One week of school has passed and mercy, my brain is a bit of mush. However, there are a few newsy items.
Oldest son is across the pond - presently in Dublin, Ireland, staying at a hostel until tomorrow. Then he will travel on to posts unknown. Hopefully trying to connect him up with some friends who have moved over there. Then he will go over to Scotland to visit some friends who are celebrating their mother/grandmother's 93rd birthday - how cool is that?
I have moseyed (sp?) over to Scrabulous' web site and playing over there since it was withdrawn from Facebook. I can get my fix there, a little different set up, but satisfactory enough for me. Wanna play? Leave a comment and we'll connect up somehow.
It's so blooming hot here and the gnats are in full force. I have inhaled them in my mouth and nose. I mentioned in the parish hall that I wish I knew the purpose of these pesky insects and someone said so we could be thankful for other things. OK, I'll take gnats over snow.
We have found geocaching this summer and have had fun finding some caches along the way of our travels. WE have been more successful at finding some caches than others. Thought about geocaching today, but it was just too. hot. It's unbearable with the heat and humidity. I'll be posting more about geocaching when I get my act about it. I am on the slow end of the learning curve with this high tech treasure hunt.
There is one week before teachers return to school. I know some of you cannot believe we are starting in July. I CAN'T BELIEVE WE START IN JULY. Students begin August 1. This is my 20th year of teaching - two decades! ON the pay schedule for Georgia, I am now where I have "ceilinged out". Though many people complain about teacher salaries, and compared to other professionals we may not make as much as them, but I will not complain, knowing what others in our community make.
Yesterday was a lovely trip through Penn's woods, as we traveled to my husband's place of birth and where he was raised. I had a lovely time meeting his aunt and I could see the resemblance between his grandmother and her sister.
New experiences along the way:
saw my first groundhog
wore a jacket in July because it was cool
ate raspberry rhubarb pie (rhubarb being the key as to something I have not eaten before
saw a street address with the street number of 12 1/2
We have just arrived home from a 5 night cruise. We are all tired, with husband bringing home a souvenir cold. Some quick thoughts, blips, because right now... I am too tired for much else.
Our future dermatologists do not have to worry about patients. They were all there on the top deck getting plenty of sun. I promise.
I wonder about all those tattoos 50 years from now.
Do women know what they look like when they are only wearing thongs with thin summer dresses.
How much soft serve yogurt can one eat on a cruise? Alot. I promise.
Overheard in the hall..... I can't believe our bill for the cruise was over 1000 dollars.
I think I know why people from other parts of the world don't have very high opinions of Americans.
2 books read.
Time passes more quickly on a treadmill looking out on the water on a cruise ship.
I missed my family and my friends while gone - and those friends who read my blog.
I was on the fence until this morning about "running" a 5k race - well, you all know I don't run - I walk and jog - and jogging is stretching the term to allow for change in the way I am moving my feet to be more like the movement of those who are moving faster. Anyway, this morning, I decided to participate... I broke my promise to myself that I would not enter a race until I knew I could make it in less than 50 minutes. Last year my first race took me 69 minutes (plus a few seconds).
But...... this was an inspirational run - not because it was Holy Saturday, but because last Memorial Day was a run some of us participated. It was hotter than hell and it was a twilight run - which meant the pavement had had the full benefit of the sun to soften. (I will NOT run in a race when it is THAT hot again!). Anyway, it was a first run for one of the participants and her first became her last - as she was driving home, she was in a tragic car accident which she was fatally injured). She was loved by many at the school in which she worked and they decided to have a run to benefit the college fund for her daughter. I can break a promise for that.
I wanted to take a picture - camera battery - dead (a borrowed camera). Hopefully a friend who took a picture for me will send me a picture so I can post.
IPod with my beats per minute music which keeps me going... I couldn't get it to turn on. I was not a happy camper. Got home and got it to work. WHAT IS WITH THAT??? A conspiracy???? I had to pretend I had music going on in my head.
I finished the race in 54:10 (I think). That makes it about an 18 minute mile - last year I was walking about a 23ish minute mile, so I have shaved off some minutes. So I am pleased with the progress.
I did not finish last. I think that is the first time I have done that also. YAY.
Tonight I will be going to the Easter Vigil. I will be singing the Exultet and then reading the Epistle reading.
This tune has been going through my head the past couple of days - I was singing it to the kids at school the other day. I know they have never heard it. Remember when hats were a big deal at Easter?
