It's alright here, I suppose.

Just kidding - we are loving Orlando and have been here less than 12 hours (we arrived around midnight, but thanks to the efficiency of Avis, we got to the hotel around 2:00 a.m.). Here's a picture of the property, which doesn't do justice to the amount of greenery surrounding it.



All the buildings are different colors and the individual units are HUGE - complete with two bedrooms, full-size kitchen, living room, two bathrooms, big walk-in closets, and three t.v.s. And on the way to your car, you get to pass things like this:



I can't remember if I've ever seen a Bird of Paradise in person. Cool!

Goodbye, Texas!

Hello, Florida!

No time for subtleties

Yesterday I went to the doctor for my annual visit. Yeah, you know the appointment I'm talking about. And throughout the entire visit I was reminded of my age.

"Let's see...now that YOU'RE FORTY, we do this additional exam."

"Well, since YOU'RE FORTY, you'll need to keep an eye on this."

"When women reach FORTY, LIKE YOU, they also have to have this done."

Basically what I learned is there'll be much more poking, prodding, and pinching now that I'M FORTY.

Poof!

Remember this episode of Friends? They all go to Barbados and Monica gets "humid hair." It's one of my favorite episodes and the first time I'd ever seen a show or movie acknowledge humid hair. I can totally relate! Junior high was a difficult two years anyway, but walking to school and/or waiting outside for the bus was enough exposure to the moisture to give me a sizable helmet head every morning, which didn't do wonders for the self esteem. So this episode had me rolling, especially when Monica remedies the situation by getting corn rows and beads ("it's a treat for the eyes AND the ears!") I'm not one of lucky ones whose hair falls silky and smooth on humid days, so I'm preparing myself for some pretty bad hair days in Florida. I'm packing an arsenal of ponytail holders, headbands, and bobby pins and am assuming I'll be having too much fun to care!

CONvert

Although I'm eating a little healthier, I am in no way a health food nut. I like flavor, which usually means adding some butter, salt, and yeah, the occasional pat of bacon grease. And I'll admit it, I tend to make fun of people who are health food nuts. You're not like me, i.e., you're kinda weird.

However, I decided to try the new Egg Beaters with yolk and was pulled a little further over to the dark side where those people who do good things for their bodies live. If someone had scrambled up and served these "eggs" to me with a little salt and pepper - I would have never known they weren't the real thing. And when you compare the nutrition numbers, it's so worth it.

If only I had a label maker

I feel like a kid before Christmas waiting for our vacation to get here. Alan and I spent yesterday morning planning more things to do (even though I vowed not to overplan), and now I'm thinking eight days is not enough! Sometimes Alan makes fun of me for being like Monika from "Friends"....I don't know what he's talking about. Doesn't everyone put together a folder containing printouts of all the travel and trip information, neatly hole-punched and organized with dividers and tabs? Life is just better when you're prepared. I would have made an excellent boyscout.

Salmonella be damned!

I don't care. I went as long as I could without tomatoes. It was slim pickins' at the grocery store, but I managed to come up with enough tomatoes to make a batch of salsa. (We only go so long in this household without salsa.) So I made a batch Wednesday night, and the next day I had a dentist appointment. That meant I couldn't have chips and salsa for breakfast Thursday morning because come on, you can't have onion breath when you go to the dentist.

So far, I seem to be feeling fine. I am not, in any way however, encouraging the rest of the world to take such chances with their health. I just have needs and had to satisfy my salsa addiction.

Birdwatching

Man, he's purty. And check out those whiskers! I wonder if they get on his nerves. I bet in the cat world his whiskers are likened to the eyebrows of Andy Rooney. Little over the top.

There's a lot of concentration going into watching those birds, because let me tell you - he does NOT like that camera pointing at him. I wasn't able to snap many shots before I got "the look." By the way, I've been doing a little research on his poor behavior and found that a possible "cat whisperer" show is in the works (although it won't legally get to be called that). I already know I'll be a regular viewer.

Emo

Three shows made me teary today:

Evan Almighty
The Dog Whisperer
Jon and Kate plus 8

No idea what's going on with the waterworks, but I think it's clear I had a couch potato day. I feel it was well-deserved since I first mowed and weedeated the front and back lawns with our wonderful Sears mower whose self-propel mechanism went out. And then there's our weedeater. Oh, the expletives the neighbors must hear when I'm weedeating! Probably got it from Sears, too.

Maybe I'll make tomorrow a reading day. Actually that still means spending an excessive amount of time on the couch, but in a few short months I won't remember what a lazy day felt like.

Breakfast with Daddy

Something I'll always remember about growing up with my dad is how he started every day in a good mood - whistling, singing, ready to start the day. And forget IHOP or Denny's! Daddy's breakfasts were the best: eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, tomato slices, and avocado wedges. Maybe I should credit (or blame!) my love for food on my dad. Every meal was important and was a highlight of the day. Dinner was at the table, if you can believe that, and not in front of a TV. What seemed insignificant at the time are memories I'll always treasure.

Hope you're having a big breakfast this morning, Daddy. Love you, and Happy Father's Day!

A Five Exclamation Point Post

I got an email confirmation that our Disney World tickets have been shipped! That's pretty darn exciting, for people who spend most of their vacation time going to visit family. And while that's always memorable and fun and we LOVE it, there are just times you want to do something a little different. Last night I was watching the episode of "Jon and Kate Plus 8" where they went to Disney, so I told Bailey we MUST get Mickey ears!

