It's possible that we'll either blow away or flow away today. Crazy weather. I just hope the power doesn't go out at school.

Heavy Rain / Wind

High 53° F

Precip:		100%

Windy. A steady rain. The rain may be heavy at times in the morning. High 53F. Winds SSW at 20 to 30 mph. 1 to 2 inches of additional rain expected. Winds could occasionally gust over 50 mph.

Food, shopping, decorating, micro-brews, great wine, more food...

I love having family in town.

A man and his dog...

Our Dixie girl has been a handful, but we love her just the same. I was looking back at pictures of her taken right after she joined our family - and holy cow, has she grown! She's not a big dog, but definitely fits solidly in the medium-sized category. I have no idea how much she weighs, but I'd guess between 35 and 40 pounds. It's supposed to be sunny for the rest of the week (fingers crossed) and I can't wait to take her over to the park and let her run herself ragged. She's got some energy!

My mom and dad are coming, and "Grandma" is bringing the girls some treats. Dixie has not yet met my mom and dad, so she doesn't yet know the sheer joy of a visit from the grandparents. Let's just say the dogs never go hungry. I would love to see the look on the face of the airport security guard who inspects my mom's suitcase...

Thanksgiving at our place...

...is going to be a pretty small affair. My parents are coming up, and we've spread the word around Will's squadron that anyone who would otherwise be spending the holiday sans family is welcome to join our festivities.

I think I'm going to put up my Christmas tree tomorrow. I don't want to waste a whole day of my parent's visit doing that, and if I wait until after they leave, I know I won't get it done. Little by little, the holiday will creep up and then it will feel like it's too late. You see, I'm convincing myself, too.

Car buying..not fun. A stressful way to spend a day off of work. But we're close. Very close.

We may soon be the owners of a vehicle made in this century.

A couple of thoughts on my parent-student-teacher conferences...

-When your phone rings? Three times? Don't answer it. Even if you have a Bluetooth deal and it "will only take a couple of seconds." It's rude, and we only have 20 minutes. And most likely, I've been needing to talk to you for some time about your child...and when I called, you didn't answer, or call back. Irony?
-Leave your dog at home. Yep, your dog - your Yorkie. The one that shivers and whines like a Chihuahua. It's rude.
-Even if you are having trouble with your kid at home, when I praise your child for responsible behavior, at least smile or nod or something. This is time to hear about your kid at school - please understand that sometimes kids act differently in their different realms. And I love your kid, and it breaks my heart when you ignore what I say to tell me how terrible they are at home (especially when they are sitting there with us...).
-Thank you, thank you, thank you for finding something to tell your child that you are proud of - even the smallest thing - because that pride makes my job easier.
-To the mom who cried because I told you that your child has every single quality a parent could ever hope for in a kid - the whole package? You are blessed as can be, but obviously you had such a part in this and I am so thankful for you, too, even though I'm pretty sure I never said that. Thank you for coming to the conference even though you don't speak English (only understand it a bit) and even though I could see it was uncomfortable for you. What an amazing family you have.
-I cannot tell you how thankful I am for the books you bought for me at the book fair. I know that it was a clever marketing scheme for us to have a "wish list" at the book fair so strategically open during conference time, but I really do appreciate the books. Our class will surely enjoy listening to me read "The Teacher's Funeral" aloud.
-Thank you for making the time to come. I don't know why the schools do it this way, on weekdays, and I know you had to take off work to come. I appreciate the sacrifice and I hope you found it worthwhile. So many of you responded so positively and wanted to hear what I had to say. And I know your kids were excited to show you their work, whether they looked like it or not - we've been working hard and they've done a great job.
-One last thing...If you hear something that you've heard before, like, every year before, maybe you should not respond, "Oh, he/she has always been this way/had this problem." How about we try to fix it? Together? When you say that, it's like you accept and don't care if it continues down the line...And when it's something like the fact that they don't know their multiplication tables, I guarantee it will be a benefit to the kid if we help them fix it now. But really, I can't do everything alone. Help me out, okay?
-I lied about the one last thing...Here's one more. When you can't even pay attention for 20 minutes, it's really NO SURPRISE that your kid can't either. And that's called learned behavior not a disorder. Just sayin'.


All in all it was a totally new and rewarding experience to have these conferences (never having been in elementary before). Overwhelmingly positive, and only one unruly parent. It was very interesting, and at times hilarious, to see into the other life of my kids, the home part. They are a fantastic bunch and I hope their parents know it. Getting to know them is really the best part of my job.

The daily grind...Usually when I get to school there is only one other teacher there. It is so quiet and peaceful. I love the planning part of teaching and getting ready for the day. Researching lessons and finding new ideas is just so fulfilling to me. The part with the kids - not always so fulfilling. It's a job where you have to wait for the little glimmers of hope - and sometimes wait a long, long time - to keep you going.

