On Vacation

While sitting on the ferry waiting to come home on Sunday, the superintendent of our school district stopped by our table. He asked if we had been on a trip because we looked really laid back. He said, "You're already on vacation. You look so relaxed." That got me wondering if I normally look stressed at school. haha

This morning when I took my shower, I realized that he was absolutely right. My mind is definitely on vacation. How do I know?

I took a shower that lasted about 20 minutes. Washing my hair is always the last thing I do. This morning after I turned off the water and had a towel already on my head, I couldn't even remember if I used the shampoo!

Memorial Day

I hope everyone is having a nice holiday weekend. The weather has been so beautiful the past 3 days. They keep telling us we're going to get rain but it never materializes. Right now it's about 70 degrees out there.

I'm getting used to relaxing already. I actually slept in today. Only till about 8:30, but to me that's sleeping in.

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What do you usually do for Memorial Day? We usually have a picnic to kick off Summer, but this year we're just lying low. Michael had to work today and because we were in town over the weekend, we forgot to plan for a picnic. I'm sure we could crash someone else's but we won't. hehe

The community, on the other hand, always has something going on. They start off at the museum. They remember the missionary who brought the first settlers of this island over from Canada. Then they go to the ballpark and remember those we've lost at sea. Their final stop is the graveyard where they remember the veterans we've lost.

I didn't participate this year. Normally I do, but my back is sore. I think Lindsey made it worse last night when she came to visit. She wouldn't quit climbing on me while I was chatting on Yahoo. Literally climbing. My friend joked that Lindsey was a monkey and I was her tree. This tree can't stand very straight today. hehe

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Since this is Memorial Day, and it's a day to remember those veterans we have lost, I wanted to share a photo I took of the Traveling Wall. It's a mobile version of the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C. It came here a couple years ago and was on display here for a few days before moving on. It was very moving to see it and was probably the closest a lot of our community members will get to seeing the real thing. Unfortunately, I can't find the photo after going through my box of photographs today. It eventually got too hot and we had to leave the house. I'll try again tomorrow and if I can find them, I'll post them.

I'm a Shop-Lifter

Oh. My. God. I'm so embarrassed!

Yesterday, we played chauffeur to my Aunty Gerdie and her grandson (my nephew Jase, pictured below). She was only over for the day and we knew we were going to be there over-night with no real plans so didn't mind carting her around town.

She went to Wal-Mart wanting to buy what she called "white rock" to add to what she has already placed on my uncle's grave. She walked up and down every aisle in the store and couldn't find it. Nor could she find an associate willing to help her. She eventually gave up and asked us to drop her off at the mall so Jase could get his McDonalds fix.

While she was waiting for us to come back and pick her up, she called home and her daughter told her that the rock was outside the store. We didn't have time to run back out there before she boarded the ferry so she gave me money to buy her "white rock". I haven't viewed my uncle's grave recently and because we were looking in all the wrong places earlier in the day, I had no idea what she wanted. I agreed to do it anyway, because nobody ever says no to Aunty Gerdie. hehe

So Michael and I go back out to Wal-Mart. All we see outside is the plant selection but we walk through it anyway. We get to the end and there are piles of soil, manure, and white marble. I thought she was referring to small white pebbles but the only thing that resembled "white rock" was the marble. I ask the guy if that was the only rock they had. He said yes. I asked him how I could buy 2 bags. I didn't see a cash box or anything nearby. He said, "Just tell them inside you buy two bags." He spoke poor English and I tried my best to get him to understand and also to understand what he was trying to tell me. I asked him if I take the rock now or come back for it. He said, "Rock is heavy. Where car?" I showed him and he said, "Bring here, I help load. Very heavy." So we brought the car closer and he helped us load the rock into the back. I asked him if I needed a ticket or something to show the cashier...he said, "No. Just tell them 2 bags rock." So off we went...to tell them.

Wal-Mart is a dangerous place. Especially when I'm with Michael. People never believe me when I say that HE is the shopper, not me. We wandered around looking, loading our basket, wasting time. We finally decide it's time to go and head for the check-out counters.

