Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween

Well the day has arrived. School was buzzing with excitement and anticipation of the days events. All the K-3 students went on a walk up town to parade around in their costumes. Several of the Main Street merchants were kind enough to hand out candy (not that the kids needed a jump start on their sugar consumption or anything). Unfortunately I wasn't quite in the mood to join in in the celebration. But I did see several interesting and elaborate costumes.....I wish I had their imagination when it comes to costumes. I think one of my New Year's resolutions will be to dress up for Halloween....and actually start on my costume several months in advance so there's no excuse.

Anyway, tomorrow will be quite interesting. All the kids will have sugar hangovers. My sister does a clever thing with her kids. She lets them eat all the candy they want on Halloween night and then takes the candy away. This might seem a little extreme, but they usually eat enough candy to make them sick enough that they really don't want anymore for a long while. Then my sister has control over the rest and can dish it out sparingly.

One more thing....I dyed my husband's hair blonde last night. His hair is normally a very dark brown, but now it is oh so blonde! He still looks totally adorable though! I'm hoping he'll grow it out and not dye it back. We'll see!

Happy Halloween!

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Rocky Path

Today started and ended a little rocky. My GATE matrix isn't working out and it's frustrating me. I gave it to my husband so he can take a look at it and help me out. Thank goodness he's amazing at math! The CELDT isn't finished yet and it has to be picked up at the end of next week....I'm just not feeling very peppy...no matter how much coffee I drink. TTFN.

Monday, October 29, 2007

Halloween Candy

First things first though, my husband is back at home. Yes, I know he was only gone for 24 hours, but it sure seemed a lot longer than that. He had a good time at the game even though the 49ers got crushed.

Anyway, as Halloween is looming so is the candy that comes along with it. We bought ours about a week ago and I have been pretty darn good about not eating it......especially since we bought all the kinds I like....Butterfinger, Snickers, Milky Way, Twix, etc. But I'm growing weaker by the hour. I brought some to work and that was a mistake because as I left work I had a piece of candy in each coat pocket, plus a small cup of Reeses Pieces and M&M's. However, I only had a couple Reeses and M&M's and 1 of the candies in my pocket. I really should have eaten the other half of my apple like I had planned, but I was pretty hungry and when that happens I usually don't make the best food choices. I should have eaten more at lunch today to avoid this situation....I'll know better tomorrow.

Thank for reading!

Sunday, October 28, 2007

They've all gone

It's so lonely in my house today. Everyone left this morning....and I mean everyone. My husband took off about 5:30am to head down to the 49er game with his friend. Then J, K, and B-Man left a little after 7:30am. Being alone in the house knowing Dennis won't be home till tomorrow feels totally different than just waiting for him to get off work. So I've been busying myself with our typical Sunday routine.

In the meantime, I've been kinda watching the 49er game that Dennis is at hoping I might just see him....even though I have no clue where they are sitting. It looks like they have pretty decent weather in San Fran today. I may just have to turn the channel though. I really don't like football and I watched quite a bit of it yesterday. Maybe I'll go watch a chick flick! Or more SATC! But first I must rotate and fold the laundry. Wish me luck!

Saturday, October 27, 2007

The Zoo

Checking out the Monkeys with Uncle DennisThose are weird looking birds Aunt Cindy!Smile for the camera!

We had a brief moment of sunshine today before the clouds took over again. Fortunately, the sun was shining during Brady's first visit to the zoo. I think we had more fun watching him watch the animals rather than looking at them ourselves. We observed the monkeys, bear, flamingos, goats, and several other animals. It's not your typical zoo. We really don't have the climate or space for a big city type zoo, but they try their best. We can't wait to take him back when he gets older.

Before the zoo (and the sunshine) we took everyone to the farmer's market. Brady was so good the whole time....he just chilled out in his stroller while we walked around. Then his uncle decided he needed a pumpkin. We found the perfect one and I think Brady likes it too.

Good Morning

Good morning y'all! Yes, I know it is a shock to most of you that I am up at this hour but I couldn't sleep last night. Plus, I'm all excited waiting for Brady to wake up. Once everyone's up at at 'em, all be making their choice of pancakes: plain, chocolate chip, or toasted pecans with banana.

It looks like it's going to be a nice day today. Only a few wispy clouds in the sky. And now to make your day even brighter....here are a few pictures of the Brady Man!

Friday, October 26, 2007

He's here!!!

