Monday Sing-a-Long

I don't know what it is about me...but certain phrases or words get me singing. This is not a good thing when someone is pouring their heart out to me and I break out in song. Unless it's my sister-in-law, Janiece. She just sings along and it usually puts her in a better mood.

Aimee and some of her friends are planning a trip to Kansas City, MO in a few months. Everytime I read about it, I start singing Fats Domino's song

I'm going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come
I'm going to Kansas City
Kansas City here I come
They got a crazy way of loving there and I'm gonna get me one

Well today is Monday. As a child I used to watch The Mickey Mouse Club reruns on TV and Monday was Fun With Music Day. Now I've got their Monday song stuck in my head.

It's time for fun with music,
Fun with music,
Making music is fun.
Whether it's a song of home or some foreign land,
Music is the language we all understand.
We're all for one with music,
Fun with music,
And before we are done
Just wait and see,
You'll all agree
Fun with music is fun
Fun for everyone.

I've had this "problem" for as long as I can remember. So much so, that as a child, I used to change the lyrics depending on the situation. One time I was rollerskating with my cousin. She said something about the movie Grease which got me singing Sandra Dee. But that wasn't enough. I changed the lyrics and started singing, "Look at me, I'm Kerri Lee!" We started laughing so hard I'm surprised we managed to stay upright on our skates.

Laura

This time of year, with holidays approaching, I always find myself reflecting on my past. I find myself thinking back to childhood and remembering the way things were back then. The people in my life, things that seemed important, major life-changing events.

Today, I’m consumed with thoughts of Laura. When I was in the 6th grade, she was the Title I teacher at our school. I was not in Title I, but my mom worked with her so I got to know her very well. So much so, that I spent time with her away from school. She’d let me come visit her and sometimes she came to my house. I mentioned the time I got chicken pox. That was the last time I wore a costume on Halloween. When I returned back home, she was there and we snacked on steamed prawns before I went to bed.

As a child, I was extremely shy. I never spoke unless spoken to and even then I’d keep my answers short. Laura had a way that made me feel comfortable. My favorite days were the days she had recess duty. She’d wander the playground and allow me to tag along. We’d sing little songs together. One of my favorites at the time was “Jeepers Creepers”. When I was home with the chicken pox, she sent home little notes and gifts with my mom and I wrote cheesy little poems to thank her.

She was only here that one year and I was so upset when she left. I walked with her down the ramp to the plane and cried all the way back up. My dad took me fishing so I could just be quiet and deal with having to say goodbye to someone I was not ready to let go.

I guess she wasn’t ready, either. She left in June. My birthday is in August. She made a sun catcher for me and sent it to me for my birthday. I still have it. I’d get a letter from her every now and then. She invited me to her wedding, sent birth announcements for each of her children; she even sent cards when I graduated from 8th grade and high school. When she sends out her yearly Christmas letters, I’m on her list. We’ve exchanged a few phone calls, but not nearly enough.

Having her as a friend meant a lot to me. At a time when I was having trouble connecting with my peers, she found a way to reach me. Because of her, I felt accepted. I didn’t have to prove anything to her. I didn’t have to act a certain way to belong. I learned that being “me” was enough.

That was the greatest lesson I could have learned. Now that I’m grown, I try to reach out to kids who resemble the child I was. I never back away when they reach out for a hug. I don’t force them to talk, but am always attentive when they choose to. It does my heart good to know that I can make a difference, no matter how inconsequential my act may seem. I know from experience what it means to have an adult, someone who is not related or in a position where they “have” to, pay attention to me.

Knowing her made me a better person because she helped me feel safe outside my shell. I think I’m going to dig out my address book so I can tell her that.

FINALLY!

It feels like it's been ages since I've talked to my mom and sister on the phone.

Yesterday was my sisters 35th birthday. I couldn’t reach her, but she and my mom called me last night around 10PM. It was so good to talk with them again.

My sister is using a walker and her doctor told her she could try walking with crutches whenever she felt ready. I'm hoping this means she will heal and not have to use a wheel chair. She sang to me over the phone. Hehe Crazy, by Patsy Cline. She’s been practicing. I could tell.

My mom seems to be doing okay. But she sounded lonesome. I wish they could move home. I think she’d be happier here. They say they want to move but the time just isn’t right.

I was glad to have been able to speak with them, but also felt kind of empty when I hung up. I hate not having them in my daily life. Especially when trying to reach them on the phone is such a chore. It’s hit and miss, really, and we miss more often than we hit.

I’ve got to figure out what to cook for dinner. I’m in the mood for sweet-n-sour, I think. Just have to decide if I want to use meatballs or pork.

WooHoo!

I LOVE it when I try something and it actually works!

Can you figure out what I changed?

Lucione and Bud

This is Lucione and Bud. They keep each other busy constantly playing. This was one of the few moments they were still. Usually, she's chasing him with a squeaky toy or he's chasing after her. 

 

I guess they played too hard! The only time he's allowed to sleep on a bed is when he's with one of my nieces. 

Our mountains finally got their very first dusting of snow Thursday night. I snapped this photo on the way to work. 

Miscellaneous Babble

I just realized I went over 100 posts this week. That is just crazy. I guess it's not as hard as I thought it would be to do this on a daily basis. Hmmm...

My cousin is a substitute teacher in the 4th grade classroom today. She has a daughter in 3rd grade. It's Weird Hair Day in 3rd grade today. When she fixed her daughter's hair, she thought it was Weird Hair Day for the entire school so she showed up to sub with 3 ponytails on her head in weird places and all uneven. Oops! She's being a good sport, though, and leaving them in.

Our mountains finally got some snow last night. Yay! Just at the tops, but it's a start. Hasn't really warmed up as much as the weather reports said it would. I love the chilly air. Only thing is, that when it rains, the rain is ice cold. I'm not going to complain, though. It's easier to bundle up to stay warm then have to suffer through muggy rain with a raincoat.

My niece Lucione is going to stay with me this weekend. I sent her to the grocery store one day to pick up some of those Pillsbury biscuits in the pop-open cans because I was too lazy to bake biscuits from scratch. She came back with sugar cookie dough instead. So now she gets to bake her cookies. Next week is the last week of the quarter and she managed to keep straight A's her first quarter of Jr. High so we're celebrating. :o)

She and Alexys have their pep band debut at the volleyball games tonight. The past 3 years, I've been participating in an alumni pep band because the high school either didn't have a music program or all of the musicians were also athletes and unavailable to play in the band. Now that there is a music program, there are more kids involved so I'm going to step back and enjoy listening to them. Lucione was a bit disappointed to hear I wouldn't be playing, but I think the kids need their chance to shine.

My wrist is pretty sore today. I think my tendonitis may have come back. I've been doing a lot of installations on the computers here at work which requires a lot of mouse maneuvering and clicking. 22 computers is a lot of computers when it comes to tasks like this. Sad part is, I haven't even worked on all 22 yet so my wrist is only going to get worse.

It's time for lunch so I guess I'll quit babbling. It's Friday! Yay!

They're Not the Best Quality; I Didn't Want to Get Caught Photographing the Bathroom!

This is what I started with...for some reason it looks white rather than yellow? Anyway...I drew the lock and people still don't take the time to check before pulling on the handle. 


Obviously, I'm not the only one frustrated by this. The top sign was added by someone else. Even THAT is no help! 

The Birds

Have you ever seen that Alfred Hitchcock movie? I watched it with my mother as a child. I think that may have something to do with my fear of birds. They’re nice enough to look at as long as they’re not looking at me. Once they look at me, I feel like they’re plotting their attack.

We have birds in our building this morning. Wild birds. Not pet birds in cages. Caged birds I can deal with. These are live, wild birds who slipped in through an open door. They’re in the library. I sincerely hope they are not in there at 2:00 today when I have a library class. I’ve seen them flying around as I walk down the hall, but haven’t gone in there. If I get brave, I may go and try to get a picture of them. I brought my camera today for the sole purpose of photographing the restroom door. I’ll post that when I get home.

A Whole Lotta....Nothin'

Today has been such a crazy day at work. I was supposed to test 6th grade in reading, but they didn’t show up.

Then I go to science and realize we’re painting today. With 1st graders. 13 of them. Fun! I managed to stay free of paint spots despite the fact that one little girl insisted on shaking her brush every time she dipped it in water. Art is fun, though. They made clay beads and sand sculptures during their last two labs. Today they painted them and then we made sand paintings. I’m just glad it’s over.

Once I got out of science, I returned to the computer lab. I was supposed to install some programs, but one of the classes showed up unannounced. I’m supposed to let them use the lab for projects so I suspended my plans. Their big project of the day? Playing multiplication games on the internet. Sheesh. I so could have made better use of my time.

My sister-in-law just came in. She got a phone call this morning accusing her of trying to have an affair with another woman’s husband. It’s crazy. I calmed her down and told her not to worry about it. The woman who called is just paranoid and her husband knows she is faithful. I hope this doesn’t get too out of hand.

Don’t you hate it when you’re in a public bathroom and someone comes and jerks on the door? I even drew a picture and taped it to the door.

“This is what the lock looks like when the restroom is occupied. This is that the lock looks like when the restroom is vacant.”

