tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5318225946362563932024-03-13T23:32:56.467-05:00Suzy's BlogSuzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.comBlogger235125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-44802030354307048812015-04-04T22:34:00.000-05:002015-04-04T22:34:22.559-05:00For MY ConvenienceI found myself once again totally relating to a comic strip this week:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFRpFgvD8Jl_5bB5CnO4920U7W6RR8qI5G41Eam23I5d75GiQyWICpG1CqnoPXWLkr8I5As4a0Rhx9pQwjYmd5wbHh6tgdoFVdqqpC1USc5zEK08ZKWjPtGaJ0GIltd2iq_iiANcZ3jU/s1600/BabyBlues+4-3-15.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixFRpFgvD8Jl_5bB5CnO4920U7W6RR8qI5G41Eam23I5d75GiQyWICpG1CqnoPXWLkr8I5As4a0Rhx9pQwjYmd5wbHh6tgdoFVdqqpC1USc5zEK08ZKWjPtGaJ0GIltd2iq_iiANcZ3jU/s1600/BabyBlues+4-3-15.JPG" height="208" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://comicskingdom.com/baby-blues#.VSCiGYgUWj0.blogger">Baby Blues Comic Strip for April 03, 2015 | Comics Kingdom</a><br />
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See, over Spring Break, Jerry and I were running errands, and we needed to make a deposit at the bank. We pulled up to the drive through lanes and found a big sign: CLOSED. We parked and headed inside to the lobby. When we finally got up to the teller (long line, one teller) I inquired as to whether this was a temporary closure, and was informed that not only was this a permanent change, but that it was for my convenience. <br />
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Yes, MY convenience. See, they upgraded the (single) ATM so that it can take deposits, and now we won't have to wait in line for one of the four tellers that used to run the drive-through lanes. Nope, now I can conveniently wait behind eight other cars that used to use the drive-through that are now in the one and only ATM line. Certainly smacks of convenience to me, no? <br />
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Not two days later, we received a request for documentation for a charge against our new FSA debit card. You know, the one they gave us <i>for our convenience</i> this year. <br />
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Last year, our insurance company sent the amounts to the FSA service provider, and they automatically cut us a check. I didn't have to send in anything, didn't have to file anything, zip, nada, nothing. But it turns out that procedure wasn't convenient enough. No, this year we have a debit card that we can use to pay for those expenses so that the money never even has to come out of our pocket to be reimbursed. Only when we use the card, we then get the above mentioned notification that requires us to gather the itemized receipt from the doctor, the EOB statement from the insurance company, and either scan or photograph them and send those to the FSA provider. Yes. That's definitely more convenient. (Not.) <br />
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So spring break ends, and I head back to work. During one of my first lessons back, I am reading books about bones and skeletons to my Kindergarten classes. I have a stack of four books on top of a four-foot bookshelf shelf, and when I reach for the second book, the book on the top of the stack slides off and disappears behind the bookshelf. In my head I'm thinking a lot of words that I can't say aloud in front of my students, but I slap a smile on my face and come up with a new plan. Yea, let's sing this song! Let's dance this dance! I fill the 10 minutes that should have been spent reading that book with other activity and make it through the lesson. <br />
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At the end of the day, I had to unload the books from two bookshelves full of non-fiction books, pull the shelves away from the wall, and retrieve the lost book to use in the lessons for the rest of the week. As I was putting all the books back on the shelf, I thought to myself, "You know, this isn't so bad. I'm sure that the bookshelf was just holding on to that book for my convenience."<br />
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<br />Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-3324851425406624222015-04-02T17:38:00.001-05:002015-04-02T17:38:58.836-05:00Woo-Hoo! Early Reviewer!! Nick and Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular: A Mystery with Animatronics, Alien Makeup, Camera Gear, and Other Movie Magic You Can Make Yourself!<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.librarything.com/er/list"><img alt="LibraryThing Early Reviewers" border="0" src="http://www.librarything.com/pics/lter_medium_transparent.gif" height="173" width="320" /></a></div>
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Well, after putting my name in the drawing for several months, I finally got a book from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Without further ado. . . my first review:<br />
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<i>Nick and Tesla's Special Effects Spectacular: A Mystery with Animatronics, Alien Makeup, Camera Gear, and Other Movie Magic You Can Make Yourself!</i><br />
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This is the fourth or fifth Nick and Tesla book, but only the second that I’ve read after the debut. I received this book as part of the Library Thing Early Reviewers program in return for my honest review, so here it is:
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Nick and Tesla are a twin brother and sister team who have scientist parents who have suddenly disappeared on a business trip shrouded in mystery. While they are gone, Nick and Tesla have been sent to live with an eccentric uncle that is also a scientist. Nick and Tesla have a great interest in science and minimal adult supervision, so their adventures begin.
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The thing that I really like about these books is that the kids use their science knowledge to solve their problems, and the authors have given detailed instructions for each project alongside the story. As an elementary school librarian, I love that I can use this book to get my non-fiction readers into a fiction book, and get my fiction readers interested in science.
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In this story, Nick and Tesla are invited onto a movie set that has been plagued with troubles, which could cause their friend’s aunt’s producing career to take a nose-dive. They begin to search for clues and motive, creating several impressive gadgets along the way. In the end, the mystery is solved, the aunt’s career is saved, and Nick and Tesla are heroes of the day.
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I was glad that the kids solved the mystery in this book by themselves, rather than having adults swoop in and save the day at the end like they did in the first book. That said, I’m not sure the significance of the clues was brought out enough to allow the intended reader to connect the dots along the way, rather than remaining confused until the pieces were put together for you at the end.
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I liked the projects in this book, although not all projects / illustrations were present in the advance copy I received. They seemed doable for the age group that is targeted in this book. I thought that the subject of movie-making was a nice backdrop to the story, although the mystery of what Nick and Tesla’s parents are up to did not move forward at all.
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All in all, this book is a great addition to the elementary library, with likeable characters and a quick-paced story. Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-9805962280622285902015-03-12T22:58:00.000-05:002015-03-12T22:58:09.487-05:00Words Are ImportantWhat a day! <div>
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So, work has been busy this week, what with closing out our spring Book Fair, getting orders ready by the end-of-the-month, use-it-or-lose-it budget deadline, and various other things that must be done to keep the cogs of the media center running smoothly. By noon on Tuesday, I informed my media assistant that I had done enough stuff to fill a whole week already, and that I would like to start my weekend early, please. She just laughed. So it was with great anticipation that I headed home today, Thursday, for my one night a week that is unscheduled, with nothing to do but change into my yoga pants and putter away the evening. </div>
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But then. . . </div>
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I got home and headed to the back of the house to slip into the aforementioned yoga pants, when our dog comes limping up to greet me. </div>
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Uh oh. </div>
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We've been dog owners for a couple of years now. Oreo is actually my first dog, as we had a wide assortment of cats as I grew up. I actually consider myself a cat person, but I promised Jerry that we could get a dog after our last cat had gone to kitty heaven. So, we have Oreo, and although she doesn't purr and snuggle on my lap, I enjoy her company. I do not, however, enjoy her vet bills. </div>
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I've decided that Oreo is accident-prone. Shortly after we got her, she cut her leg open (on what we still don't know for sure) and required staples. So now, I'm watching her limp towards me and thinking, "Dog, what have you done to yourself now?" I start running my eyes and hands over her legs to figure out what is wrong, when we see it: </div>
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One of her toenails, or more correctly, her toe itself is sticking out at a 90 degree angle to her foot. We call the vet, and he says he'll stay there until we get there, so we put the dog in the car and head over. I send Jerry a text -- one of those that you can't ever imagine sending when you are thinking about how life might go next -- "The dog has broken her toe. We are at the vet." </div>
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After a closer examination, the vet decides that she has actually popped her toe bone out of joint, and that to pop whatever back into place, they will need to sedate her. I decide to take Oreo home for the night, and bring her back in the morning, when we can be sure she hasn't eaten anything, and they can keep an eye on her as she recovers from the anesthetic. Maggie and Gracie have been out in the main room looking at the cats awaiting adoption while I talked to the vet, but Maggie pops her head in the room and asks what is going on. </div>
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And that is when I make a very unfortunate choice of words. </div>
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"Oreo's toe is out of joint, so I'm going to bring her back tomorrow morning so they can put her to sleep and pop it back in." Only Maggie hears "put her to sleep" and thinks I am talking about putting Oreo down. For good. </div>
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I wasn't looking at Maggie at the moment - I was still looking at the dog. The vet says, "Um, I think we have a misunderstanding here. . ." I look up, and Maggie is holding back sobs. "No, no, <b>no</b>! Not that kind of sleep. . . Good grief, it's a TOE. We aren't going to put the dog to down for a TOE! I may not be a dog person, but my goodness, I'm not that heartless!" Now she's laughing and crying. Gotta love those teenage years. So we left, and I'll be back bright and early tomorrow for Oreo's "procedure". </div>
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We got home, and started to work on dinner. Maggie has become a big Pioneer Woman fan. </div>
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I mean, I was already a fan, and have been ever since I saw a post many, many years ago where she contemplated the antics of her sons and wondered if it was nature or nurture that made them wrestle so. That's neither here nor there. The point is, I found out that Maggie can be swayed to eat (*gasp*) VEGETABLES if they are in a Pioneer Woman recipe!</div>
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Several months ago I was making a recipe for black beans, and Maggie came in and saw what I was cooking and begin that lovely commentary that all moms love so much, "What is that? What are those <i>green things</i>?" when suddenly, she saw the recipe sitting beside the stove. </div>
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(*Gasp*) "Is this a Pioneer Woman recipe?" </div>
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"Yes."</div>
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"Yea!"</div>
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She ate every bite. Even the <i>green things</i>. With no complaints. She even liked it. I began to contemplate printing all future recipes on letterhead with the Pioneer Woman logo at the top. Deceptive? Yes. But desperate times call for desperate measures. </div>
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This week she asked me if we could make Chicken Pot Pie -- PW's of course. So tonight, she and I cooked from scratch, the Pioneer Woman's Chicken Pot Pie from the recipe in the book pictured above. And for the very first time, I made a pie crust from scratch. Here's the proof: </div>
