Yes, I've been sucked into (no pun intended...OK, maybe a little pun!) the Twilight series of books. OMG! They are so addictive! This all started when I was invited to a Twilight party at a friends house. I decided that I should read the book before I saw the movie. SO, I ran out and bought the first book with a week to go before the party. Little did I know that it had nearly 400 pages! I cranked that puppy out in a week! If it weren't for work and sleep, I would have finished it in less time than that.
New Moon took me another week to read, and I was tempted to take a week off to catch up on my sleep, but just couldn't handle that idea, so I ran out and bought the next 2 books and finished Eclipse this past weekend, and started Breaking Dawn last night. Each of these books is 400ish pages, so I've literally read more in the past month than I have in several years!
I read before sleep each nite (helps with the dreams of hot vampires and werewolves!), I read while sitting on the patio supervising kids at play, I read whenever I can find the time to read. In fact, I was just heading out to do some more reading when I decided to take time to tell all of you (yeah, what are there like 2 people who read this?) that you HAVE TO read these books! Sure, they're designed for teenagers, but they are soooo good! Good, wholesome stories, too (aside from the vampires/werewolves and the associated killing and blood sucking, that is!).
OH, and did I mention there's an online book as well? Twilight written from Edward's point of view? It's a couple hundred pages as well, but I'm halfway through that one - kinda hard to sit and read at the computer, though. BUT, it's convenient when I'm sitting and waiting and forgot my book at home!
Apparently there's also a book written for adults...maybe those characters have sex, not sure what the difference is...will get that one as soon as I finish this fourth one (so next weekend!).
I did let M see the movie as it's fairly benign, except for one scene toward the end (she hid in the bathroom for it), and as soon as she finishes reading Harry Potter, she is going to start the first book. Despite being designed for teens, they are pretty mellow when it comes to sex and such (humans having sex with vampires is apparently dangerous, so doesn't actually happen very often...good to know!). Pretty romantic to just go as far as cuddling and kissing.
SO - in case you didn't notice, I like these books a bit! Speaking of which - gotta go - there's a vampire waiting for me!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Spring has Sprung!
Yes, the sun is out, the blooms are blooming, and the allergies are in high gear. YEAH!
It's been a crazy past few weeks, thus the lack of posts. Work is absolutely crazy - I am trying to juggle all the different tasks that need to happen in a given day/week, and the result is that I'm going a bit crazy in the process. My newest schedule change has me eating lunch in the car while driving between one school and the next. Perhaps if I can't finish my lunch during that drive, I can finish while driving from school #2 and the jail. OR, possibly I can find some time to grab a snack while driving to get M and take her to her afternoon activities. There was one day last week when I literally did not eat since I was on suicide watch (watcher, not watchee) the entire day with a student of mine. I'd grabbed a donut on the way out the door in the morning, then was going to get lunch later...no such luck! I got stuck at the school until parents could pick the student up with nothing but a donut and coffee in my tummy.
Today I was down for the count with a migraine - not fun at all! My head is still hurting quite a bit, but I can have my eyes open and be upright again, so I count that as a good thing. Will have to return to work tomorrow regardless of how I feel since I basically get dinged for missing work as I end up having to make up missed contact hours. Joy of Joys! I'm trying to focus on staying hydrated since one theory is that these migraines come about when I'm not drinking enough water. Will see how that theory pans out - today I did have a coffee (caffeine works for my migraines), but have had nothing but water since.
In other news...we had an absolutely wonderful weekend! On Saturday, M, Mom and I met up with the cousins in Salem for lunch and the Hannah Montana movie. It was amazingly cute and I would totally see it again! D and I were supposed to go out Saturday nite to help a friend celebrate her 40th birthday, but there was an issue with the babysitter, so we stayed home. Probably for the best as we hit the road fairly early Sunday to go up to Hood River for the Blossom Festival. I will post some pix of that another time. It was a beautiful day in the valley - clear views of the entire valley, from Mt. Hood to Mt. Adams and all the way through the gorge. I do love my hometown! We drove by my old house (where I was born), and the hospital (where I was ACTUALLY born) - a real fun walk down memory lane! M enjoyed seeing it all as well. We ended our day with a yummy dinner at a local bar/restaurant ("Brian's Pour House") - I can't wait to go back on a day when they aren't out of the butternut squash ravioli!
The sun has come out (for now) and is having a dual effect on me. #1, I'm spending my afternoons on the porch, supervising the children at play in the neighborhood and reading. #2, I'm supplementing my afternoons on the porch with trips into the house to blow my nose, sneeze, and otherwise be miserable in this lovely allergy season. This happens every year - I can either stay inside and not suffer, or go outside and enjoy the outdoors, and suffer away. Never a fun choice to make.