In our basket were 4 twelve-packs of Coke. They were $3.50 each. That's a good price for us so we got 4. When we were ringing up our purchases, the lady saw the Coke and asked Michael to hand her one so she could ring it up. Then she asked how many more were in the cart. Michael told her there were 3 more. I guess all she heard was 3 because when we checked our receipts on the ferry home, she only charged us for 3 even though we took 4.

Not only that, we forgot to pay for the marble.

First Day of Summer Vacation

And I was bored stiff. Haha! I tried my best to sleep in but it didn't work. By 4:30, it felt like it should be bed time. My day was soooo long.

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I'm not complaining, though. I know it will take a few days to adjust. Tomorrow I'm going to town to deposit my paycheck. We don't have a bank here on the island. Hopefully, someone will come in so we don't have to worry about how we're going to cash or deposit checks. What a pain this is. But it gives me an excuse to go to town. hehe

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I cut my bangs today. I remember the first time I tried to cut my own bangs I stood in front of the mirror for almost half an hour trying to get them even. They almost ended up too short. Now it takes three little snips and less than 5 minutes.

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The power company was having some serious issues tonight. The power kept going off and coming on, going off and coming on...we finally just left the house to keep from getting frustrated.

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While we were out driving, the glanced up at the sky and saw an unusual sight. Most of the sky was clear. The sun had set and the sky just above the horizon was golden. Above that there was a layer of thin clouds and it looked like mushrooms were growing out of it. A little later they moved and looked more like huge smoke stacks coming out of a long ship. Sort of like the Titanic...it was pretty cool looking.

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I'm tired of rambling and don't have much else to say, so I'll say good night. I hope you all have a nice weekend. :o)

No More Pencils, No More Books

Today was the last day of the school year. We celebrated by having all the kids write 10 page essays about everything they learned and if they didn't finish by Noon, they had to stay after school and didn't get their free hamburger.

Just kidding. We had Field Day today. Everyone spent the day outside having fun and being active. There were no prizes because "Everyone's a Winner on Field Day". The kids moved from station to station so that they all had a chance to do all of the activities. The weather was beautiful and the mosquitos were plentiful. I kept moving to keep from being bitten but they like to follow you around, darn bugs.


This was a water relay where two teams raced to fill a tub about 10 yrds away. That's Craig getting his water. His team seemed so far ahead and they ended up dead even when the water was measured. Just the way a Field Day should go, IMHO.


This was an obstacle course. Lindsey spotted me, smiled at the camera, and then quit the race. She couldn't figure out how to pedal without bumping her knees on the handlebars. At least she "looks" like she's having fun.


The Long Jump was a favorite of the kids. I'm sure this sand pit will get a lot of use this summer now that the kids know what it's for. Someone had better add more sand, though.


The last boy was in 6th grade. This is my nephew Jase...in Kindergarten. I think he's got a future in Track & Field. What do you think?


This game was the prinicpal's idea. He had them twirl around with their heads on their bats 10 times...then they had to run all the bases before their classmates tagged them out. This is 3rd grade and that's my niece Marilyn in the purple.


This game was called The Fox and The Hound. See the yellow and red flags? Those are fox tails. If you were a fox, you had to stay away from the hounds who were out to get your tail. Once your tails were removed, you had to sit down.


The 3rd grade couldn't seem to go straight during their 3-Legged Race and kept running into each other. That's James in the camoflauge shorts. I wish you could have heard them practicing. "1-2-1-2-1-2" They thought if they counted faster, they'd move faster. hehe Too cute!


As you can see from the wet ground, Kindergarten was not very successful at the Water Balloon Toss. They had fun, though, and if you'll look closely, their teacher had them all looking like little football players with black under their eyes.

After the games were over, the school board treated them all to a hamburger, chips, ice cream, and juice. Some ate in the gym, some outside. At Noon, the bell went crazy, the kids went crazy, and I high-tailed it out of there. :o)

8th Grade Promotion

On Monday the 8th graders were promoted to high school. I had a lot of nieces and nephews in the class so I won't show them all. I will, however, show you the Valedictorian and Salutatorian. :o)


Look familiar? All they did was change the 5 in 2005 to a 9 and add some balloons and stars. :o)


Not the clearest picture because they were walking SO FAST, but here's Alexys. Class president and Valedictorian so she got to make 2 speeches! Her closing remark of her Valedictorian speech was, "I'll see you in 4 years. I plan on making another speech." I love her confidence. I have no doubt she's absolutely correct.


