(I'm tired. Very, very tired.)
It's a good tired, like I've exerted myself and need recovery time. But last weekend it was a beat-up tired. Happy news is that things are looking up.
This semester I'm teaching at the university-- I've mentioned this already I think. I have sixteen classes per week, three on Tuesday, three on Thursday, five on Wednesday, five on Friday. Each class is 75 minutes, though I usually finish in less than 60. So there is some down time, but it makes for a lot of work! It's the only job I had last fall!
I'm also working as a coordinator for a tutoring company. It's a special kind of tut*oring situation, paid for by the No Ch*ild Left Beh*ind Act, where the t*utoring is free to the lowest performing students in the lowest-performing schools. Four years ago I would have been freaked out to drive in these neighborhoods, and now I'm hanging out in them, visiting schools, talking with the very parents I would fear if I met them on the street. It has been eye-opening, and really a lot of fun! It's like a big project-- build the tutor team, train them, recruit students, get the tutors started, and then monitor, observe, and coach the tutors. It's very interesting. But the company I work for is fledgling and local, which means it's very grassroots feeling. There is enough work for about five full time people right now, and we have less than three. I offered to come on full time and leave the university, but they were too busy to talk about that so I'm only part time... but since July things have been building. Add a little responsibility here, a little thing there. One more meeting, two more voicemails, three quick faxes, and a partridge in a pear tree. I told them I could give 20 hours per week. It's September 19th and I've put in 108 hours as of yesterday, just this month.
So last Saturday when my computer crashed, I did too. So funny how those things happened together, technology imitating life. I was on the phone, taking copious notes from my support person, begging for more training since I've had pretty much none, and the screen went blank. My notes were gone. My training was gone. My muster-up was gone.
I finally just broke down in tears, used very loud and foul language, and vented all my frustration to Brad and my one support person (who is having a baby in two weeks and will be no support for a while after). I feel under-appreciated and under-paid. I am overcommitted to this in my heart. My salary is that of an entry-level secretary, but my heart and time commitment has been that of an executive. That feels abusive. And actually, I am to blame as I allowed it to happen. I have to be responsible to say no, to take care of myself, to build in rest. I am learning great lessons through this, but it is not enough to warrant the self-neglect that has happened since July. It all just caved in on me when I had a conference call at 6 p.m. on a Saturday. Saturday! I need to rest a little!
So I wrote an email to my bosses, the founders of the company. (Never do this when you're still emotionally charged. You might use stronger language than is necessary. Oops.) They were not happy, as I let them know of a few roles I cannot play right now. My twenty hours per week has turned into nearly double that, and I simply cannot go on like this, working sixty to seventy hours a week. Which puts those responsibilities back on their frantic and overworked shoulders. But you know? I offered. I offered to come on full time, but they were too busy to respond to me, other than to tell me that that would be a god-send, but they can't afford to match my teaching salary, but "let's talk later" (it never happened).
So after a few tense conversations, including one last night where I tactfully vented a little to them about how their lack of preparation of handouts for a meeting has caused me about a hundred hours of paperwork follow-up, I am happier. We will check in weekly, at my request, to talk about my plan for the week and what I accomplished in the last week. I am released of two large responsibilities-- parent meetings (this has a huge preparation and follow-up list as well), and HR paperwork (I don't have the files, so this was cumbersome and ridiculously complicated as well). I am happier.
Brad has school all weekend, so since I will be missing him I may just sleep a lot. What a novel concept.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
In other flora and fauna news...
So we've had bees, and we've also had problems with Apples. My Apple computer, to be exact. It crashed and died on Saturday night, complete with whirring, screeching, and multiple black screens asking us to restart. Brad tried to wipe it clean and reinstall the operating system, but it would not cooperate. RIP, my lovely machine. It's now at the Apple store being sent to Houston to see about repair. However, since we were going to buy a new computer for me next summer, we just jumped the gun and did it now.
It's a lovely MacBook Pro, with all the bells and whistles I'll need. And, the brilliant thing is that my amazing husband recently got our back-ups all organized, so I didn't lose many documents.
We got to do a three-person video chat, with me in my office, Brad in his office (20 feet away) and sister Steph (not like a nun, just my sister) in Chicago!
BIG THANK YOU to my grandparents who thought they were giving us money to help pay for grad school. It went to this computer, Grandmother and Grandfather, and we are so very grateful!
It's a lovely MacBook Pro, with all the bells and whistles I'll need. And, the brilliant thing is that my amazing husband recently got our back-ups all organized, so I didn't lose many documents.
We got to do a three-person video chat, with me in my office, Brad in his office (20 feet away) and sister Steph (not like a nun, just my sister) in Chicago!
BIG THANK YOU to my grandparents who thought they were giving us money to help pay for grad school. It went to this computer, Grandmother and Grandfather, and we are so very grateful!
Hive you been?
As Susan commented yesterday, we DO have all the fun!
Carroll the Bee Man arrived last night around 6 p.m. He's a old Florida boy who has done bee-work all his life. He really knows his stuff! He first went over to the window and plucked out a bee in order to determine which kind of bees we had.
He stung himself with it and then gave us a beeology lesson on bee anatomy. "Yep, that's a fiery sting, a fiery sting," he said. "Them aren't honeybees. You've got Africanized bees." Wah wah wah waaaaah. He came inside and took a look from our bathroom window. He estimated that we had five to seven thousand Africanized killer bees. They're called Killer bees beecause they release a pheromone when they sting, and other bees follow it to help with the attack. After multiple stings you go into shock and die from renal failure. Yum.
He went back to his old pickup truck and got out his protective headgear, smoker, and ShopVac! After a brief smoking to calm them down, he fired up the shopvac and slurped the bees away, little bit by little bit! He was beeing careful so that he could capture the queen and put her in a special little container. After a while he took the board off the window and we could see light!