I taped it right next to the handle. It’s on bright yellow paper. Do people pay attention? Not when I’m in there. I’ve already drawn the picture…what else can I do?

I’m actually in a pretty good mood despite the tone of my post. I better quit before I make myself crabby. It’s lunch time, anyway. Yay!

Head-Check Day

Ugh! Today was head-check day at school. I hate these days. It makes me feel all itchy even though I've no reason to be. If I wasn't testing this week, I might have considered taking a personal day.

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We had to buy a new water heater today. Our other one literally "burned" out. No fire, thank goodness, but a lot of smelly smoke. Just enough to scare us half to death. I had to spend $370 on a new one. It's times like this I'm glad the state of Alaska pays dividends and it just so happens I'll get mine with-in a week or so. Silly me forgot to ask for direct deposit. I could have had it last week!

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I can't get my mom on the phone so I have no idea how my sister is doing. That irriates me. My uncle is back at work, though. I'm very happy about that. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed our little chats each morning as he brings the mail until he wasn't there.

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I'm going to watch The Day After Tomorrow tonight. Right now, as a matter of fact. :o) See ya!

Freeze Warning

So they’ve actually issued a freeze warning for tonight. Winds up to 25 mph and temps down in the 20’s with “widespread killing frost.” Glad I don’t have a lot of outdoor plants to worry about. The temps aren’t going to stay that low for long, though. Supposed to come back up to the 40’s by tomorrow afternoon and back to rain by Thursday. *sigh* I’m so ready for cold weather.

I had a pretty good day at work today. I just wish my principal would have more faith in me. We talked back in August about testing the kids in reading and math at the beginning of the year and the end of each quarter. I do the testing in the computer lab. The kids only have 30 minutes in the computer lab each week so in order to test both their reading and math, I need 2 weeks. The 29th is the last day of the quarter so I started testing today. I’ll do reading this week and math next week. The results will be available for parent/teacher conferences the first week of November. Remember, the principal and I worked this all out back in August. Today after school, I was getting ready to leave and he runs after me in the hallway.

“Hey, Kerri! Quarter ends soon.”

“Yeah, I know…came quick, eh?”

“That’s what I was thinking. I’m going to need you to start testing.”

“I’ve already started.”

“You what?”

“I gave the reading tests to two classes already. They’ll be finished by Friday. I’ll start math next week. I should have started 2nd grade last Thursday because you want them taking the Early Lit test also, but I fell and didn’t work last Thursday. No worries, though. I’ll have them complete by the time conferences happen.”

“Really? You’re awesome. How’d you know I was going to ask?”

“You already did ask…during inservice.”

“Oh, yeah. Glad someone remembers things around here.”

So now I don’t know if I should feel good that he thinks I’m “awesome” or insulted because he thought I needed to be reminded to do my job.

Happy Birthday, Uncle!

This is my uncle. He was attending a traditional wedding in Seattle a few months ago. This picture was in the Seattle newspaper. I don't remember which one.

He turned 85 today. After church we had a party for him. It's always nice to get together with family. Especially for such a happy occasion.

He's my uncle by marriage. When I was in the 5th grade, my aunts "real" husband passed away. Soon after, she and this man became close and eventually married. I, being stubborn and thick-headed, was not willing to accept this man as my uncle. I refused to address him as Uncle. I blamed him for my uncle's death. Soon after my aunt divorced, he started drinking heavily. One night he had too much to drink, passed out, and never woke up. In my mind, he wouldn't have even been drinking if he hadn't divorced. It took me a few years to accept, not only his death, but my aunts new husband. I was in highschool by the time I allowed myself to get to know him and really accept him as family.

Later on, after I had become engaged, I said something about my uncle. My then soon-to-be husband, pointed out the fact that my uncle was his uncle. (No, my husband and I were not related before we got married. This man is my uncle becuase he married my aunt. He's my husband's uncle becuase he is his mothers older brother. Make sense?) Now we fight over him. When one of us says something about "my uncle" the other will say, "You mean, MY uncle!"

At any rate, I love him and have great respect for him. And just for the record, he's MY uncle. :o) 

The Seven Wonders of MY World

Most everyone has heard a reference to “The Seven Wonders of the World”. Can you name what they are? I can’t ever remember them all without looking them up. I know one is the statue of Zeus at Olympia, one is the Great Pyramid at Giza, I think one’s in Iraq.

My husband was flipping channels today and I heard someone say, “I would definitely include this in my list of the Seven Wonders.” Or something to that effect.

That got me thinking. What are my Seven Wonders? What seven things have shaped me? What seven things have influenced who I am? Are there even seven? As we were walking the beach today, I started forming a list in my mind. If I had to list seven things- objects, places, or events- that influenced my life in some way, what would they be?

Wonder #1 would definitely have to be my mother. How could it not be? If it weren’t for her, I never would have entered this world. She only lived with me until I was 12, but when I am with her, I see myself in her. More and more each time. Things from the way my hair curls to the way we eat our sandwiches. I sing like she does. We sound a lot alike. We both have strong work ethics. We both spend a lot of time taking care of others. I got my compassion from her. She also taught me patience.

Wonder #2, then, would be my father. He cared for me and my sister all by himself after my mom left home. He taught me to cook. I got my sense of humor from him. He also taught me loyalty. I know how to fish because of him. :o)

Wonder #3 is my husband. He has made me happier than I could have ever imagined. I didn’t know it was possible to love somebody this much. He spoils takes very good care of me. I don’t want for anything. He puts up with my moods and accepts my flaws. What more can I ask for?

Wonder #4 would be my yaya. With only an 8th grade education, he was the wisest person I’ve ever met. He taught me our native language. He taught me to respect others. He taught me that, no matter what, life is worth living to the fullest.

Wonder #5 on my list would be my church. Many of the important events and most memorable moments of my life happened at the church. That’s where I joined my first choir. It’s where I sang my first solo. My grandmother’s funeral was there. I got married there. My family has had receptions, baby showers, birthday parties, and bridal showers there.

Wonder #6 is this island I call home. This island, though small, is grand in beauty. It has beautiful beaches and majestic mountains. Crystal clear lakes and ponds are abundant. I can understand how someone from the “outside” might think this island of ours is boring or primitive (NO McDonalds, movie theater, or mall?!). That’s what makes it so special to me, though. Everything I need is here. I’ve got family, friends, a wonderful job, beautiful surroundings, and plenty to do (loving the outdoors helps). I can’t imagine living anyplace else.

Wonder #7 may sound silly, but it’s my computer. True, it’s temperamental and sometimes I can’t make it do what I want it to. But if it were not for this computer, I wouldn’t have come to know some of the people I do now. It saves money on postage and phone bills. It connects me to parts of the world I most likely will never see. It was just the tool I needed to find Blogland. :o)

Craig

I didn't blog yesterday? I so thought I did. Weird.

This is Craig. Big Harry Potter fan, if you can't tell from the picture. He's in 1st grade this year. I've posted about him before. He's such a bright child. He "seems" like he's not interested in school; like he has better things to do than learn. But if you just give him a chance to talk, he'll show you he was paying attention and he has retained what you tried to teach him.

He used to have a temper. Now he's sweet and lovable. Very empathetic, too. And protective of his sister.

One of our favorite memories of him is from his Kindergarten year. He was telling his yaya about his first day. When asked what his teachers name was, he said, "Mrs. Tullock"

"Mrs. Pollock?"

"No, Mrs. TULLOCK"

"Mrs. Pull-up?"

"Mrs. TULL-OCK!"

"Oh, Mrs. Pull-off"

"For crying in the bucket! I said, MRS. TULLOCK!"

Not exactly what his yaya expected. For crying in the bucket? No idea where that came from.

Anyway, the weather is beautiful and my husband is not working so we're going to go find something to do outdoors. I hope you all are having a great weekend. :o) 

My Little Tickle Monster

This is my niece Lindsey. Her sister Lucione took this picture at their oldest brothers wedding. Lindsey was a candle lighter - we don't usually let her play with lighters. :o)

She came to visit me yesterday after she got out of school. We watched Home Alone 2 together. I was careful not to move when she was looking at me because I was so sore that when I did move, I winced. When she saw my expression change, she'd come over and start to tickle me. I'm ticklish but usually I can control my laughter when I don't feel like being tickled. It never works with her, though. The way she tickles is funny so even if she doesn't manage to tickle me, I laugh. Once I let out the slightest giggle, she doesn't quit. She didn't know that her tickling was actually causing me to move more which, in turn, caused me to hurt more. All she knew was that I was laughing and smiling. That's what she wanted. I asked her to stop and she said, "No, I'm trying to make you feel better." After I thought about it, I did feel better. Laughter is a good medicine. Especially when administered by a child. :o) 

This-n-That

I stayed home from work again today. My leg is not throbbing like it was all day yesterday, but I’m pretty stiff and moving around slowly. With as much walking as I do throughout the school day, I thought it best I let myself just take it easy and rest for one more day.

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I’ve said it before, I am not very outspoken and sometimes find it hard to meet new people. The thing about blogs is you can get to know someone without exposing yourself. Just by reading the words of someone else, you get a sense of who the writer is.