We leave in a couple weeks for Florida, but this isn't really a Disney World trip, it's a Florida trip. We're going to do Florida things. We're also not telling Bailey and her best friend Taylor what all we're going to do. They know the big things - Disney World one day, Universal Studios another, and a couple days at two different beaches (Alan had the idea of visiting both the Atlantic side and the Gulf side).

What they don't know is that we'll take an airboat ride through the Everglades. This only lasts about an hour, but I'm really excited about it! And they don't know about visiting Gatorland where you get up close and personal with the alligators. I've read that you can even sit on one of them! I looked into going to Discovery Cove, where you spend several hours swimming and interacting with dolphins. Um, no. We're the Schaeffers, not the Trumps. And that's why I'm okay with boasting about this trip. We don't spend a lot of money. We live modestly and drive old cars, and honey, it's TIME!

So who knows what else what else we'll do there. I'm a planner. I like to know things in A,B,C order. So I'm getting out of my comfort zone and allowing for some spontaneity and some simple leisure time. I gotta say though...I did see Alan's eyes light up when I suggested parasailing. Hmmm.

Entangled

I think I now know why they call it a passion vine. Man, does this vine have some passion! It wants to touch, fondle, and basically get initimate with anything (and anyone, I might add) in the near vicinity. It's cute but sort of annoying at the same time. Kind of like Pepe Le Pew.

And although it loves to bathe in the sun, it's decided to take a new route this year and get lovey-dovey with the light string inside the porch.

Get a room, already.

Well said

Warning: This post requests that you participate. Come on, you anonymous readers out there!

Yesterday Alan made reference to the lyrics of a country song by Diamond Rio called "Beautiful Mess." So it got me thinking of other song lyrics, and I bet most of us have a particular song that we declare as having THE BEST lyrics ever. For me, that song is Shenandoah's "Ghost in This House." I can't remember when it was released, probably around the early 90s, but it's such a clever yet sad way to describe a relationship that has deteriorated. Another one along those same lines is "Sail On" by Lionel Richie. (Yes, I am showing my age!) I also like "Difficult Kind" by Sheryl Crow, especially:

"There ain't nothing like regret to remind you you're alive."

Awesome! Anyway, the lyrics don't have to be serious to be great (I'm thinking of a line from "In Da Club"), so what's your favorite?

Deprivation is not for me.

In my quest for eating healthier, which for me has meant eating a LOT of fruits and vegetables, I've also been trying some low calorie foods. I don't typically enjoy "light" or "fat free" varieties of anything, but here are some substitutes (mostly snacks) I've tried lately that are so close to the original fattier versions that I might as well go the lighter route:

Lay's Light chips
Ruffles Light chips
Baked Flamin' Hot Cheetos
Aunt Jemima Whole Wheat Pancake Mix (and use egg whites instead of the whole egg)
Triscuits Reduced Fat

The one I was most surprised by was the Cheetos. I love Cheetos and was pretty sure the baked version wouldn't stand up to the original, but they're pretty good! What I'm waiting for however, is Baked Fritos. Come on, Frito Lay!

By no means am I eating as healthy as I should. I like food and I like food that is bad for me - mexican food and pasta are my favorites. But I am eating better, drinking more water (bleck!) and getting some exercise. Will I see a difference when I put on my swimsuit? No. I'm no longer delusional. But surely my body is getting something out of adding the good things and cutting back on the bad.

Maturity smurity - who needs it

A few months ago I had to go back out into the working world and be an adult. Now it's time to be a kid again! Or more specifically, a teenager. This morning I am parked in front of the computer catching up on all the episodes I missed of "The Hills" and "Rob and Big." I don't think there's any other show that can put me in a good mood like "Rob and Big." And "The Hills" - well let's just say that looking at all those young hotties gave me the incentive to get off my butt and go for a jog. Heck, I might even catch up on "Life of Ryan." Dude.

Yowza!

Over spring break I planted three potato vine plants. I planted one in a flower bed about the same size as this potted one, and blogged that I expected an "explosion" of growth in a few weeks.

HOLY POTATOES! They did not disappoint. This is part of my problem as an inexperienced gardener. I don't anticipate how much the plant will actually grow. I always assume that it won't grow as large as the label says, because I live in a partial desert climate. We'll potentially have had at least ten days with temps between 100-108 by next week. (You know it's hot when you walk outside and your body is so shocked by the heat that you get A CHILL. Weird.)

Vacation begins!

Last Friday was the last day of school, and most of our week was spent doing fun things with the kids: Field Day, Water Day, Movies, Talent Show, Awards Ceremonies, you name it. But the best thing we did was take them skating. This is an annual event at my school, but my first time. I hope they never do away with Skating Day. It was the most fun I've had with these kids! This is one of my fellow third grade teachers helping some novice skaters. She is awesome and let me bug her constantly with questions during this first year of teaching.

Below are four of my students, and I didn't realize it at the time I snapped the photo, but these are four of my lowest students as well. They're also my students who have "special" problems - difficult home lives, academic struggles, etc. Therefore, I've spent a lot of time with these four kiddos and have gotten to know them pretty well. I'm sure I'm a little bias, but aren't they cute?!

It was a challenging semester and way too stressful some days (weeks), but I'm already pumped about next year.