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Beautiful, it wasn't. But yummy it was! Everyone wolfed it down. Even the green things! It's amazing what the mere mention of PW will do. </div>
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It's all about knowing the right words to use. </div>
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Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-79367629278340965622015-03-04T18:41:00.000-06:002015-03-04T18:41:01.610-06:00The No-Snow Snow DayWe were out of school today because of <i>expected</i> winter weather. Key word there was "expected." <br />
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What has actually happened at my house today is lots of cold wind, moments of wintry mix (snow, sleet, and rain mixed together), and, for the most part, no accumulation. The radar has shown the expected snow / sleet / ice all around us, but we've been in a band of nothing all day. Now that it's 5:30, the snow has started to come down, and without the chance to melt off, we will probably have a snow day tomorrow too. <br />
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I am alternatively aggravated and delighted to have a snow day. Aggravated, because today and tomorrow are book fair days at my school. With funding cut the way it has been in recent years, book fair revenue makes up about half of what I get to spend on books and other items for our media program, so I am loathe to loose a penny of it. Delighted, because snow days turn out to be great days for catching up on things I need to do since there are so many cancellations by those who are afraid to go out in the weather. Today, before the roads got bad, I was able to get Maggie into the pediatrician for her well-child appointment, which I normally would have to book out three months from now. Our last snow day, the roads were bad until noon. In the afternoon I managed to get in to a cancellation slot at both the dentist and the CPA. Score!!! Who knew that snow days were such good days to get things done?<br />
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Our book fair theme this year is "Under the Sea". I gave myself the ambitious project to create a skit/song to promote the book fair this time. I announced my intention to enough people that I would definitely follow through, and got busy with my thesaurus and rhyming dictionary. I had a great, very enthusiastic coworker who helped pull it off. Here it is:<br />
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You know, when I took an elementary job, I wondered what it would be like to work with the very youngest ones, because I hadn't had that experience before. Mrs. Cross and I had rubber-banded beach towels to look like mermaid tails as part of the "Under the Sea" theme, and the littlest ones closest to the stage were shouting, "Look, it's Ariel!!" They are so fun, and so free with their smiles and enthusiasm - I enjoy them more than I ever thought I would. <br />
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So, back to snow days. . . Maggie came in and asked what we were going to do for snow day. I listed off at least five things I could do with my snow day:<br />
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1) Clean out the closet.<br />
2) Write a blog post.<br />
3) Decide what books to order for the library.<br />
4) Read a book.<br />
5) Scrapbook!!! <br />
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She looked unimpressed. On well! I only accomplished one of the five, so it's probably good that tomorrow is looking like another snow day -- this time with snow! Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-47300718259364155492014-12-31T21:23:00.003-06:002014-12-31T21:23:46.224-06:00A New Record!Well, here we are at the end of the year, and I thought I better write a "2014" wrap-up post. At the end of each year I have a book of the year's blog posts printed and bound, and often, a little post that ties up any loose ends is appropriate. So much has happened this year, what with me going back to work and all, that certainly, this year's blog book could be multiple volumes. Well, could have been, that is, if I had managed to write any posts about it.<br />
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UGH! <br />
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So this year, I give you the 2014 Wrap Up Post - the fifth of five posts written in this ENTIRE year, a new, all-time low number of yearly posts to the blog. <br />
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January -<br />
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Hm. Actually had two posts in this month, so you pretty much have heard it already: I started a long-term sub job and made my New Year's Resolutions. (If you can't wait to see how I did, skip to the bottom!)<br />
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BTW - it was COLD!<br />
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February -<br />
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Took the girls to see the stage production of Beauty and the Beast. Maggie turned 14.<br />
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March -<br />
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Maggie got her second set of braces on, we spent Spring Break in Texas, my tulips came up, and the girls got to sit on the bench as the Thunder warmed up on Girl Scout Thunder night. <br />
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April -<br />
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Planted new plants in the yard, and had a rather interesting encounter with a spider on I-35. It apparently came with the plants, but stayed in the car when we unloaded. It made its presence known as I took Maggie to a violin lesson, by climbing on to the steering wheel as I was going 70 MPH down the interstate. I'll just say it is lucky everyone survived the incident, even the spider. <br />
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May -<br />
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Participated in end of school activities, and got season passes to Frontier City<br />
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June - </div>
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Girls did Summer Strings and Princess Week, Jerry went with the guys to Lake Eufala, and Amy and Gina came and scrapped. </div>
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July - </div>
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We went to Colorado / Mesa Verde with Jerry's side of the family, my Grandma passed away, and Gracie and I spent the hottest week of the year at camp! Gracie turned 13, so we now officially have 2 teenagers in the house!</div>
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August -<br />
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Wrapped up summer vacation with a Round Top weekend of scrapbooking. Got a job right at the end of the summer, Maggie had gum surgery, and Gracie got a very different haircut!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7S7XwSS0uwwSyq4V_D410nfYVTSEFuhLiMLATLdnhFY180qaBjd29vcwTHalx9lu6ihC-oK3ZsyP5yeHXAtDt81LTmndVjzAuwe9mYQilgvLif5XrzVLo7Z68W10tbeYzfD0yrzcnWo/s1600/P1010351.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX7S7XwSS0uwwSyq4V_D410nfYVTSEFuhLiMLATLdnhFY180qaBjd29vcwTHalx9lu6ihC-oK3ZsyP5yeHXAtDt81LTmndVjzAuwe9mYQilgvLif5XrzVLo7Z68W10tbeYzfD0yrzcnWo/s1600/P1010351.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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September -<br />
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Just barely kept up with everything that a working mom has to do! In fact, I only took two pictures this month - Maggie at a museum that we visited so she could collect data for a history assignment, and Gracie's orchestra at All-City. <br />
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<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOXKz7benLFysZcZmFP5EVOcRlow4ZYxbkB3kC_t4ShQHv05hR-J7PkM-8TjiI-nwJdL_ufxM4JYIgeDEBVy1SaGMvKNnap1E7Q-fCMd57FBVyM617Caw5qyGe0bJQlkwzPLrmTR7eW0/s1600/WP_20140920_033.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuOXKz7benLFysZcZmFP5EVOcRlow4ZYxbkB3kC_t4ShQHv05hR-J7PkM-8TjiI-nwJdL_ufxM4JYIgeDEBVy1SaGMvKNnap1E7Q-fCMd57FBVyM617Caw5qyGe0bJQlkwzPLrmTR7eW0/s320/WP_20140920_033.jpg" /></a></td>
<td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbGdQgXtNTxluyrJdSQqnYXro3pG1sqFzSk0444d099RkL8GWAO-wOY4GC7uViUprr2o6mUESuL2O4w6XIK_6ax-nVqDaAHDCijtDK2H0Ww57XGnfQY3J0imyuniUthiebf54XVOj9qs/s1600/WP_20140930_001.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWbGdQgXtNTxluyrJdSQqnYXro3pG1sqFzSk0444d099RkL8GWAO-wOY4GC7uViUprr2o6mUESuL2O4w6XIK_6ax-nVqDaAHDCijtDK2H0Ww57XGnfQY3J0imyuniUthiebf54XVOj9qs/s320/WP_20140930_001.jpg" /></a></td>
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October -<br />
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This was a very busy month. Maggie tried out for (and made) the North Central Honors Orchestra, I attended a teaching conference and had my book fair at school. The girls both participated in a string orchestra rock concert with a founding member of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Mark Wood. Over the fall break Jerry and I headed to San Antonio for the burial of my grandmother's ashes, while the girls headed to Houston for their first short-term mission trip with the youth group. To top it all off we participated in the third annual Yellow Rose Miniature Silky Fainting Goat Show. <br />
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November -<br />
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A much quieter month. We had things to do every weekend, but didn't do much traveling, except for Thanksgiving. <br />
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December - </div>
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It was a whole new experience trying to get ready for the holidays as a working mom. I have never looked so forward to Christmas break, <u><i>ever</i></u>. We managed to fit in all the traditions though, including a trip to the newly revamped Nutcracker ballet. Now that Christmas is past, Jerry and I are back in Oklahoma. Our car was full to the roof when we arrived in Texas, so the girls elected to stay on a few days with the baby goats that need bottle-feeding four times a day, just to cut down on the amount of stuff we would have to pack into the car. How thoughtful of them, right? </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNlyM67vSOgv7FhniVEdmRT7TDbHisNNBlouJhp6lXdBJLN4FZJxdYI4xDbWJH5QWRJGFPKgMu1a7xwMm6X8mxx2zTHuYglqTB28KN8RmDTgTMsGCyB7osDxPgXCLZ3XMeWzifl8U3tQ/s1600/D90_8239.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivNlyM67vSOgv7FhniVEdmRT7TDbHisNNBlouJhp6lXdBJLN4FZJxdYI4xDbWJH5QWRJGFPKgMu1a7xwMm6X8mxx2zTHuYglqTB28KN8RmDTgTMsGCyB7osDxPgXCLZ3XMeWzifl8U3tQ/s1600/D90_8239.JPG" height="400" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerry named his first goat. Introducing. . . Hairy Potter!</td></tr>
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So, that is the year in a nutshell. </div>
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Oh yes, before I go, about those pesky New Year's Resolutions from last year. . . </div>
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I did manage to read through the entire Bible in a year. I actually exceeded my goal of reading 52 new books for the year - I read 86. Thank goodness for LibraryThing to help me keep track of what I read! </div>
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As for the rest, I started out well, but working outside the home did not leave a lot of time for pursuits that did not directly pertain to the household or the job. Before I started working though, I did manage to complete 204 scrapbook pages, enough to get me into the current decade, and try 16 new recipes, most of which were keepers. And we did plant a garden that yielded more tomatoes than our family could possibly eat. Not sure what this year's resolutions will be. Perhaps to blog more often - say every other month! We will have to wait and see what the new year brings.</div>
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Happy New Year to you and yours!</div>
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<br />Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-30859170835117944042014-09-27T23:03:00.000-05:002014-09-27T23:03:37.053-05:00This Wasn't MY PlanWell, look at that. . . I am managing to write a post before the end of 2014!<br />
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I feel bad for not posting. <br />
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At first, I didn't post because things were busy, although there were some funny things to post about. The rest of my long-term sub job went well, although Gracie very nearly lost her life before it was all over. <br />
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See, the rest of the weeks of my long-term sub assignment went at the same pace as the first ones I wrote about. One week I did the grocery shopping on my way home on a Monday, pulled into the garage, dumped the grocery bags on the counter and instructed Gracie to put the groceries away while I took Maggie to her violin lesson. Fast forward an hour and a half. I pull into the garage, walk into the kitchen, and the groceries are still on the counter. Including all the dairy and meat. I was speechless. When I finally was able to speak, I asked Gracie what was so all-fired important that she failed to put away the groceries, and she replied:<br />
