water, water everywhere*

Today started with a ferry ride across Lake Champlain. For the first time in days, we were treated to sunshine (sorry, friends...) which made the ride extra special. We crossed northern NY for most of the day, landing in Niagra Falls at about 6 PM. The town of Niagra Falls is, well, trashy. It looks like a run down industrial town that has no industry left. Niagra Falls State Park, however, is delightful: clean, easily accessible, and FREE! We walked around for about an hour and got some fun pics (those will be uploaded when I'm not typing at the dinner table in Erie, PA waiting for my pizza to arrive). (Which is just did.) The Falls themselves are quite amazing-- all they were cracked up to be. Ironicly, the American side is not as built up and touristy as the Canadian side. As we headed out of NY, we drove through scattered showers and were followed by some pretty cool rainbows.

So now we're eating (well, almost) and headed for Cleveland where Tom has another light on for us. Tomorrow is Road Warrior day: the hope is to go through Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, and into Minnesota. I-90 to I-94. Hey, ho, let's go!

Lots of love goes home to all you. We hope the sun comes out tomorrow!!!

*today's prize is a 4x6 of Niagra Falls if you comment to me with the reference. C'mon, people, I need some serious comment love!

go West, young family!*

We rolled out of town at about 5:15 (after running back home from bestfriends to retrieve the glove left behind. Baseball is serious stuff between 8 and 11 year old cousins who go years between catches.) We stopped for dinner in NH, at Crabby Jacks Mexican Steak House. Yes, I'm totally not making that up. It met our expectations just fine ("hey Mumma-- it's a Coke place!") The drive was uneventful except for the young male moose on the side of the road in NH. A bald eagle was circling overhead too... WB wonders what the totems would say about seeing both, together, with no one but us to witness?

We're stowed safely in Burlington, with the $2.99 internet access card. Only one machine can use it at a time though, so off I go to share.

Tomorrow looks like a ferry ride to NY and a stop at Niagra. I've never been, and am quite excited. No time to tour Burlington, but I'll be back. It's only 3 hours from home and has at least 1 cool college radio station. I do miss me some college radio...

Until tomorrow, gentle readers. Beaner and Nutty-- we love and miss you already!!!!!!

*a prize of a 4x6 copy of some cool MT shot I get to whomever can identify the reference!

ready to go?

We're mostly packed, last load of laundry drying (I didn't even consider hanging it!), and leaving kitchen clean up until right before we go. Anticipating leaving is the worst part of travel for me. I always get cold feet: never mind, I didn't really want to go anyway. I must admit, the rain is making it easier to just want to get out of dodge.

I hope to stay connected all the way. Maybe I should get a twitter account so I can text updates? Who knew I could be so modern...

covered in daisies

I've been taking shots of the kids in wildflowers for years. Usually I get them in the dandelions, but this year were too busy and it was too cold and rainy. Daisies are another favorite flower of mine, and WB mowed around lots of patches so I could fully enjoy them.

Before we head out on our trip, the kids are hoping to get some shots with Bestfriends, which I also usually do. It is definitely a goal for the weekend!

perfection

Second load of laundry, freshly cut grass, sun shining. What you can't see is the grilled steak and tomatillo salsa, fresh guacamole, and raspberry margaritas. WB and Girly played in the stream while waiting for Boy to return from mini-golf with his friend. Summer has arrived, even if only for a day. This is the day I will remember in January: hot, sweaty, and absolutely wonderful.

an inconvienent truth

I'm sitting here watching the first round of Wimbledon play, listening to the rain fall. I have been a faithful watcher since 1983-- I can remember my mom bringing her little B&W TV into the bathroom and watching as we cleaned-- but I don't ever remember watching the first round. So why this year, you ask? Because usually in late June it is hot and sticky and we're heading for a beach rather than huddled under a blanket on the couch. The sun is out in England-- fans are sweating in the hot sun, and no sign of the rain delays I'm used to seeing.