Partway done... (view from INSIDE the bathroom, where neighbor Andy and I were documenting everything on our cameras). A good view of part of the comb:
Carroll asked Brad to bring him a plate so we could save the comb. By this time Brad was fearless and outside with Carroll. Andy our next door neighbor went out, too, to videotape from the outside. Andrew, our backyard neighbor, came out to see it too. Nothing brings men together like danger and food.
After about an hour of work, Carroll was done. He said he only got stung twice, which is a miracle since his shirt was super thin and didn't cover all of his skin! He said one bee got inside his shirt and stung him, and the other went through the shirt. But only twice!
Brad gave most of the comb away since we weren't going to eat much of it. We cut up little pieces to try-- tasted just like honey, but runnier and suuuuper sweet.
Carroll did capture the queen and put her in a special vial to give to a friend so the friend can start his own colony. The other bees stayed put in the ShopVac. There are still 20-30 bees left which he said was normal. They'll salvage what they can of the wax they left on the house, then will take off to join another colony. He said we've devastated them by taking their queen, so they won't stick around long. And since he claimed he was late in showing up, he only charged us half price. For $125, it was worth every penny. We offered to feed him dinner and pie but he got a call for another job in the middle of everything and had to leave right away.
Seriously. How do these things come to us? The nice thing is that we are certainly beecoming more laid-back about such events. We just roll with the Florida-isms and try to make the beest of it!
Carroll the Bee Man arrived last night around 6 p.m. He's a old Florida boy who has done bee-work all his life. He really knows his stuff! He first went over to the window and plucked out a bee in order to determine which kind of bees we had.
He stung himself with it and then gave us a beeology lesson on bee anatomy. "Yep, that's a fiery sting, a fiery sting," he said. "Them aren't honeybees. You've got Africanized bees." Wah wah wah waaaaah. He came inside and took a look from our bathroom window. He estimated that we had five to seven thousand Africanized killer bees. They're called Killer bees beecause they release a pheromone when they sting, and other bees follow it to help with the attack. After multiple stings you go into shock and die from renal failure. Yum.
He went back to his old pickup truck and got out his protective headgear, smoker, and ShopVac! After a brief smoking to calm them down, he fired up the shopvac and slurped the bees away, little bit by little bit! He was beeing careful so that he could capture the queen and put her in a special little container. After a while he took the board off the window and we could see light!
Partway done... (view from INSIDE the bathroom, where neighbor Andy and I were documenting everything on our cameras). A good view of part of the comb:
Carroll asked Brad to bring him a plate so we could save the comb. By this time Brad was fearless and outside with Carroll. Andy our next door neighbor went out, too, to videotape from the outside. Andrew, our backyard neighbor, came out to see it too. Nothing brings men together like danger and food.
After about an hour of work, Carroll was done. He said he only got stung twice, which is a miracle since his shirt was super thin and didn't cover all of his skin! He said one bee got inside his shirt and stung him, and the other went through the shirt. But only twice!
Brad gave most of the comb away since we weren't going to eat much of it. We cut up little pieces to try-- tasted just like honey, but runnier and suuuuper sweet.
Carroll did capture the queen and put her in a special vial to give to a friend so the friend can start his own colony. The other bees stayed put in the ShopVac. There are still 20-30 bees left which he said was normal. They'll salvage what they can of the wax they left on the house, then will take off to join another colony. He said we've devastated them by taking their queen, so they won't stick around long. And since he claimed he was late in showing up, he only charged us half price. For $125, it was worth every penny. We offered to feed him dinner and pie but he got a call for another job in the middle of everything and had to leave right away.
Seriously. How do these things come to us? The nice thing is that we are certainly beecoming more laid-back about such events. We just roll with the Florida-isms and try to make the beest of it!
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
How You Bee?
Um, so we have some visitors at good old Berryman Street. See, when Tropical Storm Fay came we boarded up the house. Since there have been several storms in the meantime, we've left a few boards up. The boards are bolted to the house, with a few fingerholes for holding the thing up while we screw it in. Apparently a large family of bees felt like making one window home.
Our master bathroom window is about 18 inches wide by 30 inches tall. The space between the recessed window and the board is about 3 inches deep. That volume is about a third full with bees. Today we're having Carroll the Bee Man come out and take a look. If they are "fine European honey bees" it won't cost us a dime for removal. Fingers crossed.
Our master bathroom window is about 18 inches wide by 30 inches tall. The space between the recessed window and the board is about 3 inches deep. That volume is about a third full with bees. Today we're having Carroll the Bee Man come out and take a look. If they are "fine European honey bees" it won't cost us a dime for removal. Fingers crossed.
Wednesday, September 03, 2008
Does God have boobies?
Sorry for the provocative title, but this article begs that question. I like these emails I get from "Gifted For Leadership" about women in ministry and leadership. They always provide good food for thought as I try to navigate this unpaved and rocky road. It's really an issue I've been struggling with. In my family, women are strong, educated, speak their minds, but still fulfill traditional roles (staying home with children, providing the cooking and cleaning, etc.) and defer to men in many ways. I'm certainly not saying there's anything wrong with that, I'm just trying to figure out how well that picture fits me and the way I was made.
In my quest to grasp what God intended when he created two genders (right, like I can grasp that. I can try, though) I keep coming back to the fact that both genders equally represent him. In the article I linked to above, the author says this about trying to fit into her self-made definitions of being female:
This blows my mind. Mother? Lover? Risk-taker? Which gender is that? God IS equally male and female, he is our mother and our father, he is our disciplinarian and our comforter, he is our provider and our nurturer... does God have boobies? What will he look like when we meet him? What will he sound like? Will he have.. I just noticed I keep saying he... is he a HE? Or did we choose to use that word way back when because the original language used the male pronouns as a default? See where my mind goes?!