Things I have learned from my children this weekend:
We were in the "bridal couture" yesterday - looking at the bride's dress (which I will say was lovely) and picking out bridesmaid dresses. As we were walking out I saw a dress which was more than likely a prom dress and quite tacky on the rack (color was a hideous purple) - I told the girls I was going to have that dress as the mother of the bride dress -- and I said I wanted to have the BLING on it. Both looked at me and said Mom (in unison), "you don't say that word." They told me a person my age wasn't supposed to use that word.
Seems like my laughs have been a topic of discussion -- one is my "courtesy laugh" and then there is my REAL laugh. I did not know I could be so amusing. I gave my son several courtesy laughs during the course of lunch.
And at Sunday worship:
I sat behind someone who had the longest ear hair I had ever seen, and it was growing out from the edge of the outer ear. I have never seen that before.
we had respectable crowd at church considering it was daylight savings time.
an oxymoron observed - 90 year old who is in a nursing home, but comes to church, had his cell phone. It rang not once, but four times - finally at the fourth phone call, he answers and tells the caller, "I'm at church" - I do think he was looking for a way to turn it off. I would have been glad to help him but he was sitting across the pew, and the fourth call seemed to take care of it.
announcement of Palm Sunday for next week. Doesn't seem possible.
I close with one of the hymns we sang today during worship.
My glasses broke, you know the little fish line that holds glasses in place when there is no rim at the bottom of the frame? Well, in the middle of the night, the glasses fell off the nightstand with a book falling on top. Tape will take care of it temporarily, but I believe a trip to get them fixed today is in order.
Also a call in to the doctor - I was feeling better yesterday, but it was the calm of the storm. I have a "corker of a cold" and the cough is one of those which I would like to keep at bay. Think I'll invest in the tissue market.
I'm thinking last night's Democratic debate may have been paving the way for a joint ticket - what do you think?
The news has been stating that this is the first year where cell phones are outnumbering land lines and that we are using the cell phones more. I wish I could go against the flow and state I am still using my land line more, but alas, I am not. Still don't really like phones in general and not a fan of cell phones, but I guess it has its place in my life now.
Plumber has visited us twice this month - cannot be a good sign - but for two very separate issues. Thankfully this is his second job as he is a teacher in his REAL job. So very reasonable and dependable. Thank you for making it that way.
I have done the majority of my shopping online and things are arriving. Need a box?
Tomorrow I must venture out to shop for a couple of items that I cannot get online. I am going to try to finish it up tomorrow. I will say this has been the least stressful so far of the years I have been an adult. Hope it is not the calm before a storm.
I have done a good bit of shopping on the Internet, especially Amazon - looking at the top sellers - how come I notice there are a lot of sales of cleansing products of different orifices of our bodies? Next thing we know there will be a belly button cleansing product. (What is all the craze with nasal cleansing products anyway?)
Today was the day to watch cooking shows.... how come the ones that are the ones that seem to get on my nerves shown the most while the most calming ones don't seem to be shown as often? I find Ina on Barefoot Contessa seems to calm me - which is your favorite?
Today will be a day where I attend a workshop - for the Difficult, Defiant & Noncompliant Student. Yeah, even in preschool, we have them. I have one right now. Wish I could get inside his brain and find out what makes it tick. He really goes to a beat of a different drum.
On another note, I have a student who has been with me for 2 years. She just turned 5. She just started using a walker so we are seeing the possibility of walking. Simple pleasures for us, life changing for her. She is looking at the world from a different perspective now.
#1 Son: Phone conversation last night.\Son: Mom, I hope I didn't hurt your feelings about the dog interview. Me: No darling, I figure you will get to a time you will understand. It's entertaining and free. Son: I'm going to LA this weekend to see my God daughter. Me: Oh is this going to be the weekend of the baptism? Son: No, that is January 6. Me: Ah, a Feast of the Epiphany baptism - a very good date.
a house that is a little quieter as some have gone out with the masses to the retail world.
a voice that is slowly returning - not 100%, but close - a residual cough hangs on until....
a day in which #1 son returns to the states from a 2 week stay in Eastern Europe.
Turkey breast is now officially gone; ham is still around
Carter Beats the Devil is turning to be a very good historical fiction novel of the early 20th century, with Vaudeville, magic, and Charles Carter (magician), Sarah Bernhardt, Houdini, and President Harding being an integral part of the novel.
the feeling I get after a major holiday - one of weirdness which I can't quite put my finger on, but seems to go away when life gets back to "normal" - whatever normal is...
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