I don’t remember whose I read first, but there is a circle of friends here in blogland and during my travels throughout this circle, I noticed the comments by a particular person were everywhere; always cheerful, kind, and thoughtful. I decided to visit her blog and this only confirmed my perceptions of her. She had, on that particular day, dedicated a post to someone else who was in need of a little support. It did not surprise me at all. I found myself thinking, “This is just what I’d expect from Aimee.”

So when it seemed obvious to me that she needed a little support of her own, I wanted to offer it. But how could I? She didn’t know who I am. She didn’t know I’ve been reading her comments and blog. She didn’t know I had been thinking about her; that her kind words for others had somehow affected me. But I felt it was something I needed to do.

I finally decided to send her an e-mail. I explained my thoughts and after some hesitation, finally pressed “send.” I had no idea how she’d take it. I feared she’d see it as creepy coming from someone she didn’t know or maybe not even read it at all because it came from an address she didn’t recognize.

Turns out she wasn’t creeped out. It actually made her happy.

So much so that she actually posted my e-mail on her blog! I cannot describe my surprise when I saw this. So much for anonymity! She and her friends were great about the whole thing. Turns out my original impressions about her were absolutely right. :o)

So thank you, Aimee (and Aimee’s friends) for the warm welcome. You made it possible for me to smile on what could have been a bad day. :o)

OWIE!

I am in so much pain right now I want to cry. Nothing drastic…I just slipped and fell. I stepped out my front door to go to work this morning and before I could even close the door behind me, I lost my footing and landed right on my left knee. My ankle is sore because of the way it twisted as I fell. My knee is sore, swollen, and bruised because I landed on it with my full weight. Pretty much my entire left leg is throbbing. I hope it’s “just” my leg and I don’t end up with a sore back as well.

One good thing, though…I have all day to read my favorite blogs! Haha

Time to put some ice on my knee…I’ll write again later.

As Long as it's Just My Hair!

Kindergarten just left and I just HAVE to type these two little stories out before I forget.

1. One of the little girls is quite friendly. She's always wanting to chat and always has a big smile on her face. Today she came over and was kinda giggling.

"What's so funny?" I asked.

Her reply? "Oh, I just noticed something. Your hair is getting old!"

Yeah,yeah, I've got some stray white hairs. They're quite noticable against the rest of my dark brown, almost black hair. As long as she thinks it's my hair that's old and not me.

2. There's one little boy in this class who is, hmmm...I'm not sure what the word is. I don't work with him enough to know if he's developmentally challenged or what the deal is. Anyway, they were lined up ready to go and he had his lips all puckered up. Whether or not he actually wanted a kiss or not, I don't know.

My nephew Jase, looking quite nervous, says to his teacher, "Teacher! Timmy's not keeping his lips to himself!"

*big grin* I LOVE my job!

(most days) hehe

Too Hot!

Ugh, the computer lab is way too hot this morning. It's making me sleepy. Too bad I don't drink coffee. I need a pick-me-up right now.

Speaking of Misheard Lyrics...

The 4th grade class just left the computer lab. I thought I was hearing things for a minute and soon realized there was a boy singing to himself across the room. As I listened closer, I heard:

Splish, Splash! I'm taking a bath in a long tub on Saturday night!

It was so cute! I wouldn't look at him because I didn't want him to stop singing out of embarrassment.

That reminded me of when I was a child. On nights when my dad put me to bed night we'd sing songs together rather than read a book (that was my mom's job). Songs like This Old Man and B-I-N-G-O. I guess I equated singing with church or something, because I'd end each song with "Ohhhhh Maaannnn!" Kinda like the "Amen" at the end of hymns, I guess. My sister didn't sing with us, but at the end of a story or one of her TV shows, she'd say, "The Edge!"

OK, back to work!

I'm in for a Long Day :o(

I am going to be soooo tired by the end of the school day today! I woke up at 6AM which is normal. BUT, I was still awake at 1:15 AM. I was afraid to look at the clock after that even though I was awake long after that. I don’t know what time I actually fell asleep. I’m okay right now, but ask me again at 2:45 when that school bell rings and I may have a whole different answer. I don’t even come home until 4:00. *sigh*

I’m so glad I don’t have to worry about cooking. I soaked some beans overnight and got them in the crock pot already. They’ll be ready to eat by 4:00 and I may be in bed for the night before my husband gets home at 5:00. hehe

Huh?

Have you ever heard the lyrics of a song and totally misunderstood them? Like hearing “Kiss this guy” instead of “Kiss the sky” and ended up being really confused because what you’re hearing makes absolutely no sense?

When I was small, I used to sing along with my mom all the time. I’ve mentioned it in my comments before. We’d sing Everly Brothers songs and harmonize. Well, when we’d sing Wake Up Little Susie, I always sang the chorus wrong and my mom never corrected me.

I’d sing “When are we gonna tickle your mama, when are we gonna tickle your pop, when are we gonna tickle our friends when they say, Oooh, la la"…etc.

It wasn’t until much later that I finally figured out it says “What are we gonna TELL” not tickle. I asked my mom one time why she never corrected me. She said, “Because you sounded so cute.” Gee, thanks, Mom! So glad I figured it out. Hehe

Tonight my husband and I were out for a drive. Two years ago I gave him The Ultimate 70’s CD set for his birthday and we were listening to 1974 tonight. I was whistling along with Then Came You by Dionne Warwick and The Spinners. He looked at me all puzzled and asked, “What are they saying?”

So I sang along and when I got to the part that says “I never knew love before. Then came you….” he laughed. I asked him what he found so funny.

He said, “I couldn’t figure out what they meant by Wing Dang Doo. That song never made sense to me before.”

I didn't laugh too hard at him, though. I was more relieved to find out he wasn't laughing at my singing. :o)

Here's Lookin at Ya!

EYE

Ewww! This is freaky!

Bud

This is our small dog, Bud. He takes a nap on Lindsey's bed every chance he gets. 


He loves to look out the window as we drive. 

Alexys

Basketball isn’t a full contact sport like, say, football but to go into a game thinking there will be no contact at all is just silly. Things happen. Players going after the same ball are bound to bump into each other. Everyone’s running at top speed. People trip and fall. Elbows, intentional or not, get thrown. Its part of the game…anybody who’s played knows that.

I mentioned a basketball tournament in an earlier post. My niece Alexys is on one of the teams. She’s only in 8th grade, but is pretty tall and has some good basketball skills. She played a game a couple days ago.

During her game, she and a player on the other team collided and the other lady fell down. She’s a little shorter than Alexys, but she’s 30 years old (she will be next week). Anyway, she wasn’t watching where she was going and she bumped Alexys and fell on her arm. Alexys immediately helped her up and told her she was sorry. The lady left the game and didn’t return. Now she’s got a cast on her arm because when she fell she broke her elbow. Remember…Alexys is in 8th grade…this lady is 30 yrs old.

I don’t know what she told her husband, but he goes up to Alexys yesterday and said, “See what you did to my wife?”

Alexys was crushed. She knew it wasn’t her fault. She knew she had already apologized but to have an adult come up to her and say something like that really stung. She’s playing again today. She almost didn’t. I hate confrontation but if I had been there I would have let him have it. How can you say something like that to a child? People get injured playing ball all the time. Granted, it’s usually a sprain or a pulled muscle rather than a broken bone, but you don’t blame someone else for your own clumsiness. He wasn’t at the game. Those of us who were saw the lady bump into Alexys. Neither one of them were looking at each other. Alexys was standing there playing defense and the lady just wasn’t watching where she was going. How is that Alexys’ fault?

I was so upset when she told me today. I wanted to hunt the guy down and give him a piece of my mind. I managed to talk her into playing her game today but it took a while. Now she's afraid to play hard. She doesn't want anyone else to get hurt and blame her. She loves the game and I really hope this doesn't ruin it for her. Geez, she's just a kid!

Either I'm losing my mind...

Or my pet over there is already acting up. When I checked this morning, it said it had 15 visitors, now it's up over 7,000. The rest of my sidebar was centered, now it's aligned properly. It used to say Kerri @ now it says This is My Pet. Hmmmm...

Meet My New Pet

I'm up way past my bedtime. Stumbled upon this blog pet thing and decided to give it a try. For some reason, though, once I added it to my sidebar, everything underneath it became centered. Guess I should learn html. Hmmmm...anyway, give him a click or two and he'll talk to you. :o) Not sure how long I'll keep him around.

Lindsey

This is Lindsey. She's the one we had all last weekend. She wanted a close-up view of the fish and this was as close as she could get without joining them for a swim. 

She and her sister are polar opposites. They always have been. One is calm, the other hyper. One loves her sleep, the other is an early riser (one guess which one!). Their tastes in food are always changing, but they're always opposite. I've seen Lindsey eat all her meat and Lucione eat all her vegetables. Then they'd switch plates and eat what the other left behind. Having them both at the same time is a challenge. I can keep up with Lindsey when she's here alone. But put them together and it's a whole different story. Now that they're getting older, it's not as bad. They used to fight constantly.