This reminds me of an early moment in therapy with my counselor, Paula, when I was struggling to figure out what it meant to be me. "I feel like Martha Stewart half the time, baking, cooking, creating, organizing, and Tim the Tool Man Taylor, painting, refinishing, building, constructing, etc. Which one am I? How do I choose one?" Paula replied, "Who said you have to choose only one?" Talk about a freeing moment! It's ok for me to be out of the box, to equally value nail enamel and wall enamel, santuko knives and compound miter saws.
So God made two genders. If we equally represent the image God on earth, why don't we equally represent the image of God in the church? Does anyone else feel slighted? For those of us only hearing from men on Sunday mornings, we could use some balance, some feminine perspective! What would it look like to have women and men pastoring together, some sermons fromw women, some sermons from men? Wouldn't that be more well-rounded? If he felt it necessary to create TWO genders, that one wasn't enough to give a good enough picture of him, why do we strive to carry on the curse of men-ruling-over-women? Why can't we all just get along? See each other as crucial to our understanding of God? And encourage each other to be as manly as men can be, as womanly as women can be, in whatever ways he has made us, to fulfill and display the image of our creator? And for those of you whom this bothers, why is it bothering you? Do you feel threatened? Do you feel grateful to not be in leadership, so why rock the boat, Kath? What triggers does this pull in you, dear reader?
In my quest to grasp what God intended when he created two genders (right, like I can grasp that. I can try, though) I keep coming back to the fact that both genders equally represent him. In the article I linked to above, the author says this about trying to fit into her self-made definitions of being female:
The prophets saw this. They were the mouthpiece of a God described as a mother, as a lover, as a risk-taker. They embraced the mystery that God couldn’t fit into our pre-designed social categories for gender. This seems so much harder for us. We love our boxes and the chance to say, “See, I fit inside this box. Therefore, I am feminine.” We are created in God’s image, our minds, bodies, our feminine essence. This is the beauty of mystery. And this is the challenge we face as women of God.
This blows my mind. Mother? Lover? Risk-taker? Which gender is that? God IS equally male and female, he is our mother and our father, he is our disciplinarian and our comforter, he is our provider and our nurturer... does God have boobies? What will he look like when we meet him? What will he sound like? Will he have.. I just noticed I keep saying he... is he a HE? Or did we choose to use that word way back when because the original language used the male pronouns as a default? See where my mind goes?!
This reminds me of an early moment in therapy with my counselor, Paula, when I was struggling to figure out what it meant to be me. "I feel like Martha Stewart half the time, baking, cooking, creating, organizing, and Tim the Tool Man Taylor, painting, refinishing, building, constructing, etc. Which one am I? How do I choose one?" Paula replied, "Who said you have to choose only one?" Talk about a freeing moment! It's ok for me to be out of the box, to equally value nail enamel and wall enamel, santuko knives and compound miter saws.
So God made two genders. If we equally represent the image God on earth, why don't we equally represent the image of God in the church? Does anyone else feel slighted? For those of us only hearing from men on Sunday mornings, we could use some balance, some feminine perspective! What would it look like to have women and men pastoring together, some sermons fromw women, some sermons from men? Wouldn't that be more well-rounded? If he felt it necessary to create TWO genders, that one wasn't enough to give a good enough picture of him, why do we strive to carry on the curse of men-ruling-over-women? Why can't we all just get along? See each other as crucial to our understanding of God? And encourage each other to be as manly as men can be, as womanly as women can be, in whatever ways he has made us, to fulfill and display the image of our creator? And for those of you whom this bothers, why is it bothering you? Do you feel threatened? Do you feel grateful to not be in leadership, so why rock the boat, Kath? What triggers does this pull in you, dear reader?
Back to School
It has been another crazy month with school starting back up and jobs in full swing. Brad started his class last week-- Interviewing and Investigation, with a book on interrogation which is fascinating so far. This keeps him busy about four nights a a week with lots of reading and online response. I started teaching again last week with eight sections of beginning algebra full of freshmen. So far the t-shirts have been more subdued than last year's, except for the girl who likes to wear her "Ms. Naughty" t-shirt, or the one who proudly proclaims, "I have a HONKY TONK BADONK A DONK", whatever that means. Ah, kids. They make me laugh. It's fun to have the energy back on campus, even if it's a little exhausting. We've built a handful of new buildings in the last year and the campus is growing super fast despite the budget crisis. Did you know Florida doesn't have income tax? Only sales tax. Which means in the years we don't have hurricanes, we lose a lot of our government's budget because of the lack of sales tax from repairs. Twisted.
I'm also working for a tutoring company as a second job, coordinating tutors in two counties (!) in low-income schools. It's a wonderful company with extraordinary vision, founded and run by educators who put kids, instead of the mighty dollar, first. However, it's still fledgling and it's hard to be part of its growing pains. It's very much a reactionary position, where you know I like to plan and be proactive. I am grateful for God's provision, but it's a dang stressful extra 25 hours a week on top of teaching 30 hours a week.
So we are getting by. Life is somewhat stable, there has been some interest in our house but nothing definite. We are in a bit of a holding pattern there.
Outside of our little family, things have been rough this week. Please pray for my Aunt Joan, who recently lost her sister and just last week lost her husband, my Uncle Jack. Joan and Jack have lived in Phoenix as long as I've been alive, but made the trip up to Muncie, Indiana, every Christmas, braving the cold and sending big boxes of presents. Jack's life is best described by the movie A Beautiful Mind; he was a brilliant but tortured PhD whose mind was not kind to him. He died unexpectedly last Thursday morning. I'll be flying in to Chicago tomorrow for services at Joan's family farm in Warsaw, Illinois.
And last night I received a call that my godmother, Auntie Kathy, (my dad's side) was in a terribly car accident. She was in my late uncle's (Kenny passed two Aprils ago) 69 corvette (or some year like that), stopped at a light, when she was rear-ended by someone going 60 miles per hour. She is at Mass General in Boston undergoing tests. It appears she will survive, though she has bleeding in the brain which is causing significant memory loss.