This week M is taking off for camp with her school out to the coast. We spent tonite getting her stuff together and hopefully will have time tomorrow evening to actually pack it in time for the 8:30 departure Wednesday morning. We will be without a kiddo until Friday afternoon! The past couple years this has coincided with D being out of town at a conference, so I've been living solo for these days. This time he's home with me, but I can live with that :)
And now, I'm going to end this and go grab a snack & curl up in the chair with a good book...
It's been a crazy past few weeks, thus the lack of posts. Work is absolutely crazy - I am trying to juggle all the different tasks that need to happen in a given day/week, and the result is that I'm going a bit crazy in the process. My newest schedule change has me eating lunch in the car while driving between one school and the next. Perhaps if I can't finish my lunch during that drive, I can finish while driving from school #2 and the jail. OR, possibly I can find some time to grab a snack while driving to get M and take her to her afternoon activities. There was one day last week when I literally did not eat since I was on suicide watch (watcher, not watchee) the entire day with a student of mine. I'd grabbed a donut on the way out the door in the morning, then was going to get lunch later...no such luck! I got stuck at the school until parents could pick the student up with nothing but a donut and coffee in my tummy.
Today I was down for the count with a migraine - not fun at all! My head is still hurting quite a bit, but I can have my eyes open and be upright again, so I count that as a good thing. Will have to return to work tomorrow regardless of how I feel since I basically get dinged for missing work as I end up having to make up missed contact hours. Joy of Joys! I'm trying to focus on staying hydrated since one theory is that these migraines come about when I'm not drinking enough water. Will see how that theory pans out - today I did have a coffee (caffeine works for my migraines), but have had nothing but water since.
In other news...we had an absolutely wonderful weekend! On Saturday, M, Mom and I met up with the cousins in Salem for lunch and the Hannah Montana movie. It was amazingly cute and I would totally see it again! D and I were supposed to go out Saturday nite to help a friend celebrate her 40th birthday, but there was an issue with the babysitter, so we stayed home. Probably for the best as we hit the road fairly early Sunday to go up to Hood River for the Blossom Festival. I will post some pix of that another time. It was a beautiful day in the valley - clear views of the entire valley, from Mt. Hood to Mt. Adams and all the way through the gorge. I do love my hometown! We drove by my old house (where I was born), and the hospital (where I was ACTUALLY born) - a real fun walk down memory lane! M enjoyed seeing it all as well. We ended our day with a yummy dinner at a local bar/restaurant ("Brian's Pour House") - I can't wait to go back on a day when they aren't out of the butternut squash ravioli!
The sun has come out (for now) and is having a dual effect on me. #1, I'm spending my afternoons on the porch, supervising the children at play in the neighborhood and reading. #2, I'm supplementing my afternoons on the porch with trips into the house to blow my nose, sneeze, and otherwise be miserable in this lovely allergy season. This happens every year - I can either stay inside and not suffer, or go outside and enjoy the outdoors, and suffer away. Never a fun choice to make.
This week M is taking off for camp with her school out to the coast. We spent tonite getting her stuff together and hopefully will have time tomorrow evening to actually pack it in time for the 8:30 departure Wednesday morning. We will be without a kiddo until Friday afternoon! The past couple years this has coincided with D being out of town at a conference, so I've been living solo for these days. This time he's home with me, but I can live with that :)
And now, I'm going to end this and go grab a snack & curl up in the chair with a good book...
Sunday, March 22, 2009
SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!!
Yes, it's true...even the teacher looks forward to Spring Break! AND, here it is!!!!!!! SO - aside from a mountain of paperwork staring at me from my desk, and a meeting on Tuesday afternoon, I don't have to "work" until next Monday...YEAH!!!!!!!!!
In the meantime, I'm a full-time Mom for the week. It used to be that this would entail day trips and hanging out, but M is getting older, so we're all about playdates this Spring Break. In fact, as I type, she's upstairs with a friend playing.
Tomorrow we are heading to Salem for hair appointments and lunch with the cousins, then M is going home with them for a sleepover. Tuesday they will bring her back in time for dinner, then we will possibly keep their daughter over nite if the girls aren't all done being with each other. Wednesday will depend on if P spends Tuesday nite or not - M and I will either take her home to Salem, or we will hang out here in town and find something fun to do here.