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"I just needed a little 'me time.'"<br />
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Talk about apoplectic. I told her to run to her room, because I wasn't certain what I might do next.<br />
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'Me time'.<br />
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I had almost forgotten what that was. <br />
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Needless to say, I put away the groceries and calmed down, and Gracie lived to see another day. <br />
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I finished my sub job and updated my resume. <br />
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I didn't post then, because I was a little sad that my job had finished, and I didn't have much to post about, and the 'me time' grocery story was still a little too fresh for the telling. <br />
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The end of the spring semester drew near, and I heard that there would be openings in our local district for three positions whose current occupants were retiring. <br />
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I printed out the updated resumes and hit the job fairs and roundtables, and anything else I though might help. My friend that I subbed for in the neighboring district decided to stay home with her children next year, so I applied for that too. <br />
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I interviewed for some of the positions, while others closed without me getting a call. My interviews seemed to go well, but then the phone call would come. <br />
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"We thought you interviewed well, but. . ."<br />
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"You were our second choice, but. . ." <br />
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I even got one letter that named the person they chose instead of me. "Now, why did they do that?" I wondered. "Do they want me to make a little voodoo doll and stick pins in it?"<br />
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I have lots of friends in the district that were rooting for me. You always hear about how job hunting is about who you know, but that didn't seem to be true in my case. <br />
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My lack of teaching experience began to seem insurmountable. <br />
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I decided to apply for a jobs as an assistant, just to get my foot in the door, and I didn't even get a call for an interview, just an automated notification that the jobs were filled. <br />
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Now I was in a funk. I was getting rejected for jobs I was well overqualified for. <br />
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I certainly didn't want to blog about that. <br />
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But the good thing is that God didn't leave me in a funk. I lay in bed one morning, listening to my favorite contemporary Christian radio station, and they talked about how what you think about yourself becomes a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I decided that from that moment on, I would not listen to the negative voice in my head, but that my mantra would be what I know to be true: "I am a child of God, and He has a plan for me." I had not a clue what that plan was, but I knew it would be okay. Even if God's plan was for me to still be at home, that was okay. <br />
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As the end of summer approached, I made plans to go on my annual end-of-summer scrapbooking getaway with my sister. I had told her that if I didn't have a job, I would go, so we headed to Round Top, Texas, and had a very good time getting lots of work done on our scrapbooks, and eating at the renowned Royer's Round Top Cafe. (Yum!)<br />
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Just before I left, I got a text from a friend, saying that there was an opening in a rural district to our north for a K-12 librarian. I debated about whether to apply or not, but it was a long way out for a daily commute. I'd think about it over the weekend. <br />
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The day we got back to Oklahoma was schedule pick-up day for Gracie, so we headed to her middle school to get her schedule and have a quick cello lesson. While she was in her lesson, I waited in the media center. My phone rang, and I saw it was a librarian friend in our school district. She was calling to give me a heads up on an unexpected opening. One of the new hires lived in that rural district to our north, and she decided to take that job instead of the one in our town, leaving an opening.<br />
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That night, as soon as the posting was up, I submitted my resume. <br />
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The next day they called and scheduled the interview.<br />
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The next day I interviewed. <br />
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That evening, while shopping for school supplies at Wal-Mart, they called and offered me the position. I tried to remain calm while I accepted, but ultimately embarrassed my youngest child by being, "A little too excited about all this," dancing down the aisles at Wal-Mart singing, "I've got a job, I've got a job!" <br />
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The next day I filled out HR paperwork. The background check would normally take a week or more, but because I was a current substitute with the district, they had everything they needed, so. . .<br />
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The next day was my first day. <br />
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You know what? When I was in despair, asking why I wasn't getting a job, God was being exceedingly good to me, but I couldn't see it. <br />
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Since I didn't have a job during the summer, I was able to spend it fully focused on having fun with my girls. <br />
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Since I didn't have to report for new teacher training, I was able to spend a weekend with my sister, catching up, enjoying 'me time', and scrapbooking.<br />
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Since I didn't have a job in front of me, I was spared any worry of what I was stepping into and whether I would be up to the task. <br />
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Yes, I can see now, and I see that His plan was so much better that my plan. <br />
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It always is. <br />
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And that's something I want to blog about. Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-76923282681367388682014-02-22T17:49:00.001-06:002014-02-22T23:00:59.740-06:00Halfway There! Well, my long term sub job is flying by. I am now five weeks into my eight week assignment. I bet it is flying by even faster for my friend on maternity leave, because my baby turned 14 years old this week, and that seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. I may explore that further in another post, but for now, back to work! <br />
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I have had many people ask me how I like my new job, and I am able to tell them truthfully that I love it. I only wish it were a full-time position instead of half-time because I always feel like I am leaving in the middle of something each day. I can't even express how grateful I am that I am having such a great time, since the journey to get here has been so long and complicated. My worst fear was that I would find out that all that school and hoop-jumping would be for a job that was, well, just a job. But this job is made for me. Not that it doesn't have its moments, it does. I have kids who test the limits, kids that - at times - don't participate, and kids that give me lots of attitude. But this job isn't a moment, it's a process, and knowing that I have the opportunity to make a difference in the next generation is both awesome and a bit overwhelming. It's a lot of little moments, good and bad, that develop into a relationship that can help do something good. At least, that is the hope. <br />
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So, three more weeks, and I'm done with my long-term sub assignment. Then it will be time to add that experience to my resume and hit the pavement for next fall's openings. Wish me luck! Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-57170207398481580532014-01-24T09:44:00.003-06:002014-01-24T09:44:30.824-06:00My First Week as a Working MomThis working mother stuff is not for wimps. <br />
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I went back to work this week. A friend of mine from library school had a baby, and she had asked me to cover for her during her maternity leave in a neighboring school district. It's a half-time job, four days a week. I alternate working in the mornings and afternoons, depending on what grade I teach that week. I also had the opportunity to interview for a full-time position in our school district that came available over the Christmas holidays, but that didn't work out, although I did get to interview this time. I'm quite sure that God knew what he was doing when I didn't get the full time job - just the half-time job is wearing me out! <br />
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Because of the holiday, I worked three days this week. On Tuesday, I went to work, about 25 miles from our house, taught, and came home. When I got home, Gracie looked like death warmed over. She said her ear hurt, and it was obvious that she had been blowing her nose all day, as she looked like Rudolph with her red, red nose. She said she was well enough for her cello lesson, so we loaded up and went. On the way home we did the grocery shopping (after Maggie texted me the grocery list, which I had left on the counter!) Back home we unloaded the groceries, and I got Maggie started on the preparation of dinner, then loaded Gracie back in the car for a trip to urgent care, where we found out she had a major ear infection. Back home to eat, then back in the car to go get Gracie's scripts from the pharmacy, then back home, where I collapsed. <br />
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Day two was another busy day. I got all our finances straightened out in the morning before work while Gracie slept in. She stayed at home while I went to work. I came home, picked up Maggie and took her to church, then headed to my night class at a local university (oh yeah, I'm a student again too!) and then ran errands before coming home and collapsing.<br />
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Day three. Gracie headed back to school this morning, I went to a early doctor's appointment, then off to work. I had hoped that a tank of gas would last a whole week with my new commute, and it might have, but my mileage range when I got in the car this morning was 57 miles, and as I mentioned, my new workplace is 25 miles away. I really, REALLY didn't want to get gas, as it was 1 degree outside with the wind whipping down the plain, but I also really, Really, REALLY didn't want to run out of gas in that weather either, so I stopped for gas. Can you say librarian-cicle? I was extremely grateful that there were no extra curricular activities when I got home that evening, so I moved up my collapsing routine to 4:30. I had planned to take a 30 minute power-nap, but my tiredness got the better of me, and I slept until it was time to make dinner, and then helped Gracie with her mountain of homework left from missing a day of school. <br />
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I'm sure that I will get used to this new routine, but I don't think I had more than ten minutes to myself any day this week. For someone who hasn't had a set schedule in almost 14 years, it's quite an adjustment! I am so grateful that Jerry and my girls are so helpful. Maggie was a real trooper to make dinner for us on Tuesday night. I am also grateful to the folks I am working with, who made we feel welcome this week. I think this is going to be a great experience! <br />
Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-60584361814897067192014-01-16T16:22:00.000-06:002014-01-16T16:22:17.007-06:00Conflicting ResolutionsThe last few years I have been pretty lax on the New Year's Resolutions. They've all looked something like this: <div>
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"Survive Graduate School." </div>
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"Become a certified teacher." </div>
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But now I've achieved both of those goals, so it's time to get back to those more mundane resolutions. Traditionally I make ten, and see how I do. Some years it's better than others. I try to make a good balance of resolutions - some that are fun, and some that are challenging. There have been ones that I thought were fun, and would be o-so-easy to keep, like, "Get a pedicure once a quarter" in 2007. I did manage to get one, but man, I thought that would be an easy one, and I just never made the time. </div>