Pretty and Not Pretty

Bailey left for church camp yesterday morning and arrived at Lake of the Ozarks, MO around 1:30 a.m. this morning. She's sharing a room with six other teenage girls, including two of her best friends. I'll consider the week a success if those three can stay out of trouble. Here's where she's at:

Here's what she left:

She may never come back.

Smokin' hot

I've gotten to where I love roasting vegetables - squash, zucchini, tomatoes, asparagus, green peppers, you name it. Besides being a healthy way to eat veggies, it also seems to be the most flavorful. So how charming of my Brady Bunch non-self cleaning oven to start smoking up the kitchen every time I set the temperature over 350. Someday this oven, along with its vintage stovetop counterpart, will be replaced. But for now I'll just keep opening the windows and running the venthood fan when necessary. If anyone has good roasting tips or ideas on foods that are good roasted, let me know!



I'd take this over a steak any day.

How much would a thumb weigh?

It's not often that I pay that much attention to special shows or mini-series, but for whatever reason Alan and I both wanted to catch "The Andromeda Strain" on A&E. So much so that we kept reminding each other for days that it was coming up, what night, what time, etc., and planned our evening around it. Monday was the first night and was pretty good, with cool concepts like the whole virus from the future thing and the use of worm holes and such. However, the second night left me speechless. And not in a good way.

Oh. My. Lord. It was one thing how the virus apparently spread across hills and through rivers at a neck-breaking pace, like right before your eyes, and turned everything red in its path. But seriously, when the Korean scientist sacrificed his life to enter the radioactive pool of water (at the bottom of an elevator shaft...of course) to cut off the thumb of the dead white scientist who was laying in the pool, and the Korean scientist then needed to hurl the severed thumb UP about THREE stories (before he died from the radioactive water) to the hispanic scientist who was hanging on for dear life inside the elevator shaft, who needed to catch the thumb (thrown perfectly) and shimmy inside an air duct, who then got blinded temporarily because a hot spray of steam shot out of the duct, who then had to blindly find his way to the next floor and over to the panel where the dead guy's thumb must be placed on the screen to deactivate the nuclear destruction of the facility that was about to take place in 30 seconds, because a black scientist didn't destroy all of the virus since her family was being threatened if she did....

All I could think of were the words often said by Alan's good friend Ed: "There went two hours of my life I'll never get back."

But I'm giving it two stars for the thumb-tossing scene. Worth the laugh.

Lucky

I'm going through one of those times where I have absolutely nothing to share. So here's the latest:

• School is almost over but still very busy tying up loose ends.
• It has been volcano hot here the past week.
• Karl and Ashley and the kiddos are visiting this weekend. Fun!
• I found a swimsuit for our summer trips that I'm not mortified to be seen in.
• Bailey will be leaving for camp in a week.
• The mosquitoes have arrived.
• My gradebook is completed.
• There is SO much to look forward to this summer. I'm ready to get started!

$260 later...

Being the responsible pet owners that we are, we decided to cut Junior's treatment short about 3 days. What should have been a 7-10 day process, we cut to 6. I've had enough poking into open wounds and wrestling with a 17 lb. monster each morning to administer his liquid medicine through razor sharp teeth. We've declared: he's healed.

Bone dry

Earlier it was raining. I could hear the big, fat drops on the skylights! But minutes later when I went to turn on the porch light to look out, the cement was already dry. So until we get a rain that lasts all day and night and our street is flooding like the river it yearns to be, I will continue to complain of no rain (Heather!). Honestly though, we're up to one inch for the year. Even in the desert, that's not rain - that's teasing.

Poor baby

He may be big and mean, but something (some other cat probably) was brave enough to get a hold of Junior and bite him pretty fiercely. It was probably two weeks ago when we noticed that Junior was skittish about going outside for a couple days. Something had scared him. A few more days passed before we noticed the bite marks under all that hair. And then it started looking bad. And gross.

So Alan had the pleasure of taking him to the vet today, where they anesthetize a cat like ours before they will even attempt to look at him. Turns out the damage was pretty bad under the skin, and boy, are we going to have fun treating him for the next 10 days! We get to do all kinds of fun and gross things to a very large, sometimes very mean cat.



To be continued, I'm sure.

Spreading my wealth of knowledge of random things

Sure, it would seem a bit obsessive that one would be so taken with a fabric softener that such a person would post about it. But being said person, and being very excited to finally find this Downy again (since HEB chooses to push their brands instead of the widely popular brands that we desire), I just had to share. This is Downy with "chamomile and lemon verbena scent," but I just call it the "Downy with the daisies." Two separate guests that have stayed with us agreed that we had some of the best smelling laundry.

You're welcome, in advance.

Quick break

I am having a rare and awesome Monday off today. I scheduled this day off weeks ago and had already gotten a sub when we thought we'd be in Albuquerque for volleyball regionals. That was before Bailey's club team became a bunch of quitters. Anywho...I never once thought of canceling the day off. Last Friday when the students were asking why I was going to be off on Monday, I kindly replied, "BECAUSE THERE'S A GOD IN HEAVEN." (Perhaps I need a little break from them.)

Today I'll spend my time off shopping for a swimsuit, tanning, taking Bailey lunch, going to the eye doctor, and whatever else I want. This includes DOING NOTHING. Awesome.