Thursday and Friday are currently unbooked (SHOCKING!), but M does want a playdate with another friend, as well as a trip to visit her former daycare for a day, so we'll just have to figure out which falls on what day.
Luckily, at this age, playdates mainly mean listening for loud thumps, screams/crying, providing nutritious snacks on occasion, and being an adult on the premises for legal purposes. COOL! I do have to say, that a couple years ago a sleepover went VERY wrong, so I learned to keep a little closer eye on the girls than I did in the past - or at least not to allow them access to scissors...
The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for us of work and meetings and other craziness. My job has kept me on the go as always, so this week was a much needed break for us. Unfortunately D is not in the teaching profession, so he still has to work this week, but he has the option of setting his own schedule to a certain degree, so theoretically could take time off. Although, I can't imagine why he would voluntarily assist with play date supervision! In fact, he volunteered to run errands today to get out of it. I told him we could "rock, paper, scissors" for it, and he said, "let's just assume I won and I'm going on the errands". Hee Hee!
Speaking of loud thumps...gotta go!
In the meantime, I'm a full-time Mom for the week. It used to be that this would entail day trips and hanging out, but M is getting older, so we're all about playdates this Spring Break. In fact, as I type, she's upstairs with a friend playing.
Tomorrow we are heading to Salem for hair appointments and lunch with the cousins, then M is going home with them for a sleepover. Tuesday they will bring her back in time for dinner, then we will possibly keep their daughter over nite if the girls aren't all done being with each other. Wednesday will depend on if P spends Tuesday nite or not - M and I will either take her home to Salem, or we will hang out here in town and find something fun to do here.
Thursday and Friday are currently unbooked (SHOCKING!), but M does want a playdate with another friend, as well as a trip to visit her former daycare for a day, so we'll just have to figure out which falls on what day.
Luckily, at this age, playdates mainly mean listening for loud thumps, screams/crying, providing nutritious snacks on occasion, and being an adult on the premises for legal purposes. COOL! I do have to say, that a couple years ago a sleepover went VERY wrong, so I learned to keep a little closer eye on the girls than I did in the past - or at least not to allow them access to scissors...
The past couple weeks have been a whirlwind for us of work and meetings and other craziness. My job has kept me on the go as always, so this week was a much needed break for us. Unfortunately D is not in the teaching profession, so he still has to work this week, but he has the option of setting his own schedule to a certain degree, so theoretically could take time off. Although, I can't imagine why he would voluntarily assist with play date supervision! In fact, he volunteered to run errands today to get out of it. I told him we could "rock, paper, scissors" for it, and he said, "let's just assume I won and I'm going on the errands". Hee Hee!
Speaking of loud thumps...gotta go!
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
A trip to remember
We returned home last evening from out trip to CA for my nephew's birthday. All in all it was a pretty good trip, with a few "moments"...
FRIDAY - the flight down was uneventful, which is amazing for us since when the 4 of us travel together, there's often drama. No major drama on this one. Got in and I went to get the rental car. We'd decided to go with a "full-size" this time rather than a mini-van or SUV so we could cut a few costs on the trip. Well, they were all out of full-size, so we got a free upgrade to a luxury model. woo hoo??? We were cruising in a black Mercury Grand Marquis all weekend. I called it a gangster car, we also called it the squad car as it looked a bit like an unmarked police car. We had some fun with new names for us (I think I was Starsky, D Hutch, M Huggy Bear - had to do with her fuzzy lined jacked, and Mom the captain). The car was very nice, but very big!
SO - we arrive at my sister's house at 8ish where we are greeted by her and her boyfriend and their 4 collective children. What fun! She escorts D and I down to the house where we'll be staying (our "room" at her house is now her (not) soon (enough) to be ex husband's room, so not available for D & I to use). Part of their parenting plan so far is this bird nesting deal where they share custody of the kids and the house, so on the off days, they have to find another place to live. One of their neighbors is a weekender, so she uses their house when she is unable to be in her own house, which was where we stayed. Confusing, I know, but that's the way this whole divorce is going...
Had some dinner, hung out, said goodnite to BF and his kids, then all of us hung out a little more, then went to our respective beds. AND, that's when the fun began...
D was icing his knee when I went upstairs to bed, but apparently started having intense pain that ended up keeping him (and me) up all night - not in his knee, but related to a kidney stone being passed (we were pretty sure that was it - unfortunately, we have 14 years and endless stones worth of experience in the realm of kidney stones). Well, this pain was way worse than ever before and therefore, very concerning to both of us. Apparently he did ask me to take him to the ER at about 4am, to which I responded by snoring, but I obviously don't remember that. ANYWAY - it was obviously a rough nite for us.