Another blurry picture...this is Jason, my nephew who was Salutatorian. He missed Valedictorian by .03! He's extremely smart, works hard, and is an excellent basketball player. He's thinking of going away to a boarding school for high school. I'm kinda hoping he sticks around.


Their class was double the size of the high school graduating class.


Here's Alexys opening her gifts. She got everything a teenager could want. Her own phone line, 4 months of internet access, a ton of shopping cards, a whole new wardrobe, an mp3 player, and cash, cash, cash.


Here she is with her mother. In a couple weeks, her mother will be a graduate of University of Washington in Seattle. She'll have her bachelor's degree and in September will get her Physician's Assistant certificate. We're all extremely proud of her because she's gone through so much. She had Alexys when she was only 15, her fiance'(the father of her son) died in a car accident, but she's perservered and it has paid off.

High School Graduation

The high school graduation was on Friday. The class was very small. I remember having these kids in my class when they were small. I'm so proud of each and every one of them. They've grown into such beautiful people. Realizing that, though...makes me feel old! heehee!





Some nervous graduates waiting for the processinal to begin.


My niece Catherine was valedictorian. She's going to Pasadena this summer to do some engineering work in a jet propulsion lab or something. She's already got some college credits, got a kajillion scholarships, and was captain of the cheer squad!


This is Ashley, Michael Richard's 1st cousin from his dad's side. I'm not related to her, but she and Michael were born on the same day just hours apart so she's always been a part of my life. She's the sweetest thing and of course, I wish the best for her.


Michael was SO nervous I thought he was going to crush his roses! I'm so proud of him...he struggled in one of his classes this last semester and we all held our breath when grades came out hoping he'd pass. He did, and was so proud of himself. He leaves next month for the Merchant Marines.


This gal is married to one of my husband's nephews. She dropped out of high school and after marrying and having a couple kids, went back and completed school. We're all extremely proud of her.


Here's the class...all 14 of them. Only 2 of them boys!


Ashley's laughing becuase there were about 5 cameras in their faces at the same time.


After the ceremony, the graduates gather with their family and friends to open their gifts. We went to my mother-in-law's church and celebrated with Michael and Ashley.

Tonight we get to do it all over again for the 8th graders. Then we are DONE. Until next may, anyway. :o)

One Year, Already?!?

Wow,I mentioned to Ahka not too long ago how I had been blogging for "almost a year". Tonight I was bored so started looking through my archives. I was so surprised to find out that the one year mark has already passed! It's been over a week! My goodness, how time has flown by.

I must say that it's been an adventurous year. It's had it's ups and downs but I must say that looking back at it now, it was a good year.

Thanks to those who have stuck around, and welcome to those of you who are new! I've enjoyed every bit of it and learned a lot about myself in the process.

Head Start Graduation

On Wednesday, the little 4 and 5 year old children graduated from Head Start. That's a very big occasion here. The town hall gets decorated from top to bottom, the turn-out is always huge, and the little graduates get more gifts than their past 2 Christmases and birthdays combined.

Before they marched in "for real" they came in and posed on the risers for photos.


My niece Mikayla, in the orange, is checking out the balloons.


Even with her cap on you can see all her pretty little curls!

As they were posing, Mikayla could be heard saying, "Cheeeeeeeeese!" She's quite the ham. She did NOT get that from me!

After photos, they went back to the kitchen and started their processional. They marched in to "We Got the Beat" but it was sung by kids. Too cute. If I shared photos of all my nieces and nephews, there'd be too many so I'll let Mikayla be the star. :o)


She looks so nervous! I'd be too, though. The town hall was PACKED.

The ceremony was short and sweet and now I've got to prepare myself for their entry into the "Big School". I'm excited.

Middle/High School Spring Concert

Tonight was the concert for the middle and high schools. It was fun to see. They did a lot of music from the 60's and looked and sounded as if they were having a lot of fun. I've got photos, but the gym lights were off so some of them are dark. I'm sorry.



The high school choir is not very big, but they did great. They sang fun songs from the 60's like Lean on Me, Born to Be Wild, Teenager in Love, and The Lion Sleeps Tonight. The tall boy in front (with no bangs) is my nephew Adam. The girl in the back in the orange shirt is my niece Aja.