Banner blooms

The flowers up there on the banner are not bluebonnets, although one of Bailey's friends thought they were. They're called Angelonia and are similar to Salvia, but I think they're a lot prettier and not as weedy looking as Salvia. The best part is they're perennials, which means I didn't have to do a single bit of coaxing or begging to get them to come back. I don't even think they care that Midland hasn't seen rain since....well actually I can't remember the last time it rained. Anyway, they just popped up and have been growing crazy all spring.

Finally, no french fries

Alan and I went grocery shopping yesterday without a list and no plans for dinner. This is usually a bad idea. But we walked around the store grabbing this and that and were pleasantly surprised at the meal we planned. We had sockeye salmon, grilled squash, bruschetta (little toasts with apricot jam, soft cheese and prosciutto...perhaps we copied this from Food Network) and blackberries. No special marinades, just drizzled almost everything with olive oil and salt and pepper, and poof! Fine dining! Check out the fancy plastic china.



My favorite was the squash - much more appetizing than it looks.

Heartless

Or so it will seem...I have a little girl in my class who hasn't had the best of home lives. Her real dad raped her step-sisters, and he's supposedly a wanted fugitive. In my mind, her mom's a loser and so is her stepdad, but that's a judgment I've made based on what I see with my own eyes and what is hearsay from the little girl. They don't seem to provide much support at home, and her stepdad has been known to be explosive when he gets mad. And this little girl - she's a drama queen, let me tell you. She's the type that talks about her situation way too openly, to the point where it's awkward and annoying. She likes attention, and so it's difficult to know when she's exaggerating or blowing something way out of proportion. Still, it makes me kinda sad when she comes to school with her hair all in tangles, hanging in her eyes, sometimes matted. She wears shoes that don't fit because they're two sizes too big, so she flops around in them all day, including during recess or gym. On top of everything, she's dyslexic and struggles in school. My, life is treating her well.

And I'm hard on her to boot. I sent her to the principal's office this week because I've warned her about not doing her homework. And I take her recess away and make her stay inside to get that homework done so she won't get zeroes. I'm on her constantly about staying focused, while her mind is probably on the crap she dealt with the night before or wondering where her dad is. And when she brought me a letter this week asking if she could live with me, because "my parents hate me...and I'm scared and cry all the time," I just told her, "Thanks, I'll read it in a bit....go back to your desk and get busy."

I'm sure there are teachers out there who stop what they're doing, hug the child, console them, hear them out, etc., who would think I'm completely heartless for not doing so. I absolutely feel cold and callous sometimes. But I also know that you just can't get wrapped up in all of the mess that these kids deal with at home. I read the letter and for a split second felt the urge to tear up, but there was no time for that. I was taking the breakfast and lunch count, monitoring several students that were off-task, and quite frankly didn't have time for some one-on-one counseling.

So I try to find other ways to give her a little attention. I brought her bobby pins for that hair, I tutor her after school, and I keep her in at recess knowing fully well that she actually likes to stay in with me in the classroom. And what she doesn't know is that I caught the counselor as soon as I saw her that morning and showed her the letter. She also doesn't know that I have daydreamed about being able to take some of these kids home, but it's not going to happen. I'll just keep being that pretty strict teacher who provides as stable and predictable environment as possible.

I guess it's depressing to talk about, but I think it's an interesting part of my job.

Where I pour my coffee

Our house is old and unremarkable, but there are small spaces here and there that I like. Like this old wooden window above the kitchen sink. There's something about standing there looking out at the yard or the vine or the birds or whatever that's just really relaxing in what is currently my hectic life. Sometimes simplicity is okay.

I is appreciated.

Last week was Teacher Appreciation week (my first), and boy was it profitable! The students were given a list of my favorite things from a survey I had to fill out (a room mom handled), so let me tell you, I have Cheetos and Diet Dr. Pepper and M&Ms and Orbit gum to last me a few weeks. I also got gift cards, a coffee set, cookies, brownies, and a greatest hits CD of the Chili Peppers. How cool is that? And then there was the kid who was on time for class and told me that was my gift. Yeah, thanks. NEXT.

As if I had his best interest in mind. It was all about me, baby!

Raindrops on roses and...

Garage door openers on new garage doors! Yeah, that's what I'm talking 'bout. It's my new favorite thing. We all appreciate different things...it's all relative. So when you haven't had automatic garage doors for nearly a decade, it's a sweet thing. It feels like we've just given our house a facelift of sorts - a little pulling and peeling here, a little injection there.....aaaah, she looks 10 years younger:



Before:

Counting down

I plan to blog more soon. Last night at a little after 7:00, I was sitting on the couch talking to Bailey, having difficulty keeping my eyes open. I don't remember much after that, but woke up around midnight I think, still in my slacks and blouse, and finally got in bed. I still didn't want to get up when the alarm went off this morning. I might be a little tired, just guessing. I like the job, but it's stressful and exhausting some days. I wasn't trained to deal with emotionally disturbed children, but today's educational system says that regardless of your choice to teach regular ed or special ed, you will teach special education students and you will fit them in your classroom.

After this week, 5 more weeks. And that's 5 more weeks closer to Florida, Oklahoma, and maybe even a Braves game in Atlanta this summer. I should post pictures of all three somewhere in my classroom to remember what's over the horizon. :-)

Ready for my closeup

There's something about having a fresh new manicure and pedicure (the home treatment of course - I won't pay to have someone do it for me) that makes everything all right in the world. I'm very self-conscious about having chipped polish or rough looking cuticles. I use a document camera at school for lessons, and when I see those nails magnified 20 times up on the smartboard, it's just embarrassing. So...it's time to take care of business while watching The First 48. Manicures and murders - it's a good evening!