SATURDAY - party day! D was still in a lot of pain as well as tired and cranky from a sleepless nite. I wasn't in pain, but definately tired and cranky from the evening. BUT, we headed over to the house to head off for the party. WOW! This place we went was way cool! It had a jungle theme with a huge play structure, bumper cars, games, and laser tag (we didn't do laser tag). It was arranged really well with the seating area in the middle so parents could keep an eye on things as the kids ran amok...woo hoo! D chose to chase kids along with sister's BF, while us girls hung out and chatted. All in all a great party - all kids had a blast and we were there for probably 4 hours. During that time D was still in a lot of pain and decided that after the party he did in fact want to go to the ER to make sure that this was a kidney stone and not something else. I tried to get our doctors up here to call in an Rx down there for him for some pain meds to help out, but they can't do that over state lines. DAMN! SO - after the party, my sister dropped D off at the ER and met us at home (Mom and I brought 3 girls, D went with sister and BF and 2 boys). I headed over to the ER in time to go in and see the doctor. He was very nice, they ran a quick test that determined that 99% sure it was a kidney stone, but gave us the option of more tests and such to gain that extra 1%. We opted to go home with drugs and follow up here in town (did I mention we had dinner reservations?)
OH - didn't mention the whole ER experience...what a great place to watch people! There was a guy with an IV hanging out who kept tripping over garbage cans, a newborn baby with his parents, a family with 2 young boys who were VERY interested in D's backpack full of video games and candy, and then, there was feral child. Before I got there, feral child was drumming intensely as if performing with an 80's rock band apparently. So sorry I missed that one! To give you an idea - s/he looked like the "bee child" from the honey commercials - wild, crazy hair, apparently no joints in body based on how it flopped around, and otherwise crazy looking. By the time I got there, feral child had apparently worn itself out by all the vigorous drumming and was now collapsed in the chair "sleeping". Occasionally s/he would readjust itself and flop to another position, but with eyes still closed, so freaky as hell to watch. My quick diagnosis would be mental illness like maybe schizophrenia, or possibly autism. It's "handler" made a call at one point and said that it had calmed down quite a bit since they got there, so I'm thinking group home or something. ANYWAY, feral child kept us entertained during the ER waiting room experience.
SO - the adventure to find an open pharmacy began as we headed toward the steak house where we were meeting everyone else (no kids - got a sitter for them!). NONE WERE OPEN! It was so frustrating! There were rumors of a 24 hour Walgreens in a town about 20 minutes south of where we were. We planned to head down after dinner.
Dinner was very nice - a wonderful steakhouse - great time was had by all. D had mellowed out a lot knowing that he didn't have some strange disease, and a couple Guinesses later, was almost back to his normal self.
After dinner we resumed pharmacy search. My sister gave us directions, but the exit she named didn't exist by that name. Thank goodness for my sense of direction and vague knowledge of the area, coupled with D's phone's GPS system. We eventually found the Walgreens and began the hour long wait for the meds. OH JOY! I couldn't believe how long it took. There were tons of people there wandering aimlessly waiting their meds as well - guess when you're the only pharmacy open after 6pm on a Saturday nite, all kinds of fun happens. Finally got the drugs and headed back about 10pm, just in time to say goodnite and head back to our house for the night.
D took 2 Percocet and 1 Flomax (relaxes things to help with flow) and was a happy camper for the rest of the nite!
SUNDAY - picture day - D took 2 more Percocet and passed the stone in the morning! YEAH! It was a good sized one, too. He was a bit zoned out from the drugs, but felt very little pain, so was much more fun to be around!
Headed to mall with 5 kids to get family pictures taken. That went fairly well, even though one boy was a giggle puss, the other wouldn't smile to save his life, M was trying to tell the photographer what to do, how to pose them, etc. AND, sister and I were ready to strangle each and every one of them! Thank goodness the guys brought us Starbuck's, then took the kids to the play area while we chose pictures. They came out really cute, actually, and we even got Mom to sit in on one of them and it came out great! May scan/post one when we get them in - they had to be ordered, so will have them in a few weeks.
Had lunch, let the kids run amok in the play structure, threw coins in the mall fountain, ran amok some more, did a little shopping (while kids ran amok), then headed home. Sister made yummy ribs for dinner, we hung out and chatted while kids played and napped. Pretty low key day.