Lucione (in the green) was THE BEST trumpet player (trumpeter?) there. No, I'm not being biased...ask anyone who was there! hehe


This band consists of the middle and high school bands. The boys standing are my twin newphews Seth and Mazio. They had a little duet in one of the songs. One's playing the baritone sax and the other the bass clarinet.

My busy week is still not over. Tomorrow I've got a niece and nephew graduating from Head Start. Thursday I've got a retirement party to attend/sing at. Friday is the night my nephew Michael graduates high school. Then we get a couple days of rest and on Monday, Alexys and my other nieces Amanda and Jeanine are being promoted from the 8th grade.

*Just as a side note* I talk a lot about my nieces and nephews. Most people think of nieces and nephews as the children of your siblings. In my native tradition, however, 1st cousins are seen as your brothers and sisters. So many of the nieces and nephews I speak of are the children of my 1st cousins.

Stupid Thoughts

Click on the comic to make it bigger.

Have you ever had one of those nights where your mind would Just. Not. Stop?

That was me last night. I had so many thoughts about so many different things rushing through my head. School is ended in a few days, we may be making a major life decision within the next month or so, I've got family in every single graduation this year...from Head Start to college, I need to go grocery shopping but don't get paid until the end of next week...and on and on and on.

I'm not really complaining about it. I don't really feel stressed at the moment, believe it or not. Why my mind was so busy last night, I don't know. I hope I can get some sleep tonight. Peaceful, restful sleep.

A Disney Celebration!

The concert on Thursday night was great. The kids all had a blast, the turn-out was great, and I'm still singing the songs I heard that night.

Meet the Mouseketeers. The Kindergarten class started the program. They were so adorable singing their hearts out and dancing around with their home-made pom poms. They sang The Mickey Mouse Club March and Be My Guest.

Next up was 1st grade. They sang Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah, Candle on the Water, and Outstanding Citizen.

Craig and the other 1st graders sign "Candle on the Water".

Second grade sang The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers and Whistle While You Work. That was especially cute because they're still learning how to whistle! :o)

My nephew Josh (in the tie) sings The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers.

Third grade sang It's a Small World and Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious.

James and his class also sang about their everyday heroes.


Half of the 20 dwarfs singing Heigh Ho. Just after this photo, they started dancing the Macarena. I wonder, with them being 4th graders, if they remember when the Macarena was popular?

5th grade didn't sing Disney songs...but they had fun nonetheless.

The Rappin' Disney Dudes rap their way through the 50 states and capitals. That's Lindsey with Texas.


The 6th grade Musical Bears sang The Bear Necessities. They also sang Under the Sea and played a song called Trashed by the Bears using instruments they crafted themselves.

The night ended with the entire school singing When You Wish Upon a Star and then a reprise of The Mickey Mouse Club March.


This, believe it or not, is the entire elementary school from Kindergarten through 6th grade. Fun was had by all and the audience really enjoyed the show.

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Friday I had to go to town for a follow-up with my eye doctor. He was impressed because, although I have a slight stigmatism in my right eye, I'm still able to see 20/20 using my right eye alone and using both eyes, I see better than 20/20.

We had a couple extra hours over there so we were able to just cruise around and pass the time and enjoy each others' company. Michael was supposed to work but something came up at the last minute so he actually gets a 3 day weekend, maybe longer.

Lindsey had to come over today to do some research for a project she has due on Monday. Lucione is spending the night tonight. She's still awake watching Gypsy but I'm beat. I hope you all are having a pleasant weekend.

I'll Write a Proper Post Tonight, I Promise!

Lindsey comandeered my computer today to do a school project. I don't have time right now, but I'll be back with concert pictures and a few words about my Friday later on.
I PROMISE!

Spring Concert is Tonight

The kids were SO excited today! It was hard to keep their attention all morning and they spent all afternoon in dress rehearsal. Even James, the one who does not like being in front of people cannot wait for it to happen.

I'm looking forward to it, too. It's got tons of Disney music in it, I love watching the kids perform, and it will take my mind off of everything else. Even if only for a few hours.

For Sandy :o)

If you click the picture to enlarge it, you should be able to see my arrow pointing to the area I live in. It's not so easy to see, but that is an island chain. They're just close together.