I think it's a good time to take the time to say I love you, to connect with loved ones, and to make the most of our lives. We only get one ticket, one ride. Am I making the most of it?
I'm also working for a tutoring company as a second job, coordinating tutors in two counties (!) in low-income schools. It's a wonderful company with extraordinary vision, founded and run by educators who put kids, instead of the mighty dollar, first. However, it's still fledgling and it's hard to be part of its growing pains. It's very much a reactionary position, where you know I like to plan and be proactive. I am grateful for God's provision, but it's a dang stressful extra 25 hours a week on top of teaching 30 hours a week.
So we are getting by. Life is somewhat stable, there has been some interest in our house but nothing definite. We are in a bit of a holding pattern there.
Outside of our little family, things have been rough this week. Please pray for my Aunt Joan, who recently lost her sister and just last week lost her husband, my Uncle Jack. Joan and Jack have lived in Phoenix as long as I've been alive, but made the trip up to Muncie, Indiana, every Christmas, braving the cold and sending big boxes of presents. Jack's life is best described by the movie A Beautiful Mind; he was a brilliant but tortured PhD whose mind was not kind to him. He died unexpectedly last Thursday morning. I'll be flying in to Chicago tomorrow for services at Joan's family farm in Warsaw, Illinois.
And last night I received a call that my godmother, Auntie Kathy, (my dad's side) was in a terribly car accident. She was in my late uncle's (Kenny passed two Aprils ago) 69 corvette (or some year like that), stopped at a light, when she was rear-ended by someone going 60 miles per hour. She is at Mass General in Boston undergoing tests. It appears she will survive, though she has bleeding in the brain which is causing significant memory loss.
I think it's a good time to take the time to say I love you, to connect with loved ones, and to make the most of our lives. We only get one ticket, one ride. Am I making the most of it?
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Monday, August 18, 2008
Welcome Home.
We got home last night to the sounds of the Weather Channel warning us of Tropical Storm Fay. We boarded up the house tonight and are very tired. It's just a lot of work! We figured it's the equivalent of shoveling snow, so we're even, Midwesterners, except that you can buy a snowblower. When we got inside to eat our lovely dinner (marinated chicken breasts cooked in foil packets-- have you cooked in foil packets? So moist, that chicken.) we heard Jim Cantore coming at us live from Naples, saying that the storm is going to be a lot less powerful than previously thought. You know, at this point, I will be disappointed if we don't get a little somethingsomething tomorrow, after all this blasted effort. We are beat!
In health news, I've been doing a series of allergy tests to figure out why I keep waking up with my cracked lips sticking to my teeth (more information than you wanted). It has not be a happy time, my nights. After 100 pokes in my back and 19 shots in my arm today, I have a complete list of allergies. In order of most severe (4) to least severe (1):
-Cat (Very severe allergy! The worst welt on my back! And I had a frickin cat for all of my single life!!! The lady assured me that regular allergy shots will allow us to have a cat someday.)
-Dust mites (Very bad! So itchy! And funny, since the night before the test Brad and I were saying how proud we are that our house is always tidy, but not so proud at the depth of dust on the shelves.)
-Meleleuca trees (2 on a scale to 4. These trees are rampant down here and smell like baked potatoes when they bloom. Which seems like monthly.)
-Queen palm trees (Eh? They're so pretty!)
-Bahia grass (our lawn. I'm allergic to our lawn.)
-Timothy (a weed?)
-Pigweed (no idea)
-Salmon (So THAT's why I don't like fish)
-Milk (I knew this one)
-Clams (another reason not to eat them. besides that they're nasty)
-Crab (taste like salty chicken with a fishy aftertaste. Not hard to avoid.)
-Shrimp (ick.)
So interesting to me. Next week I'll have a follow up with the doc and get a prescription for something probably.
Sorry for the long blog silence. Next week we start back to school so my schedule will be more regular, and so will the blogging, probably. It has been an interesting summer, with lots more rest and free time than the spring semester.
In between Jamie's birthday party on Thursday night, and this Chipotle moment, we had lots of fun. We met Dad for breakfast and then saw his place, saw my kitty Miles (whom I am terribly allergic to now-- more on that later), hung out with Mom, met Shanel, Ivan, and Audrey Anne for lunch at Mickey Finns, and worked in Mom's garage. It was a lovely weekend, well balanced between visits, work, and play.
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Loving Chicago
Wednesday, July 09, 2008
A sign you work with math geeks (which I am, so I can say that)
Instead of greeting each other with a polite "Hello" or "Haven't seen you in a month-- how are you?", Colleague One says to Colleague Two, "Can you believe this? Instead of integrating on this test they all took the derivative. I mean, it's like someone said to them, 'When in doubt, take the derivative!'" and much hysterical, nervous laughing ensues.
I really am thinking about updating this blog at some point. I've just needed a break from it. Call it a "You're Not The Boss Of Me, Blog" moment. Things are going well for us, and we feel like we've turned the corner on quite a number of significant things. I'm not ready to let all the cats out of their bags, but I will soon. And no, no babies. Not for us at least. But we were super excited to hear about Baby M, Baby S, and Baby R. Must be cold up there in Chicago... tee hee.
Back to math I go.
Sunday, May 25, 2008
This blog has not been abandoned.
Sorry for the extended pause-- things are a little crazy in the school-year-to-summer-transition. Add to that a new birth control pill that made me a mental nutcase for three weeks, and we've been all sorts of crazy up in here. Normalcy will resume momentarily. Oh, do we hope for that.
