is gone. One of my office colleagues came back from serving with a lunch for me to eat at my desk. That's where I eat anyway, so I was quite appreciative. Another colleague brought me another lunch later. I think I've had my fill of turkey for a while and we haven't even hit Thanksgiving!

Another activity the kids do in the weeks before Thanksgiving is decorate placemats. They have appropriate lessons all about the Pilgrims and lots of those placemats depict that. The office staff helps check to see that nothing inappropriate is drawn. Our office stopped four that we loved, but they weren't ready for prime time. One was a cartoon of Bugs Bunny flinging a pumpkin at a turkey. Another was a rather morbid story of a turkey's life. A third one was an empty ship asail in the ocean and it was entitled, "The Ghost of the Mayflower." The last one was a brightly colored platter with a turkey drawn on it. Its caption read, "The Last Turkey On Earth" and had holes punched in the turkey with the turkey exclaiming, "Oh, no! I'm dead!" See, nothing too awful, but just normal sixth grade boy humor. I laminated those and we'll use them in the office when we need placemats to protect the table. Or at least we'll use them until the administrators take the time to read them and throw them out.

One very nice thing happened today, too. One fifth grade teacher who is, to say the least, innovative, paraded his class throughout the office saying "Thank You!" to every person in the office. This teacher has a most unique academic history including dropping out of high school to travel around in Europe for a year and then coming home to finish his GED. I am sure he had to work very hard to get into a college after that even though he is brilliant and probably had good grades with little effort, but he finished college and spent a few years in the Peace Corps. Wouldn't it be nice if every kid had a chance to have a teacher like that? One day when his fiancee was undergoing medical treatments, I went to stay with his class while he left to take a phone call. He gave them some order and took off. I watched in amazement as they carried on by themselves. One student took over leadership and directed the exercise and the entire class participated the way they would had the teacher been there himself. I think the fact that this is a Gifted and Talented class helped. Anyone who has seen a GT class can attest to the natural competitive nature of these rooms. When my daughter was in General Education classes, she and one or two other kids were the only ones who attempted to answer questions and seemed engaged in the subject. Once she moved to GT, it was a very different atmosphere.

Next week is a short week. And the real Turkey Day!

Congratulations!

2007-11-11T20:44:00.000-05:00

Congratulations to Ky for being accepted to Virginia Tech next fall into the College of Engineering! Also, congratulations to Ky for making the A Honor Roll at school. I've never known anyone who worked so hard in school! Now, we all need to pray for her to know what God wants her to do.

Halloween!

2007-10-28T13:38:00.000-04:00

Ah, the holiday everyone can enjoy! Okay, not everyone. Some folks feel it is too anti-religious or whatever, so maybe they should go to bed early on the 31st.

The church where we attend is having what is called, "Trunk or Treat" in which you sign up for two parking spaces at the church building, bring your vehicle and decorate. You are allowed to have the requisite candy, of course, but you may also have games or whatever for the kids to do while they are there. The point of it is to give the kids/families safe alternatives to traditional trick or treating. We are new there, so I'd planned to sit this one out, but my daughter, Ky, signed up for a couple of spaces. She has a cute little Scion xB and will decorate it as a Lego block. There may be some other girls helping her--I certainly hope so--but I'll be there, too, to be sure she has everything she needs. I'd like to see this because the people I've met there are very creative and they are the most positive people I've ever met.

I'll see if I can figure out how to post some pictures afterwards!

How Does One Go About Choosing a College?

2007-10-07T23:48:00.000-04:00

My DDD is in the final stages of choosing which college she'll attend next year. I tried as hard as I could to convince her to stay nearby and go to the local community college or even a nearby 4-year college, but I didn't get far. Truthfully, I don't want her to go to either of those places.

College is a great mid-way point in a person's life. You are still kept busy with activities like classes, yet you have free time and new living arrangements and strange environments to adjust to and you get to be surrounded by a culture centered around others like you. Your money worries are minor compared to those you'll have for the rest of your life and everyone expects that you'll do some stupid things and for the most part, you'll escape with little consequences, as long as you don't go to crazy. You decide when to be awake and when to sleep, you decide when you'll eat and do your laundry and homework. It's a great situation. You have some freedoms and some restrictions.

When I chose my college there was no choice. Okay there were other colleges, but there was really no discussion about where I'd end up. It turned out disastrous in Oh-So-Many ways, but I survived.

Usually, when I face a problem, I turn to my older sister, whose children are now grown and married and doing quite well in all the ways a parent hopes. The only problem is, neither she nor her children really chose their schools. I mean, not like today. Where the kids are told to apply to at least one "probable" school, one "certain" school, and one "reach" school. It seems almost like a lottery.