Lindsey is a lot like me. I'm not hyper, but she is shy and quiet when she's in unfamiliar surroundings. It takes her a while to warm up to new people but once she does, watch out! She does things around me she would never do at school or anyplace else public. I mentioned in one of my comments a few days ago how she serenaded me during dinner. Just suddenly started singing You Are So Beautiful at the top of her lungs. She definitely makes life interesting.

I Used to Think...

I used to think I knew what a perfect marriage was…
Then my parents got divorced.

I used to think my grandfather walked on water…
Then he got stomach cancer and died.

I used to think I was better off alone…
Then I met my husband.

I used to think there was no hope…
Then I started working with kids.

I used to think I knew it all…
I’m still learning that I don’t.

Friendship

I am not the most outgoing person around so it’s not always easy for me to meet new people. I’m not without friends, but my circle is small and tight-knit. I’m normally the one people come to for support or a listening ear. I am pretty quiet so sometimes appear to be withdrawn or stand-offish to someone who doesn’t know me. Once I get to know you, though, watch out because I shed my shell and there’s no turning back. :o)

My circle is small, and we are all different. I have friends who are older than me and friends who are younger. I have friends who are more extroverted and those who are as quiet as I am. I think that is what keeps us so close. We compliment each other in many different ways.

Being online has changed me. I have some friends online whom I’ve never seen and most likely never will. It’s become easier for me to open up because of these online friends. I can tell them things I wouldn’t tell the friends who surround me everyday. Maybe it’s a false sense of security. I’m hiding behind my computer screen rather than confronting things head-on. But the reality is if it wasn’t for my computer screen, I wouldn’t be sharing at all. I’m always the one doing the listening. I never do the talking. I’m the strong one. I’m the rock. I’m the dependable one. Being online, whether it is through instant messaging or posting on this blog, I’m free to say what I want. I’m getting better at sharing with people I’m with everyday. I don’t know that I’d be where I am today had it not been for these online friends. I’ve learned a lot about myself since I’ve been online.

If any of my online friends happen upon my blog, thank you. :o)

Lightbulb Moment

Have you ever had one of those “Ah-ha!” moments and then afterwards all you could say was, “DUH!”

My niece Alexys had one of those today. She and Lucione came to do their homework at my house after they got out of school. They usually work at the kitchen table but I was preparing my salmon casserole for the potluck so they opted for the computer room instead (although why they’d pass up smelling my freshly chopped onions is beyond me).

So they’re in here working and I come in to check on them. They had the lamp on but were still struggling to see their text books. I walked over to the window and opened the blinds.

Alexys blinked her eyes at the bright light and exclaimed, “Whoa! That makes a big difference!”

“Huh.” I said, “Who would have thought that just by opening the blinds you’d get more light!”

She has moments like that a lot. Not that she’s an airhead. She’s an A student and is always on the Honor Roll. She’s always thinking...but the really simple things stump her every now and then. She’s got a great sense of humor, though, and laughed at herself before Lucione or I even cracked a smile.

Potluck

We’re going to a potluck today. My cousin has been married 25 years. Gosh, that means he got married when I was 8…that’s almost three fourths my life. He’s really not old, so they must have married really young.

I’m going to bring a salmon casserole. I have to bring the same dish to all of our family potlucks because if I don’t, they ask for it. I’ve tried giving them the recipe but they say it doesn’t taste the same. That’s okay…saves me from trying to find new recipes. Hehe

I can’t believe the week is almost over already. Two more work days and it’s another weekend. It seems like I just posted about my niece and our weekend together.

There’s a basketball tournament starting tonight. Basketball is a big thing here. Everyone plays or has played in the past. If you don’t play, you watch…with a passion. It’s amazing how quick one turns on a family member just because they’re wearing a referee uniform and you don’t agree with the call. I’m so glad I don’t play anymore. I used to hate hearing the crowd heckle the refs. I don’t heckle and my husband gets an elbow in his ribs if he tries. We usually have kids around us so I don’t want them learning that from him. High school basketball doesn’t start until December. Between adult tournaments, high school, and little league, we’ll be watching basketball from now until about March or April.

This is turning into another one of those rambling about nothing posts so I’ll stop now.

The Calm After the Storm

I think the storm may finally be over. The wind must have been gusting more than 60mph because my house shook many times throughout the night and even this morning. Now the skies have cleared and the wind has clamed. The rain I don’t mind. The wind I can do without. I walk to work each day. It’s only a block and a half away, but I have to walk against the wind. So when I get there, my hair is a mess and my face beat red. Walking home is just as fun. My back is to the wind so I get blown down the hill almost at a run. My hair is so long that it gets in my way and I can’t see where I’m going. I must be a sight to see. I’m getting embarrassed just thinking about it.

Tut, Tut it Looks Like Rain

Hum for a Blustery Day
From: Winnie The Pooh and the Blustery Day
Written by: Richard M. Sherman and Robert B. Sherman
Performed by: Sterling Holloway [Pooh]

Hum dum dum ditty dum
Hum dum dum
Oh the wind is lashing lustily
And the trees are thrashing thrustily
And the leaves are rustling gustily
So it's rather safe to say
That it seems that it may turn out to be
It feels that it will undoubtedly
It looks like a rather blustery day today
It sounds that it may turn out to be
Feels that it will undoubtedly
Looks like a rather blustery day today

--------------------------------------------

It’s gusting about 60mph right now and the rain is pouring down. It’s a good day to stay indoors and cuddle up with a good book.

My problem is I can’t decide which book to read. I just finished a book by Perri O’Shaughnessy and don’t know whether I want to read another one of theirs or choose a different author (no, I did not use the wrong pronoun…Perri O’Shaugnessy is the pen name of two sisters who write as a team).

I think the cold I had in my chest has moved up to my head. I’ve had a headache all day and I sneeze whenever I try to breathe through my nose. I normally get sick just once or twice a year but when I do, it hangs on forever.

Today was picture day. I didn’t get mine taken. I try to avoid that at all cost. I pretended to be busy when I wasn’t just so they wouldn’t say, “Now’s a good time to get your picture taken.” At least I didn’t skip out on picture day like I did last year. Ha! I really was sick, though…honest.

This headache is really killing me.

Halloween and Costumes

Our community is celebrating Halloween on the 30th this year. The religious folk complained that it was on a Sunday, now the non-religious folk are complaining that it's on a Saturday. I think if people in our community took the time to really understand what Halloween is and how it started, this wouldn't be an issue.

I won't get into it right now, though. Now that I'm grown, I enjoy Halloween just because I know the kids enjoy it. I love answering the door and trying to guess who's behind the masks. I'm either related to them or have taught them at one point so it's pretty hard to fool me but they try anyway.

As a child, Halloween was a day I dreaded. I didn't enjoy dressing up and I was uncomfortable not being able to see who people were. If I heard a knock on the door, I'd run into my bedroom until I was sure they were gone. Silly, really, considering that I always watched horror movies with my mother and was never afraid.

I think I was afraid of the costumes. When I was about 3 years old, my uncle (the same uncle who was in the hospital a few days ago) was in our 4th of July parade. He dressed as a hobo and thought it would be fun to carry me as he walked the parade route. I didn't recognize him, though, so screamed my head off until he gave me back to my mom. After that, I was afraid of anything with a covered face. We went to the circus in Seattle one time. Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey...The Greatest Show on Earth. I'll never know just how great it was because as a child I had the uncanny ability to put myself to sleep when I was scared. Everytime I saw a clown, I fell asleep.

I went Trick-or-Treating until I was in the 6th grade. That year I dressed as a clown, believe it or not. The next day I woke up covered in chicken pox. I know that Halloween had absolutely nothing to do with me getting the chicken pox, but that was my excuse to stop participating.

Eve Merriam

Jayleigh posted a poem by Eve Merriam on her blog the other day. As a child, I loved her poems. Here are two that I remember.

Catch a Little Rhyme


Once upon a time
I caught a little rhyme

I set it on the floor
but it ran right out the door

I chased it on my bicycle
but it melted to an icicle

I scooped it up in my hat
but it turned into a cat

I caught it by the tail
but it stretched into a whale

I followed it in a boat
but it changed into a goat

When I fed it tin and paper
it became a tall skyscraper

Then it grew into a kite
and flew far out of sight...

Weather


Dot a dot dot dot a dot dot
Spotting the windowpane.

Spack a spack speck flick a flack fleck
Freckling the windowpane.

A spatter a scatter a wet cat a clatter
A splatter a rumble outside.

Umbrella umbrella umbrella umbrella
Bumbershoot barrel of rain.

Slosh a galosh slosh a galosh
Slither and slather a glide

A puddle a jump a puddle a jump
A puddle a jump puddle splosh

A juddle a pump a luddle a dump
A pudmuddle jump in and slide!

Busy Day

It’s almost 10PM and I finally found a moment to sit down and post. I have my niece for the weekend. The 11 yr. old niece. The hyper niece. The must keep busy constantly niece. Needless to say, I’ve had a long, eventful day.

It had a weird start. I woke up about 7AM. I went back to bed for a nap around 10AM because I got a headache and there’s nothing harder than keeping up with my niece with a headache.