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I always try to make my resolutions "SMART" goals that I heard so much about in the corporate world. You know, Specific, Measurable, Action-oriented, Realistic, and Time-bound, so you know without question if you actually achieved it or not. Lots of these I've missed the mark on, but still they improved my life, such as "Try a new recipe a week". While I didn't try one every week, I did manage 19 of them over the year, which was (arguably) an improvement over zero. </div>
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I have one resolution that I make year after year, and that is to do 365 scrapbook pages - one a day, theoretically, although it never happens that way. I did manage to hit the goal once, in 2006, but usually I did between 150 to 280 on the years I didn't make the full amount. It makes an appearance on my list again this year - and I'm determined to get to 365 as my backlog is now four years deep. So far, I've done one page. But I do have a weekend crop coming up! </div>
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This year's list of resolutions has some repeats, like my scrapbook page goal, but some new ones too. For the first time I have resolved to read the entire Bible in a year. I've played with the idea before, but I usually get bogged down in the building of the tabernacle or some long genealogy or something. This time I'm going with a plan on YouVersion that organizes the Bible chronologically. So far I've made it through creation and Job. I'd never made it through Job before, but now that I've been a mom for 13 years, 40 chapters of whining isn't as hard as it used to be, (ha, ha). </div>
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What else made the list? Oh, you can bet there's at least one each about improving my health, reading, encouraging family members, and serving others. One thing I've noticed though, is that some of my resolutions conflict with each other. For instance, I got a FitBit for Christmas, so one of my goals is to move a certain number of steps on a weekly basis. Obviously, to do that, I can't sit still for long periods of time. As of yet, I haven't figured out a way to scrapbook while on the move, but there's still plenty of the year left, I suppose. In the meantime, I'm perfecting reading and walking at the same time. It would probably be easier with a treadmill, but I don't see that happening either. Hey! Maybe a treadmill with a craft table built across the handlebars. . . I could train for a marathon while I scrap! Who's with me? </div>
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So, what are your resolutions? </div>
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Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-27651932308539682252013-12-31T23:55:00.002-06:002013-12-31T23:55:27.675-06:00Goodbye 2013!I can't believe that 2013 will be gone in a matter of minutes. Sixty-four of them, to be precise. I know that people say that the older you get the faster time goes by, but enough already! <div>
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So, probably last year I made an unofficial resolution to be a better blogger. Unofficial, because I didn't write them down in my journal like I usually do. Normally I make 10 resolutions (which, if I am bound by the statistics I read in the Parade yesterday means I keep approximately one a year.) This post is my last ditch effort to keep that resolution. If you look back at my blog, you'll see posts each January that "catch up" the last year's activities. I figure that if I get them in the next 64, oops, down to 60 minutes, it counts as being current for the year, right? So, let's catch up. . . </div>
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In November the girls went camping with their Girl Scout troop at a nearby state park. I subbed when I could, managing to hit Journalism, English, Algebra, Spanish, and (yea!) Media Specialist. I also managed to get some coveted "Professional Development" hours - (27 down, 152 still to go!) As I still don't have a regular job, I decided that the most economical way to get these hours would be to take some education courses at the local college in our town, so I am once again heading back to college. I will start a "Technology for Teachers" class in January that is two credit hours - or 30 PD hours. Hopefully this will help me compensate for my lack of teaching experience on my resume. </div>
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November also brought our first bout of freezing rain, but it fell on a weekend. Gracie was so disappointed that school did not get cancelled. Not as disappointed as Jerry, I think, who was counting on a bad-weather day so much that he stayed up until 3:00 AM. When we woke up and there was no nasty ice on the road, guess who had to get up and go to work anyway! I was glad I had made the girls go to bed as usual! We made a whirlwind trip to the Metroplex for Thanksgiving, but it was very rushed. The girls got to take part my small hometown's parade of lights and ride on a float for Grandma's church. </div>
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It was cold, but they had a great time. We also used this opportunity to take family pictures for our Christmas card. It's amazing how many we have to take just to get one that everyone is happy with, even though the girls aren't little anymore. Here's our final pic: </div>
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After the pictures were taken, we had a little fun helping rake the leaves at Nana and Granddad's: </div>
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The three littlest cousins were ready helpers, but grown-up Maggie stayed inside, far away from itchy leaves. </div>
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They seemed to be having so much fun, I couldn't resist getting in on the action:<br />
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Yeah, those leaves are not as soft as they looked when the kids were jumping in them. Luckily, my knight in shining armor was there to help me de-leaf. </div>
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Isn't he so handsome! </div>
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Then it was December! (Good thing too, I'm down to 32 minutes, and I've gotta have time to spell-check!) </div>
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The first week of December we got about five inches of snow - which I didn't take a single picture of. I did have the urge to take a picture of our neighbor's yard guys mowing in the snow. Oh well - no mowing, no payment, I guess! </div>
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We had lots of festive going-ons, but the snowy weather meant that we had five days of doing nothing, followed by two weeks of frantic activity trying to get everything in before Christmas. The girls and I did make our gingerbread houses while we were snowed in (another thing that had gotten pushed to January last year!) We managed to get in our yearly outing to the Nutcracker: </div>
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After the performance we had dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. Maggie was very excited to go back there, and then when we ordered she got. . . a cheese pizza! Really? a 30-odd page menu, and she gets cheese pizza? We asked her if the pizza was great, and she said, "Meh." Why then, we quizzed her, was she so excited to come to the Cheesecake Factory? She looked at us with an exasperated look and said, "The CHEESECAKE!" Well, duh! </div>
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The girls had their winter concert in December - Gracie's first concert playing her cello, and Maggie's last winter concert of middle school. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QFQnnTDkjPt0PhvoMwckmbN7IRenBwkW0CTzHW04vRnt7d9CQi7i4OJl0Bzsxrr8Jcr-4a1Q7VIlhR8l-3p5SupZGF9SBmpxq8Y3bIjxlJYKqjehVgHhouVyLN3a1H7QUOV_U52yg-A/s1600/D90_6507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9QFQnnTDkjPt0PhvoMwckmbN7IRenBwkW0CTzHW04vRnt7d9CQi7i4OJl0Bzsxrr8Jcr-4a1Q7VIlhR8l-3p5SupZGF9SBmpxq8Y3bIjxlJYKqjehVgHhouVyLN3a1H7QUOV_U52yg-A/s1600/D90_6507.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gracie is in the center of the photograph - she's got a smile on her face!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPVhQe6fw1YgjA41F5xPX1HNX-fzMITqZHoGdlyZAU0HTdbR1FC-VawDKPaKiPoU9k3qIF3cwrFxaEKU6u_RomH_qFW8JG8lSVu8xsONsCV_jnWKdQoCG15CkFjd6JvQLAaciZ2yFTaM/s1600/D90_6510.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqPVhQe6fw1YgjA41F5xPX1HNX-fzMITqZHoGdlyZAU0HTdbR1FC-VawDKPaKiPoU9k3qIF3cwrFxaEKU6u_RomH_qFW8JG8lSVu8xsONsCV_jnWKdQoCG15CkFjd6JvQLAaciZ2yFTaM/s1600/D90_6510.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie is in the front row, third seat. She is first chair, second violin, and section leader. </td></tr>
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The kids had worked really hard, and sounded fantastic. (I'd post a video, but I'm down to 17 minutes, and I don't think it will load that fast!)</div>
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And then boom! Christmas was upon us! We headed down to the Metroplex a day early, because they were predicting another ice storm, so we left the day after the concert. I hadn't had a chance to do my holiday baking, but I had already bought the ingredients, so I took them with me and made 10 batches of cookies at my mom's house. We spent 10 days with family in Texas, and had a great time with everyone. Ten days is a long time to be away from home for a homebody like me though, and I was glad to be back home and in my own bed last night. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWXuCRSVECqKVvsmnJ8vuX32RP4CmscUnGtAYF5QjeNBZ6DWnk9bXIMpU2BJkF476uPl225-RtPwe24NbiMiwsFB62z4KkYftKJJmKqXnLun0kVXy3vi87O67jO-L2FIBKhmaH428UEs/s1600/D90_6530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGWXuCRSVECqKVvsmnJ8vuX32RP4CmscUnGtAYF5QjeNBZ6DWnk9bXIMpU2BJkF476uPl225-RtPwe24NbiMiwsFB62z4KkYftKJJmKqXnLun0kVXy3vi87O67jO-L2FIBKhmaH428UEs/s1600/D90_6530.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maggie wanted Fruits Basket Manga - She got a fruit basket of Mangos!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBaxOX1h5DFs2gm42tSkH8aE-izMElJiq8xZ4FNOkAMLOCIkZaiToNXzwpSHIz6QxEC9wA1qxcVSXDBYmzgpI-6fFqczJ7nktRsuIUbpvexocViiaAy6BT4bS3a3GRmTr4621oB4OY2Lc/s1600/D90_6537.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBaxOX1h5DFs2gm42tSkH8aE-izMElJiq8xZ4FNOkAMLOCIkZaiToNXzwpSHIz6QxEC9wA1qxcVSXDBYmzgpI-6fFqczJ7nktRsuIUbpvexocViiaAy6BT4bS3a3GRmTr4621oB4OY2Lc/s1600/D90_6537.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Simciks! Love Will's face!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlALFa-BoCIZtFzH4UnhikIkMvpgYVm0teQZRVGVn9f9sLDt9lL-uZnH6lh50Dsr4PZ36_wn7Z3teCeQVmFsOibVq2qVmUiM9RyhfFRQxoIdn3GEYN07z6TLJWGHskqzwjgiCeaPwMQf8/s1600/D90_6539.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlALFa-BoCIZtFzH4UnhikIkMvpgYVm0teQZRVGVn9f9sLDt9lL-uZnH6lh50Dsr4PZ36_wn7Z3teCeQVmFsOibVq2qVmUiM9RyhfFRQxoIdn3GEYN07z6TLJWGHskqzwjgiCeaPwMQf8/s1600/D90_6539.JPG" height="640" width="424" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls listen to a custom storybook about Princess Weekend, featuring them!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctChgzTbvcQDIXldxMe4j1xtNi59fNJb1oe_NYxR0fAdeVzGxR9GBZYp3_VovGEY3JBDt_ovinGtFZP830RK2SKtvYqqsyDFy2CoYgnHu4SPjka7GgpKdyDVt_Ve-hcm4sjUntV3JHBo/s1600/D90_6582.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgctChgzTbvcQDIXldxMe4j1xtNi59fNJb1oe_NYxR0fAdeVzGxR9GBZYp3_VovGEY3JBDt_ovinGtFZP830RK2SKtvYqqsyDFy2CoYgnHu4SPjka7GgpKdyDVt_Ve-hcm4sjUntV3JHBo/s1600/D90_6582.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Favorite gifts from Santa Claus</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyk-0V6EXPlvWihXYVkS5iFUlcSM0H9VUqeG0RHaf9smG14hucPUlGFoh9aFDQucwrhfgFs5mpicZWnxbViVAGFc8Vo4LuQCeK4mHBM52OhIJdDrjn3xtDPFwdWMRCQoH24KVK342mw8/s1600/D90_6598.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtyk-0V6EXPlvWihXYVkS5iFUlcSM0H9VUqeG0RHaf9smG14hucPUlGFoh9aFDQucwrhfgFs5mpicZWnxbViVAGFc8Vo4LuQCeK4mHBM52OhIJdDrjn3xtDPFwdWMRCQoH24KVK342mw8/s1600/D90_6598.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my family tree frame.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjQIZuD0yQ62AsKLooWgbX7HTgoEL2t_-5SXp_l3rE9msTZhS4aqXXv7iOyLYhq9fA3auYUsxrig0KreVEtzH6z5SWiK1Nyfrp-NwARu25OZgKPM38OoHfDAxkZdWXZpDwYiXgZv0y70/s1600/D90_6603.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDjQIZuD0yQ62AsKLooWgbX7HTgoEL2t_-5SXp_l3rE9msTZhS4aqXXv7iOyLYhq9fA3auYUsxrig0KreVEtzH6z5SWiK1Nyfrp-NwARu25OZgKPM38OoHfDAxkZdWXZpDwYiXgZv0y70/s1600/D90_6603.JPG" height="424" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foster Family, original.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foster Family, expanded!</td></tr>
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And thus wraps up our December, and our 2013. And there's nine minutes to spare - guess I'll go find a noisemaker and my fella to kiss. Happy New Year!!! May you and yours have a blessed 2014!</div>
Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-61911671781697451322013-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:002013-11-08T08:00:00.162-06:00Halloween Happenings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