Monday, May 05, 2008
The latest
Today I played "Stephanie" (my sister) as I subbed for an elementary autistic classroom. The grass stains on my leg are from when I wiped out after chasing the class runner, Daniel. He thought it was a great game! See the old lady run! Ha ha! Thankfully the aids were very helpful and overall it was a pretty smooth day. Things I had to say today that I don't think I've ever said:
- Don't lick the fire alarm box.
- Don't dance on the internet router box.
- Take the giant bowling pin off the table and share it with Donte.
- Woodchips don't come out of socks very nicely, do they? That's why we keep our shoes on.
- We don't play basketball with the plastic bowling ball (which doesn't bounce, but makes a fantastic cacophony in the covered playground).
- No, no one is killing Markie. He's just having a temper tantrum and likes to scream and bang on the chain link fence. Yes, a padded room is a great idea.
In other news, Brad is supposed to start school tonight, but there are a few glitches. We've tentatively decided to stay here another year so that we can sell the house. But at this moment, I just don't know what God's going to do. After much rushing around to get registered and all set, they've just changed the textbook on Brad (on the first day of class) and they aren't prepared for him to start his online work. If they continue to show a lack of organization, we might re-think this program for him. Especially since we're not getting any financial aid, and it's all coming out of pocket (and is not free, as previously thought. Far from it.). We're not too keen on paying beaucoup dinero for a second-rate deal. We shall see.
All else is pretty good. It's nice to be done with the regular semester. I've had quite a few sub jobs on a pretty regular basis. The more kids I meet, the more my heart breaks as I see poorly-parented kids acting out just to get needed attention. It's a rough world and I yearn for heaven a lot. And on the financial front, I was given two summer math labs at the university, which helps our bottom line a fair amount. Pays for two classes of Brad's, if that continues. It's fun to see God providing minute by minute.
- Don't lick the fire alarm box.
- Don't dance on the internet router box.
- Take the giant bowling pin off the table and share it with Donte.
- Woodchips don't come out of socks very nicely, do they? That's why we keep our shoes on.
- We don't play basketball with the plastic bowling ball (which doesn't bounce, but makes a fantastic cacophony in the covered playground).
- No, no one is killing Markie. He's just having a temper tantrum and likes to scream and bang on the chain link fence. Yes, a padded room is a great idea.
In other news, Brad is supposed to start school tonight, but there are a few glitches. We've tentatively decided to stay here another year so that we can sell the house. But at this moment, I just don't know what God's going to do. After much rushing around to get registered and all set, they've just changed the textbook on Brad (on the first day of class) and they aren't prepared for him to start his online work. If they continue to show a lack of organization, we might re-think this program for him. Especially since we're not getting any financial aid, and it's all coming out of pocket (and is not free, as previously thought. Far from it.). We're not too keen on paying beaucoup dinero for a second-rate deal. We shall see.
All else is pretty good. It's nice to be done with the regular semester. I've had quite a few sub jobs on a pretty regular basis. The more kids I meet, the more my heart breaks as I see poorly-parented kids acting out just to get needed attention. It's a rough world and I yearn for heaven a lot. And on the financial front, I was given two summer math labs at the university, which helps our bottom line a fair amount. Pays for two classes of Brad's, if that continues. It's fun to see God providing minute by minute.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
This blog will be changing its name.
So there's something I haven't been able to tell you. I wanted to tell my family, both sides, first, and until tonight I hadn't told Brad's side of the family yet just in case it didn't happen. I finally got some news this week.
I was accepted into Columbia University's Teachers College.
I KNOW! I can hardly believe it. I keep pinching myself and have to keep reminding myself it's true. I'm in. I found out on Wednesday when I called to find out if they had everything they needed for my application. The woman who answered the phone told me that they had actually just made a decision, and I would receive a letter soon. I asked if she could tell me what that decision was, and she said, "I wouldn't worry about it." And then I received my letter on Thursday.
So now what? The next step is to find out whether or not we applied early enough to get campus housing. If we get housing we'll put our house on the market and watch God do his magic. If not, I'll defer my enrollment until next fall, giving us another year to sell the house.
In the meantime, if we stay here another year we'll be able to finish the Theophostic training we're doing-- that's a good thing. Also, Brad is looking at doing a one-year graduate certificate program at the university here which would qualify him to be a compliance auditor. It would be a great career move for him and seems like a neat program. If he does that, though, God would have to come up with the money to pay for the program, plus the money Brad would make at the computer store since he won't be able to work there while in school.
So much up in the air, but things are starting to fall into place. I feel like we've been in a tornado for a while, with lots of ideas and possibilities swirling, and now it feels like it's going in reverse, like all the debris up in the air is falling into place a bit.
So far this summer's activities are up the air for me. Right now I'm subbing full time during the day and still working at the computer store a few evenings a week. I'd give my right arm to quit there (it's just not the best fit for me) and I might quit if I get some other job. We shall see. It feels good to be in the audience right now-- we've done all we can to be responsible and pursue options. Right now we just sit and watch God orchestrate his plans.
Thanks for rejoicing with me! Suncoast Living will come to an end. Expect Big Apple Living or something in the future!
I was accepted into Columbia University's Teachers College.
I KNOW! I can hardly believe it. I keep pinching myself and have to keep reminding myself it's true. I'm in. I found out on Wednesday when I called to find out if they had everything they needed for my application. The woman who answered the phone told me that they had actually just made a decision, and I would receive a letter soon. I asked if she could tell me what that decision was, and she said, "I wouldn't worry about it." And then I received my letter on Thursday.
So now what? The next step is to find out whether or not we applied early enough to get campus housing. If we get housing we'll put our house on the market and watch God do his magic. If not, I'll defer my enrollment until next fall, giving us another year to sell the house.
In the meantime, if we stay here another year we'll be able to finish the Theophostic training we're doing-- that's a good thing. Also, Brad is looking at doing a one-year graduate certificate program at the university here which would qualify him to be a compliance auditor. It would be a great career move for him and seems like a neat program. If he does that, though, God would have to come up with the money to pay for the program, plus the money Brad would make at the computer store since he won't be able to work there while in school.