I had a weird dream during my nap. I was going back to college. No idea what for, but I was a part of a group of 4 women. My step-sister was with me. That in and of itself was strange because she is married with 2 kids and lives in Washington.

We were in a poetry class. The professor was lecturing about a poem and then all of the sudden he switched gears and started quoting scripture. I was confused wondering why he’d change the subject right in the middle of a lecture. One sentence was about the symbolism in the poem and the next was a verse from Revelations.

I finally realized that I was sort of half awake. My professor didn’t change his lecture. Someone knocked on the door and there was a Jehovah’s Witness in the living room with my husband! They didn’t stay long, though. When my husband started quoting scripture right back to him, I guess he decided his words were best shared with someone else.

After he left we did some house cleaning and then took our niece out for a drive. We stopped at a couple beaches and let her explore since the weather was so nice. We watched fish swim up stream, a seal swimming in the bay, and spotted a “stork thing-a-ma-jig,” as she called it. I didn’t actually see it, so I don’t know what it was.

After our drive we went to the grocery store. I told her she could get herself one treat and when she saw the peanut butter slices, she thought that was the coolest thing since sliced bread and just had to have them. Turns out they don’t taste all that bad. Much like the peanut butter filling of a Reses Peanut Butter Cup but with a smoother texture.

I let her choose what we’d cook for dinner and she wanted nachos. We put all the taco fixings on top of some tortilla chips. Pretty tasty.

After dinner, we thought we’d take the dog for a walk out on the runway. By the time we got there, it was too dark and foggy to see so I had to follow behind with the truck to light their way.

Now we’re back at home, she’s working on homework and I finally have a quiet moment. Phew!

Holidays are Near

I can't believe it's already October! I guess it's time to start my Christmas shopping. I usually try to get all my gifts bought and wrapped before Halloween. In November, I sign and address all of my Christmas cards. That way, once the stress of cooking a huge Thanksgiving dinner is out of the way, Christmas is easy.

I never liked how my dad would wait until the last minute to shop for Christmas. I always ended up doing his wrapping and it was too stressful for me. I'd be there covered in tape, bows, curling ribbon, and gift tags while family members were stopping by to deliver gifts and by the time I finished wrapping, we'd be the last ones delivering late into the night.

What I remember about Christmases with my mom at home is the baking. She gave cookies as gifts every year and I always helped her bake. It was usually a lot of fun. The only cookie I didn't like to make were the jam thumbprints because my jobs were always chopping the nuts and rolling the dough balls in the egg whites. I didn't like the slimy, gooey feel of the egg whites. Like my mom, I give cookies as gifts each year but I haven't baked thumbprints since she moved away.

I believed in Santa Claus as a child. My mom always decorated the house the day after Thanksgiving (a tradition I follow to this day). On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my sister and I would sit down and write our letters to Santa. We always asked for 3 things a piece and we always got what we asked for. I was about 8 or 9 when I stopped believing and that was my sisters fault. She started snooping in my parents bedroom closet one night when she was home alone. She found a huge stuffed Yogi Bear. That was something she had asked Santa for. She told me about it and when I didn't believe her, she showed me. I was mad at her for showing me. On Christmas morning, she opened her Yogi Bear and cried. I never understood why. Was it because she had wanted it so badly she was happy to get it? Was it because she realized Santa wasn't real or because she knew that she was the reason I no longer believed? Was she feeling guilty about snooping? I never knew and probably never will.

Any Questions?

According to my source, today is Ask a Stupid Question Day. Others say it was on Tuesday. At any rate, does anybody have any stupid questions for me? No guarantee I'll be able to answer.

Déjà Vu

I had the weirdest déjà vu today. I walked into my computer lab at the end of the day to pick up my belongings and head home. I saw our maintenance guy in there. He was removing some outlets that were in (on?) my floor because they’re never used and people are always tripping over them. I said hello and walked over to my desk. When I realized I hadn’t logged off my computer, I sat down in my chair. While I was there, the night janitor walked in. I watched him walk across the room and all of the sudden it was like I was watching a re-run on TV. I knew where he was going to stand and exactly how he was going to lean on the table. Even before he did it, I knew how he was going to lean over and look at what the maintenance guy was doing down on the floor.

The maintenance guy looked up and said, “I’m removing these outlets.”

“What for?” the janitor asked.

“Boss wants me to.” He replied.

It was so strange. I don’t know why it felt the way it did, but it gave me the chills. It couldn’t have happened before because in my 12 years at this job, those outlets have always been in the floor and up until a month ago, I didn’t even know the maintenance guy. He just moved to town in mid-August.

I got up and out of there as quick as I could. Too weird.

Uncle Update :o)

I saw my uncle today! He came to see me at work. He's back from the hospital and all of his tests have come back negative. It seems that maybe his medications had a really bad interaction with each other which caused his temporary paralysis. He'll go back next week for a check up, but he looked soo good and I didn't realize how much I had missed smelling his cologne. I'm so happy now. Yay!

Maybe they should have cooked beef!

Family feud over chicken turns into gun battle

This is crazy! If you can't decide how to cook chicken, then cook something else. Simple as that. Sheesh!

The Gorilla

I almost didn't post today but I didn't trust myself to skip just one day. I'm exhausted. It's been a long day. Not just for me. My husband worked 11 hours straight today - from 9AM till 8PM. Tomorrow he's looking at a 14 hour day. He'll start at 6AM and work till dark, which is around 8PM.

He's working construction. He's driving a dump truck hauling rock. They're building a jetty. He enjoys driving, but the hours are not regular. Because of the job they're doing, they've had to work with the tides all summer so some days he'd work 4 hours, and some, like this week, considerably longer.


This is where they are building the jetty. 

I took this picture about a month ago. The pilings in the background are what remained of a wooden breakwater that used to be there. They are pulling them out of the water as they get to them. We already have 2 breakwaters here on the island but this being a fishing community, we have outgrown them.

My husband and I (and other members of our community) call the mountain in the background "The Gorilla." To us, it looks as if a gorilla is lying on its back. Do you see his profile?

We also have a mountain that has a profile of George Washington. I'll take a picture of that and post it some day. It's best to get a winter photo so George will have his white hair. :o)

I'm off to bed now. Goodnight.

My Husband the Hero

My husband and I went for a drive on Sunday. The weather was beautiful. We stopped at a creek to watch the salmon swim upstream. It’s time for them to spawn. Unfortunately, the tide was low and because we had such a dry summer, the creek was not as full as it should have been. Most of the fish were able to find their way through the maze of tide pools and dry sand. There were some, however, that were not as fortunate. It’s sad, at least to me, to see a fish flopping in the sand suffocating out of the water. Some of them were able to find their way back to water no worse for wear, but there were a few that couldn’t manage no matter how hard they tried. After watching one lose its battle, my husband decided to go down to the waters edge. I thought he just wanted to get a closer look at the fish. I’ll be darned if he didn’t jump right in and start throwing fish back into the water. He’d save one and wait for the next one to get beached and then run over and save that one. He did this for a good 15 minutes or so before he got tired. He was feeling a little defeated because he knew that some would die after we left but I lifted his spirits a little by telling him how proud I was of him. It also helped to know the tide would be coming back up soon.

He’s a big guy and is pretty quiet out in public. People are sometimes put off by him because he doesn’t always look approachable. That tickles me because I know the real him. Call me selfish, but I’m kinda glad that they don’t. I’ve got a big huggable, lovable, cuddly teddy bear all to myself!

Rainy Days and Mondays

No, I'm not feeling down today...but that song's been in my head all morning because it's raining so hard.

I am a little sleepy, though. For some reason I couldn't fall asleep last night and then when I finally did, I woke up every 2 hours.

I'm at work, but on a break. I don't have anyplace I need to be right now so here I am. Rambling on about nothing of any importance.

My sister-in-law is trying to pretend she's sick. I don't believe her and she knows it, but she tries anyway. My other sister-in-law is coming to town for a visit today and so playing sick is just an excuse to get out of work and visit with her sister.

I have a headache but now I can't complain because she'll think I'm faking. hehe

Can you tell I'm bored? I'm just typing thoughts as they come to me. I'll probably delete this later because it's so random it doesn't even make sense. But it's a way to pass the time.

My next class is science. I'll have one of the first grade classes. Remember my post about my nephew? It will be his class so it should be fun. He always manages to make me smile. Everyone, actually. The staff knows he's my nephew so when he does something that makes them laugh, I always hear about it.

I can't believe September is almost over already. It seems like school just started and it's already been a month. Where does the time go?

My husband is not working today. He's home baking bread. We don't usually buy bread at the store. He makes the best bread. The only thing is, he does not know the meaning of a small batch. He makes about 20 loaves at a time. To him, that's HALF a batch. At Christmas time, he makes a double batch (close to 100 loaves) and we give bread away as gifts. We tried to skip one year and people asked for it so I guess we've started a tradition.

Speaking of Christmas, it's almost time to pull out those Christmas CD's of mine. Yay!

I guess I better quit rambling and find something to keep me busy. Science isn't for another 25 minutes. I'll come back later and either delete this post or write another.

National Good Neighbor Day

September 26th is Good Neighbor Day. When I heard this, it got me thinking about the different neighbors I’ve had in my life. The most memorable were those from my childhood.