Ouchee

I can't remember the last time I had a migraine so bad it brought me to tears. The tears could have been less about the pain and more about feeling sorry for myself. I had headaches all week and I guess decided to end my week with a bang yesterday. All day yesterday. But it has subsided a bit now and hopefully won't reappear after the 7:45 a.m. bell. I don't like that bell.

Doors are opening and closing

Is there drama in boys' sports like there is in girls? The answer is YES, because there will always be MOMS. I hate troublemakers and complainers, but I did a fairly decent job keeping my mouth shut yesterday while all the bitching was going on, and that's no small task for me. The end result is that our season may be abruptly over. But the good news is that many feelings were hurt, too! Grrrr...

But we're back home early, and today Alan and I have some work to do on the garage. New garage doors (with openers!) are coming later in the week, and last Friday Alan had a guy come out to replace all the wood trim and molding around the doors. So today we'll be outside caulking and priming and painting the bare wood. It hasn't rained here in forever, so I'm thinking today's our lucky day.

Here's what we won't have to look at after Friday. Notice the bowing at the bottom? That's where I backed into it from inside the garage a few months ago:

Joysticks

If you can find these at your nursery and can grow these in your area, get some! I've seen them called "joysticks," but can't find their real name. They're perennials, require very little care, and will bloom all throughout the year. After a big blooming burst in the spring, the flowers will die and you have to break or twist off the stalk. But give them time and more stems will grow, and I even had a few blooms during the coldest part of the winter. The leafy mound at the bottom stays green ALL year. They really increase in size the second growing season, and I think they look so cool popping out next to other plants in the beds. And if I can't kill it, it must be a hardy plant.

Whinings and Whippings

It's very cliche, but this morning as the alarm went off I had to wonder if I really had a weekend. I guess I did though, since there's a nicely mowed and manicured lawn to prove it.

We had a volleyball round robin yesterday that took about two hours longer than normal, and a volleyball weekend just wouldn't be complete without drama. Put a bunch of teenage girls together, and I guess the odds are there'll be some dramatics. Whatever. Maybe next year we'll have a club team that actually wants to compete, attend the tournaments, etc. without complaining.

And my week of teaching got off to a grand start today with a trip to the office to witness my first paddling. Not pleasant, but not as awful as I thought. I felt for the kid, but some things have to happen. I hope it doesn't happen again.

It wasn't a fascinating post, but I'm trying to keep blogging regardless of what's going on.

Tonight's the Night

"The Office" is back! We have no volleyball tonight, no softball games, no meetings at the school....all we have is an appointment with NBC. I've been waiting for this, will remember several times today, and will most likely forget to watch it tonight. This happens to me all the time. So help me remember, since I'm helping you right now. I heard from Steve Carrell's mouth that as they were doing the read-around of the script (right before the strike) he thought it was the best episode to date. Can't wait!

My cheap entertainment

Today as Alan was getting out of his car in the driveway, a lady pulled up to the curb, motioned towards Junior and asked if it was our cat. He says yes, to which she replies, "That's a BIG cat! I drove by a minute ago and thought it was a dog! Do you mind if I take a picture of him?" So she gets out of her car and takes a picture with her cell phone and drives away. I told Alan we should start charging admission.

Anyway, I mentioned some time ago that I'd upload a video showing how much Junior doesn't like it when I point at him. I don't instigate this, but once he starts something with me - IT'S ON!

It's like a cloud that follows him.

Alan is cursed - there's no way around it. Things are never easy with him. He accepts this as fact and can luckily laugh about it. So....

We're in Dallas over the weekend for the "Big D Marathon," a big marathon but not the biggest in the Metroplex. Anyway, Alan was registered for the half-marathon which is about 13 miles. (I'm giving the distance, because I've discovered how many people don't know how long a marathon is.) The race starts at 7:30 a.m., so we plan to be there by 7:00. BIG mistake. Turns out that Sunday morning traffic on marathon day is pretty ridiculous. We were parking the car at 7:30, and the distance from our parking spot to the starting line was way the heck out there.

So he gets to the race and they've already pulled up the starting mats for the half-marathon; therefore Alan can't find where his race starts. Long story short: they direct Alan to the wrong starting line, which was the starting line for the 5K, he runs part of the 5K and back, runs across I-30 and into part of the Dallas ghetto, whereupon multiple dogs begin chasing him, finally makes it to the half-marathon start after he's already been running for about 50 minutes. Rather than run 13 miles, he ran about 17 minimum.

I was at the finish line getting PISSED that he was so late, with thoughts such as "where the hell are you?", "why are you so slow?", "old women are beating you!", etc. I was having a hard time being patient and loving, because what I was really thinking was that something bad happened....he broke something, was on the way to the ER, etc. I knew there was no way he should be taking that long.



Finally he crosses the finish line about 45 minutes late and says, "Have I got a story for you." Of course you do. I'd expect nothing less.

Big D

What better way to end the weekend than to leave this dusty city, although this time it's not for volleyball. Alan's running a half-marathon in Dallas on Sunday, which gives us all day Saturday to do whatever, anything! We get to see DeeBee and Caitlin for a short time at Caitlin's soccer game, but after that who knows. We haven't been to the Dallas Museum of Art, so I'm thinking a trip there will satisfy my little-known artsy needs. Or shopping. Shopping could be good. (I think our hotel is close to the Galleria.) Anyway, come 4:00 we're outta here!