So much up in the air, but things are starting to fall into place. I feel like we've been in a tornado for a while, with lots of ideas and possibilities swirling, and now it feels like it's going in reverse, like all the debris up in the air is falling into place a bit.
So far this summer's activities are up the air for me. Right now I'm subbing full time during the day and still working at the computer store a few evenings a week. I'd give my right arm to quit there (it's just not the best fit for me) and I might quit if I get some other job. We shall see. It feels good to be in the audience right now-- we've done all we can to be responsible and pursue options. Right now we just sit and watch God orchestrate his plans.
Thanks for rejoicing with me! Suncoast Living will come to an end. Expect Big Apple Living or something in the future!
Monday, April 21, 2008
Things to Smile About
I'm having a rough day. So many unknowns are circling, causing a whirlwind of emotion and a lot of anxiety. I'm just at the end of my rope, which usually means God will do something in the near future. But in the meantime, I get to sit and wait, and just fight the bad feelings. So here are some things making me smile today. Maybe you'll smile, too.
1.) This is a forward from a student of mine. The last one in particular made me laugh out loud.
All too rarely, airline attendants make an effort to make the in flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
1. On a Southwest flight 245 (SW has no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
2. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have.
4. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane"
5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
6. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
7. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
8. From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
9. "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
10. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."
11. "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
12. "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."
13. And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
14. Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
15. Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
16. Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We
ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal"
17. An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking at the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no, Ma'am," said the pilot. what is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
18. After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."
19. Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways."
20. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
21. A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax.. OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled, "That's nothing.
You should see the back of mine."
1.) This is a forward from a student of mine. The last one in particular made me laugh out loud.
All too rarely, airline attendants make an effort to make the in flight "safety lecture" and announcements a bit more entertaining. Here are some real examples that have been heard or reported:
1. On a Southwest flight 245 (SW has no assigned seating, you just sit where you want) passengers were apparently having a hard time choosing, when a flight attendant announced, "People, people we're not picking out furniture here, find a seat and get in it!"
2. On a Continental Flight with a very "senior" flight attendant crew, the pilot said, "Ladies and gentlemen, we've reached cruising altitude and will be turning down the cabin lights. This is for your comfort and to enhance the appearance of your flight attendants."
3. On landing, the stewardess said, "Please be sure to take all of your belongings. If you're going to leave anything, please make sure it's something we'd like to have.
4. "There may be 50 ways to leave your lover, but there are only 4 ways out of this airplane"
5. "Thank you for flying Delta Business Express. We hope you enjoyed giving us the business as much as we enjoyed taking you for a ride."
6. As the plane landed and was coming to a stop at Ronald Reagan, a lone voice came over the loudspeaker: "Whoa, big fella. WHOA!"
7. After a particularly rough landing during thunderstorms in Memphis, a flight attendant on a Northwest flight announced, "Please take care when opening the overhead compartments because, after a landing like that, sure as hell everything has shifted."
8. From a Southwest Airlines employee: "Welcome aboard Southwest Flight 245 to Tampa. To operate your seat belt, insert the metal tab into the buckle, and pull tight. It works just like every other seat belt; and, if you don't know how to operate one, you probably shouldn't be out in public unsupervised."
9. "In the event of a sudden loss of cabin pressure, masks will descend from the ceiling. Stop screaming, grab the mask, and pull it over your face. If you have a small child traveling with you, secure your mask before assisting with theirs. If you are traveling with more than one small child, pick your favorite."
10. "Weather at our destination is 50 degrees with some broken clouds, but we'll try to have them fixed before we arrive. Thank you, and remember, nobody loves you, or your money, more than Southwest Airlines."
11. "Your seat cushions can be used for flotation; and, in the event of an emergency water landing, please paddle to shore and take them with our compliments."
12. "As you exit the plane, make sure to gather all of your belongings. Anything left behind will be distributed evenly among the flight attendants. Please do not leave children or spouses."
13. And from the pilot during his welcome message: "Delta Airlines is pleased to have some of the best flight attendants in the industry. Unfortunately, none of them are on this flight!"
14. Heard on Southwest Airlines just after a very hard landing in Salt Lake City the flight attendant came on the intercom and said, "That was quite a bump, and I know what y'all are thinking. I'm here to tell you it wasn't the airline's fault, it wasn't the pilot's fault, it wasn't the flight attendant's fault, it was the asphalt."
15. Overheard on an American Airlines flight into Amarillo, Texas, on a particularly windy and bumpy day: During the final approach, the Captain was really having to fight it. After an extremely hard landing, the Flight Attendant said, "Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to Amarillo. Please remain in your seats with your seat belts fastened while the Captain taxis what's left of our airplane to the gate!"
16. Another flight attendant's comment on a less than perfect landing: "We
ask you to please remain seated as Captain Kangaroo bounces us to the terminal"
17. An airline pilot wrote that on this particular flight he had hammered his ship into the runway really hard. The airline had a policy which required the first officer to stand at the door while the Passengers exited, smile, and give them a "Thanks for flying our airline." He said that, in light of his bad landing, he had a hard time looking at the passengers in the eye, thinking that someone would have a smart comment. Finally everyone had gotten off except for a little old lady walking with a cane. She said, "Sir, do you mind if I ask you a question?" "Why, no, Ma'am," said the pilot. what is it?" The little old lady said, "Did we land, or were we shot down?"
18. After a real crusher of a landing in Phoenix, the attendant came on with, "Ladies and Gentlemen, please remain in your seats until Capt. Crash and the Crew have brought the aircraft to a screeching halt against the gate. And, once the tire smoke has cleared and the warning bells are silenced, we'll open the door and you can pick your way through the wreckage to the terminal."