A glimmer of hope made it's way into my classroom last week. Because of Halloween, I kept hinting to my kids that I like sour candy and Baby Ruth candy bars. You know, just throwing that out there. On Thursday, several kids dropped little pieces of candy on my desk, sharing their loot...all the sweet kids who turn in homework and smile and can walk in a line without being reminded how that particular task is done. But then, like a shining star, my not-so-sweet-tough-guy approaches my desk with a FULL-SIZED Baby Ruth bar in hand. "For me?" I asked. It sure was! Turns out my tough-guy was given a full-sized Snickers from a man (of course this kid went to the right neighborhood so that he would end up with the best stash) - and instead of taking the candy and heading off to the next house, he asked to trade it for a Baby Ruth if the man had any. Tough-guy proceeded to tell the man why he wanted to trade, and the sweet man let him keep the Snickers and gave him a candy bar for me. Two other boys in the class, both trick-or-treating with tough-guy, corroborated his story. So, on my desk sits a delectable treat, although I'm not sure I am ready to devour it just yet - it's a nice reminder that it's the little things, the ones no one else sees, that make this job warm my heart. A candy bar on my desk.

Sounds trite, but I'll bet teachers (and moms, too) will know just what I mean.

This place is definitely not rubbing off on me...

It's cold here, y'all. Really cold. So cold that I'm finding myself needing a second cup of coffee to keep warm in my frigid classroom. No one makes good coffee at school, so I bring a thermos. However, bringing a thermos for cups two (and three) AND carrying a travel mug is not only cumbersome, but provides for more things to wash. So I'm thinking about buying some of these (at Wal-Mart, of course - they're even made by Dixie, so it's like a piece of the South in my hand...don't think about the disposable part):


Maybe the coffee part is rubbing off on me. But the "environment first, at all costs" part - not so much. So, more trash...but less water, right? Maybe I'm becoming a conservationist after all.

Had a bad day again...

Earlier this week the local paper came to our school. They took pictures of my class using the computer lab. The article the picture was printed with had nothing to do with us, but with a technology levy our district is putting on the ballot in the Spring. No big deal, right? Well, this afternoon I found a card in my box at school. It was addressed to me (well, to they way the paper incorrectly spelled my name). Inside was the ugliest comment, a personal attack, about the way I was dressed.

Our district is very casual, which I think I've mentioned before. I was wearing a pair of blue khaki pants (which did look like jeans in the picture), a jean jacket, and Birkenstock clogs (which are pretty typical here in this part of the country, not surprisingly). The note basically said that the way I was dressed undermined the fact that teachers have had to work hard to be recognized as professionals. Excuse me! What century to we live in? Not to mention it's elementary school, full of glue, glitter, sitting on the floor and playing with kids at P.E. and recess! Just to make sure I wasn't breaking any sort of rules with my dress, I checked the dress code for teachers - nothing revealing, nothing with inappropriate logos or writing...we can wear sleeveless tops, jeans, and flip flops for goodness' sake!

I recognize that my job is a public job. I would welcome anyone into my classroom to see the quality of instruction and the way we conduct ourselves. With all of the stress surrounding our job as educators, the last thing I think we should be concerned with is dressing casually (especially when it is allowed!). Of course, the note was anonymous, because they commenter knew there was no merit in their malicious remark. I wish people would realize that if they would just become more involved in their local schools (especially if they have the time to sit around and write nasty notes all day) they might actually know what is going on and have something a little more substantial to talk about.

Grr. No wonder this guy wrote this and this.

I don't think I've ever done a meme. I saw this one on another blog and it looked like fun. Something to get my mind off of the Ag's loss.

Directions: You bold all the things that you’ve done (after copying and pasting). Play along if you want to! I know it's long...

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain (does it count if I "climbed" in a car?)
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree (with my husband in CA, a HUGE sequoia)
10. Bungee jumped (only once and never again!)
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten tipsy on champagne (it can't go to waste on New Year's when everyone else is asleep!)
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment (Um, Charla? Do you remember that one time in Subway?)
27. Had a food fight (at Pine Cove on a work weekend)
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two harddrives for your computer (well, we have an extra hard drive that we use for both of our computers, and I think that counts)
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had/Have amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched whales (this summer on the side of a highway in CA)
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe (I don't think backpacking is my thing...)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing (in the Rec at A&M)
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your cds
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke (with my gals Erica and Tiffany - 'cause we don't want no scrubs)
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (lemonade stand?)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites (Tikal, Guatemala)
70. Taken a martial arts class (once or twice at Knollwood Country Club, I was very young and not at all into yelling and fake kicking)
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight (I don't even know what this is)
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice (we wanted to ride the gondolas at Venice in Vegas, but it was ridiculously pricey)
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the snake river
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Gotten flowers for no reason (well, not on a holiday/birthday/date or anything, and it was from my parent's - first day of teaching)
84. Performed on stage (middle school choir, very professional)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (I've recorded myself singing on tape...and so has my sister...and the evidence is in my parent's outbuilding)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date (my husband!)
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone (not actually, but I'm with Will in my mind every time he goes...)
92. Buried one/both of your parents (Grandparents are hard enough)
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently (in my dreams I'm fluent in Spanish)
95. Performed in a Rocky Horror Picture Show
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
98. Passed out cold
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge (well, we drove over it very slowly)
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking (pretty much every morning...Thank God for Spirit 66 on Sirius)
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray (only at SeaWorld)
110. Broken someone’s heart (I hope not)
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a TV game show
113. Broken a bone (nose)
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild (yep, but I didn't do the gathering)
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery (sinuses, twice...brutal)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept 30 hours in a 48 hour time frame (only after that major surgery)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (all the time)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper (a couple of times, as a kid - dressed as a witch in a pumpkin patch, and at school while we were tele-conferencing with a teacher's husband who was in Iraq)
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read “The Iliad”
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (haven't had any, yet)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language (in Haiti)
139. Been elected to public office (5th Grade Class President - Go Pumas!)
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream (in many, many ways)
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care (I didn't do the putting, but I watched...Grandma Trudy)
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair (highlights?)
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Here's what's going on with us....