Please Excuse my Absence

I have been busy with family the past few days and will continue to be until tomorrow evening. The death of my uncle was unexpected and took everyone by surprise. I tried to come home for a break last night and then my nephew's car caught fire so I had to run right back out the door to make sure he was okay. The drama never seems to end.

I think it's always like that in a small town. Every single event, happy or sad, affects everyone in one way or another. Our population hasn't even hit 2,000 yet so we all notice the effects of every death, birth, wedding, illness, achievement, etc.

That's part of why I love it here. No matter what happens, you always have support. We pull together as a community and surround those in need until they are able to stand on their own once again. The achievements of each individual are celebrated by the entire community just as we mourn each loss.

That being said, I need to get moving. The memorial service is tonight and I've got to get ready.

My Weekend

Friday evening Michael decided we were going to go to Town. We left Saturday morning and I thought we were going to return that same day but we ended up getting a hotel room and spending a night over there.

We did way more shopping than we should have, but we don't treat ourselves too often, so I think it will be okay.

We saw Sahara. It was a pretty good movie. I enjoyed it. We spent a lot of time in the car. It was up in the 70's all weekend and we found it hard to give up the air conditioner unless we absolutely had to. haha

We got back just after 4PM today. We unloaded everything and were about to start cooking a steak dinner when the phone rang. It was Michael's oldest sister asking if we were going to come to dinner. We didn't know there was a dinner, but I told her we'd be right over.

We got his mom an electric tea kettle and two shirts. She loved her gifts. She's always drinking tea but rather than following our suggestion and running water through her Bunn coffee maker, she heats her water on the stove and always forgets about it. She could start off with a full kettle and it will be half full by the time she remembers to pour water for tea. With this electric kettle, that won't be a problem. It heats quickly and the danger of a hot stove is eliminated.

As a family, we bought her a tree. She had been admiring it at a plant sale the garden club had recently but didn't want to spend the money for it. It's a Red Dragon Lace Leaf Maple tree. It's a pretty little tree. I have no idea how big it's going to get. With her black thumb, it may already be as big as it's gonna get. haha

While at dinner, I found out that my Uncle David had a massive heart attack yesterday while he was on the beach gathering seaweed. I wasn't extremely close to him, but it's still sad to lose a family member. The story of how he died is sad and I feel guilty for not making more of an effort to be close to him. I said hello and gave him a hug whenever I saw him, but now that doesn't feel like enough. *sigh*

This coming week is going to be busy. On Monday, a special guest is going to be speaking to the community. Tuesday evening is the night of the elementary school's Disney Celebration (their Spring concert consists of nothing but Disney music). On Wednesday it's the middle and high schools' turn.

Just thinking about all that is coming up is making me tired. I'm going to go lie down. :o)

Please, Make it STOP!

Iowa Stubborn
Music: Meredith Willson
Lyrics: Meredith Willson


Townspeople:
Oh, there's nothing halfway
About the Iowa way to treat you,
When we greet you
Which we may not do at all.
There's an Iowa kind of special
Chip-on-the-shoulder attitude.
We've never been without.
That we recall.
We can be cold
As a falling thermometer in December
If you ask about our weather in July.
And we're so by God stubborn
We could stand touchin' noses
For a week at a time
And never see eye-to-eye.
But what the heck, you're welcome,
Join us at the picnic.
You can eat your fill
Of all the food you bring yourself.
You ought to give Iowa a try.
Provided you are contrary,
We can be cold
As a falling thermometer in December
If you ask about our weather in July.
And we're so by God stubborn
We can stand touchin' noses
For a week at a time
And never see eye-to-eye.
But we'll give you our shirt
And a back to go with it
If your crops should happen to die.

Farmer:
So, what the heck, you're welcome,
Glad to have you with us.

Farmer and Wife:
Even though we may not ever mention it again.

Townspeople:
You ought to give Iowa
Hawkeye Iowa
Dubuque, Des Moines, Davenport, Marshalltown,
Mason City, Keokuk, Ames,
Clear Lake
Ought to give Iowa a try!

This song has been stuck in my head ALL DAY LONG! The 5th grade classes are doing reasearch on the 50 states. I was helping one of them find information on Iowa on the internet this morning and ever since then, for the past 9 hours, this blasted song has been replaying itself over and over and over and over again in my head.