MONDAY - sister and kids had to leave at 7am to get them to school on time, so we got together to say goodbye, then watched them drive off. M laid on the couch watching TV while Mom, D and I got packed up, cleaned house since ex was taking possession that day, and got ready to go. Headed out about 9:30 to visit my great Aunt who lives (conveniently) very close to the airport.
Spent a couple hours there - another cousin and one of her daughters and granddaughter came to see us as well, so had a great visit. We don't get to see my aunt and uncle often enough, but try and see them as often as we can when we're in the area. This aunt is my grandfather's baby sister, so she's only a few years older than Mom and her sisters, so while "technically" they are aunt/niece, they grew up more like siblings. She's way cool, too - very crafty, very modern for a 70ish year old woman, very easy to talk to. Sure wish I could see her more often.
Left there about 1:30 to head up to the airport. At some point Mom's panties got in a bunch about something (still haven't figured it out) and that set the tone for the rest of the trip. Returned the ganster mobile, and took a shuttle to the terminal. Had a little time to hang out before our flight, then it was off. They said that we were expecting a real bumpy take off b/c of the wind and such, but it wasn't bad at all. I slept the whole flight, which made it go much quicker (and much less drama!).
After we got to Portland, M and I stopped to buy a bottle of wine to send to the owner's of the house we stayed at while D and Mom went for the luggage. A quick dinner at Red Robin, then the drive home.
Have to say, I miss my sister a lot when we're not together, but boy oh boy do I like coming home!
FRIDAY - the flight down was uneventful, which is amazing for us since when the 4 of us travel together, there's often drama. No major drama on this one. Got in and I went to get the rental car. We'd decided to go with a "full-size" this time rather than a mini-van or SUV so we could cut a few costs on the trip. Well, they were all out of full-size, so we got a free upgrade to a luxury model. woo hoo??? We were cruising in a black Mercury Grand Marquis all weekend. I called it a gangster car, we also called it the squad car as it looked a bit like an unmarked police car. We had some fun with new names for us (I think I was Starsky, D Hutch, M Huggy Bear - had to do with her fuzzy lined jacked, and Mom the captain). The car was very nice, but very big!
SO - we arrive at my sister's house at 8ish where we are greeted by her and her boyfriend and their 4 collective children. What fun! She escorts D and I down to the house where we'll be staying (our "room" at her house is now her (not) soon (enough) to be ex husband's room, so not available for D & I to use). Part of their parenting plan so far is this bird nesting deal where they share custody of the kids and the house, so on the off days, they have to find another place to live. One of their neighbors is a weekender, so she uses their house when she is unable to be in her own house, which was where we stayed. Confusing, I know, but that's the way this whole divorce is going...
Had some dinner, hung out, said goodnite to BF and his kids, then all of us hung out a little more, then went to our respective beds. AND, that's when the fun began...
D was icing his knee when I went upstairs to bed, but apparently started having intense pain that ended up keeping him (and me) up all night - not in his knee, but related to a kidney stone being passed (we were pretty sure that was it - unfortunately, we have 14 years and endless stones worth of experience in the realm of kidney stones). Well, this pain was way worse than ever before and therefore, very concerning to both of us. Apparently he did ask me to take him to the ER at about 4am, to which I responded by snoring, but I obviously don't remember that. ANYWAY - it was obviously a rough nite for us.
SATURDAY - party day! D was still in a lot of pain as well as tired and cranky from a sleepless nite. I wasn't in pain, but definately tired and cranky from the evening. BUT, we headed over to the house to head off for the party. WOW! This place we went was way cool! It had a jungle theme with a huge play structure, bumper cars, games, and laser tag (we didn't do laser tag). It was arranged really well with the seating area in the middle so parents could keep an eye on things as the kids ran amok...woo hoo! D chose to chase kids along with sister's BF, while us girls hung out and chatted. All in all a great party - all kids had a blast and we were there for probably 4 hours. During that time D was still in a lot of pain and decided that after the party he did in fact want to go to the ER to make sure that this was a kidney stone and not something else. I tried to get our doctors up here to call in an Rx down there for him for some pain meds to help out, but they can't do that over state lines. DAMN! SO - after the party, my sister dropped D off at the ER and met us at home (Mom and I brought 3 girls, D went with sister and BF and 2 boys). I headed over to the ER in time to go in and see the doctor. He was very nice, they ran a quick test that determined that 99% sure it was a kidney stone, but gave us the option of more tests and such to gain that extra 1%. We opted to go home with drugs and follow up here in town (did I mention we had dinner reservations?)