I made pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - definitely a taste of fall. I'll post the recipe later. They weren't a sweet cookie, more like a bread or muffin, and were best straight from the oven (before they got soggy). I even stuck them back in the oven about 3 days after I made them to crisp them up - delicious.

Dixie eats outside, Maddie eats inside. Maddie is not quite the hog that Dixie is, so sometimes she doesn't finish her food. Dixie has taken to stalking Maddie's unfinished food, and looking rather pathetic in the process. However, she doesn't eat it! She's a good girl.

We got BOO-ED! I now have all of my supplies, so the boo-ing will commence when Will gets home.

Yesterday, my kids "buried" Dead Words. It was a blast! They gave creative eulogies, were very dramatic, and came up with some excellent replacement words to use in their writing. It was the first time I felt at home teaching here - one of the first days I scrapped our "Bed-in-a-Bag" curriculum (thanks, Leslie, for the term!) and did a lesson I was comfortable with, and one that I know the kids would both enjoy and learn from. I'm settling in.


More on the teaching thing - I'm constantly fighting battles here. I want to do what is best for my kids, but it's not what has always been done. Using our reading books, with packaged spelling lists, vocab words, workbooks, and a schedule with the whole week laid out is the norm. To me, this is crap. It doesn't follow our state standards, it doesn't integrate writing, it allows for NO creativity on my part or on the kids' part. The stories are boring. The worksheets are basic. So I'm scrapping it. I came with five file boxes of authentic, teacher-created and proven curriculum written by some of the best teachers I've ever known. So, DUH, I'm using it! Bring on the backlash.

It was clear last night. This is from the Wal-Mart parking lot. See, I could get a good shot - I drove around the whole parking lot until I found a place that I could get Rainier without the surrounding buildings in the way. It wasn't too hard seeing as how the parking lot was nearly empty, what with Wal-Mart and liberals being like oil and water.

Just outside of my neighborhood. Gorgeous night.

And finally, a fall sunset (view from my driveway). Could not be more beautiful. And Will missed it...which is the main reason why I took these pictures. He has missed every nice day we've had in the past month (all three...).

I woke up this morning to clouds and promises of rain by noon. However, yesterday's weather will do a lot to keep my spirits up until the next day we see the sun. Maybe less than a week this time? We'll see. Until then, I'm enjoying warmed-up Kona coffee (I couldn't resist making it yesterday morning). I'm blogging when I'm normally at work, because I just can't bring myself to get there as early as I normally do. I still have an hour until I have to be there. I'd rather spend that time with you. Here's to Hump Day - hope it's a happy one for you!

Will had to go to Hawaii last weekend for work, and I had to stay home. To combat the unfairness of the situation, he was to bring me Kona coffee. I have been saving it all week (I didn't even open the bag to have a whiff) - I just didn't want to gulp it down on my way to work, or sneak sips of it in between answering the same questions a million times and collecting lunch money. So here I sit, enjoying it to the fullest, and wondering if he could go back every month to bring me some of the delicious beans straight from the source. The perfect weekend brew. Mmmmm...

Oh, and they go well with four-day-old Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, about which I will post sometime later.

Please don't rat me out about the Yankee...especially to my husband!

Your Linguistic Profile:

65% General American English 15% Upper Midwestern 10% Dixie 5% Yankee 0% Midwestern

What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

Do you think I'll end up with a headache if I drink wine with my dinner of beer bread and garlic dip?


A couple of weeks ago, my friend Rhonda and I went to a Tastefully Simple party. I had never been before, but Rhonda had and she convinced me to go. She knew what was up - the consultant made all kinds of things for us to sample, like a buffet that we passed around. The beer bread was unreal (so were the cheese balls, soups, dips...but I digress). So tonight for "dinner," Rhonda and I are getting together. I'm brining the wine and a mini-loaf of beer bread, and she's making the garlic dip (also from the party). This is what happens when the husbands are away...