Discipline

Is it wrong that I was secretly pleased to send a boy to the office today? Or wrong that I'm perfectly okay knowing that on his next visit to the office he'll be guaranteed a "paddling?" I'll answer that - NO. Those were rhetorical questions anyway.

So I'm a cooking nerd

Have you ever had leftover spaghetti or goulash that when you reheated it the next day, you found the sauce to be a little dry? Check out this 4 oz. packet of tomato sauce! You can just throw this in and not have to worry about opening and wasting a larger can. This is what happens when you send your husband to the store, and he comes back with all varieties and sizes of an item because he's not sure what you really want. And in this case it turned out cool.



I hate grocery shopping so much that I told Alan I'd do the laundry, ironing, and cook dinner if he'd do the grocery shopping. Okay, so I didn't end up doing ALL of that, but the ironing alone makes that a fair trade.

Spooked

Yes I love to watch shows like "A Haunting" on Discovery, but I wouldn't say I'm infatuated with all things supernatural to the point where I want to read about it, research it, etc. But if I'm flipping channels and it's on, I'm going to watch. I tend to be a believer more than a skeptic in haunting spirits or "ghosts" and am really entertained in documentary type shows on the subject. I just think there's a lot more to the spiritual/supernatural part of life than we realize. And I don't think I'm 100% convinced in demon possessions and exorcisms, but I'm not a nonbeliever either. Although...

I had this dream last night that I was being visited and haunted by a demonic force of some kind, and so I decided to get out my digital camera and record such a visit, at least the audio part. My bedroom was dark (as if I would ever have the lights off when a voice like the one from Amityville or The Exorcist was talking to me), but with the camera going I was able to record the voice and a little bit of a face with glowing eyes (which was laying in my bed on my pillow staring at me!). It was the kind of creepy dream that, even though I woke up with some morning light in the room, my heart was racing and I was kinda scared momentarily.

Anyway, the important part I'm sharing is that I had the common sense in my dream to record the "happenings." So if such things have really happened to so many people, why are we not seeing their home videos? Why so many reenactments in this day and age of technology? Wouldn't you want proof more than anything? Kind of makes me wonder...

More to love

The other day I was reading Dooce's post about the raccoon living in their chimney, and I was enjoying the story and pictures of the whole escapade, and then I get to the part where she mentions how big this particular raccoon turned out to be....about "15 to 20 pounds." Hmmm....who does this remind me of? Last time I weighed him, Junior was a healthy 17 pounds. We like to say he's big-boned, or plus-size, or husky....or just very fat.

Step back

I don't think I'll get fired anytime soon, but if I do at some point in my career, it'll be because I told an argumentative parent to go jump off a cliff....preferably one with stalagmites growing at the bottom. And okay I know they can't grow out in the open like that, but a teacher can dream.

Let's just say I had an intense conversation with a parent today. And I don't back down (to a fault I might add) when I believe I'm in the right.

Cellular phenom

I'm on my feet most of the day and therefore usually have my cell phone in my pants or skirt pocket, on vibrate. So there's this little phenomenon that is really getting on my nerves. I can still feel my phone vibrating even when it's NOT vibrating and it's nowhere near me! It's as if my body can't let go of that vibrating sensation. And since I'm a "righty" and therefore always keep my phone in a right pants or skirt pocket, (because my world would be completely off balance if I tried wearing it on the left), the sensation is always on the right in roughly the same spot. Before I ask if this has happened to you, let me say that I know I read an article not long back that talked about this issue...but come on, does this happen to you?

My daily surroundings

I had my camera at school today, because I've been intermittently taking pictures of each student over the past couple of weeks to include in a display on our classroom door. One of the kids remembered that I said something about taking a group picture of all of us, so here we are. Please note that the second picture is more their "true" selves and the craziness I deal with on a daily basis. Aaahh...Spring Break is yet a memory.

We did stuff

I just sat here thinking about all the things we got done around the house this week. Daa-uhm. We did a lot. Of course we had a little help (okay, a LOT of help) with Alan's dad being here and being Mr. Project Man himself. I was about to list everything we did, but that list is so long that it gets more boring by the item. Let's just say, we "did work." And I just got through painting the guest house bathroom a little while ago, so a nice hot shower is calling my name.

By the way, my little Maltipoo friend, Toto, is gone and Junior and I are sad. But then I just watch this snippet from a Rob & Big episode and I'm happy again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbjGBMiYYlQ

Being a Big Boy

Those of you who have witnessed firsthand the wrath of Junior will understand why it fascinates me that he has been the most gentle, patient host while putting up with a very young, spastic guest. Yes, I just referred to Junior as gentle and patient. He doesn't hiss or growl OR EVEN BITE this little white ball, and biting is a part of Junior's daily maintenance of the pearly whites. The proof:

But really, how could you be mean to this:

Babysitting

We're babysitting a Maltipoo for a couple days.

We're going to be busy.

I like dirt.

I should post a picture of my dirty feet and fingernails to prove how much I love digging in the dirt and planting in the spring. But even I have my limitations. No one ever needs to see dirt that has ground into a person's heels. It's never attractive. But people walk around every day of their lives with grungy feet. And then wear sandals! There are inexpensive scrubbers and tools that will take care of such nastiness, not to mention shoes that keep us from having to see your feet.