OH - didn't mention the whole ER experience...what a great place to watch people! There was a guy with an IV hanging out who kept tripping over garbage cans, a newborn baby with his parents, a family with 2 young boys who were VERY interested in D's backpack full of video games and candy, and then, there was feral child. Before I got there, feral child was drumming intensely as if performing with an 80's rock band apparently. So sorry I missed that one! To give you an idea - s/he looked like the "bee child" from the honey commercials - wild, crazy hair, apparently no joints in body based on how it flopped around, and otherwise crazy looking. By the time I got there, feral child had apparently worn itself out by all the vigorous drumming and was now collapsed in the chair "sleeping". Occasionally s/he would readjust itself and flop to another position, but with eyes still closed, so freaky as hell to watch. My quick diagnosis would be mental illness like maybe schizophrenia, or possibly autism. It's "handler" made a call at one point and said that it had calmed down quite a bit since they got there, so I'm thinking group home or something. ANYWAY, feral child kept us entertained during the ER waiting room experience.
SO - the adventure to find an open pharmacy began as we headed toward the steak house where we were meeting everyone else (no kids - got a sitter for them!). NONE WERE OPEN! It was so frustrating! There were rumors of a 24 hour Walgreens in a town about 20 minutes south of where we were. We planned to head down after dinner.
Dinner was very nice - a wonderful steakhouse - great time was had by all. D had mellowed out a lot knowing that he didn't have some strange disease, and a couple Guinesses later, was almost back to his normal self.
After dinner we resumed pharmacy search. My sister gave us directions, but the exit she named didn't exist by that name. Thank goodness for my sense of direction and vague knowledge of the area, coupled with D's phone's GPS system. We eventually found the Walgreens and began the hour long wait for the meds. OH JOY! I couldn't believe how long it took. There were tons of people there wandering aimlessly waiting their meds as well - guess when you're the only pharmacy open after 6pm on a Saturday nite, all kinds of fun happens. Finally got the drugs and headed back about 10pm, just in time to say goodnite and head back to our house for the night.
D took 2 Percocet and 1 Flomax (relaxes things to help with flow) and was a happy camper for the rest of the nite!
SUNDAY - picture day - D took 2 more Percocet and passed the stone in the morning! YEAH! It was a good sized one, too. He was a bit zoned out from the drugs, but felt very little pain, so was much more fun to be around!
Headed to mall with 5 kids to get family pictures taken. That went fairly well, even though one boy was a giggle puss, the other wouldn't smile to save his life, M was trying to tell the photographer what to do, how to pose them, etc. AND, sister and I were ready to strangle each and every one of them! Thank goodness the guys brought us Starbuck's, then took the kids to the play area while we chose pictures. They came out really cute, actually, and we even got Mom to sit in on one of them and it came out great! May scan/post one when we get them in - they had to be ordered, so will have them in a few weeks.
Had lunch, let the kids run amok in the play structure, threw coins in the mall fountain, ran amok some more, did a little shopping (while kids ran amok), then headed home. Sister made yummy ribs for dinner, we hung out and chatted while kids played and napped. Pretty low key day.
MONDAY - sister and kids had to leave at 7am to get them to school on time, so we got together to say goodbye, then watched them drive off. M laid on the couch watching TV while Mom, D and I got packed up, cleaned house since ex was taking possession that day, and got ready to go. Headed out about 9:30 to visit my great Aunt who lives (conveniently) very close to the airport.
Spent a couple hours there - another cousin and one of her daughters and granddaughter came to see us as well, so had a great visit. We don't get to see my aunt and uncle often enough, but try and see them as often as we can when we're in the area. This aunt is my grandfather's baby sister, so she's only a few years older than Mom and her sisters, so while "technically" they are aunt/niece, they grew up more like siblings. She's way cool, too - very crafty, very modern for a 70ish year old woman, very easy to talk to. Sure wish I could see her more often.
Left there about 1:30 to head up to the airport. At some point Mom's panties got in a bunch about something (still haven't figured it out) and that set the tone for the rest of the trip. Returned the ganster mobile, and took a shuttle to the terminal. Had a little time to hang out before our flight, then it was off. They said that we were expecting a real bumpy take off b/c of the wind and such, but it wasn't bad at all. I slept the whole flight, which made it go much quicker (and much less drama!).
After we got to Portland, M and I stopped to buy a bottle of wine to send to the owner's of the house we stayed at while D and Mom went for the luggage. A quick dinner at Red Robin, then the drive home.
Have to say, I miss my sister a lot when we're not together, but boy oh boy do I like coming home!