This year we bought our pumpkins early. Jerry and Gracie went to the store and picked out some excellent pumpkins - plenty big for carving. Gracie wanted to try one of the pattern books that you can buy at the store. We had always just carved freehand before, but you never know if you'll like something until you try it, so we got a pattern book. Of course, no matter what, the first step is to clean out the pumpkins! </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oS4NpWCZMrSqxYk72FV79fHpDboeWxILZ2CwoM-qA3UOYPRgekpgg0kXMswSo9sEBmx2bS7b4GU0vZJwTGkwlFL8V025jQwnT-QK5ZatuNyM0LlB8Qh1161VO9PINlTW8AgASOsWx_s/s1600/DSC_0184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4oS4NpWCZMrSqxYk72FV79fHpDboeWxILZ2CwoM-qA3UOYPRgekpgg0kXMswSo9sEBmx2bS7b4GU0vZJwTGkwlFL8V025jQwnT-QK5ZatuNyM0LlB8Qh1161VO9PINlTW8AgASOsWx_s/s640/DSC_0184.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDz-bSAN6uIc0Pz8_tUdDvgACtVD6SO_KFxfEqeEFucb9mC09d-6LQhvJoJQEbDMJeVAwCxNMtRFZu9zhvhWl1Q8yX0ZnQJe_G8qfAZtPCQhvm3ANsswE4PwG2LxkqiCLjVu79sTEwy8/s1600/DSC_0186.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzDz-bSAN6uIc0Pz8_tUdDvgACtVD6SO_KFxfEqeEFucb9mC09d-6LQhvJoJQEbDMJeVAwCxNMtRFZu9zhvhWl1Q8yX0ZnQJe_G8qfAZtPCQhvm3ANsswE4PwG2LxkqiCLjVu79sTEwy8/s640/DSC_0186.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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As usual, Gracie reveled in the gunky-ness of the pumpkin innards, while Maggie kept up a constant stream of, "EEEWW!". </div>
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We all initially decided to try a pattern, but Maggie changed her mind once she tried to tape it on her pumpkin. She decided to free-hand it after all. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2YDc1wZ1PHMMDVq9KzD6g0VjiXuMLklYk2mjl1AcJ49g3nfBUFX_HmAGERVGquk65MUIDGBTBTXwnfhHJhuSoMulaRorh43OTunqvCCGzMvwWekjvJ0G19oEocHwzy9e_-Zxm5A5jOA/s1600/DSC_0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK2YDc1wZ1PHMMDVq9KzD6g0VjiXuMLklYk2mjl1AcJ49g3nfBUFX_HmAGERVGquk65MUIDGBTBTXwnfhHJhuSoMulaRorh43OTunqvCCGzMvwWekjvJ0G19oEocHwzy9e_-Zxm5A5jOA/s640/DSC_0185.JPG" width="422" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_6xBC8ne2kz0iLWyUwuNOJAPSlUDtwusmbt1D9yeZzs_eP8ihg1jY3yUe2l9dPY64VL1116wxqitCbqWEmNSJxsiHvobq-yNas2FK8iO48dzBgN0BVpSZMmS5Yc3LWA9a9SeKZ8pwBg/s1600/DSC_0189.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi_6xBC8ne2kz0iLWyUwuNOJAPSlUDtwusmbt1D9yeZzs_eP8ihg1jY3yUe2l9dPY64VL1116wxqitCbqWEmNSJxsiHvobq-yNas2FK8iO48dzBgN0BVpSZMmS5Yc3LWA9a9SeKZ8pwBg/s640/DSC_0189.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Jerry decided on a cyclops pattern, </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1YZDUDHp1ySsU0cSO0W1xRylMN5R3-LJlKq8C4pVMXlerU5M6K0Pp1vU2Exzf-SqEAQYBtaLFknu0IlmzaXb7oFqI6LNalyrprRvaTCHiOE4mKE_IDf3_nR_6M_aa6M5CATRc1VYM0A/s1600/DSC_0190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu1YZDUDHp1ySsU0cSO0W1xRylMN5R3-LJlKq8C4pVMXlerU5M6K0Pp1vU2Exzf-SqEAQYBtaLFknu0IlmzaXb7oFqI6LNalyrprRvaTCHiOE4mKE_IDf3_nR_6M_aa6M5CATRc1VYM0A/s640/DSC_0190.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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Gracie did a pumpkin-faced witch,</div>
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And I did the cat. Maggie's didn't quite turn out the way she had intended, and she was not happy about that, but I think it gave our lineup some much needed character. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX2hyoQxdCj0JfxWskYf3EuEyCPRaV_FKUj0V_iitdJQVda9edKwOze-6YjDbF0LAQJxVRLsGcashdvDqSu0cr0LvmbnIDOL0zaTlTzqveEx4qqS4quZgM-vyxCTQLIWTQjVBiSX0I74/s1600/DSC_0195.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="424" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqX2hyoQxdCj0JfxWskYf3EuEyCPRaV_FKUj0V_iitdJQVda9edKwOze-6YjDbF0LAQJxVRLsGcashdvDqSu0cr0LvmbnIDOL0zaTlTzqveEx4qqS4quZgM-vyxCTQLIWTQjVBiSX0I74/s640/DSC_0195.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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With the carving out of the way and the girls off to bed, I tackled the next aspect of Halloween - a costume. We had recently introduced the girls to the original Star Wars trilogy, and Gracie had expressed a desire to be Princess Leia for Halloween - although she did not want the braids on the side of her head. We tried to tell her that was what made a Princess Leia costume, but she was having none of it. Then this morning (the day before Halloween, she changed her mind. She wanted to be a fox. Normally I would not entertain a change of costume at this late juncture, but since I had done nothing to get a Leia costume together, (and I really thought a fox would be easier) I acquiesced. I gathered the required supplies that afternoon: </div>
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And voila! A fox is born! I asked her if she was prepared for everyone to ask her, "<a href="http://youtu.be/jofNR_WkoCE" target="_blank">What does the fox say?</a>" all night, and she assured me she was, and even did a song and dance for me, but she pretty flatly refused once we were at trunk or treat. <br />
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Maggie's original plan was to be a character from one of her many self-authored short stories, but when I asked her what that costume would look like, it was suspiciously like what she had worn to school that day, with a name tag that says, "Hello, my name is Pippa O'Ryan". I told her that was fine, but that she might get some folks who wouldn't want to give her candy if she looked like a teen-ager that hadn't bothered to get dressed up in a costume. After some thought, she went as this: </div>
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And no, she wasn't Hermione - she was a Hufflepuff disguised by Polyjuice Potion as a Griffindor! </div>
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Ah, my little ghouls are growing up! </div>
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First we went to our church's trunk-or-treat, where Maggie helped man the booth her Sunday School group had put together (Sesame Street Theme!) </div>
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Gracie ran across a friend from school dressed as Si - </div>
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And they tried their hand at the games of skill: </div>
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STRIKE!<br />
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Whoda thunk that Uncle Si could hula-hoop?<br />
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Once we got home Gracie realized she hadn't painted her face, so we got her all dolled up:<br />
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And then we joined our neighbors for our annual romp around the neighborhood!</div>
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We only covered two streets, but the girls still had a candy haul that should keep them sugared up until Easter. </div>
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As long as mommy doesn't find the candy stash! Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-79182439519763136072013-11-06T08:00:00.000-06:002013-11-06T08:00:02.939-06:00Yellow Rose Goat Show 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The girls and I traveled a few weekends ago to Denison, Texas, for the second annual Yellow Rose of Texas Miniature Silky Fainting Goat Show. Once again, the girls were primarily responsible for showing goats, while my job was to photograph the winners. Last year the show was in November, which meant we drove in the dark to get to the show. This year we arrived before nightfall and got to enjoy the scenery on the way. The girls were impressed by Lake Texhoma's size. </div>
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The girls were excited to stay in the same hotel this year, especially Gracie, who remembered the pool with great fondness. Unfortunately, she forgot to pack a suit, and the only suits available at wally world were snow suits! This year the girls missed a day of school to come to the show, so Maggie worked diligently on her homework (plugged into her ever-present MP3 player) while Gracie settled in with a graphic novel. </div>
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The next morning we got up bright and early and headed to the barns where we had goats that needed to be beautified. We were not Nana and Granddad's only recruits - several friends were on hand to help as well. Here, Gracie and Bethany brush out Winter's Dream, a Sr. Doe:<br />
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Apparently they did a good job, as she won her third Grand Champion ribbon and is now a Master Champion. <br />
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Here Maggie uses her "goat whisperer" techniques to soothe Love Bug, another Sr. Doe. <br />
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While the girls were readying the goats, Granddad and I smoothed out the backdrop for the photos and covered some signs above with towels. Granddad wanted to be sure I had a subject for my test photos. </div>
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Pretty soon it was 9:00 and time to start the show. The littlest does go first. Here's Maggie with Gidget. </div>
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Each handler takes their goat and they walk around the arena, keeping the goat between themselves and the judge. The goats are judged on conformation, hair coat, how they walk, and how they look. Well, it's really way more complicated than that, but I didn't read the whole rule book. I'm just the photographer, after all. </div>
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Once the judges make their decisions, they line the goats up in order of placement and they talk about the qualities of each goat. Then they get their pretty ribbons if they win! <br />
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Here's Maggie with our first big winner of the day, Sanibel! She's a Reserve Grand Champion (2nd place) Junior Doe. <br />
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Only the big winners get their photo taken, so I have plenty of time to visit with the goats between awards. This was one of my favorite little goats, although he was too small to be a big winner at this show. He's still got time to grow though. I called him Mr. Bangs, although that wasn't his name. He was with a different breeder who was a first-time attender at this show. </div>
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He got good points for facial hair!<br />
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This buck reminded me of the goats in the story "The Billy Goats Gruff," because he just looks the part! He did very well based on his conformation, even though he wasn't as silky as some.<br />
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These are more what you expect to see when you see a full-grown Miniature Silky Fainting goat:<br />
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Both of these goats won Best of Show (there were four shows this weekend) and are in the running for Goat of the Year. Overall Randolph's Mini Hoof Farm did well at the show - we had plenty of ribbons to decorate our booth! <br />
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It rained pretty hard on Saturday, and I took some videos in the arena with the hope that there would be a big clap of thunder that would make all the goats faint and that I would have a viral video in the making, but no such luck! By the time things wrapped up on Saturday we were tuckered out and ready to head home. I I guess that's another successful goat show for the books!Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-10888123147068828762013-11-01T12:27:00.000-05:002013-11-01T12:27:04.844-05:00That's How I KnowAre you familiar with the Disney movie, Enchanted? I really enjoy that movie, with all its hidden references to other Disney movies, and how it pokes fun at all the princess silliness while still being fun itself. Anyway. . . On my last phone, I had a clip of the song, "That's How You Know" as my ringtone for Jerry. It talks about how you have to not take your special someone for granted, and show them that you really truly love them by the little things you do, "a little bit everyday" to show that you love them. So here's the little thing that told me this morning that my sweetie was thinking of me:<br />
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Our ceiling fan. Or as I like to call it, the evil kryptonite fan. Because if it's on, I can't get up. It has this mystical power over my body, and if it is on, I cannot bring myself to leave the warm cocoon of my covers where the breeze from the fan is waiting to chill me. Jerry gets up first though, and because he loves me, he slays the kryptonite beast so that I can emerge unscathed. He's my knight in shining armor! Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-25333306681353176092013-10-30T14:34:00.000-05:002013-10-30T14:34:48.984-05:00Suzy's Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Couple of DaysDo you ever have a week where you feel like you have it all together? Like everything is going right? <br />
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Me neither! <br />
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But last week. . .<br />
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Oh, LAST WEEK. <br />
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Last week I had it together even less than I usually do. <br />
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Last week I was headed down a path that could have made me the poster child for depression. <br />