I digress. Here's a couple of plants that I expect to mass-multiply in a couple months, the tried and true Lantana and the Sweet Potato Vine:

Bargain shopping...should have put it on the list.

I don't know what's gotten into Pier One, but they currently have an explosion of cute things that are CHEAP! Not that Pier One is really expensive, but I wouldn't call them mindful of my pocket book. I got these candles for $3.50 each. Very cute outside on the patio. We'll get to use them for maybe another month or so before the Texas size mosquitoes and flies make outdoor dining a fond memory.

Look at me checking things off my list.

Hi. I will bite you now.


Dude knows how to nap.


Yes, we (as in, me) have to vacuum our ottoman regularly.

I make lists.

It's time....to do so many things I haven't done in a while. I wanted to high five everyone in the hall yesterday when the bell rang announcing SPRING FRIGGIN' BREAK! I tried to wish my students "happy spring break!" but instead it came out as "See ya, wouldn't wanna be ya! Get out! Leave my presence!" I think they felt the love.

I intend for my list to include more play than work, and here's what I have so far:

• Sleep.
• Sit on the back porch in my pajamas and drink coffee.
• Watch cooking shows.
• Cook.
• Sleep some more.
• Tan, if I can afford some sessions.
• Shop for swimsuits.
• Hang out with my father-in-law.
• Paint the guest house bath (yes, that is actually fun for me).
• Take pictures.
• Update the blog.
• READ.
• Run, when the wind isn't blowing 50 mph like yesterday.
• Wash my car, when the wind isn't blowing 50 mph like yesterday.
• Stay up past 10:00.
• Sleep.
• Work in the yard.

I know I'll still be grading papers and planning and will even have to go up to the school for a little while, but that doesn't bother me when I know it will peaceful and QUIET.

I plan to post pictures proving that I did many of these things. Not the swimsuit pictures though. :-)

"Miss Jackson, if you're nasty"

The last couple of hashers left about an hour ago. This was our second time to host a Hash and our fourth one to attend. That means that next month will be mine and Alan's 5th Hash, making us eligible to receive our Hash names. So tonight at "circle time" and later around the fire pit, other hashers threw out suggestions as to what our names should be. Alan's potential name is looking like "Lean, Mean, Bald Machine," while suggestions for yours truly were "Double Trouble" and "Mrs. Nasty." The names are by no means supposed to be complimentary, and mine derives from all kinds of inappropriate scenarios. We had a good time as usual, and this particular run was pretty long, grueling, and oh yeah....law-breaking. And who knew Midland had so many hills and valleys!

Right now I'm tired and just happy to have the BBQ smoke and beer washed out of my hair. Come join a hash sometime, and this will all make perfect sense.

Kicking back

So I survived administering my first state test as a real teacher....now I just have to wait on the results for a couple weeks. Once we finished that on Wednesday, the rest of the week for the kids has been absolutely no work and all fun. They deserve it, when the state puts them through such hell over a stupid test.

Today while they're watching movies (on the friggin big screen in my hi-tech classroom!) and playing games, I'll be finishing getting completely caught up on grading and inputting grades. I might even have time for that inconceivable and fuzzy concept called PLANNING.

Tomorrow we're hosting another Hash at our house, which we were hit with out of the blue. I have no idea what all we're going to eat, haven't been to the store, and have a "thing" I have to attend tonight at the school. I'm also disappointed because we haven't had the porch residing project done yet, and everything out back is dead and ugly. But I'm guessing since beer and food is involved, we'll manage to have an okay time. :-)

Finally!

Bailey's team had a fairly humiliating day on Saturday of the tournament, only to turn it around completely today, winning all three matches and the Bronze championship. For a team who hasn't won much all season, this was a much needed boost! Bailey went from playing hitter to setter and back to hitter again, and she's handled all the changes with no complaints. She was awesome as an outside hitter this weekend, a position she much prefers. She also serves as the team's captain. Here's the victory photo as well as a mini-clip from a game.

Having an explosive time in Lubbock!

Something that has changed in correlation with my working this semester, and no I'm not talking about the ho-humness of my blog. Our dinner routine is suffering. I just don't have time or feel like cooking much anymore. I think I made spaghetti one night last week and salmon patties another. I used to cook 5-6 meals per week counting the weekends.

So Friday night before we left for Lubbock, Alan and I had chips and salsa for dinner. A lot of chips and salsa. For me that was followed by 3-4 Girl Scout cookies. Yesterday I had a decent enough breakfast at the hotel followed by a couple more of those cookies mid-morning. Lunch was a mammoth pizza slice at the mall, followed by Peanut Butter Patties as soon as we returned to the gym. Dinner was McDonald's. I skipped the cookies this time.

I could tell there was going to be some unpleasantness thanks to the amount of non-vegetable/non-fruit products I've been consuming. God bless my body for waiting until we were back in the comfort of our hotel room to express its disdain. I was reminded of that scene from Dumb and Dumber where at first you get the sounds INSIDE your body. And it just went downhill from there.

I'm blaming Alan for the GS cookies. He bought five boxes at home, which we inhaled. He then bought 3 or 4 more yesterday at the Wal-Mart here in Lubbock. Several of us parents were sitting around yesterday morning talking about how each member of the family claims stake to whichever type is their favorite, such as: hiding them under the bed, tucking them away in drawers, or writing threatening messages on the box. So it was only fitting that Alan show up a little while later with MORE cookies. At least my favorite kind seems to be one that no one else cares about - Peanut Butter Sandwiches. How can you not love those?