Friday, February 27, 2009
Leavin, on a jet plane...
Yes, it's that time of year again - time to head off to California for my nephew's birthday. We haven't missed a single one of his birthdays (he's 5 this year), nor have we missed a single one of my niece's (she'll be 9 in June). Well, D doesn't go for hers usually, and Mom did miss one, but M and I have made EVERY ONE!!!!!
SO - we're working this morning, then heading off to catch a 4:25 flight to California. The bags are packed and we're pretty much ready to go.
The party is tomorrow at some sort of jungle themed indoor jungle gym type place - should be fun for the kids and hopefully no stress for the rest of us. Then Sunday we're getting the kids' pictures taken - all 5 of them as my sister's boyfriend has 2 as well. Should be fun getting two 8 year olds, a 6, 5, and 3 year old all to sit still for pictures... but we've done this nearly every year with M and my niece and nephew, so what's 2 more, right? :)
We head home Monday after a brief visit with my great Aunt on the way to the airport. Should be a fun weekend! Always is...
OH! AND Did I mention we awoke to snow yesterday? Of course by midday it was all melted and like 50 degrees outside, but ended up with a 2 hour delay at the charter school I go and teach at because of it. This morning, just frost and ice. OH JOY!
SO - we're working this morning, then heading off to catch a 4:25 flight to California. The bags are packed and we're pretty much ready to go.
The party is tomorrow at some sort of jungle themed indoor jungle gym type place - should be fun for the kids and hopefully no stress for the rest of us. Then Sunday we're getting the kids' pictures taken - all 5 of them as my sister's boyfriend has 2 as well. Should be fun getting two 8 year olds, a 6, 5, and 3 year old all to sit still for pictures... but we've done this nearly every year with M and my niece and nephew, so what's 2 more, right? :)
We head home Monday after a brief visit with my great Aunt on the way to the airport. Should be a fun weekend! Always is...
OH! AND Did I mention we awoke to snow yesterday? Of course by midday it was all melted and like 50 degrees outside, but ended up with a 2 hour delay at the charter school I go and teach at because of it. This morning, just frost and ice. OH JOY!
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ash Wednesday
It seems as if I have these spurts of posting where I post a couple things at a time, then go like a week without. OH WELL!
SO - today is Ash Wednesday. Growing up Catholic, that meant going to Mass and getting a cross drawn on your forehead with ashes which you wore for the rest of the day. It also meant the beginning of the Lent season. In my house Lent meant giving something up until Easter. The idea being that Jesus sacrificed his own life for us, therefore we can sacrifice SOMETHING for him during these few weeks. I never quite got the hang of how giving up chocolate and giving up your life equated, but who was I to question?
Well, as we are not practicing Catholics (Mom still is, of course, although I can't remember the last time she saw the inside of a Catholic church), we have been less than adherent to the whole "giving something up for lent" thing. This year, I decided to give M the chance to decide for herself.
I explained to her that "when I was growing up" we did this, Grandma still does it, and does she want to. I told her that while our current church celebrates Lent, we do not do the giving something up thing, so it was entirely up to her. She decided to do it. SO - she has given up watching TV shows. Movies are OK, just not TV shows. AND, there's some flexibility here as we can only control things in our own home, so if she's at another house and the TV is on, that's technically OK. Hey - more power to her for doing this!
Am I giving something up this year? WELL, yes, I am! I have given up drive-thrus (not fast food, just the drive thru so it makes life way more inconvenient for me to get the crappy food - who likes to go INSIDE????) AND soda.
Sounds easy enough, right? Well, this morning already I was put to the test. The housekeeper came earlier than expected, which threw our groove off. OK, just my groove, but it meant I didn't get breakfast. That's OK, I'll just hit Starbuck's on the way to work. WAIT! That's a drive-thru...so now I have to go inside Starbuck's to get my coffee and fruit/yogurt parfait. UGH! AND - I can't swing by Walgreens to pick up the Diet Coke for my lunch b/c now I'm not drinking that, so I had to go and get some Diet Green Tea for my lunch - which was packed, and not gotten through a drive thru.
Going to be interesting how this goes... bet M does better with no TV than I do with no soda or drive thrus! Already worried about what I'm going to eat for dinner tonite...
SO - today is Ash Wednesday. Growing up Catholic, that meant going to Mass and getting a cross drawn on your forehead with ashes which you wore for the rest of the day. It also meant the beginning of the Lent season. In my house Lent meant giving something up until Easter. The idea being that Jesus sacrificed his own life for us, therefore we can sacrifice SOMETHING for him during these few weeks. I never quite got the hang of how giving up chocolate and giving up your life equated, but who was I to question?