Brady's here! They came over a few hours early than expected so they saw me making the surprise birthday cake for Jonathan. It was still in the beginning stages, so I was able to hid the development from then on out. The cake turned out pretty good. A little too much frosting (yes, I know it was a shock to me too) and I realize I need to practice handwriting on cakes. My writing looked pretty shaky.

Anyway, Brady is getting so big! He can wave hello and he's interacting with his toys and people. Plus, he can crawl!!!....pretty fast too!!!! It's been so much fun playing with him and crawling around on the floor with him. J, K, and B are staying in our second bedroom and today we put up sea life decorations. We got them several months ago and finally put them up today. The room is really cute now...it'll make a cute nursery when that time comes. I'll see if I can put up a picture of it within the next few days.

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Brady's on his way!

Just got word an hour ago that Brady (and family...after all, he can't drive yet) will be heading out this weekend. Very exciting! I really hope the weather holds up. Their from a much warmer climate so our weather will be a shock to their system. We do have a chance for some sun, so I'll keep my fingers crossed.

I've been watching a show on Showtime called Californication with David Duchovny. There is only 1 more episode left and I'm totally bummed. At first I wasn't quite sure about it, but now I'm loving it! I've seen him in so many episodes of the X-Files and it's nice to see him as a completely different character. Plus, Harry from Sex and the City is in it. I also think his character's secretary was also on Sex and the City. The episode where Carrie sees Big in the Hamptons with "The ugly stick figure with no soul"---a.k.a. Natasha....She was the chick who followed Carrie around and wanted her to help her write a book.......but wait let me check on that........I WAS RIGHT! Her name was Laurel in that episode. Thank you Internet Movie Database! Her character on Californication is completely opposite of the one she played on SATC. I totally knew that was her! Sweet!

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

I have a business card!

My school ordered business cards for all the teachers...and I got mine yesterday!!! I was so excited I squealed and then jumped up and down. I've never had a business card before! I feel so professional!

Well, the weather has turned cold today. The past two days were very very warm and today was pretty chilly. Even my cat has noticed, which is why he is standing on my lap and leaning against me while I write this. He's making it a little difficult to type, but it's better than having him meow his head off (which he normally does if I don't pay attention to him). We got him from a shelter because his owners had abandoned him as a kitten. I think he needs some therapy to work out some of his issues. I have never heard a cat meow as much as he does.....and it's not just a quiet soft meow...sometimes it's almost ear piercing. His meowing has rubbed off on Big Kitty too. She use to be as quiet as a mouse, but now she meows too for no apparent reason. Cat's are so funny. Unfortunately, my husband is oh so very allergic to them. I think when their nine lives are over, we won't be getting anymore so my husband will be able to breath normally again.

It's minestrone tonight for dinner. Not my husband's favorite, but it's warm and I'll have leftovers for tomorrow. Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

Funny thing....

A funny thing happened today at school. But first the not so funny thing.

My first class in the morning is a group of 4th graders. Today we were working on the rules for dividing by 0's and 1's. I started off by telling them that dividing by 0's and 1's is one of my favorite things (I over exaggerated of course)! In the middle of my lesson, the principal walked in and my heart practically jumped out of my chest and I felt I had tried to swallow a handful of cotton balls. Anyway, he jumped in and posed the question "Well, what is 0 divided by 0?" Good freaking question! He totally caught me off guard and unfortunately, I didn't know the answer right off the bat and I had to think about it....so I began thinking about it out loud (which isn't a great thing when your principal and/or students are present). I started to think that the answer was 0, but that just didn't make sense....I think my principal noticed my contemplation and piped in that it can't be done just like you can't divide 5 by 0. Then he left. That scene will haunt me for quite some time. I felt so silly for not knowing the answer right away. Arg!....yes I've turned into a pirate.

Now for the funny thing....

When he left, I resumed my normal state of excitement about what we were working on. After we were finished, I had the following conversation with one of my students:

"Mrs. Taylor, why are you so hyper?"
Student laughter.
"Well, Sam, I had coffee this morning and dividing by 0's and 1's is really one of my favorite things."
More student laughter.
"Yeah, but Mrs. Taylor, what did you put IN your coffee?"
Even more student laughter and a bit of chuckling from myself.
"Well, I guess some people just refer to me as a 'Morning Person.' I'm always like this in the morning."