WB is headed to Auburn to look for light bulbs, a new blind to replace the broken one, a fleece for his dinosaur hunting class, and maybe some wood to build an ark, just in case.

full swing

We went to visit our friends on the coast this weekend. Such trips are a vacation event: we rarely can get together while school is in session, but summer and spring breaks are perfect for visits. It did not cross my mind that they were NOT on vacation yet! Monday is a half day for them-- a full week longer than we had to do! It feels like forever ago that we were at work... it really is quite easy to adjust to living like the rich and famous. I do like my life.

knives and forks

The school year is just waiting for the proverbial lady to finish her song. Workshop day tomorrow and then our little SAD will ride out the month and then cease to exist. The new RSU starts July 1, with all the hope and fear and potential and dread such a change brings. It's good it happens over the summer: we teachers are conditioned for changes to take place in July or August rather than January. I think everyone is nervous-- so many unknowns to work through, and the only way to answer the questions is to have them pop up as the year unfolds.

I do so love my job, whatever the outside structure around me looks like, and summer vacation is a part of that reason, but not just because I get to exist without an alarm clock for 10 weeks. We are all ready for some down time, and some time away from each other. We are ready to come back rejuvenated and refocused, with new goals to attain. Summer isn't just 'free time' for teachers; it is just as important-- maybe more so-- for students to get a break from the intensity of the year. Sometimes the big changes in thinking happen when you aren't thinking about it.

So farewell to this year, and to this district on it's way to becoming a region. We will be ready to come back and tackle the new year in the fall.

no, thank you

This was a big year in terms of the sunshines graduating. I had 2 of these guys for 3 years, 2 for 2 years, and 3 this year. Life in our fishbowl is cozy, so we all get to know each other well. Really well. I hear about their love lives and fights at home; I'm there when they get driver's licenses and get accepted to college. Two of them are parents, and I check in on my grand-students regularly. For them to finish, to "make it" to graduation, is no small feat. They all have their own issues, their own stumbling blocks. To see them overcome the odds and march with their class is beyond gratifying. The smiles on their faces are different from those in the Top Ten: you can see the relief in attaining a goal that was a struggle to reach. Some are going onto college in the fall, some are working and saving money to go eventually, and some may never go. That doesn't matter to me as much as the knowledge that they finished something that was hard to do, that took effort and commitment and self restraint.

They gave me all sorts of swag... coke, roses, lillys... and one of them, when I thanked him, got real quiet. "No, Buckaroo. Thank you."

My graduate wall is growing, and my drop out numbers declining. I miss them all when they move on, but so far, my sunshines come back and visit me regularly. Connections. I know they've mastered that concept.

It's time to end the skit now.

Dishwasher is out of commission now, too. I give up.

(Optimistic post about my sunshines tomorrow.)

theme of the year...

So for those playing along, we've had some financial incidents this year. Ovens, windshields, tires, batteries, water pipes... no need to rehash. Things got a little better, but the overarching emergency repair theme continues. The lawnmower is currently unusable, and has a few more weeks patiently waiting for it's appointment. The standup freezer has been making noises, and we were hoping it would hold off until it got a bit emptier, but no luck. When I called the kids this afternoon, Boy reported a red liquid coming from underneath it ("It looks like strawberry juice!") . I stopped for ice on the way home.

The good news is we knew it was coming, and the freezer wasn't packed full. I've got one cooler filled and the rest in the little freezer. I only had to throw a few things away, and 'had' to make a pitcher of daquiris tonight to deal with some of the (barely) frozen berries. The bad news is we really need another freezer, and now need to figure out what we want to get and where to put it. It should be bigger than what just died if we're going to keep buying cows. What was that I was saying about life getting in the way of paying down my debts?

next to last post about my seniors

All things must come to an end: this has been proven time after time. Sometimes you don't know you are doing something for the last time, and that can be a blessing. Seniors, however, know they will never do (insert task here) again. In some ways it's good to know-- you can fully appreciate what it means to be standing at the doorstep of your future-- but sometimes it feels to the rest of us like we're all treading water, waiting for the rest of you to just get out of the pool already and let us get on with our lives.