Mesmerized...

I think this is where I'll be this weekend. I'm more than ready for it.

Finally updated the linkage! I love all the new bloggers (or not so new...apparently I'm a little late to catch on). However, reading about the lives of all of my old friends makes me feel so, so far away. I mean, I am far away, but I feel far removed, too. And sad...Happy for everyone, and their babies, and football games, and kids doing great things - but I want to kiss those babies, go to those football games, and see those kids doing great things, you know? So, kiss your babies for me, cheer on those Ags, and keep posting about your kiddos. Some days I really need it, you know? It's like therapy...but free, and I can have a glass of wine and sit on my own couch.

It's snowing in the mountains, just an hour or so away. It's raining here, and has been for a week. They're calling for thunderstorms this evening, which would only be our second thunderstorm to see (hear?) here. It's not common. Oh, and they said hail is possible. It seems like we've skipped right over fall here and catapulted into winter in WA. It's really no wonder coffee is a bazillion dollar business here.

I have been fighting a cold for a few days now, which last night developed into a stomach thing, and nothing sounds better to me than a Route 44 Diet Ocean Water from Sonic. This is partly fueled by watching TV this week (I'm so glad my shows have started up!) and watching national TV broadcasts of football games - Sonic likes to advertise! However, like many, many other things, we don't have a Sonic.




So, because I don't feel very well, and whining always helps, here's a list of restaurants that we don't have here that I so, so wish we did...

-Sonic
-Chick-fil-a
-Cheddar's
-Chili's (which I used to get so sick of - the only one here is in the airport)
-any real Mexican food (at a place where I can sit down - we do have pretty good Mexican food, but it's from a trailer that parks in various lots around town) - I'd take an El Chico or On the Border, too...we got nothin'.
-Wings 'n More
-Freebirds (I'd even take a Chipotle if it was close)

I was going to go on to add things like "nice people" and "smiling faces" and "sunny skies" but I've reached my whine limit. In order to lift my spirits, I might head to the KOHL'S which opens today. Finally.

So all you down South, enjoy a Sonic drink for me. And know I'm green with envy (and a bit of a stomach bug).

She's a huntin' dog...

I remember watching the news...

...seeing the looks on their faces when they finally realized that the fire wasn't just a fire.

...that the small plane (probably a personal jet) wasn't a small plane, but was an airliner.

...and finally that it was happening again as we all watched.

Watching it unfold is something none of us will ever, can ever, forget. Horror. Terror. Exactly what was intended by those actions. But, we live free - so free, in fact, that today when I talked to my students about the significance of the day, one said "Oh, so that's why the date looks familiar." We're so free that parents don't have to talk to their kids about what happened that day six years ago. We don't have to remember. We don't have to act. But we do remember and we do act...for the very reason that we are free. Thank God for that.

Thank you for your prayers! The meeting went just about as expected - the principal ended up attending, and it was so nice to have his support. Pretty much nothing was resolved with the one (uncooperative) teacher. However, the other teacher, who is pretty shy, has opened up and finally spoke her mind today. She definitely wants to do a good job, and she and I are going to teach cooperatively - I'll teaching Reading/Writing to my class and hers, and she'll teach Science/Social Studies to both of our classes (she has taught S/SS block to sixth graders, and she is certified in Biology as well). We'll teach our own classes Math - this will work out well because we have three pretty even blocks of teaching time in our day. I think it will be best for us and our kids - we'll have fewer preps and our kids will being taught by teachers who specialize in the subjects we're teaching. The principal not only agreed to this, but was impressed at our willingness to adapt to this situation (which would be so much better if all three of us were doing it - we'd have a teacher for each subject). I'm excited to get started and see where it leads.

Open House was tonight and I met about two-thirds of my class. I have some truly precious kids and I am ready to get the year underway. However, right now I'm exhausted after working an 11-hour day, which started with shaky nerves and a confrontational meeting.

But before I go, here's a praise God moment for you - I have told some of you about the lady who also interviewed for the job that I got. She's an awesome Christian woman, her daughter and son-in-law attend Dallas Theological Seminary, and she was always one of the most pleasant people to be around at this school (she worked as an aide there for five years). It was bittersweet when I got the job, because it meant that she didn't. To make a long story short, she was told she could have the Kindergarten job that opened up a few weeks ago, but only if they got enough kids. They were six short as of Friday when she interviewed (and she came by my room to ask me to pray for God to bring at least six more kids in K to our school, mere days before school started). They were still one short this afternoon, just two hours shy of our Open House. And, because God is good and gracious, they are now over the numbers needed and she 100% has a job! I am so relieved to know she will be at my school permanently, and I'll have a prayer partner and a friend.

Prayers needed...