The first one I thought of lived on the other side of our narrow dead-end street. He lives in another state now and is a well known carver. I loved having him as a neighbor. He used to let me into his workshop while he was working and I’d watch as he created totem poles, masks, rattles, paddles, head dresses, and bent wood boxes. Each piece had its own story and I loved to listen to them all. When people would rave about the wonderful job he did, I always felt proud to be able to say he was my neighbor and I actually witnessed the creation of his wonderful art. Mind you, I was just a kid…no more than 10.

The first house on our short street was occupied by an elderly lady. I called her Grandma Liz even though we were not related. She lived alone and I spent many afternoons at her house. I don’t remember why I started visiting her, but I remember that she always made me feel so welcome. She had raspberries growing in her yard and I used to crawl under the bush where I could hide and eat my fill of berries. She always pretended not to notice my stained fingers when I would crawl back out and pretend I hadn’t raided her berry bush. When she passed away, our neighborhood was never the same.

The other elderly lady on our street was not as friendly, but just as memorable. She always had a dog. If one passed away, she’d quickly replace it with another. They were always small and they were always hyper. They’d irritate me by barking and yipping all day. There were salmon berry bushes bordering her lawn. Salmon berries grow wild here. If I, or anyone for that matter, tried to pick berries from “her” berry bushes, she’d come out hollering with a voice that made the hair on the back of your neck stand on end. I always thought it funny that she wouldn’t let me pick the salmon berries, but would let me pick her black currants.

Those are just a few of the neighbors I’ve had in my lifetime. I wonder if they knew how much of an impact they had on my life. I also wonder what kind of impact I’ve had on others. Have I been a good neighbor? I know that I haven’t been a “bad” neighbor. I’m always respectful of those around me. But other than that, I just don’t know.

Count Your Blessings One By One

Day by day
Day by day
Oh Dear Lord
Three things I pray
To see thee more clearly
Love thee more dearly
Follow thee more nearly
Day by day

These words are lyrics from a musical called Godspell. I didn’t know that until I started singing to myself today and did a Google search to figure out what it was I was singing. I’ve never seen this musical so I don’t know how I know this song. I’m guessing I must have sung it as part of the choir in Jr. High or High School.

Anyway, I’m alone at home today because my husband is working. I haven’t been watching TV lately so it is very quiet in my house. It’s given me opportunity to just be alone with my thoughts. I was getting to a point where I was starting to feel hopeless. My uncle is sick, my sister is in the hospital and may be crippled for the rest of her life, I’m still not quite over my cold, and on and on and on. I found myself focusing on what was wrong with my life rather than what was right.

I’ve had a lot to deal with lately, but that doesn’t mean I’m leading a miserable life. I decided to take an inventory of my blessings, if you will, and this is what I came up with.

• Although I’ve had a cold the past week or so, I am in good health. I don’t have any serious medical problems to speak of and for that, I’m grateful.

• I have a job that I love. I wasn’t too sure about it when the school year started because of all the changes, but I’ve decided to embrace the changes and make the most of it. I’m having a great time and it’s nice to see the kids outside of the computer lab.

• I couldn’t have asked for a better husband. My friends say I’m spoiled. I say I’m “well taken care of.”

• I live in one of the most beautiful places I know. Not just because of the scenery, but because of the whole feel of it. We’re a small, tight-knit community and we always look after our own.

• I have a huge extended family so I’ve always got love and support when I need it most.

• I get along very well with my husbands family, too. They treat me like I am one of them and I have never felt out of place in their presence.

• I have friends who, knowing all my faults, love me for who I am and never fail to catch me when I stumble and fall.

• I have a roof over my head and it happens to be my maternal grandmother’s house. I still remember the day I said goodbye to her. We put her on a plane to Seattle for cancer treatment and she passed away in the hospital. Living in her house brings comfort as it is a constant reminder of my carefree childhood days.

You Said You Were Going to Read This...

So I hope you get this message. My computer keeps disconnecting and I can't get MSN Messenger to reconnect. Sorry about that. Was good to chat with you again. So tell me, what do you think? Feel free to leave a comment! :o)

T.G.I.F.

So here I am at work. Nothing to do and bored out of my mind. Today's Friday! Yay! Today's Payday! Even better! We only get paid once a month so I only get 9 paychecks a year. Needless to say, payday's a big thing around here. hehe

I'm still kinda stressing about my uncle. But I figure at this point, no news is good news. He was sitting up eating his dinner yesterday and his speech was not as slurred, so I guess he's getting better or at least not getting worse.

Turns out my sister has broken her hip before. She never did seek treatment so it didn't heal properly, if at all. Now that she's re-fractured it, they had to do surgery but if she doesn't get the needed therapy, she'll be in a wheel chair for the rest of her life. Financially, it's not possible for her to pay for therapy so I don't know what we're going to do. The only reason she's in the hospital is because of some kind of Free Adult Care program that states it's against the law to refuse care because of someones inablilty to pay.

The weather is so nice today. Clear blue skies and no wind to speak of. After almost a week of rain and high winds, it's a welcome break. In fact, I think I'll go home for lunch today just so I can enjoy the weather for a bit. The way my lucks been lately, it will probably be raining when I get off work.

What Else Can Go Wrong?

You ever heard the saying, “When it rains, it pours?” That’s the story of my life these days. I just heard from my mom. I’ve been unable to contact my mother in months. The uncle of mine who is in the hospital is her brother. She swears she hasn’t changed her phone number yet every time I dial it, a recording tells me the number is no longer in service. I send her e-mails at least once a week telling her what’s going on with me. I figure, if we can’t talk on the phone, at least she can read about what I’m doing even if she doesn’t have the time to reply.
So anyway, today I sent her an e-mail from work telling her about my uncle. She finally replies and says that she hasn’t changed her number and she’s going to wait by the phone to hear from me. (But she sent the e-mail to my work account so I didn’t get it.)
She goes on to say, that my sister (who will be 35 next month) has fallen and broken her hip. She is in the hospital and has to go through therapy otherwise she’ll be in a wheel chair for the rest of her life.
So yeah, I’m in a bit of a tizzy at the moment. I’m going to bed now. I’ve got a headache.

If You Could Change Your Name...

to anything you wanted...what would you choose and why??

Missouri man legally changes name to 'They'

Prayer Request

Please, whoever reads this, I ask that you say a prayer, or at least think good thoughts for my uncle. He was enjoying his coffee and toast this morning and when he stood up to leave the table, he couldn't use one half of his body. He's been medi-vacced to Ketchikan. They think he may have had a stroke. I'm extremely scared and worried, so please keep him in your prayers. Thank you.

Music

I just finished watching For the Boys. I think musicals are my favorite type of movie. Music has always been a big part of my life. My mom always sang in church. My aunt was the pianist of our church. My uncle was the choir director until he retired and my aunt took over. Two of my other aunts were singers.
I started singing in choirs when I was about 6. Mom would take me to choir practice with her. When she tells the stories, she says I was just as good as a tape recorder. I’d pick up on the songs quickly and remember them word for word, note for note. Once back home, my mom would practice and if she hit a wrong note or got the rhythm wrong, I’d be sure to correct her.
I couldn’t wait to get into Jr. High because I could join choir. I was in choir all through high school and in 3 choirs at college. One was the concert choir open to anyone interested in joining. The other two were by audition only. My only classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays were the two choirs I auditioned for.
All through high school and for a while after college I sang at almost every church service I attended. At the time, I went to the Assembly of God church and they had 2 services on Sunday, one on Wednesday evenings, and another on Saturday evenings. So I was singing approximately 4 times a week.
After I got married, I stopped. I’m not sure why. I think it may have had something to do with losing my aunts. When I thought of singing, I thought of them. I just couldn’t bring myself to sing without them.
Now, the only time I sing is when I’m alone or in my truck. Sometimes I catch myself singing along to whatever CD we have playing or the radio. My husband will turn up the music and when I ask if he’s trying to drown me out, he says, “No, I’m turning it up so you’ll sing louder.”
Anything having to do with music, I love. For the past 3 or 4 years, I've volunteered to play in an all alumni pep band at the high school basketball games. If I'm flipping channels and find a musical on, I always stop and watch. Anything from Hello, Dolly! to Sister Act. Musicals on stage are also favorites of mine. My mom was part of a theater group at a college near her home and she was in The Pajama Game, Flower Drum Song, Singin' in the Rain, and The Music Man.
When one of my cousins was 3, I taught her to sing Frosty the Snowman and her Headstart teachers were so impressed, she sang it as a solo at their Christmas program.
I guess the whole point of this that I love music. In any shape or form. I’m not sure why I just shared all that. I hope I didn’t bore anyone who happens to read this. :o)

YaYa

My grandfather was a well respected man. He was often called upon to give speeches at local goings on here in town. He was one of the few remaining who could fluently speak our native language.

His speeches were often filled with humor, but each one taught a lesson. It didn’t matter what the situation was, if you had a problem you could go to him and he’d impart his wisdom on you.

He was a speaker at my wedding.

His parting words were, “And now to my new grand-son, I have one thing to say. You have just left the Land of the Free and must now live in the Home of the Brave.”