19. Part of a flight attendant's arrival announcement: "We'd like to thank you folks for flying with us today. And, the next time you get the insane urge to go blasting through the skies in a pressurized metal tube, we hope you'll think of US Airways."
20. Heard on a Southwest Airline flight. "Ladies and gentlemen, if you wish to smoke, the smoking section on this airplane is on the wing and if you can light 'em, you can smoke 'em."
21. A plane was taking off from Kennedy Airport. After it reached a comfortable cruising altitude, the captain made an announcement over the intercom, "Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. Welcome to Flight Number 293, nonstop from New York to los Angeles. The weather ahead is good and, therefore, we should have a smooth and uneventful flight. Now sit back and relax.. OH, MY GOD!" Silence followed, and after a few minutes, the captain came back on the intercom and said,
"Ladies and Gentlemen, I am so sorry if I scared you earlier. While I was talking to you, the flight attendant accidentally spilled a cup of hot coffee in my lap. You should see the front of my pants!" A passenger in Coach yelled, "That's nothing.
You should see the back of mine."
Monday, April 14, 2008
My first item!
(It's a business card holder made of felt.)
I've just posted my first item for sale on Etsy! Etsy is an online marketplace for hand-made items. Click here to see mine! (This is not a solicitation to buy my stuff.) If you have constructive criticism, I'm all ears! I already know the photos are terrible. But that's what you get when you're anxious to get something posted. Next on the agenda: learn to use the camera.
In other news, I'm in my last regular week of the semester. (MUCH rejoicing.) Next week is finals week and Meghan moves in. She's a student of mine who will be joining us for the summer. I'm not sure how I'm going to spend my summer. I plan to sub in May, but come June, I'm free and clear. All of June, July, and most of August is wide open. I've been applying for part time jobs in tutoring and summer school stuff. Nothing has come together yet.
It just dawned on me: whenever I have a bunch of unplanned free time, God usually does something with my availability. I forgot to ask him about that. Scares me a bit, as it's not usually fun. It's usually a tragedy or illness (not mutually exclusive). Dang, now I have butterflies in my stomach. Please, no one get sick or anything, ok? If you do, though, I'll be there all of June, July and August. :)
In May we'll be making a quick trip up to Cincinnati for my cousin's wedding. We were going to make a long weekend of it and visit friends and fam in Columbus, but Skybus had to go bankrupt and everything, so we had to find tickets on USA3000 and had to make some changes. And in August we'll be in Chicago (I think it's the weekend that includes the 15th or something) for a little visit.
That's about it for now!
Wednesday, April 09, 2008
Hell Froze Over.
Down the street from school is a large arena where the Ever*blades play ice hockey. In order to drum up attention they placed a large mound of snow (large is a relative term) near the entrance to the arena.
Of course we had to turn around and stop and play! I haven't touched snow in I don't know how long! It was so much fun!
(Begin the cursing out of southerners by northerners. I know, I know. I deserve it, you poor, freezing Eskimos.)
Of course we had to turn around and stop and play! I haven't touched snow in I don't know how long! It was so much fun!
(Begin the cursing out of southerners by northerners. I know, I know. I deserve it, you poor, freezing Eskimos.)
Something Fun For You To See
This is my second attempt to upload video. If it continues to give me fits, I'll just throw it onto youtube. Anyone else had issues uploading video to blogger?
Edited: Ok, now it's on youtube. Let's see if this works.
Edited again: Ok, now it works. Here's the back-story: we bought our first Christmas tree at Menard's (Save Big Money At Menards) for $11.88. We could hardly believe our good fortune! It was a perfect shape and was just lovely...until we realized that the needles were painted green. Painted! The tree must have been cut down in July, it was so dead! After Christmas we decided that the tree-who-betrayed-us deserved a dramatic death. So out the window it went. This video captures our second-story apartment giving birth to said Christmas tree. No, I don't know why I didn't post this near Christmas time. I just thought of it today, so here you go.
Tuesday, April 08, 2008
No tag backs.
There's the crazy phenomenon in blogland in which you can "tag" someone and they have to post (or may choose to post) something in particular on their blog. It's rather fun!
I was tagged by Susan at Made For Joy.
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
***
What I was doing 10 years ago:
In 1998 I was finishing up my second semester at Trinity. I moved out of the dorm and into an apartment sublet in Highwood with Heather Sammons. In July I got a phone call from my mother after her doctor's appointment: a new diagnosis of cancer. We spent that summer and fall together as she battled and won. It was possibly my most difficult time, but out of it came great sweetness. My relationship with my sister took a turn as she became more of a peer and less of a "little" sister. And my mom and I became closer as a result as well. It wasn't fun, but I wouldn't trade it.
Five Snacks I enjoy:
1. Peanut M&Ms
2. Freshly baked pretty much anything
3. Green apples with peanut butter
4. Popcorn
5. Nuts
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay for my grad school and my sister's (she just was accepted to LOYOLA!)
2. Give my house away to someone in need
3. Pay off the mortgages of my loved ones
4. Give money to ministries I'd love to support
5. Endow scholarships at various schools
Five jobs that I have had:
1. Check-counter (literally, counted checks at a bank)
2. Mail carrier on walking and driving routes
3. Construction Inspector (counted a LOT of rebar, tested a LOT of concrete)
4. Teacher of middle school monkeys, er, kids
5. Construction contractor
Three of my bad habits:
1. Gossiping. I HATE that about myself and am actively working to improve.
2. I can't seem to go to bed on time, and pay for it in the morning.
3. I am excellent at making up excuses as to why I can't exercise today.
Five place I have lived:
1. Chicago, IL
2. West Lafayette, IN
3. Ashburnham, MA
4. Baltimore, MD
5. Fort Myers, FL
Five People I want to know more about (a nice way of saying TAG!):
1. How About Orange
2. Julie-uli-uli
3. The Seavers
4. Shanel
5. The Bushy Bushy Trio
Thanks for visiting!