I blame my mother. If she were not involved in the theater, I would not have been exposed to the world of musical theater. I would not have been forced to run lines or practice songs. I would not have been able to get a close-up look at how shows are put together. I would have learned nothing about the rehearsal process, set design, costume design, hair and make-up, orchestra, lights, or even what it's like to be an usher.

My mom was in her element when she was on stage. Seeing her happy made me happy. I never tired of watching her performances. I knew the lines of all the characters and if one of them ad-libbed, they could count on me calling them on it. I could sing along with the chorus and principles from beginning to end.

Music was always a big part of our lives, but musical theater breathed new life into us. Getting a new script or a new score was like Christmas. True, they weren't my scripts or scores but it was exciting to me, just the same. Waiting to see which part my mom would play was excruciating. Getting to go to rehearsals was exciting. Watching opening night was exhilerating.

I always went to as many performances as I could. If mom ran out of passes, I'd volunteer to be an usher or watch from backstage. I never got tired of it.

Even if I wasn't in California, I was still involved. She'd call me after rehearsals and tell me how things went. If she couldn't master a song, I'd play it over the phone till she got it right. I was sent programs and photos. I even bought the movie versions of all the musicals she took part in, except Flower Drum Song. They include The Music Man, Singin' in the Rain, Gypsy, On the Town, The Pajama Game, Pippin, Annie, and Flower Drum Song.

My mom hasn't been involved with the theater for the past few years. I don't know if she does, but I sure miss it. It gave us something to talk about. Something exciting and happy. Lately, it's been all about my sister's pissy moods and my mom's RA (I can't remember what the proper name is...but it's painful and she refers to it as RA. No, it's not Rheumatoid Arthritis).

*Cough, Cough, Aaaaaccccchhhhoooooooo!*

I've had a terrible cold for the past couple days. The horse has returned. This time it feels as if he's brought the entire team. I was fortunate enough to only miss one day of work this time around but my voice was pretty much gone by the end of today. I'm glad tomorrow is Friday.

Lindsey is fine. She came home yesterday and was quite upset that she had to miss a day of school. Today during study hall she and her cousin James got into a heated discussion, a debate actually, about who was more sick. They both missed school on Tuesday, but Lindsey only the 2nd half of the day so James figured he was worse off than Lindsey.

"I didn't come to school at all," he told her.

"Well, my stomach hurt so bad I had to go home."

"I had a stomach ache, a headache, AND my asthma was bothering me."

"Well, my stomach ache was so bad I cried."

"I had to take 3 medicines!"

"Yeah, well I got sent to the hospital!"

She didn't tell him that she ended up to be just fine. She just told him enough to win the argument. Yeah, they're both stubborn. They did not get that from me! heehee

Tagged? Me?!?

Fizzy (What was she thinking?!?) tagged me to do...what is it? A challenge? A writing exercise? A Meme? Whatever you want to call it...

The object of this exercise is simple. Pick four or five from the list and complete the phrase. Feel free to add additional occupations after you've done yours. Pass it on to others.

The List

If I could be a scientist...
If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician...
If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary...
If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete...
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper...
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer...
If I could be a llama-rider...(by Ogre)
If I could be a bonnie pirate...(By Teach)
If I could be a servicemember...(By Jeremy)
If I could be a business owner...(By Blue 944)
If I could be an actor... (By Blue 944)
If I could be an agent...(By KelBel)
If I could be video game designer...(By KelBel)
If I could be a comic book artist...(By Stoli)
If I could be a hooker...(By Pollo Loco)
If I could be a crack addict (by Elizabeth)
If I could be a porn star (by Elizabeth)
If I could be a mime (by Garrison)
If I could be a domestic engineer (by Rick)
If I could be a chimney sweep (by laine)
If I could be a masseuse (by laine)
If I could be a taxi driver (by Brian)
If I could be a priest (by Brian)
If I could be a fighter pilot (by Sara)
If I could be a homeless person (by Sara)

If I could be a scientist I would work day and night to find the cures to the uncurable. Cancer, Alzheimers, HIV, even the common cold. This is not to say I would want to cheat death. I believe everyone has their time on the earth. I just would like to help us to live without pain and suffering. I've lost too many loved ones to cancer. Call me selfish, but I would rather not lose any more.