I wonder who perpetuates this multi-application to colleges atmosphere. Probably the accountants at the colleges, since applying to a school is an expensive act: in time, emotions and money.

Sometimes, you must apply to both the university and the college you wish to attend. I did that a couple of years ago. I was a little worried about getting into the university, but not the college. Instead, I got my rejection letter from the college (of my proposed major) before I got the acceptance letter from the university. So, I was admitted to return to college, but had no major. End of adventure.

Well, keep DDD in your prayers as she does all the necessary paperwork for admission. She has two schools who want paperwork NOW, but she'll know early if she is into those schools. That would be nice since then she could spend her time doing well on her FIVE AP classes this year instead of having to continue to answer essay questions and fill out online forms, only to have the entire form disappear suddenly when you accidently hit the wrong button.

Any suggestions for schools???? (Engineering is the proposed major!)

Ain't I smart?

2007-10-06T23:11:00.000-04:00

Your Vocabulary Score: A-

Congratulations on your multifarious vocabulary!
You must be quite an erudite person.

How's Your Vocabulary?

Actually, I was surprised at the minus. My vocabulary used to be pretty good. I think working in an elementary school hurts ones vocabulary. If you use interesting words, no one understands you. I need to subscribe to a "vocabulary word of the day."

Just thinking

2007-09-23T15:47:00.000-04:00

Fall is here! I grew up mostly in Texas, where they have one, and maybe two seasons. I moved here to NoVa on October 6, 1986 via Northern Florida, where my dh and I had lived with his mother while awaiting final plans for the job/move. We drove our two little cars up here on I 95. When we left Florida, it was a very warm day, so I was wearing a shorts jumpsuit. I think my car had AC to begin with, but by Richmond, VA, it was gone. I was HOT. We got to Tysons Corner, VA and stopped for gasoline. I happened to notice that everyone else was wearing sweaters and at least, long sleeves. Yep, by nightfall, it was pretty chilly. We stayed in a motel that night and walked up and down that area (because the traffic had us almost terrified to drive!) and looked for SOMEPLACE where we could buy some sweaters or a coat for each of us. We expected summer to last until Thanksgiving and we expected our warmer clothes to be arriving about two weeks later. Ah, how innocent we were!

The fall here was one of the most beautiful sights I had ever seen. It seemed like the trees planted in this area were chosen because of the colors they turned in the fall. This area has lots of hills, too, so even a trip to the store was gorgeous!

Fast forward twenty-one years (can it be that long??) and here we are again. There is a lot to love about living here. There are few down-sides: lots of traffic, occasional ice instead of snow in the winter, very busy people, and no family in this area.

I miss my family. I have dh (dear husband) and ddd (dearest darling daughter) but no one else nearby. Sometimes it is a good thing, like when I want to be alone. I've had a lot of aloneness, and I wish I could drive by to say hello to my Mom and Dad on the way home from work. They are the types who would, no doubt, offer to buy dinner for my family or invite us over. I'd have LOVED to have their advice and free babysitting when my daughter was a baby. I had lots of questions and the answers I was getting from professionals was just plain bad.

I also have the best sister anyone could ever have. Don't know why she puts up with me, but I guess she has no choice! She helped raise me, in fact, since my parents were pretty busy with my brother from the time he was born until he died in February 2001. My sister lives in Michigan, with a wonderful man who has been like an older brother to me since I was 10 years old. No stopping by her house after work, either. Her kids have moved away, so she is alone, too. Maybe eventually we can retire near each other, but I don't know. "Independence" ain't all it's cracked up to be. Some of us are tied to jobs, such my dh's and my BIL's. Their jobs are in Washington DC and Michigan, respectively, and that's where they will stay.

The really bad part of being so far apart is that when you get to be together, you are REALLY together. Like in the same house for several days in a row. If someone gets tired, they can't just wait a day to return your call or your invitation. I still think living near extended family would be great.

Wow! I am surprised!

2007-09-06T21:36:00.000-04:00

Thank you, Hol & J, for the award.

I received an award from Hol and Ky has promised to show me how to put it here on my blog, but don't hold your breath. She is back in school and has her hands quite full with 5 AP classes. She went to a workshop today to help her prepare for Senior Regionals in orchestra. That is one set of quite hard music. Then, she has seating auditions for her school orchestra on Tuesday, 9/11. She was Assistant Concert master last year and the Concert Master graduated. She REALLY wants that job. She has worked very hard, but isn't assured of the position until she does well on the auditions. Please pray that she'll do her best and be calm during the audition. Oh, and all of this is in addition to AP calculus BC (those letters mean something that means the class is for those who intend to take more math in college, I think,) AP English Lit, AP German, AP Computer Science, regular Government and AP Physics online. I don't like to think of the pressure she is under with that load. I guess next year she'll be taking ALL AP since APs are supposed to be college-level classes, but really. Please pray that she can handle all of that this year. Oh, and college applications are due in November, I think.