I was tagged by Susan at Made For Joy.
1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player tags 5 people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog.
***
What I was doing 10 years ago:
In 1998 I was finishing up my second semester at Trinity. I moved out of the dorm and into an apartment sublet in Highwood with Heather Sammons. In July I got a phone call from my mother after her doctor's appointment: a new diagnosis of cancer. We spent that summer and fall together as she battled and won. It was possibly my most difficult time, but out of it came great sweetness. My relationship with my sister took a turn as she became more of a peer and less of a "little" sister. And my mom and I became closer as a result as well. It wasn't fun, but I wouldn't trade it.
Five Snacks I enjoy:
1. Peanut M&Ms
2. Freshly baked pretty much anything
3. Green apples with peanut butter
4. Popcorn
5. Nuts
Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. Pay for my grad school and my sister's (she just was accepted to LOYOLA!)
2. Give my house away to someone in need
3. Pay off the mortgages of my loved ones
4. Give money to ministries I'd love to support
5. Endow scholarships at various schools
Five jobs that I have had:
1. Check-counter (literally, counted checks at a bank)
2. Mail carrier on walking and driving routes
3. Construction Inspector (counted a LOT of rebar, tested a LOT of concrete)
4. Teacher of middle school monkeys, er, kids
5. Construction contractor
Three of my bad habits:
1. Gossiping. I HATE that about myself and am actively working to improve.
2. I can't seem to go to bed on time, and pay for it in the morning.
3. I am excellent at making up excuses as to why I can't exercise today.
Five place I have lived:
1. Chicago, IL
2. West Lafayette, IN
3. Ashburnham, MA
4. Baltimore, MD
5. Fort Myers, FL
Five People I want to know more about (a nice way of saying TAG!):
1. How About Orange
2. Julie-uli-uli
3. The Seavers
4. Shanel
5. The Bushy Bushy Trio
Thanks for visiting!
Thursday, April 03, 2008
Owwie, etc.
Last night we completed our shift at the fruity computer store and exited out the back door. A manager accompanied us out as others were leaving as well. We stopped to talk to him and the door closed. Another employee opened the heavy door with all his might (my exaggeration) just as I was standing in the wrong place. Were you aware that shoes made out of foam (crocs) do not provide the same protection as steel-toed shoes? I felt my big toenail fold back on itself. The nail polish was broken in a line across the middle of my toenail. So gross and so darn painful. It isn't bloody today except around the edge, and it's not as bad as I expected, thank the Lord. It jammed my toe pretty well so the bruising isn't fun, but I don't think I'll lose the nail. Oh, what joy.
News Item #2, or Why FGCU Probably Won't Score High In The Roommate-Relations Department: (seen just outside the campus bookstore)
News Item #2, or Why FGCU Probably Won't Score High In The Roommate-Relations Department: (seen just outside the campus bookstore)
Easter report
Following tradition, Uncle Brad gave the instructions about hunting the eggs. Twelve per child, and if you see a "K" on the egg, leave it there. It's for Kaya, who is allergic to milk and has special candy.
(When listening to boring instructions when you'd rather be out hunting for candy, lift your shirt to entertain yourself.)
And they're off!
I couldn't take a smiling picture fast enough-- no time to waste!
Why wait until you're done hunting to enjoy the candy? Open one, fill your mouth, hunt. Repeat.
After the hunt (the big kids helped the little kids and it was all very sweet!), Court had a little me-time in the hammock.
...while the kids sorted out their loot.
After the hunt we had the feast. It was a lovely time!
Skipping ahead to last Friday... our university's new president had his official inauguration ceremony. He's the one in the green and blue robes in the middle:
Brad was asked to join a faculty/staff/student choir to sing a few songs in the ceremony. If you click on the picture you can see him.
I sat across the arena and took a pic of him at his seat.
(When listening to boring instructions when you'd rather be out hunting for candy, lift your shirt to entertain yourself.)
And they're off!
I couldn't take a smiling picture fast enough-- no time to waste!
Why wait until you're done hunting to enjoy the candy? Open one, fill your mouth, hunt. Repeat.
After the hunt (the big kids helped the little kids and it was all very sweet!), Court had a little me-time in the hammock.
...while the kids sorted out their loot.
After the hunt we had the feast. It was a lovely time!
Skipping ahead to last Friday... our university's new president had his official inauguration ceremony. He's the one in the green and blue robes in the middle:
Brad was asked to join a faculty/staff/student choir to sing a few songs in the ceremony. If you click on the picture you can see him.
I sat across the arena and took a pic of him at his seat.
Boys everywhere!
Before the Bowmans left for home I snapped a few pictures of the troops:
Oldest, wisest, sly sense of humor, wickedly smart
James Dean wannabe, funny man
The charmer with loads of personality
The Energizer Bunny, with stitches; terribly fun to eavesdrop on when he's playing alone
The last full day they had here they went to the pool here at school and had it nearly to themselves for part of the time:
The first night they arrived we went out for seafood at RJ Gator's. Here is the requisite pic of gator-eating-kid:
Monkey see, monkey do:
On their last morning I didn't have to work so we had a load of waffles and bacon for breakfast. I think this might be my only pic of Cheri as well! Sorry, Cheri!
Oldest, wisest, sly sense of humor, wickedly smart
James Dean wannabe, funny man
The charmer with loads of personality
The Energizer Bunny, with stitches; terribly fun to eavesdrop on when he's playing alone
The last full day they had here they went to the pool here at school and had it nearly to themselves for part of the time:
The first night they arrived we went out for seafood at RJ Gator's. Here is the requisite pic of gator-eating-kid:
Monkey see, monkey do:
On their last morning I didn't have to work so we had a load of waffles and bacon for breakfast. I think this might be my only pic of Cheri as well! Sorry, Cheri!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)