Alright, time to go get ready for another day of volleyball. When we get back to Midland tonight, I have to make two huge pots of red beans for a luncheon at school tomorrow. Beans....hmmm. This could be ugly.

A Real Live Teacher

Looks like I can finally claim that title. I found out today that I got the teaching position at the school where I've been subbing for the past few weeks. I'm excited, but I gotta say it was a bit anti-climactic to be told in FRONT of the other person who interviewed for the SAME JOB. That, plus the fact that a parent has scheduled a conference with myself and the principal tomorrow because she's worried about this transition for her daughter, made me a little less than giddy today.

Still, I'm a teacher!

From Frumpy to Fabulous (for a day anyway)

Perhaps last night I was still trying to catch up on the lack of sleep we got over the weekend...getting up at 5:45 on Saturday for volleyball, waking up at 5:30 (voluntarily) on Sunday to do some grading in the hotel lobby, and then not getting back to Midland until 1:00 a.m. Sunday night. This, followed by having to get up at 5:30 Monday morning for another workday, had left me a bit sleepy.

So I get going a little later this morning than usual, and was thus changing into work clothes with just minutes to spare before needing to leave the house. As luck would have it, the zipper on my favorite denim skirt broke, and I was left standing in confusion at my closet waiting for some decent outfit to materialize. It never did, and 10 minutes later I was leaving the house in a rush in a poorly thrown-together mixture of pink and browns. Not pretty. My hair looked bad, I had to wear glasses thanks to this pinkeye condition, my socks were too dark for my shoes, and I felt fat all day.

Hmmm, how do we resolve this so that it doesn't happen anymore this week? Why, a trip to Target of course! Thank you, Target, for $12.99 shirts that me feel like a hundred bucks. At least for a while. All the women out there know the "lift" you feel when you wear something you feel pretty in, so go spend that minimal amount when you need it. It's worth it.

My Valentines

There are 17 little third-graders that I spend the majority of my time and attention on lately. That needs to change soon, but they sure are cute.

Bit of this and that

After two 13-hour days in a row, I'm so glad to be home by 5:00 today. I left so quickly after school, that I didn't even stop to see if there was a staff meeting. Oops.

Even though I'll sort of be working tonight (inputting grades), I'll be wearing jeans, followed quickly by pajamas, hanging out all cozy in my own living room, and will hopefully be catching something good on TV. Speaking of which, I have become such a junkie of "The First 48!" Where has this show been all my life? It's so addicting.

Today I interviewed for the teaching position that I've been subbing in for the past 5 weeks. It went okay, and I'm hopeful but not overly-confident. Oh hey, I only made two kids cry today. Yes, they should definitely hire me.

Alan and I have mutually agreed to sort of ignore Valentine's Day this year. It's kind of a goofy holiday if you ask me, and better suited to all the cutesy elementary school activities. It may sound unromantic, but at least we're trying to plan a weekend away as soon as we can work it around the volleyball weekends.

Saturday Morning Grading

This is how Junior helps with my Saturday routine.




I'm pretty sure this is not what I taught about fractions this week. I see a Reteaching session in the very near future.

Divine health

I'm setting myself up for certain illness by writing this, but I'm just so surprised I haven't gotten sick yet. Every day for the past 2-3 weeks I've been around sick kids with sore throats, fever, and the flu, and yet I haven't had as much as a sniffle. But If I don't come down with something after today, then my immune system has surely been touched by God himself!

A boy who was not feeling well used my cell phone to call his parents, and then clearly stricken with nausea, rushed towards the restroom where he promptly vomited in the hallway. Back inside the classroom, I sat there looking at my lovely gold Razr, wondering how to avoid all those active germs. All I could come up with was to squirt sanitizer on my hands (which I've been applying about 10 times every day) and when it was almost dry, rub it all over my phone.

I then came home to Bailey who is now running a 100+ temperature.

Glad I didn't wash my car

Couple things I despise about this area - wind and sand. We had the pleasure of driving through both on the way home from Amarillo today.

Amarillo by morning, Amarillo's where I'll be...

Sitting here in the hotel room in Amarillo while Bailey gets a much deserved nap, and Alan channel surfs between The Fantastic Four and Star Wars. We just got through watching the really horrible Charlie's Angels II. The whole reason for my tuning in was so that I would be so bored and annoyed that surely I would be lured to sleep. No such luck.

No wins today in volleyball, but Bailey's 15 year-old team was forced to play up to 16s and 17s. Not exactly a fair tournament, but it was good to have that kind of competition. I think most of the players and parents are going out to eat tonight, and then we'll be back at the facility bright and early at 7:15 tomorrow. I'm hearing that we'll be done by noon and home in time to watch the Superbowl! I don't think I'll have time to throw any cool finger foods together like DeeBee, but at least we won't miss the commercials.

Many hotel chains these days are trying to impress guests with the trendy, clean, white, spa-type of bed linens. Problem is, there are no real blankets on the beds. So I called the front desk asking for blankets, and both Bailey and Alan thought I was being demanding. Alan went so far as to say that given a few more years I would be much like my mother, who is known for requesting and demanding service that most of us would be too embarrassed to request. Uh, no. When you're paying $95 a night for a nice but not outstanding hotel room, I think they can give me a blanket for the damn bed. And guess who is all curled up in the very warm, soft and cozy blanket right now? ALAN.