Since school started, I have been working full-time for a week. The novelty has definitely worn off.

Oh, excuse me--I fell asleep because I haven't gotten to bed anywhere near the right time all week, either.

Guess that means it is time to go to bed.

Ugh

2007-09-03T20:54:00.000-04:00

Yep, tomorrow's the day. The first day back at school for the students for the year.

I'll try to not appear down about it, but how can one not be depressed when one looks out over the course of a school year and sees 183 days looming in front of one? Okay. enough of the "one" business. Let's see, why do I hate it?

The noise level in the school building goes up 1 million percent. Every complaint you've ever heard from a teacher is true. Classes are too large. Kids are uninspired. Parents are too busy (not all parents, but enough to make a difference) to help out their own child. I have to see so much neglect that it is sickening. Kids rushing in at least once a week looking like they've been up all night holding cookies in their hands for breakfast.

I do attendance for the kids. Do you know friends who are ALWAYS late? They were probably taught that by their parents. It is crazy how the same kids are late once or twice a week. Those are the parents who can't understand why their kids are not doing well in school and can't pass the state-mandated tests.

I hate the first day of school because there is this "school is fun" mentality that is just a lie after about second grade. School is work and sometimes, just SOMETIMES, learning and knowing is fun.

Ah, yes, it will be a great year.

Try, try again

2007-08-18T22:05:00.000-04:00

This is my third attempt to blog. I sit down and a feeling of tiredness plops down on top of me and that is all I can think about. I think it is the result of trying out this full-time work stuff. I hope I get used to it.

I did find something amusing to mention today. Since about three weeks ago, we have been the caretakers of a little hamster. Ky's friend is going off to college and her parents are selling their house and moving to Chicago, so the hamster needed a new home. Ky is as much of a softy as the rest of us, so we now have this little guy named Blueberry. Poor thing. I have no idea how he got that name.

It's been a while since we've had a hamster. I have nothing against them, but I hate getting attached to something that looks so much like a mouse. I've never seen a hamster who looks happy. They always want out of their enclosure because they don't realize that being out would mean certain death. They bite. They move in such a frantic way that I feel pity for them.

I decided to give our Blubie a little freedom in his ball. I put him down and came over here to check my email. I heard him gliding across the floor, first this way and then that. Ky was in DC with friends, so I was trying to be responsible. Then, I heard, "thunk, thunk, thunk," before it dawned on me that the sound was the ball falling. By the time I caught up with Blubie, he was about eight steps down the stairs to the basement. I picked him up and it seemed as if he was a little mad at me for stopping his fun. At least I know he's tough!

Crazy

2007-08-16T20:15:00.000-04:00

If I am so crazy busy that I don't have time to do half the things I want to do, how is it that other folks have loads of time to get into everyone else's business?

August view

2007-08-08T20:39:00.000-04:00

How could it be August already? It is doubly depressing because I work in a school and although I have been working during the summer, I go day-to-day because thinking that I am stuck there until next June would be too much for me to bear! How odd it is, though, that I used to work all year-round and that was okay.

Changes, changes, changes! I had planned to move from part-time in the school office to full-time next fall, to coincide with Ky's move to college. Instead, my office manager told me that I need to go full-time this fall. She looks out for me! She asked me why I keep waiting to go full-time and when she heard it was because I love being home to spend time home when Ky is home, she offered me hours that will allow that, more or less.

Schools are pretty good places to work, as long as you don't want a large salary. They are great, though, for those of us who love to be home when our kids are there and who are blessed enough to have spouses with decent salaries.

So, I am hesitant, since I have always enjoyed my time off (and the ability to leave work regardless of what was happening!!!) but I'll do it.

I know, boring post, but I feel boring today.

A what????

2007-07-29T17:22:00.000-04:00

Just a quick funny note:

I have a gmail account. I love it, by the way. The way it organizes my email, etc. For all that cool organization, you put up with some advertisements that are drawn from something on your letter on the right side of the screen. If you mention "music" in the letter, you'll get ads about "piano lessons--the secret piano teachers don't want you to know about!!!" That sort of thing. No big deal.

Yesterday I was looking at a letter that really didn't have any "buzz words" and I glanced at the ads. It said:

"Embroidered Whale Pants"

Close your eyes and think of that!

Doesn't a whale only need one pant?