I'm about to go to work for our first official grade level meeting. We have had several informal ones that were disastrous - all culminating this weekend with a series of emails between myself and one of the other sixth grade teachers (who is very dominant). It was not good. Nothing I say or suggest is well received, and she hates the third teacher on our team - she went so far as to call her a "crappy teacher" in an email to me. I think she is trying to form an alliance with me against the other teacher (a la Survivor), but she's trying to bully me into it. So, prayers needed. Thanks!

I need to:

-update my blog.
-add some (okay, lots of) pictures from this summer.
-clean my dirty house and do loads and loads of laundry.
-go to the dentist (it's been a year).
-update my blog links (I love new bloggers!).

But FIRST of all, I need to find out if I'm actually staying at the school where I have an almost-decorated room with all of my stuff, or if our numbers will be too low and I'll have to move to an over-crowded school. I need to figure out the millions things that come with a new school and district, which is hindered by the fact that I am the only teacher new to the school this year (actually in the last three years!!!) and no one seems to have time to help me. I actually have a theory of sabotage working in my head, but I'm trying not to think so negatively about my situation. Right now I'm headed into work to spread some sunshine as everyone there was so grumbly yesterday. Ugh.

Some very positive things - I have a great principal, I only have 20 kids as of now, I don't have to be at school until 8:30 a.m. every day, and I have my room very, very organized and clean. I did a very cute bulletin board yesterday, only to have a co-worker tell me that "At our school, we don't cover the hallway bulletin boards with paper, we leave them just cork." Well, not me! Sorry, sister, but I didn't read that in the rule book. I've been wracking my brain to try to remember if I've been praying for patience or something (you know how that works - you pray for patience and God gives you situations in which to learn it!).

Y'all don't even know the joy I face each day at work. And off I go! I really will update when things settle down. I do have a three-day weekend coming up!

There is something supremely satisfying about being in my own home with my husband and our dogs. It has been a busy couple of weeks, and for now, we'll just enjoy the peace, take in a movie, hang out with friends - no home improvement projects, nowhere to go. On Tuesday I'll start work and on Thursday Will heads out on a trip, but until then we're going to enjoy normalcy. I have tons and tons to share about our adventures this summer, but not yet...I just don't have the energy!

Hope all is well in your world.

Keepin' busy...

In-laws in town...lots to do...or not do. We're taking it easy and having fun. Updates to come.

So, some good news...

If you also read my sister's blog, than you know that while we were in MI for our grandfather's funeral, our other grandfather (my dad's dad) had a tumor removed from his neck and it was malignant. They had to do some tests and he met with his oncologist and surgeon this past Friday. We were all on pins and needles because he had already decided that he would not go through any harsh treatment (chemo or radiation) - which is not surprising because his wife, our Grandma Trudy, was completely debilitated by treatment for her cancer a few years back...it was horrible and she suffered for years after the treatments before she passed away.

Fast forward - my grandfather found out that he does have the same type of cancer as my grandmother did, but the oncologist said they pretty much could not have caught it sooner. They anticipated one six-week round of chemo (well, he said they told him he would be sick for six weeks) and they said with that treatment there's a 98% chance of remission. Praise God! He already consented to this treatment (another praise God!) and is ready to get it behind him. I do not even want to think about the pleading and prodding we would have had to do in order to have him consent to treatment if the results of these initial tests were not so positive.

I know that cancer touches a lot of families - in our family it has touched a lot of lives...my mom's dad, my Great-Grandma Huse, my Grandma Margaret, my Grandma Trudy and now my Grandpa. My dad had a spot of skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma - the most common type) removed several years ago. Not all have been terminal illnesses, but still, that's all four of my grandparents.

So, let's all check our skin regularly, stay on top of any health concerns, and visit the doctor regularly. I hate cancer.

The visitation, funeral and impromptu family reunion all went well. It was great to be able to all spend time together and we felt blessed to be there to support my grandmother, who is doing amazingly well and starting to plan for the rest of her life, knowing that she still has living left to do. She told us lots of stories over the last few days and I think she really enjoyed passing on bits of history to her grandkids. I know we all sat at rapt attention - she's led what she considers a very normal life, but it was so interesting to us...we'd like to hear more someday. Hopefully she'll be doing some traveling to visit family, and she'll be able to start going to church again, which she is really looking forward to - the last few years my grandfather has not been mobile enough to get to church, so the pastors have been doing home visits. My grandmother is ready to attend services again and visit with old friends each Sunday. The ladies of the church held a very nice reception for us in the Fellowship Hall after the funeral. It brought back a lot of memories for my sister and I as it was the church we attended as kids. Overall it was a wonderful trip - I would have liked to have had another reason for all of us to get together, but when we do get together it's always a good time.

So I went from rain in Michigan to rain in Washington, but at least I'm home sleeping in my own bed (not air mattress) and back with my husband just in time for our first anniversary tomorrow. Due to weather delays I got home after midnight yesterday, and because I flew into Portland, we didn't get home until almost 3 a.m. We were having our "man room" furniture delivered yesterday morning, so we had to be up by 9 in order to let them! Will had to go to work after that and I had to run errands...Needless to say, we were both exhausted all day.