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I crawled back into bed after Jerry was at work and the girls were off to school. I was sure no one would miss me, and I was having me a big-time pity party because no one "needs" me anymore. They can all pretty much tie their own shoes and wipe their own noses and keep up with their own stuff. ( . . or at least they could if they wanted to, which is a whole different post.) <br />
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And my circumstances were ripe for pity. <br />
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My laptop crashed. <br />
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My (new) dishwasher suffered a plastic item meltdown that threatened a major repair.<br />
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And for bonus points:<br />
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I dropped my cell phone in the toilet. <br />
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So I spent a morning hiding from life under the covers. <br />
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But then! <br />
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I remembered that I had a successful backup of my laptop the day before it crashed, and another one from the evening I had gotten back from my scrapbooking crop (whew!)<br />
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Jerry managed to scrape off all the plastic and the horrible, horrible smell is slowly leaving the dishwasher.<br />
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And my cell phone is still working (and has been disinfected.) <br />
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And even though my kiddos may not need the level of care that they once did, they still need me. Even when they act like they don't. I just have to remember that this a marathon, not a sprint, and the race is to be run with endurance. <br />
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So thank you to my friends who helped pull me out of my funk, and thank you, Jesus, for your never-ending mercies that are new every morning. Now I am looking forward to today, and whatever character-building things it brings.<br />
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<br />Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-33623083340274769772013-10-22T08:00:00.001-05:002013-10-22T08:00:27.103-05:00The Big PictureYou know and I know that there have been quite some large gaps in my posting schedule (ha, ha, ha-ha-ha - "schedule" - as if. . .) for quite see time now. Yes, summer was busy, just like always, and I have been trying to get all my ducks in a row to be able to get a job, but that just hasn't panned out the way I envisioned. And if I am honest with myself, that is one of the reasons I have not posted. It is quite a downer to not be able to find a job after investing so much time to change fields. This season has been, and still is, an object lesson in waiting on God's timing in my life. <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">And it is hard for me. Partly because I had such a vivid picture in my mind of how this was going to work out. And it has not turned out that way at all. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">But. . .</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">God is sovereign. And while I am not where I though I would be, God is still moving me forward, on His timeline, and the picture that has emerged is still beautiful, even if it is not what I had in mind. And what I am learning is that there are many things that I now have time to do and notice that I would have missed if my plan was the ultimate plan. And so I am grateful to God for his plan, even if it takes me awhile to acknowledge it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-59712437148834087742013-08-31T22:45:00.000-05:002013-08-31T22:45:00.541-05:00Summer Is Over.Summer is over.<br />
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I can tell because I am at our traditional end of summer celebration - a Girl Scout recruitment event held at our local water park just before it closes.<br />
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Really, summer ended a couple of weeks ago with the official first day of school, but so far the girls are enjoying school, so the magic spell of summer has lingered.<br />
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It has been a busy summer, and my blog list is littered with barely-started posts that have been accumulating all summer. For instance, I spent two weeks at camp this year. I wanted to post about how different youth camp was from kids camp - and how old I felt as a sponsor. And invisible. It is good training, I suppose, for when I all the sudden become incredibly stupid and invisible to my own budding teenagers.<br />
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I started a post about the new ropes course at kids camp, and how cool the new zip line is, complete with video I had taken as I zipped down the line. Yes, that would have been an amazing post, if I hadn't accidentally hit the stop button on the video camera as pushed off the tower.<br />
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Pretty soon the inertia of not posting takes over, and it just gets harder to start one, much less finish it. Was anything significant enough this summer to go back and describe? When I think about how busy our summer was, it seems like there should be a lot to talk about, and yet my thoughts, just like this summer, are fleeting, and now poof. . .<br />
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They are gone. <br />
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If I ever manage to catch one, I'll let you know. In the meantime, it's back to school! <br />
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Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-89737463793194582162013-08-31T14:40:00.000-05:002013-08-31T14:40:35.754-05:00The End of The RoadIt's been a long road. <br />
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It started in October of 1999, and ended today. <br />
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It lasted 163,469 miles. <br />
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I sold my van today. <br />
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Actually, I sold it twice yesterday. But today it's gone. <br />
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Jerry and I had been thinking about replacing the van (named "Fern" by my children) for some time, because, quite frankly, she had been getting on our nerves. The motors on the rear windows went out some time ago - a $1200 fix that we weren't keen to make, so we just kept them shut. Then the motor on the automatic door stopped closing the door, another $3200 annoyance that it just didn't make sense to repair on a van that old. Still, the van kept on going, and so did we. I had the van appraised for a trade-in, and it came in at only $1500, so I decided that I would just keep on going until Maggie got her driver's license. <br />
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But then. . .<br />
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I got in tangle with a truck. On Gracie's birthday. By the grace of God, we didn't leave the roadway, and none of us were hurt, but the doors on the driver's side were a bit crunched. Not so crunched that the van was totaled, or the doors weren't functional, but crunched none-the-less. <br />
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So, rather than repair Fern, with all her "quirks", we took the repair money and I found a new vehicle. We didn't trade in the van, because after the accident, her trade-in value plummeted to $250. I found a website that would buy cars for scrap, and so yesterday, I arranged for them to come and pick up the van. Jerry and I went and had the title notarized to get ready. Before they could get there though, my ex-yard-guy rang the doorbell and asked if he could buy the van. I went and pointed out all the little annoyances that might change his mind, but he was still interested, so I cancelled the pickup from the auction house, and we sold it to him instead. He and his family came and got her this afternoon. <br />
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So today, I got to wave goodbye to Fern, knowing she was destined to carry gear for picnics and bike rides for another family, and would not (immediately) be crushed and melted. <br />
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So here's to Fern, and to a good ride! Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-60809718131184205042013-07-30T15:20:00.000-05:002013-07-30T15:20:45.115-05:00I'm Certified!My dad had two sisters, Suzanne and Jane. I take after both of them - I have Suzanne's name (and hopefully some of her gentle spirit) and I'm following in Jane's footsteps by becoming a librarian. Jane lived nearby when we were growing up, and we always spent at least two weeks out of the year at her house with all the cousins. Before the week was out, we'd be "driving her crazy," but in a good way. She said it so often that, when I was a teen, I purchased a key chain for her from a shop at Six Flags - a brass tag that says, "Certified Crazy Person". After Jane passed away, we found the key chain in her desk with all her loyalty cards on it, and David and Christopher were kind enough to let me keep it. <br />
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Well, I may not be a certified crazy person quite yet, but I'm getting closer to being like my Aunt Jane - I got my letter in the mail saying I have successfully jumped through all the hoops to become an alternatively certified teacher in the state of Oklahoma! I have an official teacher number and everything (which I have already updated all my applications with.)<br />
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Still no leads on the job front. Pretty much everything I've applied for has been filled. At least on the last one, I got a form letter from a real person, and not just an automatic notification from the online employment system to tell me that the position had been filled. That's a step up, right? <br />
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In order to move to a regular teaching certificate (from provisional) I have to either complete 12 credit hours of education courses at the college level or complete 180 hours of professional development over the next three years. In my mind I was going to do the professional development, since in my head there would be no problem finding a job. Given the current situation, I've begun to explore taking a class next semester to get started on my hours. So far I've found one in Developmental Psychology that's offered as a night class, but the lady I need to talk to is out of town. We will see what happens next. I'd only have to take four courses in the next three years, so there's no big hurry. <br />
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While it has been discouraging to not get called for interviews, I'm sure that God's plan is in motion, and there's a reason for it. As we get closer to the start of school and Gracie gets more anxious about middle school, I think more and more that it is a good thing that I will be at home and not at a job every day. My challenge is to look ahead at the step that God is illuminating next, and not to be so determined to see the entire path. I've got to remember that one step is all I need. <br />
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<i><span class="text Ps-119-105" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">Your word is a lamp for my feet<span class="crossreference" style="font-size: 0.65em; font-weight: bold; vertical-align: top;" value="(<a href="#cen-HCSB-16004A" title="See cross-reference A">A</a>)"></span></span><br style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;" /><span class="text Ps-119-105" style="background-color: white; font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; position: relative;">and a light on my path. --Psalm 119:105</span></i>Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-24480221603647568372013-07-19T09:00:00.000-05:002013-07-19T09:00:07.387-05:00Every Which WayOne of the reasons I feel like this summer is going by so quickly is because everyone is going in different directions. After our vacation we had a week of downtime (and swim team practice) and we were off again. This time we split up. The girls went to Grandma's house with their cousin Carissa for a girls only Princess week. They painted nails went swimming, and had a shop 'till they drop day. One of the highlights was going to the Goodwill store and each picking out an outfit. Maggie made sure to let me know that Gracie picked out a dress that I would never in a million years have let her buy at the department store. I agreed as it was a rather fancy party dress that would have been too expensive for something that would not get worn often, but I told here that for $5, I didn't mind at all. We may be hitting our Goodwill store a bit more often now!<br />
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While the girls were princess-ing, the boys (Jerry, my brother-in-law Brad, and nephew Will) joined Granddaddy and some of his compradres for a guys-only weekend at Lake Eufala. They had rented a houseboat for the week, and were having fun fishing, swimming, and kayaking. <br />