If I could be a chef I would open a restaurant. Living on this small island, we don't have a proper restaurant. Hamburger stands and a pizza/ice cream parlor, yes...but we don't have a place where one can sit and enjoy a delicious meal that requires more than two bare hands to eat.

If I could be a writer I'd be able to use written words to inspire, humor, and teach.

If I could be an actor I'd be able to entertain the masses. I'd be in the spotlight and still be able to speak without fear because the words would not be my own.

Okay, so now I'm supposed to tag others. So that they can take this list to their own blog and do the exercise and then tag someone else, and on and on and on...

But who to pick? I think I will tag Jayleigh and Sandy.

I'm sorry, ladies...but those are the rules and I have to follow the rules! ;o) Besides, you two seem to be the two most regular of my regulars lately. hehe But if any of you others would care to take part, feel free. Just remember, there are no tag-backs. haha! Kate, I thought of you, but don't want to overwhelm you with another task on your already over-flowing plate.

Please Pray for Lindsey! ***UPDATED***

Lindsey has been sent to town. She had a stomach ache last night and today after lunch she was still complaining about stomach pains. She went home from school and her mom brought her to the clinic after she got off work.

They decided to send her to town so that they can check her out more thoroughly and either rule out appendicitis or do surgery to remove her appendix asap. She's only 11. She's tempermental and new things scare her. She's never been in the hospital before and I know she's scared.

I have absolute faith that she will be okay. They'll either rule out appendicitis or take care of it. I just hate the fact that she has to go through this. I can't comfort her and tell her things will be okay and that tears me up inside. I'm glad that my other sister-in-law lives in town. She'll calm down Lindsey's mom. She's a basketcase anyway, put a little stress in her life and she's hopeless. Maybe, since you're praying, you should say one for her, too.

**************UPDATE**************

The tests have all had good results. The blood tests are fine. She's feeling better. Thank you, ladies, for your prayers. :o) She'll be coming home tomorrow.

Happy Monday :o)

Today was not the typical Monday. We had superintendant candidates wandering around all morning so everyone was on their best behavior (and I'm NOT talking about the kids). I'm really good at dodging people so I wasn't stressed in the least. hehe

The kids were cute. This is the first time some of them have seen me without glasses. Or at least the first time in their memory. Some of their reactions were funny.

I walked into science this morning and the first grade class was there. One little girl kept staring me. The same one who noticed my hair-cut. I finally asked her, "What's wrong, Grace?"

She looked at me and said, "Ms. Kerri, I know it's you. You sound like you but you just don't look like you!"

I assured her I was still me and started visiting with her as she planted her rye grass and alfalfa seeds. She said something that made me laugh and I told her she was a silly girl.

"Okay, I believe you, Ms. Kerri. You're still you."

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

Lucione stayed for dinner today. We had fish and rice. There's no getting rid of her when fish is being served. Now we're munching on frozen blueberries and my fingers have turned purple. Time to stop typinf, I think. :o)

Taxi Driver

The guy who drove the taxi that took me to the ferry on Friday afternoon was hilarious! We had a pleasant conversation about the weather and I made some kind of sarcastic comment about the wind and how it made me look like Medusa.

He then realized that I did, in fact, have a sense of humor and took that as his cue to start telling jokes. They all had to do with Michael Jackson. I hope I can remember them. He was quite proud of the fact that he made me laugh.

Knock, Knock!
Who's There?
Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson, who?
You're on the jury!


How can you tell if Michael Jackson is having a party at his ranch?
His driveway is full of scooters, skateboards, and bicycles.


What time is bedtime at Neverland?
When the big hand touches the little hand.


Michael Jackson's lawyer was discussing his case with a colleague. He said he wanted to put Michael on the stand to testify in his own behalf. His colleague asked him why he would do such a thing. The lawyer said, "I know. I don't normally let my defendants take the stand. Especially in a high profile case such as this. But this is Michael Jackson. What can happen? If nothing else, maybe his nose will grow back!"


By the time we reached the ferry terminal, I was laughing so hard at him, I jumped out and left my ticket on the seat. I lucked out, though, and the guy in charge of collecting tickets believed my story and let me board without buying a new ticket.