That conversation ensured me a wonderful day. Every time I thought about it, I just started laughing out loud. Good thing that only happened when I was in my room. Otherwise, people would start to think I was going crazy!

Monday, October 22, 2007

Retake? Or not to retake?

That is the question. Picture retakes are on Wednesday, and as much as I don't like my picture being taken, my current school pic has made me think otherwise.....it shows my wobbly bits. Plus there is this lame-o tree that we had to lean against. I know it'll be there again, but I'll be prepared this time. I haven't made up my mind for sure yet and I probably won't until the last minute.

So I've been feeling very scattered at work lately. I have so many programs and plus with this whole RtI thing I've been trying to provide the best intervention programs for my students as I can. But I feel that I'm lacking in this way. Dr. Feldman says that the moment you begin to bore over your current program...you keep going with it because that is best for the students. However, there does come a time where you just have to move on. I think I have hit that time. So I have taken another look at what I'm doing. I'm going to try and reinforce what is currently happening in the classroom rather than using a completely separate program. I was kinda doing that before, but I really think I need to align myself more with the classroom teacher. But what do I know? I am still so new to this profession, that I question myself all the time. The teachers I look up to are so seasoned and I hope one day I know half the stuff they do. This seasoning that I lack is so frustrating, specifically during student study teams and such. Maybe it's all just nerves or something, but when it comes time for me to add something to the conversation, I feel like the cat has got my tongue. It feels like nothing intelligent is coming out of my mouth. Today for instance, I just couldn't find the words to make my point. Then, while I'm talking, I realize this which starts to freak me out and I try to end my part of the conversation as soon as possible. I think I just need more time to process what I have to say. I'm much better than I use to be and I hope I can get over this in time.

Here's hoping your Monday was better than mine!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Do I have to go to work tomorrow?

I really need another day in this weekend. I'm not ready to go to work tomorrow. I'm so tired. Not sleepy tired...I just don't want to do anything except lay on the couch watching really bad TV. But given that it's 4pm, I have to start thinking about making dinner. Luckily, I already know what I'm making (Chicken Curry) and we totally dig it! No funky new recipe for us tonight!

So yesterday when we were grocery shopping, there was this little girl (around 18 months) screaming her head off.....I mean REALLY screaming. The mom, however, seemed not to notice this behavior....or if she did, she was doing a great job of ignoring it and I didn't even hear her talk to the daughter about her behavior. She just went along shopping. Anyway, I saw them later on in the store and the little girl was doing just fine.....until I saw them checking out. Again the girl was screaming and SCREAMING so loud, which made everyone turn around and stare at the little girl and her mom. I felt so bad for the mom because everyone just kept staring at them. Then (whether it was due to the screaming or the little girl hitting her head on her mom's shoulder over and over again) the little girl got a bloody nose. Yet this whole time (and even outside the store where you could hear her screaming several hundred yards away) the mom never said a word to the girl. Very, very odd. Later that afternoon, I kept on wondering what was going on there? Was the girl sick? Did she have some disability? Or was this a normal temper tantrum for the little girl? Whatever it was, the mom deserves some major props for staying so calm! I have never seen a child throw such a fit, especially in public!

I hope y'all had a great weekend. Let's hope by some miraculous miracle that we wake up and it's Sunday all over again (and all of our dishes, laundry, and cleaning are already done too!).

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Just Under the Wire

Today was a day for sleeping in, shopping, and watching movies. Last night we had rain so crazy it woke both me and my husband up. In fact, it was so hard I could even see it without my contacts in! Those of you that know me, know that's something.

It's much colder in the house now that we have cold weather moving in. This morning it was 61 degrees in the house. Not sure what it is now, but definitely chilly.

Well, gotta post this now to just get it in for today!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Christmas

Yes, I know it's not even Halloween yet, but I have to start thinking about Christmas projects. I'm really not sure what to do this year. I'm kinda out of ideas. I've done soap, scarves, pillow cases, and so on. I think I need a new Christmas gift book....or a new craft book. The ones I have are several years old and are not providing me with much inspiration. I think I'll make a trip to Michaels this weekend to check out what they have to offer. Wish me luck!