Today we'll do a little shopping for some more "man room" items (end tables, and something to put the TV on, and throw pillows - my idea, of course, to which Will asked, "Why?"). We'll have dinner out tonight to celebrate our anniversary at a local restaurant we've been wanting to try - it's right on the water (which would be great for sunset, but it's cloudy today) and it supposed to be gorgeous inside as they brought in materials from all over the world to furnish and decorate the space. We'll see! Off to get the day started...

Impromptu Family Reunion...for a funeral.

If you read my sister's blog you've already heard that our grandfather (on our mother's side) passed away yesterday. He was 93 and lived a long, full, interesting life - some credits to his name are...

-being an orphan and deciding what he would like his own last name to be (as a 9 or 10 year old kid)
-playing minor league baseball for a Cubs farm team
-marrying my grandmother (Lucky man! They were both widowed; they met and married a few years after my parents did.)
-being featured in Sports Illustrated magazine as an outstanding senior bowler
-playing golf well into his 90's
-completing the newspaper crossword puzzle every single day
-and, well, living to 93!!!


So, folks, if there is thunder in your area today, just know my Grandpa has already hit the lanes in heaven...if there's hail, than know his golf game is rusty because it's been a while since he's had the chance to hit the links (normally he's very accurate).

In the morning I'll head out to Michigan for the visitation and funeral. I just found out this morning that all of my siblings, their spouses and my nieces will be able to attend as well. Poor Will has to work and will hold down the fort (base?) here in WA. As somber a time as it is, I envision a few days of celebrating a long life well-lived, spending time with family (time we thought we'd miss out on this summer), and spending time with our Grandma Margaret, who is an amazing woman of faith who we all cherish. Please keep her in your prayer as she goes through this transition.

***UPDATE*** - It officially reached 99 degrees, smashing the decades-old record of 94. Inside the house it reached, and stayed at, 88 degrees. Inside. The. House. All day long. While Will worked in and air-conditioned office. Ugh. We decided to eat dinner out. I sat in a chair that was placed directly over an a/c vent. I was cold, and it was delicious. This morning it is very cool, overcast, and I am happy. The pups are happy, too.

Currently At 6:00PM

98°F

RealFeel® 98°F

Winds: N at 7mph

Mostly Sunny
Humidity: 20%
Visibility: 10 Miles

Um, where is it that we live?

What we've been up to while we've been having wonderful weather...

Attempting to take a family picture...

Wake boarding (Will, not me...I fell down, thrice).

Modeling Will's ultra-cool issued sunglasses.

Just floating; however, I did tube a few times!

Tubing Will's way - Don't spill the beer!

Where we eat dinner every night. This patio furniture was one of our best first-time home-buyer purchases.

One more attempt at a family picture - Dixie did not cooperate as well as the rest of us and turned her head at the last minute. You know it was a pretty sorry photo session if this is the best shot we got!!!

Planter box finished by my amazing husband who didn't even want it in the first place. I said it could be my anniversary present because it really did mean that much to me that he built it anyway! I planted two tomato plants, lemon cucumbers, strawberries, jalapenos and serranos, basil, mint and parsley. Now we'll see how it all does!

So far the summer here has DEFINITELY made up for most of the horrible winter weather (in my humble opinion). It has been gorgeous, hovering just around the mid-80's so that we can survive just fine with no a/c. It has gotten up to 90 and is supposed to again this week, but then we'll have a beautiful 75 to 80 degree day following the heat and all is right with the world. We're so thankful to have friends with a boat! Oh, and those same friends have a/c, so if it gets brutal we can go across the street for a visit! We lead a blessed life, for sure.

Happy Independence Day a day late! We had a BLAST at a friend's house in Tacoma, where this picture was taken (on his back deck). The house had a perfect view of the air show and fireworks which were both over the Sound. There was a fair down on the shore and we had the best roasted corn on the cob (well, best next to what Will makes on the grill!!). We spent the day up there wandering around, people watching, and enjoying the festivities. When you think of Tacoma you don't usually thing "gorgeous view," but this was amazing! One of the great things about it was that we could also see the Seattle fireworks in the distance.

Today we spent the day on the lake with our good friends and had a great time tubing, wake boarding, swimming and just chillin' on the water...but those pictures will have to wait because we are tired, sunburned and ready for dinner!!! Hope you all were able to enjoy the holiday even though it fell in the middle of the week this year!

The time is flying by - I woke up this morning and realized my first week of summer break is over and I didn't get a whole lot done...However, I think I made the very best use of my time - spending time with my husband (who is home, and should be for a while). We made plans to finish projects, we started talking about our first anniversary and whether a celebratory trip is in order, we checked out my new classroom, we did some browsing at Lowe's and COSTCO, and we grilled. Lots of grilling. Sometimes I think we could be just about the best show ever on Food Network, but who needs the stress of being a star, right? Let's just say if Bobby Flay wants to throw down with my husband, he'd better come prepared. I mean, we'll give him a beer, we'll have some nice conversation, but he'll lose...oh, he'll lose.