Senior Week, my friends. T minus 4 days and definitely counting!

money matters

I've been working on getting our debt under control. I can honestly say it's not horrible, especially by American standards, but its higher than I like. Things got a bit out of my control while I was SAHM'ing it for 7 years... we didn't have dental insurance, and I needed a root canal. The water pump died the Saturday of Memorial Weekend. Vehicles needed repair. Gas prices rose. We went to concerts and out to dinner. Typical Americans: we spend more than we have. But we're trying to get better.

I've been focused for a few years now on paying off that debt. Today I paid off the last of the couch purchase from last fall. While I was moving money around the accounts, I noticed the total of our loans. We owe less than $100,000 for everything: house, equity, van, credit cards. I'll be a lot happier when all we owe on is the house, but we're getting there. If the worst happened, either of our life insurance policies would pay everything off and protect those left behind.

The plan is working: pay off the credit cards and keep them paid in full monthly. Next comes the van-- 2.5 years left on that payment, which will most likely then be taken over with a truck payment for WB. 3 years from now, he'll definitely need new wheels. Pay on equity last, because the interest is deductible. Accounting for random life events, which happen more often than I care to think about, I'm hoping to be dancing in the streets in 2015.... which will be just in time to start paying Boy's college bills...

14 years

When Boy was in preschool, he named our excursion in honor of our wedding anniversary a Family Field Trip, as opposed to the school field trip he took to the bowling alley the week before. Since then, we've gone somewhere together every Memorial Weekend. This year we ended up at Pemaquid, where Boy enjoyed reading about the 1600s settlers, and Girly was thrilled to find dandelions turned to seed. It was a great day in a long list of great days.

Today, however, is the actual anniversary of WB and I binding our lives together. I'd be lying if I said it was always easy, but just because it's hard to do doesn't mean it's not worth doing. I can't imagine what life would be like without him next to me. Let's hope I don't ever have to.

oxymorons aren't genetic, either

I was there when she was born, and I know for a fact she did not come from my belly, but sometimes I swear she is my daughter. I just heard her talking about something being "usually unusual". I guess I'd have to call that unpredictably predictable!

rough one

Lots going on this week.... big drama from the main building, health and well being related to my sunshines, always track, and needing to put evidence in 36 font proving they haven't done well in school. I'm tired. Drained. Done.

Goal for now: survive the week and hope things look up next week.

from Amity

1. What bill do you hate paying the most?
Credit card.

2. Do you miss being a child?
Not really. But I do wish I knew the gift being a college student was when I was there. Hindsight really is 20/20.

3. Chore you hate the most?
Raking.

4. Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
We had dinner after the wedding Friday at Liam's.

5. If you could go back and change one thing what would it be?
Met my Fabulous Uncle in San Fran.

6. Name of your first grade teacher?
Mrs. Macgregor was Kindergarten, I think.

7. What do you really want to be doing right now?
Heading off on a romantic getaway.

8. What did you want to be when you grew up?
A nurse or a teacher or a Broadway star. But always a wife and mom.

9. How many colleges did you attend?
2. One undergrad, one grad. (Have taken random classes at 2 others though.)

10. Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
Track meet day-- must be functional, not cute.

11. What are your thoughts on gas prices?
At least something is making us serious about alternative energy.

12. First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
I wish it were Sunday....

13. Last thought before going to sleep last night?
"I hope there are no ticks in here with me..."

14. What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
Obama

15. Have you ever crashed your vehicle?
Too many times.

16. If you didn’t have to work, would you volunteer?
Without question.

17. Get up early or sleep in?
Always sleep in. Always.

18. What is your favorite cartoon character?
Don't have a favorite... Hobbs of Calvin and Hobbs, maybe?

20. When did you first start feeling old?
When it ached to just stand there.

21. Favorite lunch meat?
Right now, salami.

22. What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
Something I can't get anywhere else.

23. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
No. It's comforting to move through many phases of life-- and love-- with one person.

24. Favorite movie you wouldn’t want anyone to find out about?
So why would I tell you if it's a secret? Honestly, I don't think I have a secret love of a movie. Top Gun, maybe?

25. What’s your favorite drink?
Depending on the situation.... Coke, DD Hazelnut coffee, JD, margarita, or mojito.

26. Who[m] from high school would you like to run in to?
Juno. He disappeared a few years after graduation... last I knew he was undercover for the military on international politician protection!