Today I didn't get up until my husband called me, which was around 10am! I was completely sound asleep when he called. I haven't been sleeping very well, so I really was thankful I could sleep in today. I ended up being somewhat productive though. I put away a whole bunch of movies we had lying around, cleaned the Cadillac, brushed the cats with the furminator, and....most importantly....cleaned our shower!!! It's all tile, which if you live on the coast, is your worst nightmare....especially in bathrooms. Anyway, it's all nice and clean now and doesn't have any questionable coloring in the nooks and crannies of the grout. Grout...such a funny word. Although, wonky is pretty funny too. It's one of Nancy's favorite words.

Happy Friday!

Thursday, October 18, 2007

GATE Meeting

Well, no one showed up! Yup, it's true. I was there (along with the principal) until about 7:30pm. However, we did a very GATE thing.....we hung art! We have around 40 art prints (the size of posters) in the cupboard in the teacher's lunch room. The principal found them as he was trying occupy himself while waiting for the parents. At first we only hung 2, but then we ended up hanging 9 posters. The first 3 on the right as you walk in are my favorite (because I know your going to drive all the way here to see my favorite ones).

During the 4 hours I was waiting for the meeting to start, I got a lot accomplished. I am about 95% finished rewriting out our GATE identification process. Next week sometime I hope to send out referral packets. I also planned for most of next week. Very cool.

Hasta pasta!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

November 11th

That is the day my baby brother is coming home from Iraq!!! I'm so excited he'll be out of that mess soon. He will be stationed in Colorado when he comes back. That is until the end of January when he gets out of the Army. But, he is going to try and take a week leave at the beginning of December. Only 25 days till he will be safe at home!

Work is crazy busy! I have so many things going on with all my different programs. Plus, tomorrow I have a GATE parent meeting. I'm totally nervous about it. This is only my second year in GATE and there is so much I don't know. I'm totally freaked out that I won't be able to answer parent questions or that they will be upset how the program is running. I wasn't happy with last years program at all, but this year is looking up. Last year I felt the same way about the meeting last year and it all went fine. It ended up that only 4 parents showed up and they were all so nice. We'll just wait and see how it goes. But the really sucky thing is that I have to stay at school until 7pm (all by my lonesome). Positive spin: I'll get a lot planned and organized during that time!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Totally Tubular Tuesday!

Today was a great day....hectic as ever, but I got a lot accomplished. I cemented the GATE parent meeting date in and sent out all the invitations. I also have time slots for 2 new GATE classes....Drama and Origami. This is all thanks to Jeremy (our music teacher) who will be teaching the Drama class and Diane (the Kindergarten teacher) who will be teaching the Origami class. I will be taking Diane's class while she is teaching mine.....but absolutely...under no circumstances will I touch or handle the play-dough during choice time (sorry Diane, but you know my policy :) Furthermore, my 4th/5th grade GATE students said they wanted to do a soap carving class. I thought it was so odd and random but I'm totally stoked about it! I have to remember to do a purchase order now....where's my list?

Anyway, yet another teacher has benefited from my new coffee maker! I believe he will be making a coffee run a couple times a week to my room. But it's really the stopping in of all the teachers I love. I feel so isolated in my little room sometimes and I really like when other teachers "pop in" and say hi. Now with the coffee, they have a reason. There are some teachers who say hi even if they don't get coffee though. But I'm such a social person, I need constant human contact. On Fridays when I don't work, I end up talking my husband's ear off when he gets home because I haven't talked to a human all day.

Thanks for reading!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Please Drive Safely

The past several days have brought rain and foggy conditions. Unfortunately, this weather caused some major car accidents. Two separate accidents on Saturday caused the death of 4 people (3 of them were teenagers). Then on my way home today, I passed by two car accidents. I am asking everyone who reads this to please drive safely especially during the rainy, snowy, icy, and foggy conditions. Tell your friends and family too. We just need to remember to take a few more minutes to get to work or school during the fall/winter weather....and slow down. Yes, I am at fault here too, but I just have to remind myself it's better to arrive a few minutes late than not at all. So, please, please drive safely.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

New Recipe = Bad Idea

Sometimes trying new things isn't a great idea....especially when it comes to dinner and you don't have a plan B. Tonight was that night. I saw a recipe for a sausage and potato salad. So (brilliant me) thought "I could serve that hot and it would be great for dinner!" Wrong....oh so wrong. First of all, I bought Italian sausage and I really should have bought the Kielbasa it called for. But the Italian sausage was chicken and the other stuff.....well, you've heard the rumors. Anyway, all was going well till I added the mixture of vinegar, Dijon mustard, and cayenne pepper to the mix. Very odd smell, mostly due to the fact that it was being heated. The onions soaked up all the vinegar and the sausage....well let's just say I only could eat one small piece. The potatoes weren't so bad...just different really. Thank goodness I made a lot of corn! And the leftovers....what leftovers? My refrigerator would revolt if I put something like that inside it. They found their way to the bottom of the trash can as soon as they cooled off long enough not to melt the liner. I also threw away the recipe book I got it from. I felt the rest of the recipes were tainted after what happened. Tomorrow's dinner won't have the same fate. A normal, well used and liked recipe.