We've also had some time to just play with the dogs and try to get Dixie to quit digging up our sod. She's so smart and has quit biting, she's getting much better at potty training, and she is learning commands...She's getting pretty big (15 lbs. at her last vet appointment, which was over a week ago) and she's growing into her big ears. She's brought us a lot of entertainment and just a little bit of stress. (Is that the right order? Maybe it was a lot of stress, a little entertainment...I can't remember right now because she's just so sweet relaxing on the floor and chewing on a bone in a way that makes it look like a cigar. Precious.)

We've been having quite a bit of rain, but that's no sot unusual for us - unlike for you Texas/Oklahoma folk we keep hearing from. I hope you can keep the cool weather but dry out a bit so that we quit hearing tragic stories on the news from your part of the world. When the weather clears up here we want to take a day trip to the shore, finally...it's been in the works for a while and might just happen this weekend/next week. So far we don't have plans for the 4th, but I'm sure something will come up!

Here are some pictures of my family...

Weekend Recap...

I had a great time catching up with a very old friend. It's one of those friendships that picks up where it left off every time - in this case, it's been a year and a half since we've seen each other! Unfortunately, our last visit was when I was out spending time with my grandmother in her last few days with us. We were only able to spend a few hours together then, but it was enough to catch up on the big things (at that time, my upcoming marriage and her acceptance to Harvard for grad school). This weekend we were able to do so much more catching up, a lot of laughing, and some talk about the future. She's the kind of person who really can do anything she wants in life.

So here are some pictures from our stay in the mountains. Excuse the no make-up/windblown/tired look...staying up late talking, getting up early, no shower and hours by a campfire the night before were not good prep for a photo session!

S'mores!

Me and MB.

I stopped on the way home at a scenic overlook to take a picture of myself with SNOW! In JUNE! Less than two hours from home!

I'm off to spend some time with an old friend...from elementary school, to be exact. She's now in graduate school and a group of her friends is meeting up at a cabin here in WA (one of those friends is from here)! I can't wait. It will be fun to catch up, meet her new friends and just relax. A neighbor is watching the pups - I considered bringing them along, but the weather is crap and the girls don't like being out in the rain (get used to it, right?). They'll chill here at the house and I'll be back around lunch time tomorrow. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures (especially some to show Alicia and my mom how I chopped my hair off yesterday!). 'Til then...

Freedom...

...for a few months - that is, until I start working FULL time in the fall! I got a sixth grade position (which is elementary here) at a local school, one I've subbed at many, many times. It will be an adjustment to go from middle school to elementary, but I like the kids, the campus and the principal, and in all honesty it was all that was out there. I just got home from signing the contract and learning all about the collective bargaining agreement and the rest of the union stuff - all new to me. It is bittersweet, knowing that I'll have to break into this school's community (and that I'll be the newbie), but even if I have half the support/encouragement/friendship I had my first three years of teaching, I'll consider myself abundantly blessed. Right now I'm just sending up praise that it's the SUMMER and I have a JOB for next year. Amen!

Some catching up...

-Last night I took myself out. Will had just gotten back when he had to leave again, and we had a lot of plans. Ha, ha. There are lots of little things to finish up around the house, and we have really been looking forward to trying a few restaurants in town and just generally hanging out, getting to know the area better. Now that our plans have been delayed ten days, I kind of feel in a funk. School is STILL not done (just a day and a half left, though) and I couldn't be more ready for summer vacation. So in order to avoid an evening at home, alone, again, I took myself out to sushi at the Sushi Boat. On Wednesday and Thursday nights they have an all-you-can-eat deal where you sit around the sushi bar and little boats come by in a moat with sushi on them, and you take what you want (I may have mentioned this place before)! Well, it was Monday so I just got a couple of rolls, but it was delicious. Afterwards I also treated myself to watermelon sorbet at Cold Stone. It isn't something I would normally order, but I love their lemon sorbet, so I went out on a limb and it was awesome. Very refreshing. Plus, Cold Stone gives a military discount. Gotta love that.

-Right before Will left, his squadron soccer team finished up their season. They were league champions and played three post-season games last week. Will played keeper in all three games and had two shut-outs! (I taught him everything he knows...) They ended up winning the tournament (I had no doubts) on Friday night! It was not a shut-out, but they won 5-1 and it was a great game. This group of guys has been so fun to watch. They seem to have been the only team to really do well AND have fun at the same time. They didn't take it too seriously which made it enjoyable to watch...most of the time I was the only fan, but there was huge turnout for the championship game.