Is the whale out of breath?

Who embroidered him and why? HOW???

At best, it might be some ladies pants with whales embroidered on them. Why would a woman want to wear pants with whales on them?

Just thought it was funny.

I coulda told 'em this....

2007-07-25T21:43:00.000-04:00

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2007-07-25T21:41:00.001-04:00

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2007-07-18T13:55:00.000-04:00

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Feeling old

2007-07-12T10:35:00.001-04:00

I can find anything on the internet. Anything.

This blog, however, stumps me continuously. The options it gives me at the top change with each visit. I think I would do okay if it remained consistent.

Anyway, we are into week two of our visitor from Germany. She is one of the kindest girls I have ever met. I just dropped both girls off at Ky's friend's house. This friend is also her boss. They will be returning some samples to the Washington Design Center for the boss. I have heard tales about the design center and how cool it all is. Of course, since the Boss is pretty cool herself, that may color the design center, too.

Ky really does have one of the coolest jobs I've ever heard of. Who else do you know who is 17 and works as a personal assistant for an Interior Designer? Ky does a lot of filing, but filing includes assembling boxes of samples used for different projects. She also gets to go to all these cool places to try to find JUST THE RIGHT thing for a client.

I hope they have fun. I plan to try to get some down time so we can be ready to go again tomorrow. Whew!

Anyway, all of this makes me feel old and tired.

Interesting picture

2007-07-06T22:48:00.000-04:00

Just because I think this is the most interesting picture of me ever, Here it is.

Guess which one is me!

Splash Down

2007-07-06T22:22:00.000-04:00

Went to the water park today. The weather was perfect for it! Since Silke and Ky had nothing but cool, wet weather in Germany for two weeks, they absolutely loved it! We usually only stay until 3 or 4 p.m., but this time we stayed until about 7. The best part was that when I got home, my sweet husband was cooking hamburgers for us! He can be very sweet and thoughtful. He did this after working all day. Glad I married him!

We got to Splash Down with print-out-at-home tickets. The big advantage was that you didn't have to wait in line! There were even signs saying so! So, we went to the ticketed people's line. The park ranger (this water park is located and owned by the county) told us we'd have to go to the ticket counter to get the tickets checked. Of course, when we got there, those folks wondered why we were drunk so early in the day, what with all the signs, etc. We finally got in and had a great time.

Now, I am wooly tired.

Good night all!

They are here!

2007-07-03T23:46:00.000-04:00

La and her friend Silke, made it here around their scheduled arrival time. Instead of calling right then, they waited until they had their baggage and were ready to be picked up. Several things happened at the last minute for me and I was at the grocery store when they called. That was why I wanted them to call when they first arrived. It was okay, I just hated for them to have to wait. Kim had come home early from work and was able to zip over to the airport to pick them up.

Silke has been adopted by our dog, Radar. I think he is ready to abandon us and stay with her. He is a good judge of character. She is a very kind young lady who we already enjoy being around.

Tomorrow is the Fourth of July. If we get up early, we can attend a good old fashioned parade in P-ville which is about 20 miles away. Instead of going downtown to DC for the fireworks, we plan to attend the local ones here in H-Town. I think we'll all be work out!

Thanks to all who were praying for the girls to arrive safely!

La's coming home!!!

2007-07-03T10:52:00.000-04:00

Well, the countdown is on! Only about 5 hours until La arrives back from her two week visit to Germany! She has had a packed two-week adventure! She will bring her friend Silke back with her. I hope we can show Silke as good a time here in the US as her family showed La.

Keep praying for them to have an uneventful trip!

Their weather has been unusually cool and wet. I know we need rain here, but I'd like for the weather to be warm and relatively dry.

By the way, it seems that every year the weather is unusually cold/wet/dry/hot somewhere. Pretty soon, we'll have to reform our ideas of what is normal, right?

Help!

2007-07-01T17:11:00.000-04:00

Well, here I am blogging. Do I have time for this? No. I need to be busy getting ready for company. My dearest darling daughter and a friend of hers will arrive from Germany in two days. I am sure elves will come in the middle of the night to clean my house and prepare for their arrival. Once they get here, it will be two weeks of crazy sightseeing/shopping/cooking/eating/driving that will leave me too tired to clean and plan. I am old enough to know better. I could really use those elves, though.

What do you show someone who is probably totally unaware of US history when they visit Washington DC? It wouldn't be hard if everyone else would vacate the city so that when we choose to do something there wouldn't be crazy traffic and huge crowds. I guess that is like wishing for a day at DIsney World alone!

Okay, I'll go work. I just want everyone to know I am doing it!

Wish me luck. I hope the elves have gotten a head start!