Saturday, October 13, 2007

My Husband the Handyman

Today my husband played handyman around the house. He changed all of our light switches to the cool flat ones....I'm not sure of their official name. Last weekend he added a new outlet in the kitchen too. Anyway, as I was about to take a shower, I realized the water was still only luke warm.....very odd. He figured out that the pilot light had gone out and then proceeded to light it again.....but it wouldn't stay lit. A few minutes later, he comes back in the hallway (while I'm trying to get it lit) and says the something something coupler needs to be replaced. How is it that a man can figure that out when it's his first time encountering a problem like that? I just don't get it....and here I was ready to call the PG&E guy or whoever the f*** you have to call for a problem like that. Anyway, we go out, get the part he says we need.....and.....viola'! He fixed the darn thing lickety-split! He just amazes me sometimes. He can just figure these things out and I feel completely clueless! I guess I make up for it in cookies and pies. So that was our Saturday. The B-Man's Saturday was worse than ours though. It turns out he has an ear infection. Poor little guy. We're so sad for him. I guess it was best after all that they didn't come over. Lot's of hugs and kisses for the B-Man. Your aunt and uncle hope you get better really soon!

Friday, October 12, 2007

B-Man Rescheduled

I wasn't at 100% this morning, so B-Man had to reschedule. It's totally cool though....I would hate to think that I got him sick. They're going to come out the first week in November instead.

Funny thing. I had two students within two days give me stickers. I use quite a few stickers in my class to reward students . I have never had students give me stickers before. It was oh so sweet. All the stickers were different. They gave me gold stars, Scooby Doo, Sponge Bob, and puffy Halloween stickers. Those kids just crack me up.

Today was my day off and I broke the vacuum cleaner. I sucked up the cord to my husband's headphones. Before it happened, I thought "It would totally suck if I sucked those up." And what happened....I did. Well at least I only had about a 2x2 foot section left to vacuum right?.....but it is kinda actually bugging me more than if I had just started. After I untangled the wires in the brush thing and couldn't find another belt to replace the one I broke, I continued on my Sex and the City marathon. I have watched the complete series from start to finish at least a half a dozen times. And now from an approximately 5 month break, I have begun all over again. I just finished with the first disk of season 2. Season 3 used to be my favorite, but season 4 is starting to pull ahead just a bit.

Well, I'm off to decide what's for dinner. Happy Friday!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

The B-Man

So our nephew, Brady, and family were supposed to come over this weekend. However, my husband and I have colds, so I don't think they'll come over so the B-Man won't run the chance of catching our cold. It's a real bummer because we were looking forward to their visit. They don't come over often, so when they do, it's pretty special. Hopefully, we feel 100% tomorrow. I'm going to call them in the morning to give them the latest update. I feel about 80% right now.....just a dry cough and I sound like a man (as Rachel put it the other day as she was suffering from the same ailment). Well, I'm off to cuddle up with Ben and Jerry!

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

The New Cadillac

The new Cadillac (a.k.a. my new cat litter box) seems to be working well. No leakage so far and Big Kitty doesn't appear to be completely freaked out at the new "thing" in the room.

Not much to say today. I'm distracted by Mythbusters and my sofa is calling my name. I just pulled out my heavy quilt for the first time this year. It's oh so cozy! My husband doesn't care for it much because he says it's too busy (I kinda have to agree with him on that point). However, the reverse side is made from a calming light blue flannel with sheep and clouds all over. Don't ya feel calmer all ready?