Well, as we are not practicing Catholics (Mom still is, of course, although I can't remember the last time she saw the inside of a Catholic church), we have been less than adherent to the whole "giving something up for lent" thing. This year, I decided to give M the chance to decide for herself.
I explained to her that "when I was growing up" we did this, Grandma still does it, and does she want to. I told her that while our current church celebrates Lent, we do not do the giving something up thing, so it was entirely up to her. She decided to do it. SO - she has given up watching TV shows. Movies are OK, just not TV shows. AND, there's some flexibility here as we can only control things in our own home, so if she's at another house and the TV is on, that's technically OK. Hey - more power to her for doing this!
Am I giving something up this year? WELL, yes, I am! I have given up drive-thrus (not fast food, just the drive thru so it makes life way more inconvenient for me to get the crappy food - who likes to go INSIDE????) AND soda.
Sounds easy enough, right? Well, this morning already I was put to the test. The housekeeper came earlier than expected, which threw our groove off. OK, just my groove, but it meant I didn't get breakfast. That's OK, I'll just hit Starbuck's on the way to work. WAIT! That's a drive-thru...so now I have to go inside Starbuck's to get my coffee and fruit/yogurt parfait. UGH! AND - I can't swing by Walgreens to pick up the Diet Coke for my lunch b/c now I'm not drinking that, so I had to go and get some Diet Green Tea for my lunch - which was packed, and not gotten through a drive thru.
Going to be interesting how this goes... bet M does better with no TV than I do with no soda or drive thrus! Already worried about what I'm going to eat for dinner tonite...
a day in the life
Amazingly I have a spare moment here to spend on a little blogging. Life has been absolutely crazy lately with work and such. I've been working on testing a kid to determine if he has a learning disability, so I've been adding in trips out to his school (also in the middle of nowhere - I don't see any kids who go to schools in town) to administer the tests.
SO - my typical day has been:
8:15 - take M to school
then head out to middle of nowhere school #1 to see kids
11ish - leave middle of nowhere #1 and head to middle of nowhere #2 for testing - eat lunch in the car
2ish - head back to town to go by the jail and get that work done, or go to a meeting, or go make copies, or whatever that particular day has in store for me
3ish - p/u M at school and take her to whatever her daily activity is (today is sewing)
5ish - p/u M from activity and head home for dinner and PM activities (last nite was knitting for M and I, tonite I'm going to a stamping/scrapbooking club while D takes M to his rugby coach/parent meeting)
9ish - collapse on comfy chair in PJ's - watch TV and cross stitch
10ish - drag my lazy ass upstairs to bed - read 1 chapter of my book (or more if I have that much energy) before falling dead asleep until morning when it starts over again
The good news? I only work 3/4 time, so it could be crazier if I was a full-time employee! Such is the life of a teacher though - if you are supposed to work part-time, you work full-time, and if you are supposed to work full-time, you work overtime. When I was a full-time teacher, I was putting in easily 50-60 hours a week between the time in the classroom, the paper grading, planning, and then on top of that the Special Ed paperwork/meetings/etc. SO - as much as it may sound like I'm complaining, I'm very happy with my "part-time" job!
SO - my typical day has been:
8:15 - take M to school
then head out to middle of nowhere school #1 to see kids
11ish - leave middle of nowhere #1 and head to middle of nowhere #2 for testing - eat lunch in the car
2ish - head back to town to go by the jail and get that work done, or go to a meeting, or go make copies, or whatever that particular day has in store for me
3ish - p/u M at school and take her to whatever her daily activity is (today is sewing)
5ish - p/u M from activity and head home for dinner and PM activities (last nite was knitting for M and I, tonite I'm going to a stamping/scrapbooking club while D takes M to his rugby coach/parent meeting)
9ish - collapse on comfy chair in PJ's - watch TV and cross stitch
10ish - drag my lazy ass upstairs to bed - read 1 chapter of my book (or more if I have that much energy) before falling dead asleep until morning when it starts over again
The good news? I only work 3/4 time, so it could be crazier if I was a full-time employee! Such is the life of a teacher though - if you are supposed to work part-time, you work full-time, and if you are supposed to work full-time, you work overtime. When I was a full-time teacher, I was putting in easily 50-60 hours a week between the time in the classroom, the paper grading, planning, and then on top of that the Special Ed paperwork/meetings/etc. SO - as much as it may sound like I'm complaining, I'm very happy with my "part-time" job!
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