-Dixie ate a mouse. It was one of the most disgusting things I have ever seen and I was livid. I don't feel like recounting the story again, but what it boils down to is that she did not listen when I told her to drop it, she swallowed it down like a stinkin' snake, and the vet said it's no big deal (except that she needed wormer because mice carry tapeworms...nasty). We have a field behind our house that was recently partially cleared, except for an area of weeds/bushes directly behind our fence. Apparently it's a mouse haven, and the dogs won't leave that area alone now, so I'm sure there's a mouse widow and her family still back there wondering if dad is ever coming home. Sorry little mice - I guess we don't feed our Dixie girl enough. Here's a shot of the little devil right after her mid-afternoon snack. Looks so innocent, huh?

So, it's the weekend again, and Will's...gone. I dropped him off a little over an hour ago. Usually he drives himself, but we decided I'd take him because he was leaving on a Saturday, and by the time he gets home I'll be done working and I can pick him up! Another ten days by my lonesome in rainy WA. I'm thinking of taking the dogs somewhere peaceful next weekend - I'm trying to find a cheap cabin, just the bare essentials, somewhere in the mountains or on the coast. The pups should see the ocean. I should, too. And I'm out of projects around the house. I'll have to see what I can find!

So, it's 8 a.m. and there's no Sunday paper on my porch. It's not in the driveway, in the street, or hiding in the flower bed. Where is my paper? This has never happened before and it's disturbing. At least Charles Osgood is on today. Whew.

On the agenda for this weekend: Rest, rest, and more rest. Will is gone again (but just for 48 hours) for a wedding. It's just me and the pups, but we're not doing any work. We're supposed to have gray skies and rain tomorrow (surprise, surprise) so we're going to watch Netflix movies, curl up on the couch, and make a honey-do list. I might even make a quick jaunt over to the farmer's market, which, for the most part, is under a big pavilion, and grab some veggies to throw on the grill for Sunday night when Will gets home. I haven't been since they opened in April, and I'm eager to see the new vendors. So, no projects, heavy lifting or cleaning. And I'm so, so looking forward to it.

Projects...

...some finished, some just begun.

Below is the desk and chair I spray painted to use as my "sewing station." I like the way it turned out and it makes the room a little more cohesive as neither the desk nor the thrift store chair matched the rest of the furniture (dresser and futon). The color was called "brown sugar" - what? I didn't notice that was the name of it until I got it home, I just liked the color of the cap!



Next - some pictures of the backyard. We left some of the planting area in the corner of the yard (we covered the rest with sod). I planted some small trees, dusty miller and rhododendrons. This past weekend I broke out Will's new mitre saw (he doesn't know I opened it and used it, yet) and cut the landscape timbers to border it to make it look more like a true planting bed. I'll probably put some more plants back there, but my energy level for outdoor projects is more focused on the next one...



The last two pictures are of my favorite project! I am building a raised planter box for tomatoes, peppers, herbs, and whatever else catches my eye. I got this started over Memorial Day weekend, but I am waiting until Will gets back to finish. I need his help with the levelling, drilling and rebar-ing. I need his truck to get more stones and then to get the soil to fill the box. I used 5-gallon buckets, recycling tubs and trash cans to get the stones you see here, but it was a huge pain and I ended up sore...there was just a huge pile of rocks and me - I had to scoop them with the buckets/my hands and then load them into my car. I'm going to bring the truck so they can just load a huge scoop from a front-end loader - much easier! I know this project is not even half done, but hopefully you can get the gist of it.

Some minor hang-ups...


It has taken me far too long to finally get these pictures all hung. One is my bridal portrait, and the other two are gracious gifts from Will's Nana and his parents. Now if we could just get furniture for our game room, our house would be done!

I'm not exactly sure why, but it makes me nervous when Charles Osgood isn't on CBS Sunday Morning. They usually have good fill-ins, but I always wonder why he's not there...Is something wrong? They did say he'd be back next week. Whew. It's such a staple show of my week and Charles has the most soothing voice, he's enjoyable to watch, and he even plays the piano for us sometimes! I kind of wish I knew him personally. So, it's disturbing when he's not on. I don't like it. And, since the show starts at 7 a.m. here, it's not good to start off thrown off so early. At least I found some powdered creamer tucked away in the cabinet, that my sister bought while she was visiting, so I don't have to drink my coffee with milk again.

Not whole lot has been going on. I'm trying to hold down the fort until Will gets home. Dixie requires a lot of watching because she likes to dig near the fence outside, and I don't trust her inside if I can't see her. I've been exhausted this whole week. I finally got away from the pups for a few hours and went out on the lake with my friends. I tubed with their daughter, but the water was ice cold. We were bounced off the tube, and by the time I got back on the boat I was numb. Brr. I wonder if the water ever really warms up here?

Fun in the sun! It was 80 degrees on Thursday with beautiful blue skies!


Becoming friends...


Dixie says, "Hey Maddie, I'm going to go ahead and take over your bed, okay? Thanks."

I feel a little bent out of shape...



...I had to drink my coffee with milk this morning. My creamer was bad. And I tried the creamer first to check if it was still good. So I had to drink milky coffee to get rid of the sour creamer taste in my mouth. It's been that kind of week.