27. What radio station is your car radio tuned to right now?
Since WB had it last, NPR. But I bounce between CLZ, JBQ (for the morning show, which I LOVE), and CYY when it comes in. I wish I could get FNX... then it would be there, all the time.

28. Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
Six Feet Under.

29. Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
That's a tough one. I'll have to get back to you on that one.

30. Do you like the person that sits directly across from you at work?
I love my East Campus teacher friends and my Supers Office women!

31. Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purposes?
Nope.

32. Last book you finished reading?
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Finally!

Happy Mom's Day

I have 2 of the sweetest children in the world. Waffles with whipped cream and strawberries, coffee topped with more whipped cream. (It was meant to be in bed, but I got up about 10 minutes before it was ready.) Homemade cards and lots of smiles. I do love my kids! I am lucky to be their mom.

state induced torture

I am the lucky person for my high school who gets to give the SAT make up exam. I think it is my least favorite day of the year. This year I have 9 kids in a room, all of whom hate school. Most struggle with reading, all with academic based thinking. Most years they just come in and start coloring. This year's group is actually trying. Those are the hard ones to watch. "Can you help me with this one?" No, hon, I can't tell you what that word means. It goes against my very fiber as a teacher to NOT help a kid with a question. But that's why I'm here... too document how much you don't know. Good times.

It's days like these that really make me question our public education system.

H1N1?

When I was in third grade, I got the stomach bug. This was a typical event for me-- I got at least one throw up bug per year. This one, though, lasted. A long time. I remember Mom setting the stove timer for 10 minutes, and I had to have a sip of flat Coke when it went off. I did that once-- and ran for the bathroom. I cried when it went off again. At that point, we got in the car and went to the doctor. I remember crawling in and just lying down under the coats while Mom checked in. Some lady who had just been called looked at me and sat back down. "Take her. Now." Mom must have teared up then-- I do now thinking about how I'd feel if I was dragging a sick Girly who couldn't even hold a sip of Coke to the doctor and a perfect stranger gave up her spot for us. It should come as no surprise that I did not return home that day, but went straight to inpatient. I spent a week in isolation because they had no idea why I got so sick. They did every test in the book and only could get as far as gastroenteritis: the stomach bug. My parents could only come in one at a time, and had to wear a gown. I think they had a time limit on staying, but that may have been self imposed because of my 3 younger siblings at home. When I was allowed to go home, it was a long time before I went back to school for a full day--I think I left at lunch for a couple of weeks. I was one sick puppy.

Wednesday night, I got the stomach bug. It's been about 4 years since the last time I spent a night puking-- my immunities have improved as I've aged. I have a little routine-- drink some water, pace around, wait for the hot flash... I don't like it, but it works. This time, in the dead of night, my sweat smelled like third grade again. It's amazing how smells can vault you back in time; I bent over to steady myself and was suddenly heading into that doctor's office again.

As the morning went on and I listened to the Today Show talk about the H1N1 virus sweeping the world, my feverish brain wondered if that is what I had 30 years ago. Either way, I have some real life perspective on what it's like to get a stomach flu that debilitates you. It sucks, without question, and if you are not lucky enough to have access to clean water, soap, medical care, and stomach friendly food, I can only imagine how much worse it would be. My heart goes out to such people.

I'm ok now. Getting better daily. A few people at SATs today asked me if I couldn't have just taken one for the team and gotten us closed down for a week. I tried to do my part, but it was just the plain old stomach bug, like people get every year. Those of us with access to medical care usually come through with a few days home sick from work or school. The sad truth is many people die every year from flu related complications, whether it's from lack of medical care or living in poverty or just being too young or too old for your body to handle the trauma.

I guess whether it's H1N1 or the Flu of 1918 or just the common variety, people are going to get sick. Most of us will be ok, and it is a tragedy when a few are not. The germs will keep trying to outsmart us as we're trying to outsmart them. Another version of the circle of life. I'm glad I outsmarted whatever it was that got me in 1978... and I hope I never have to do it again.