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Cat Litter Mayhem

Ever since we have moved to our new house, our cats seem to have forgotten how to use the cat litter box properly. Basically, they face the wrong direction and their pee ends up going outside the box rather than inside where it belongs. Therefore, I have been having to clean up grotesque cat urine that gets under the bottom of the litter box and all around. Well the mess today was the straw that broke the camel's back. It was like the cat had a bladder the size of a five year old! So, we made an emergency trip to the pet store an hour ago to purchase a new and bigger litter box. The one we got is like the Cadillac of litter boxes....not the supreme model (that would be the electric Litter Mate) but it has quite a few bells and whistles. Here is my Step-Up to Writing paragraph to demonstrate what I mean:

My new cat litter box is awesome for several reasons. First, it has a high back to prevent pee from leaking out the back. Second, it has a lip that surrounds the entire inside rim to prevent leakage as well. Next, it is much bigger and roomier which my cats will appreciate. Finally, it has a flap in the doorway just in case my cats face the wrong way again when they pee. As you can see, my new cat litter box is awesome.

Happy Tuesday!

Monday, October 8, 2007

Blah Monday

It was a blah Monday. The day just kinda drifted by without much recollection of what happened. Although, I made really bad coffee this morning. I committed the cardinal sin of buying cheap decaf coffee. It was horribly bitter and I had to use so much creamer, I just might have well drunk the creamer instead....But even though I had coffee that bit back, my day wasn't thrown off by it. I'm still CELDT testing and I have so much left to do still. I feel really bad giving it to kids who I know they won't do very well or don't even understand the directions. And because it is measuring their English language, we can't translate anything. So, I give them candy at the end of the testing day for putting them through academic torture. Oh, one key note for the day.........the second grade teacher's snake escaped in the classroom. No one's found it yet.....so I'll be keeping my door shut till it's located......I so hope they find it soon. I'll have the hebejeebies till then.

Hasta Pasta!

Sunday, October 7, 2007

Out-of Staters

While I was trying to enjoy my apple-walnut-caramel crepe this morning sitting in the parking lot of Target, I was completely distracted by some out-of-staters. My husband didn't seem to mind them so much, but they were driving me crazy! We always park on the very left side of the parking lot. There is room for two lanes of traffic. Well, these tourists (I won't say where they were from, but let's just say they have a thing for ducks) were parked on the side of the parking lot blocking the cars going the opposite direction. Okay, so they weren't blocking any cars at this point, but if a car went down that way they would have a "What the f***!" moment. And those people were just chit-chatting away!....with all 4 of their car doors open!!!! What on earth would possess these people to think that it was perfectly okay to park their car there? No one could park a car in the 3 spaces they were blocking by the way. Thank goodness I'm not a rude person, because I so wanted to say something to them. I find it odd that this weekend I have encountered so many inconsiderate people. But this poses the question "Maybe I'm the inconsiderate one?" This maybe true for the person who is constantly upset, angered, or frustrated by the oddity or quirkiness of others. However, I try to find the good in people.....I look for the happy place. Unless it's some duck loving caravan blocking traffic! Hehehehe.

I hope ya'll had a great weekend!

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Apple Harvest Festival

We went to the Apple Harvest Festival today!!! It was a beautiful day too! We had lots and LOTS of apple cider, a tractor ride through the apple orchard, more cider, and a sampling of apples....and that was just one stop! We got on a hair raising hay ride that took people from place to place throughout the town. The ride got interesting when they stopped to switch drivers and our old driver was explaining to the new guy (actually he was probably in his 70's) how to drive the tractor! He drove like a bat out of hell.....but it was really fun! Actually, we think that this specific tractor was a newer model than what he is use to. At our second stop of the day we found Miranda's Rescue that had really cute lab puppies!!!! Oh, we both wanted one so bad...but we're just not ready yet. Our day ended at the same place we started....the apple orchard. I had a crappy cheeseburger but my husband was nice enough to share is Big Dog with me. Thanks honey! The crazy thing is there was this guy standing several people behind us in line and when he finished ordering I was still waiting for my order. About a minute or two pass by and this guy is freaking out because he doesn't have his order yet. Well, his wife is telling him that he was behind us and just to wait for his order.....but does he listen?....absolutely not! He very rudely pushes his way in front of me (I'm like 4 inches from the counter) and is questioning where is order is. If that wasn't bad enough....a lady who just finished ordering is asked to wait to the side (where I'm standing) to get her order. This time I'm standing even closer to the counter to avoid another fiasco....but it doesn't work. She backs her way in front of me! Am I invisible people!!!!!???? Because I sure do feel like it at this point. Anyway, I've just spotted my cheeseburger and go to grab it and THE LADY STARTS TO TAKE IT!!!! So the chick taking the order and myself are telling this lady that THAT is not her order it's MINE!!! It takes her a good 30 seconds to realize what where saying before I can take it from her grubby hands. And do I get an apology? You guessed it....nope! Whatever. If I knew how crappy it was going to taste, I wouldn't have even cared :) We left soon afterward. And that was my day....how was yours?