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Meanwhile, my sister and my good friend from college joined me in OKC for a scrapbooking retreat weekend. We scrapped for four days, taking breaks to go eat and to even do a bit of sightseeing. We went to Pop's on Route 66 for lunch on Saturday, but the wait for a table was 45 minutes, and we didn't want to lose that much scrapping time, so we just got a unique soda pop apiece and went elsewhere to eat. Amy and I were both still working on baby girl albums, and we both finished! I still have a bit of journaling left to do, but this marks the completion of my last traditional album. From here on out, it's digital, baby! I can hardly wait to reclaim my closet space! Of course, a bigger hard drive is probably in my near future. . . <br />
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When our scrap retreat was over Amy and I headed to Texas to retrieve our princesses and my dog. I didn't want to board Oreo while we went on vacation, so she had gone to visit Nana and Granddad's farm for three weeks. I wasn't sure she would want to come home after three weeks of chasing squirrels, goats, and deer, but when we pulled up and she realized it was us, she hopped right up into her seat in the van and looked at us like, "Let's go!" I guess there really is no place like home, even for dogs!<br />
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Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-90611422568456494812013-07-18T09:00:00.000-05:002013-07-18T09:00:03.879-05:00A Magical Harry Potter, Dreamy Disney VacationWhat happened to my summer? <br />
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It was right here yesterday. . . endless weeks of nothingness on the horizon with zero commitments and activities.<br />
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Oh yeah, that was in my dreams!<br />
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My summer has been busy. Busier than usual, I think. Part of this is that the girls are no longer in the same age-level activities at church (youth vs. children), but I'll get to that later. <br />
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We kicked off the summer properly, with a week of nothing, followed by a week of swim team practice. Mind you, the summer weather had not gotten a strong start, with several nights in the 40's the week before, so that first jump in the pool was a shocker for the girls.<br />
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The next week was our long-awaited trip to Florida and the Bahamas. We were excited to be on the way, but we got stuck in Baltimore for five hours while our plane had a "mechanical delay." Something hydraulic. Not a comforting thought. We finally made it to our hotel around 10:30, grabbed a to-go dinner at the only hotel restaurant open, and crashed. Nothing like sleep-deprived teens to make your vacation cheery, right?<br />
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We managed to get up early the next morning despite our late night because one of the perks of staying at our on-property hotel was that we got into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter an hour before the general public, and we were not going to miss a single Harry Potter moment! When we got to the gates of Hogsmeade, we were not disappointed - at least I wasn't - I was so overcome I cried!<br />
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We rode the rides and looked at the stores, and tried our first Butterbeer and Pumpkin juice. Maggie liked the regular Butterbeer, Jerry, Gracie, and I preferred the frozen. We all agreed that the pumpkin juice was not to our liking.<br />
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By that time the park was packed, and our lack of sleep was beginning to show, so we headed back to the hotel for a nap, and then hit the other park (Universal Orlando) and the Hard Rock Cafe for dinner. Gracie and I looked at the Elvis room, and saw a section of the Berlin Wall out back, and had fun playing with their digital catalog of all the items Hard Rock owns. It was a full wall touch-screen that worked like something you see on "home of the future" videos. Glitchy, but cool nonetheless.<br />
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The next morning we again headed to Hogsmeade, where Maggie was convinced to ride her first inversion roller coaster - the red side of the dragon challenge. She liked it so much, that we rode the blue side next!<br />
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We zipped into Ollivander's wand shop for a second time, and this time Gracie was picked to have a wand choose her. It was so fun to hear the music just like in the movie, and watch her hair fly up when she held "her" wand. I wish that we could have taken a picture, but no cameras were allowed. We continued riding rides and shopping until the general public showed up, when we slipped into the Three Broomsticks for breakfast (another perk of staying on-property!)<br />
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After breakfast we proceeded to explore the rest of the Islands of Adventure theme park. Maggie, Jerry, and I rode the Hulk roller coaster, which was an intense experience. Gracie and Maggie wanted to ride the water rides, so they and Jerry went on the three wet rides while I held their stuff in dry comfort.<br />
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There were three water rides - wet, wetter, and wettest. By the time they were finished, they were soaked (especially Jerry!), so we headed back to the hotel, where we planned to take a swim, dry off and change, and then head back to Universal Orlando to ride some things we missed the day before. When we headed back out of our hotel room, however, there was a monsoon going on! It seriously looked like a hurricane out there, with sideways driving rain and large potted plants and patio furniture blowing about. The lobby of our wing of the hotel was rapidly becoming flooded because the automatic doors couldn't shut against the wind and rain. Unfortunately, there was no protected walkway to the main lobby, so we were stuck until an employee arrived and took us through the service hallways to a patio that was connected to the main lobby. We ate an early dinner, and just had some down time. All the poor people that were at the park when the storm hit came in looking rather bedraggled in the evening - I'm glad we were at the hotel!<br />
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We had three-day park passes, and our intent was to use that third day on the day of our arrival, but that didn't work out thanks to our airline delay, so on the third day of our stay we packed up early and headed back to Hogsmeade for a mere hour before heading back to our hotel to meet our car and head to Port Canaveral for our cruise departure. We stopped on the way to get a 12-pack of water, which was a tip that I had read online. It was a good one - when we got on the ship you could get a 12-pack for a embarkation day special of only $27!!! Yikes! I'm pretty sure our 12-pack was $3.99. The only thing was that we had to haul it around for a couple of hours until our room was ready. Next time, we'll bring a rolling duffle for the water!<br />
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We had lunch, and then it was time for our room to be ready, so we headed that way. Our bags arrived shortly, and we got all settled in. The room was well thought out, with lots of storage. Definitely the nicest cabin I've ever had on a ship!<br />
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They had a setting sail party on deck, with all the super-peppy entertainment staff and characters defying the heat and humidity with a bouncy going-away dance as we sailed past Cape Canaveral and the Florida coastline. </div>
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We had the early seating for dinner (probably the one thing we would change if we go again) so we headed that way. We met our servers, Alexander and Guillaume, from France. They charmed the girls with a puzzle each night, and the girls also met some similarly-aged girls at the next table, so we were off to a good start.<br />
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After dinner Jerry and I wanted to see the stage show, but the girls wanted to try out the water-coaster, so we separated and each went off to do our own thing. It was a little odd at first, but I got used to it quickly!<br />
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The first day we docked at Nassau, where we had booked a Dolphin Encounter at the Blue Lagoon. We had a great time meeting our dolphin.<br />
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Gracie shocked all the grandparents when we got home by telling them that she had had her first kiss on the lips on this vacation. . . with a dolphin!<br />
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After meeting our dolphin we spent the rest of our day at the beach. We had a great time, until Jerry realized his wedding ring wasn't on his finger anymore! We looked at pictures and he had it on at the dolphin encounter, so we figured it was somewhere on the bottom of the lagoon. The staff loaned him a snorkel and mask, and even called a guy with a metal detector, but all they found was an old-style pop top ring from a soda can. He was bummed. Later that night, I said something about sunscreen, and all the sudden he remembered - he had taken off his ring when he put on sunscreen! We dug through the bag, and there it was, in the Ziploc bag with the sunscreen. Whew! After that we locked his ring in the safe for shore excursions!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jerry on the beach at the Blue Lagoon</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My view at the Blue Lagoon :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leaving Nassau</td></tr>
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The second day was at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. We fed and swam with stingrays there, and then snorkeled and played on the beach until lunchtime, then went on a snorkel cruise to a reef. It was super, super nice. Everything is charged back to your room, so there's no need to worry about cash or valuables on the beach, all refreshments are included, and it was so, so clean! All the beauty of a Caribbean vacation with none of the worries.<br />
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<span style="text-align: center;">The third day was at sea, so we slept in (the girls even missed breakfast!) and played on the water coaster and in the pool. </span><br />
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Gracie and I saw the live show after dinner, while Jerry and Maggie went to the movies. I played bingo, and we all shopped for t-shirts and souvenirs. We had to have our bags packed and outside the door by 10:30, so it was a bit of an early night. The kids and Jerry went to bed, but I wanted to take the opportunity to take some photos, so I prowled around the ship for another hour. It was kind of weird - you know there are almost 7000 people on the ship, but no one was out and about - it was deserted! A bit spooky, really!<br />
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The next morning we docked as we ate breakfast, and then it was off the ship, on the plane, and back home. Gracie loved the cruise - the morning we got off the ship she gave me a big hug and said, "This was the best vacation ever! When can we do it again?!" Her favorite part was swimming with the stingrays. Maggie had an awesome time, but her favorite part was the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Jerry's favorite part was the beach, as always. I loved both parts of the trip - one part for adventure and one part for relaxing. It was an incredible vacation, and our Disney Cruise will be hard to beat! </div>
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Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-23930485298925028022013-07-17T09:00:00.000-05:002013-07-17T09:00:02.554-05:00Nemesis No MoreWell, in case you were worried, I did manage to get my new sink installed. After a few <br />
phone calls to the store where I purchased my sink, they managed to get some countertop <br />
guys out. The chiseled out the old sink and then resurfaced my whole countertop. The next <br />
day the sink installers were back to put in the new sink. It's really lovely! I can set <br />
things down and they don't fall over, my big skillet lies almost flat with the short <br />
divider, and the sink seems much larger thanks to narrower edges on the side. In short, <br />
it's everything I dreamed it would be. It's nice to have a happy ending every once in <br />
awhile. Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-84215690013087796552013-07-16T09:00:00.000-05:002013-07-16T09:00:00.111-05:00Long Time, no Post!I know I have not been posting often lately, but so many things have been happening around here that have been big enough to be actual news, that my life seems pretty trivial in comparison. Still, I know you don't read my blog for the national news, so I suppose I shouldn't let that stop me!<br />