He had us all rolling we were laughing so hard. A few months later, he became ill. He was diagnosed with stomach cancer and because he never complained, it was too far advanced for any kind of treatment to help. He was too weak for chemotherapy and his cancer was inoperable so we just pretty much had to wait it out.

Even on his death bed, he found ways to make us laugh. He had a way to make anything humorous, even his down death.

He eased all of our minds when he explained to us that he wasn’t going to die. He said he had always wanted to be a cowboy and now it was time for him to “go west”. We put a little teddy bear in his casket. One dressed as a cowboy, hat and all.

He will always be missed. He touched the lives of everyone who knew him in some way. That was pretty much the entire town because his favorite pastime was to stand in the post office and watch people coming and going for at least an hour or two a day. He’d always greet you with a smile and a kind word. Never anything trivial, like the weather…his comments were personal. His way of letting you know that he noticed you and that your presence meant something.

Today was a great day. It was only made so because of a compliment I received. It was said in kind of an off-handed way but it meant the world to me and I will always remember the moment it was uttered.

I was in the secretary’s office when someone came in to visit with the secretary about some missing paper work for their child. When he entered, I said hello and commented on how I liked his new jacket.

He looked at me and said, “Thank you very much! I just got it in the mail yesterday. I can’t believe you noticed. That’s something your yaya would have said, I just know it. You take after him.”

“Yaya” is our word for grandfather. I learned a lot from him. He had a huge part in making me what I am today. I guess it’s more noticeable than I thought.

Half-Day

I worked half a day today. Not because of anything special. But because I tried to be stubborn and go back before I was completely well and quickly lost my voice. I went to the principal and told him I needed to go home because my voice was getting worse as time went on.

“What do you need your voice for?” he questioned.

Haha, very funny! I was at work long enough to teach 2 computer classes and 1 science class. The science class was fun. It was one of the first grade classes. They had library on Friday and were curious as to why I wasn’t there. I told them I was sick and that I had lost my voice.

One of the boys said, “Oh, you mean you had a horse in your throat?”

“Yeah, my throat was hoarse, alright. I couldn’t talk very loud even when I tried.” I told him.

“What happened when you tried to whisper?” he asked.

“Well, when I talked as loud as I could it sounded like a whisper so when I did whisper, you couldn’t hear me.”

He thought that was a riot. Then he noticed that my voice was beginning to fail me.

“Uh-oh!” he said, “It sounds like your horse is coming back!”

I took that as my cue to come home.

Keyword: ORGANIZE

I have this friend. I’m always complaining about my messy computer desk. Her response is always “Keyword: Organize.”
I thought of her today while I was organizing my desk. While doing so, I found some papers that needed to be filed away. That got me going through my papers and I found some poetry I had written a while back.
Most of my poetry is of the “cheesy rhyming kind”, as I’ve often heard this style referred to, and it usually comes at a time when I’m emotional in some way about something in my life. It's always been sort of theraputic for me to read what I write because I don't usually stop to think about what I'm writing until I've finished. I’m going to share one here tonight and it seems I was having a hard time dealing with something and needed to remind myself that things will get better. Sort of like “It’s darkest before the dawn” or “Only through struggle can you have success.” Anyway, before I over-explain myself, here it is:

This road called Life is difficult
It seems to change most every day
One day the sky is clear and blue
The next day, gloomy gray

But that’s what makes it interesting
And worth the uphill climb
Not always knowing what comes next
Never knowing what you’ll find

Though life’s not always easy
And the struggles pull me down
I won’t give up, I will not quit
I’ll find a way to rebound

My faith is what sustains me
And pulls me through hard times
My belief that the Lord guides me
Brings me peace of mind

Each storm brings a rainbow
From rain the flowers bloom
Up from the valleys peaks arise
Each sunset announces the moon

What's up with the Missing Sock?!?

Today was laundry day. Actually, every day is laundry day around here because my husband normally does it. But today was MY laundry day. So I go around the house gathering clothes and carry them to the laundry room. There were more clothes than usual today because one of my nieces spent the night on Friday and forgot to put her clothes in the wash and her sister came and showered here today.
Being that laundry is not usually my thing…I thought I was doing pretty well. Key word here is “thought”.
When I transfer clothes from the washer to the dryer, I take them out of the washer one item at a time. I do this because some of my shirts I would rather hang dry than throw into the dryer. Anyway, there were 6 pairs of socks in todays wash. 12 individual socks. I put TWELVE socks into the dryer.
So the dryer buzzes to tell me it’s done its job. I unload the dryer and bring the piles of warm, Bounce-scented clothes to the couch. I made two trips so that I wouldn’t drop anything…even made an extra trip to make sure I didn’t leave a trail of clothes. Nothing in the dryer, nothing on the floor.
Why, then, did I only have 11 socks to match up? I cannot find the missing sock. I even had my husband look in the machines and we searched the house between the laundry room and the living room. I guess it’s time to buy a hamper or something. We cannot find the sock and it’s driving me batty.

My First Sick Day

On Friday I missed my first day of work this school year. I tried so hard to go to work, but I lost my voice so there was really no point in trying.
I got my voice back and feel a bit better, but taking the day off has mixed me up big time. All day today, I thought it was Sunday. I hate when that happens.
So anyway, not much to say since I’ve not done a whole lot the past couple days. I hope I get over this cold soon and don’t get another for a long time.
I’ll try to write something more interesting tomorrow. Hopefully by then my headache will be gone and I can actually achieve some rational thought.

Work Break

This is my one day a week I only have one library class so I've got a 30 minute break.
Today has been a good day. The sky is blue and the sun is shining, but the wind is cool and crisp. I couldn't be happier. The cool breeze means summer is giving in to autumn which, in turn, gives in to WINTER. Call me crazy, but I love winter. I love that it's cold. I love the holidays. I just love winter.
Winter nowadays is not like it was when I was a child. I remember, as a child, being able to lie down in the snow and disappear. The snow was so deep, we could actually tunnel through it. Our climate has warmed up some, so if we get good snow, it's never as deep as it once was. That still doesn't take away from my love of winter, though. As long as we don't have a long wet winter with too much rain and slushy snow, winter will always be my favorite season. Most people I know cringe when they see the mountain tops turn white for the first time each year. I actually look forward to it. It hasn't happened yet this year so I am still anxiously waiting.
Hurry up, Jack Frost. I'm awaiting your arrival. The colder the better! :o)

So Sad and Maddening

Anchorage Daily News | Parents accused of brutal abuse

As someone who has always wanted children but for whatever reason has not had any, stories like this are very upsetting. These people started off as foster parents and eventually adopted the children only to turn into monsters. I really hope these children can recover from all that has happened to them. I'm sure they have many more scars than can be seen. The emotional trauma they have suffered is unbelievable.

More Dreams

I’m on a break at work. Today is going by pretty fast compared to how my week started. The computer lab is really hot, though. I only have classes until 9:30 but I can’t turn the computers off because they are used throughout the day by teachers for special writing projects and things. Having 24 computers running all day really heats things up in here.
One of my cousins works here. She is always talking about these dreams she has. She dreams about people and strongly believes that if you dream about someone you should tell them. If something bad happens in the dream, then you must tell the person before you eat your breakfast so that the dream won’t come true. I don’t know if I believe in all that, but she does.
Anyway, she came in the lab during one of my classes this morning. She didn't say a word, just stood there in front of me and she had this big grin on her face. That wasn’t her normal behavior…she didn’t even say her usual “good morning”.

“What?” I asked. She just stood there smiling waiting for me to stop what I was doing.
“What is it?” I ask again.
She finally said, “I have to tell you something, but I don’t want to upset you.”
“Just tell me,” I say to her.
“Okay, I had this dream…”
“Oh, no…do I need to sit down?”
“No, it’s not a bad one this time.” She said, still smiling really big.
“Okay, then…what is it?”
“I dreamt that you and your husband came to visit me.”
“Okay, we do that a lot…”
“But this time you brought a baby to show me.”
”Whose baby was it?”
“You were nursing it, so I’m guessing it was yours. It was a boy.”

She then turned and walked out. Still smiling. I’m not expecting. I have no idea where that came from. Oh well, time to go have my lunch.

I Hate Death

We lost another family friend last night. He was in his early 50’s and had a new grandbaby only a couple weeks old. He was holding the baby and then told his daughter to take the baby. He felt tired and wanted to take a nap. Ten minutes later, his daughter went to check on him and he wasn’t breathing. He had a massive heart attack.
My husband just lost one of his brothers back in June to a massive heart attack. He, too, was only in his early 50’s.
The hardest part about living in a small town all your life is dealing with the loss of others. Deaths seem to happen in 3’s. It’s kind of a morbid thought, but when there is a death, we all think to ourselves, “There’s going to be at least 2 more.”
We are all affected by each others losses. The town seems to pull together when things like this happen which kind of makes it easier to deal with. Sometimes, though, I wish I didn’t have to deal. Not that I don’t care, I just get tired of hurting. Is that selfish of me? Sometimes I think so. Then I start to feel guilty.
Our friend was a great man. He was always willing to lend a hand to anyone who needed it. He always had a smile on his face and never spoke a cross word to anyone. He was a pall bearer at my brother-in-law’s funeral.
I’m on my way now to go spend time with his family. That’s what we do here. We gather at the home of the recently deceased to support the surviving family in any way we can. I’ll bring a salad. We never go empty handed.
I just wish we could learn to get together like this during happy times, too.