Friday, October 5, 2007

Feeling Better

I'm feeling better today. No fever so far this evening, but I still have a sore throat. I feel a bit off too. It's like my head is in a bubble......I don't have a stuffy nose or anything, I'm just a bit fuzzy. Didn't have to work today so I was able to sleep in till 10am. I took our big kitty (all 13 pounds of her) to the vet to get her nails clipped. She was very unhappy with me but I think she's over it now.

It was Safeway soup again for dinner this week. We've tried 4 different varieties (not all this week of course) and all four of them were...um, how should I put it.....edible at the very least as you really didn't want anymore than the one ladle full. Just buy the stuff in the can....you'll be much happier believe me.

Happy weekend to all!

Thursday, October 4, 2007

Lucky

Beginning on Tuesday I had a very slight sore throat. Wednesday, it was pretty non-existent except in the evening. Today however, it has been lingering off and on all day and this afternoon (around 1pm to be precise) it came back full strength. So now I am sitting here all achy and rather chilled (which, unfortunately, probably means I have a stupid fever). The lucky part of this comes into play because I don't have to work tomorrow......... ......therefore, if I feel horrible tomorrow, I don't have to worry about calling in sick! On the flip side, it totally sucks to be sick on the weekend. :(

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

Long Day

Today was a very long day. I was in a meeting all day and I feel so drained. Every time I go to one of these meetings I feel like I need to sleep for the next 24 hours to recuperate. So, here are some odds and ends:

*coffee pot is working out well
*new top exposed my girls a little too much
*sleeping soundly through the night
*learning to deal with my ultra short hair
*changing my work schedule for the 5th time in 6 weeks
*did I mention my coffee pot is working out well?

Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Cows

Everyday to and from work, I pass fields and fields of cows. And every morning they always crack me up. Most of the time it is a singular cow walking along the fence line headed back out to the fields for a long day of grazing and sunshine that really makes me laugh. No one is herding them....they are just creatures of routine. How they know it's time to be milked or time to head back to the field is beyond me. Yes, I know they probably feel full (of milk) and know they get fed when they go, but... darn it, I can barely remember what day of the week it is. Also, they are just too cute! The cows that make me laugh out loud (all alone in my car) appear to be Jerseys and not Holsteins (the black and white ones). Yes, there are hundreds of cows around in a variety of fields, but it is these specific cows that I just find hilarious. Maybe it's because they are close enough where I can look them in the eyes and see their big brown eyes and how content they are. Or, maybe it's because I'm reminded of my cow Emily who looked so much like them. Whatever the reason, these cows just strike a cord with me. It is one of the things I look forward to on my way to work. More over, I'm not the only one cracking up at these cows.....just ask Nancy. My friend Jen also had a fascination with some animals a little way down the road.....it was goats though.....not at all as cute as my cows.....Sorry Jen. :)

Thanks for reading!

Monday, October 1, 2007

Disappointing Monday

Today started off pretty decent. I have a brand-new coffee maker in my classroom with cinnamon flavored coffee...very Yum-O. We had beautiful weather....blue sky and the air was as "crisp as an apple" to quote one of my junior high poems. The disappointing part began with CELDT testing.....otherwise known as the California English Language Development Test. Basically, I (along with the bilingual aide) test all English learners on how much English they know. It's disappointing because some students don't do as well as I hope they can......Also, I had been looking forward to going to yoga for the first time with my friend, but because it's Bikram yoga you can't eat for so many hours before you go and you have to drink a LOT of water........since I didn't follow this I couldn't go tonight....also my friend wasn't feeling that great today. A total bummer....but it might be a blessing in disguise because I'm kinda having second thoughts about going because of the intensity of it all. So, to add these things on top of having trouble finding a doctor for my husband or myself has lead to a disappointing Monday......Hunger might have had something to do with it all too. It was salad shmalad again for lunch today, but I feel much better after eating dinner.....one of my favorites....taco soup. Also, I want to thank Jon, Kelly, and Brady for the comments and Jenny for the email.....those have also brightened my otherwise disappointing Monday. I also can't forget my husband.....his hugs seem to melt everything else away.