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First, thanks to all of you who have inquired of our well-being during the severe weather. The closest tornado to us was about a mile north, and it was not a big one, but we still got into our storm shelter. The devastation in Moore and El Reno is horrible, and as bad as the pictures on the news are, it doesn't compare to seeing it in person. We decided to volunteer over Memorial Day weekend, but we wanted to volunteer as a family and not go into the actual damaged area because we thought it would be too overwhelming for the girls. We decided to volunteer with the salvation army, but when we got there we found out the kids had to be 18 or over to volunteer, so only Jerry and I could help out in that endeavor. That was a bit disappointing for the girls, because they like to help. As Maggie said after a different ministry opportunity with our church, "It feels good to help people!" Jerry and I helped all afternoon, and it was an amazing, although exhausting, experience. <br />
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On the job front, I am almost done with alternative certification. I passed my teacher exams with flying colors, and made it past the Teacher Competency Review Panel with a recommendation to the board of Education to issue me a certificate. Now I am just waiting for them to do so at the next state Board of Education meeting, scheduled for the 25th. <br />
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I'll update you on what else has been happening in the next few posts. . . I promise!Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-66407962324664246112013-05-24T14:58:00.000-05:002013-05-24T14:58:08.550-05:00My NemesisToday was the day I was finally going to conquer my nemesis, the Kitchen Sink. <br />
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"The kitchen sink?" you may wonder. <br />
<br />
Yes, the Kitchen Sink. From the first moment I fixed our first dinner when we moved into this house almost five years ago, I have hated this sink. <br />
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Yes, yes, I know - I hear Aunt Jane's voice in the back of my head, "We don't <b>hate</b>, we <i>intensely dislike</i>." Well, guess what? I'm making an exception for this sink. Why? Because it has a rounded bottom. What this means is that whenever you set a glass or similar object in the sink, it falls over. Whoever thought this was a good feature for a kitchen sink should be taken out behind the woodshed and given 1,726 swats with a wet noodle (one for each time something has fallen over in my sink.) <br />
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You may think I'm over-reacting, but others have reached the same conclusion. My father-in-law seemed to think I was overly-emotional about my sink. . . until they came and stayed for a week with my girls while Jerry and I went out of town. Upon our return, the first thing he said to me was, "You are right - that sink is terrible. Buy a new one." <br />
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So, finally, five years later, I have bought a new sink. A lovely Kohler, cast-iron enameled sink with the "Smart-Divide" feature. When I got it home I opened the box, took a glass and made sure it would stand up and not fall over in the new sink. It passed with flying colors! I could hardly wait for the installers to arrive!<br />
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Last night I removed all the cleaning products that have been multiplying under my sink for the last five years. Today the installers arrived, and after much effort, informed me that they cannot remove the old sink. They were surprised, as in the last 20 years of installing sinks, they have never, as in NOT EVER, had a sink they couldn't remove. <br />
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But then. . .<br />
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There's MY sink. My nemesis. I'm beginning to think the only way I'll ever be rid of the sink is to move. <br />
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(*Sigh*)<br />
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So, they hooked the old sink/faucet/disposer back up and left, crappy sink intact. I'm waiting to hear from the countertop folks to see if they can figure out some way to dislodge the sink without ruining the countertops. If not, I guess I'll have to save up for new countertops if I ever want to get rid of the sink. <br />
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Well played, Evil Sink, well played. <br />
<br />Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-7541616032883613032013-04-23T21:34:00.000-05:002013-04-23T21:34:18.165-05:00Shaking My HeadToday has turned out to be exhausting. It didn't start out that way. This morning I read this, and I laughed: <div>
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<a href="http://www.jonacuff.com/stuffchristianslike/2013/04/do-you-speak-christianese/" target="_blank">Do you speak Christianese?</a></div>
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I laughed because I know people who talk like this. I mean, I do live in the buckle area of the Bible belt after all. In fact, our town might be the hole that the buckle prong goes through. And while I may laugh at this article poking fun at Christian-ese, I do believe in the ideas that these sayings are trying to convey. </div>
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But I haven't always lived here. I've lived in more liberal states as well, where you couldn't take it for granted that the people around you were Christian. One of our previous neighborhoods included Baptists, Mormons, Adventists, Native Americans, Buddhists Atheists, and Agnostics, and yet we all managed to get along and even be quite friendly with everyone. </div>
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But that was before Facebook. </div>
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Now, I regularly have days like today, that leave me shaking my head. </div>
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I have all sorts of friends on Facebook. White friends, black friends, Christian friends, Jewish friends, straight friends, gay friends, highly educated friends, friends that didn't graduate high school, conservative friends, liberal friends, and somewhere-in-between friends. Lots of different types of friends. And they all have something to say. And I agree that everyone should have the freedom to think and to say what they want to. But as in so many life circumstances, just because you can. . doesn't mean you should. At the very least, you should give some consideration to how you say it. </div>
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Today someone posted something that demonstrated a position that they apparently vehemently disagreed with - the teaching of creationism in private school - with the intro, "<span style="background-color: white; color: #37404e; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Lordy Lordy... Any of my bible-thumping friends care to chime in on this one?" </span></div>
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And because my day had worn me a bit ragged I dashed off a reply. Luckily for me, I did not press enter before I gave the matter further consideration. Not because my reply wasn't valid (because it was) and not because I disagreed with their point of view (even though there are points on which I do), but because I didn't want to add fuel to the fire. I remembered: </div>
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"If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." -Romans 12:17-19</div>
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And starting a flaming war on Facebook didn't seem like the best way to do that.</div>
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But "friends", when you call me names that you obviously mean as derogatory or condemn me for a point of view without taking the time to find out what is in my heart, you are not treating me as a friend, so please don't expect me to stick around. You are obviously not interested in my opinions - you just want confirmation of your own. And while I will defend your right to that opinion, I will also defend my right to mine. </div>
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So here's my plea. Before you post, THINK. </div>
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And if it isn't, perhaps think again? </div>
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Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-531822594636256393.post-13410424753429810602013-03-03T20:21:00.000-06:002013-03-03T20:21:16.069-06:00Back To Work! Things are progressing on the employment front. I turned in my application for the Alternative Certification program, even though I didn't have ALL my transcripts, because the lady at the Department of Education said that even an incomplete packet would hold my spot in the queue, which can get quite lengthy as teachers-to-be graduate in the spring. <br />
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In the meantime, I decided it would be wise to get a foot in the door by becoming a substitute for our local school district. I attended an orientation on a snowy Tuesday, filled out the paperwork, and saw that they also needed transcripts (*groan*) and fingerprints. I turned in everything but those two, and then headed to the state capitol complex to find the Department of Education to be fingerprinted. It was a nice day, which was good, because I ended up doing a lot of walking! The good news is, now I know where it is, so when I have to go back for all the alternative certification stuff, I know exactly where to go! Once I was done with that, it was a waiting game. <br />
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First I got my transcripts! With a little inside help, (Thanks DBC!) my transcript finally got somewhat corrected. Let's just say that at the end of it, I have the right degree, and I suppose that's good enough! I'll send those in to the right people on Monday. <br />
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Next, I made it through the background check, and became an approved substitute on Tuesday! I promptly went online to look at all the available jobs, but the thought of accepting one just about made me nauseous - what if I ended up being no good at this? I expressed my feelings about this to a couple of teacher friends, and got one answer of reassurance that I would do great, and one answer that subbing was way harder than teaching, and that I shouldn't let subbing change my feelings about teaching. Which is all good, but it didn't make me feel better about subbing at that moment! <br />
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I finally grabbed the bull by the horns and chose an assignment. I would be an elementary music teacher! The next day came, and I got dressed in something besides yoga pants for the first time in a long time, and away I went. I taught all levels that day, and found that I prefer the 2nd - 5th grade age. The younger ones are just very, very wiggly! <br />
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The next day Maggie had a well-child appointment in the afternoon, so I wasn't planning on subbing, but then a morning-only position for an elementary librarian popped up, and I couldn't resist! I accepted the job, and then went be-bopping down the hallway, bouncing up and down with excitement, into the bathroom where Gracie was brushing her hair. "I get to be a librarian today!" I crowed. <br />
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"Oooookay, Mom," she replied, watching me bounce up and down. I guess it wasn't as exciting for her as it was for me. I was over the moon. That day an older student came in and asked a question, and I explained that she was looking for a specific type of book, and those would be found over here in this section. . . As we walked over there, she looked at me and said, "Have you worked here before?" and I said, "No, but <i>I'm</i> a <i>librarian</i>!" I'm such a dork. But a happy dork! <br />
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The next day I taught Spanish. While I know enough to be comfortable with teaching first semester elementary Spanish, I obviously am not fluent in any way, shape, or form. That's okay because the teacher assumes that you won't know Spanish. Instead of teaching something myself, I presented a video with an accompanying worksheet. The video was of Juana the Iguana, which is the Spanish answer to Barney the Dinosaur. Here's a sample:<br />
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I got to watch the video six times that day! How lucky am I? <br />
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One of the most memorable parts of the day was during the fourth class. When I walked in the teacher said that she hoped that I knew how to work the VCR because she'd NEVER USED ONE. Hmmm. Does that make me old, or does that make her young? I assured her that I did, and then the VCR <b>ate the tape</b>! We got another VCR that worked, and I was able to re-spool the tape into the cassette, so we were okay. I wonder if Juana the Iguana comes on DVD? <br />
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At the end of the week, I was tired - especially my feet, which haven't stood for that length of time in a long, long time, and have definitely have not spent that much time in dress shoes in the last 13 years. So far, I'm having fun, and it's great to be out there working, earning a paycheck again, even if it is ever so small. I can hardly wait to see what next week brings!Suzyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10101312809310806098noreply@blogger.com0