Dancing the Night Away

Last night my niece had a dance to celebrate her 11th birthday. She insisted that the dance be 4 hours long…from 8PM to 12AM. She fell asleep on the floor back in April when her sister had a dance, but was adamant. She not only managed to stay awake, but she participated in the majority of the dances. There were a couple times she hid in a corner because there were slow songs playing and a boy she’s crushing on wanted to dance. She’s extremely shy and the fact that the chaperones consisted of two of her aunts, her mother, an uncle, and her 19 year old sister didn’t help matters any.
At about 11PM, she came over to ask how many more hours were left. She was getting tired, but still wouldn’t admit her dance was too long. By the time Midnight came along, the chaperones were spent and so were the kids.
It was fun to watch them, though. They had a ball dancing to and singing along with music I couldn’t even understand. It was a good night. I’m just glad I won’t have to do it again anytime soon.

What Do Dreams Mean?

I’ve been having some really strange dreams lately. In some of them, I find myself in strange situations in places I don’t recognize. I can’t figure out what I’m doing there, but at the moment I’m the most afraid, I spot someone I love in the crowd. It’s not always the same person…but always someone I care for and who means a lot to me. In other dreams, I’m alone in my bedroom…lying in the dark sobbing. I don’t know if I’m dealing with a death or some other kind of loss. I just know that I am so upset that I can’t bring myself to get up off the bed. I’m not even IN bed…just lying there fully clothed sobbing on my pillow. My loved ones come in one by one and say the usual “I’m sorry’s” and “I’m here for you’s” but I never know why. There are other dreams where I am so sure that I’ve lost a loved one. Sometimes it’s my mother or father, sometimes it’s my husband. I never see what happens, but in my dreams I’m always saying things like, “I can’t believe (s)he’s gone.” “What am I going to do without them in my life?” I wake up so scared and more than once I’ve shaken my husband awake just to make sure that he would wake up. I have no idea where these are coming from but I am getting to the point where I’m afraid to go to sleep. It’s getting to the point where I feel so drained and it’s really a chore for me to just get through the day from being so tired. Yet when I do lie down, I don’t want to close my eyes because I don’t want to have another depressing dream. I wish I knew where they were coming from. I wish I knew what I could do to make them go away.

Science Lab Haiku

Eighteen third graders
Excited geologists
Is it Friday yet?

The first Science unit of the year is titled “Soil, Silt, and Rocks”. The entire school is studying rocks in one form or another. For the most part, teaching in the Science Lab has been fun. Today was the most stressful day so far. The third graders were wired and restless. Trying to do a lab with antsy 8 and 9 year olds turned out to be quite the challenge. One table was goofy and chatty; another had a group who could not get along. Everything turned into an argument with them. Their lab should have taken about 20 minutes. At the end of their 40 minute class period, most had just barely finished. One table will have to finish up with me the next time they come to science so that the rest of the class won’t have to wait for them. I’m hoping that these kids are just testing the waters, so to speak. Trying to see just how serious we are about the limits we’ve set for them. Up to this point, they’ve never dealt with me outside of the Computer Lab. They behave for me in the Computer Lab…but in the Science Lab it’s like they couldn’t even hear me. I’m really hoping this is a temporary situation.

One Smart Puppy

MSNBC - Puppy shoots Florida man, deputies say

Maybe this guy will think twice from now on before being cruel to animals. If he owned the dog who gave birth to the puppies, I hope they took that way from him, too. In my opinion, he's proven he doesn't deserve to own a pet.

Blogger's Giving Me a Headache!

Is anybody else having problems? I couldn't edit or create new posts yesterday at all. It still won't let me edit...we'll see if this works and if it does, I'll make an entry later.

Click Me!

A friend of mine sent me this link via e-mail. Now the song is stuck in my head. Go ahead, click the link and see if it doesn't get stuck in yours, too!

In anything we trust!

$200 Bill


Okay, I know some of our bills are getting make-overs...but come on....a $200 bill?!? If the fact that we don't even HAVE a bill of that denomination wasn't a dead give away, ya think the "We Like Broccoli" or "USA Deserves a Tax Cut" signs plastered in the White House lawn would have been.

Don't Worry, Be Happy

"A day without laughter is a day wasted."
Charlie Chaplin

My nieces went back to their own home a couple of hours ago. My stomach still hurts from all of the laughing we did. The younger of the two had us all rolling all night. When I finally had enough, I asked her to stop.

She said, "But I don't want to. I like to make you laugh really hard."

When I asked her why, she said, "Because I like the way it sounds and I like to make you happy."

She must have sensed that I had needed a release. It was a long, stressful week at work. It's amazing, really, how sensitive children are. It makes me wonder sometimes, who's taking care of who.

I Love You More Than...

My sister-in-law is out of town tonight so I have my nieces staying with me. They are ages 10 (for about another week) and 12. My husband and I have this silly little game we play. One of us will say “I love you” and the other will respond with “I love you more.” When the older of my nieces was about 5, she started playing along. She still does and is so tickled if she says “I love you” and we forget to say “I love you more”. She doesn’t realize that half the time we forget on purpose. Hehe Well, the younger niece started to play along but with her the response is, “I love you more than you love me.” So anyway, tonight we took them for a drive. She told me she loves me and when I said, “I love you more than you love me,” she said, “Yeah, well I love you more than I love myself and I love myself very much.” This was a nice change. She used to say other things like, “I love you more than my socks” or “I love you more than red snapper.” One time she even said, “I love you more than my luggage.”

I guess I’m pretty tired tonight, I can’t think of anything else to write. Goodnight to whoever happens to read this.

Josickos

Part of my job duties this year includes leading a 50 minute writer’s workshop 4 days a week. The latest assignment for the students is to write a 3 paragraph autobiographical essay. The final paragraph was to include goals they had for themselves, both for this school year and in life.

One of the boys was almost finished today and I was reading over his shoulder as we were editing before we printed a final copy. I got to the third paragraph and when I reached the sentence about his life goals, I was stumped.

It said, “I would like to join an army with Jesus and his josikos.”

I didn’t even know how to pronounce this word and couldn’t figure out what he was trying to say. Looking at the word, I thought he meant “jaw-sick-ohs” and hadn’t the faintest idea what he was trying to say.

Finally, I asked him, “Jesus and his what?”

He said, “Jesus and his ‘joh-sy-cohs’ like in The Passion of the Christ.”

I still hadn’t caught on and said, “Let me think about that for a bit, it’s not spelled right but I’m not quite sure how to spell it. I’ll think about it and we’ll fix it later.”

I started to walk away and it hit me like a ton of bricks.

The boy wants to be in an army with Jesus and his DISCIPLES.

It's all in how you look at it.

There's a lady I have to work closely with on a daily basis. The last hour and a half of my day is spent with her. We get along, for the most part, but there is one thing about her that bugs me. She complains about everything. It doesn't matter if we're talking about work or our personal lives. There's always something to complain about.

I always try to point out the positive side of things to her. Sometimes she hears me but not always. I know it's not always easy to find the silver lining, but I always at least try.

I think it was Maya Angelou who said something like:

"What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it."

Kinda like, "When life gives you lemons, make lemonade." I'm getting better about thinking positive about things. I slip every now and then, but I am making an effort. I'm no Pollyanna but I try not to let myself get carried away with complaining.

After all, I've got my health. I've got my husband and family. I've got friends. I've got a job which gives me the means to put food on the table and clothes on our backs. I've got a roof over my head. I have a lot to be thankful for.

Even on a day like today, when I feel drained and I'm dreading the 6:00 alarm that will wake me in the morning, I am blessed.

I hope you realize that you are, too.

Random Facts About Me

I can’t think of anything to write about tonight so I’ll just type random facts about myself for a few minutes….whatever pops into my head.

*I’ve lived in this same small town all my life.

*The only time I’ve left for a significant period of time, was to attend college.

*I went to college in Colorado. Colorado gets more snow than we do.

*I only have one sibling…an older sister.

*Unless you count my 7 step-siblings…4 step-sisters and 3 step-brothers.

*All but 2 are older then me.

*I like to do word puzzles to pass the time.

*I write a lot of poetry that never gets read by anyone but me.

*I collect Coca-Cola items.

*I collect Disney items.

*I play the clarinet.

*I sing…but not as much as I used to.

*I’ve had 15 operations…13 of them before the age of 5.

*I have vivid memories of being in the hospital at age 3.

*I’m allergic to cats. I think it may be a psychological thing, but I’m not sure.

*I write with my right hand but eat with my left.

*Winter is my favorite season. The colder the better.

*I like to read. Ann Rule and John Grisham are two of my favorite authors.

*When I was in school, people used to think my best friend and I were twins. People still mix us up sometimes.

*I collect movies. Counting VHS tapes and DVD’s, I have well over 800.

That's it for now. It's time for me to go to bed.