"You Were Right"

I so rarely get to hear that from one of my kids that I thought I'd post it here, to commemorate the occasion. My daughter has been moping around the house for two days. She's depressed about a situation that she's dealing with right now, and wanted to just stay in bed feeling sorry for herself. I told her to get up, clean her room, and make her bed because it would give her a brighter perspective. She begrudgingly complied, but now that it's all done, she just told me, "You know what? You were right when you said cleaning my room would make me feel better. That really worked." Wow.

Veggie Macaroni

I made a vegetable macaroni and cheese last night that turned out beautifully, and thought some of you might be interested. I used half a stick of butter, milk, 2 eggs, cheddar and Havarti for the sauce. After I boiled and drained the elbow macaroni, I put it in a casserole dish, and tossed in chopped baby bella mushrooms, sweet Vidalia onions, red pepper, and Roma tomato. I seasoned it with salt, fresh ground black pepper, and a dusting of ground cayenne pepper. I poured the sauce over, and baked it about an hour at 350. Definitely should have taken a picture because it turned out so pretty. Served it up with salad. The family ate it up, with some rotisserie chicken. They are definitely not on board with giving up meat -- haha.

The house is still quiet at 10:30am. Mike had to go out on a service call early this morning, and the kids are still asleep. It's nice like this; me, my coffee, and you. Hope you are having a great weekend.

Fishy

Poisson ψάρια pescado pesci рыбы -- call it what you will, fish is delicious to me. I know that not everyone likes it, but I've always been a fish and seafood fan. For the last two months, I have been eating a pescetarian diet; gotta say, I am really loving it. Seems like it's become chemical -- I actually tried to eat a piece of chicken today to see what would happen and have felt nauseated all day since. I eat lots of fruits, veggies, beans, legumes, and whole-grains, along with some eggs, cheese, and fish. Everything is fresh and organic; I feel much healthier. It will be interesting to see what this change does for me at my next check-up. If I can keep the kids from stressing me out, I just might live longer, right?

Next venture for me: swimming, since I'm always in too much pain to walk. Find ways to take care of you.

Thousands of $$$ Later

Look ma, no braces, and a new haircut too:

AFTER
BEFORE

Amazing

Um, who is the dumbest person in this scenario? If you were conjoined twins separated at birth, would it take you 20-something years to figure out your "twin sister" didn't have a scar corresponding to yours? What about the parents? What about the twin who grew up with someone else and had a scar? Hello?

Need a Drink

I went to Joel's funeral today, but not the burial. Couldn't handle that. I spent the rest of the day working on cleaning my room, packing up my stuff, counting books, etc. I am tired, tired, tired, and cannot wait for the next two days to be over. I don't have any huge plans for the summer yet, other than a couple of important trips, but primarily, I am going to rest. I need it bad. For homework, my therapist told me to make a list of the ways I want to take care of myself this summer. I am much better at that than I used to be, but I still struggle in that department. Anyone else have trouble taking care of you?

Memorial Day, Part 2

Yesterday, I got on my high horse about Memorial Day because I was sick of seeing all of these advertisements for "Memorial Day Sales." It irritates me that people think the best way to honor fallen soldiers is to go shopping; something in that does not compute. Actually, I think it's more accurate to say that many people don't even realize what Memorial Day is about at all. To many, it's just a good excuse to take a day off from work and have a BBQ. Nothing wrong with BBQ at all, but I guess it's just my military upbringing that affects my opinion on this. I'm not sure if this is the article Nina mentioned, but I did find this in the Times and thought it was very well-written: Remember to Remember.

Yesterday morning, I got a phone call first thing from the head of my department. The son of a fellow teacher was killed Saturday night in a car wreck. Today, I went to the funeral home and paid my respects. The funeral is tomorrow, but I'm not sure if I will go or not. I've known this teacher and his wife for a long time, long before I ever started teaching at this school. We used to go to the same church when I first moved here in '95. They are very nice people, and I probably should go. However, I just don't handle observing other people's grief very well, if that makes sense.

Memorial Day

Short and sweet: while I do not support the idea of war, I support our troops. Don't forget what Memorial Day is really about; honor the soldiers who have given their lives and remember that freedom isn't free.

When we say "War is over if you want it," we mean that if everyone demanded peace instead of another TV set, we'd have peace.
-- John Lennon

High School vs. Middle School

Now that I have taught both middle school and high school, I can make the following observations based on my own experiences. I can also say I like high school much better. Enjoy!

High School vs. Middle School
In high school, almost all of the students will stay in their seats, almost all of the time. In middle school, you’re lucky if they will sit down at all.

In high school, you suspect that many of your students are using drugs. In middle school, you wish that many of your students would use drugs.

In middle school, you suspect that some of your students are sexually active. In high school, you wonder how many of your students are NOT sexually active.

In middle school, many of your students refuse to do their work. In high school, many of your students refuse to do their work. However, in middle school, at the end of the year, the parents will whine for you to give their children make-up work.

In high school, teachers are organized by department and usually share a common planning period. In middle school, teachers are organized by grade level, with a common bitching and moaning and session, which is also the designated period for eating chocolate.

In high school, some of your students are thinking about graduating; therefore, you can find ways to motivate those students. In middle school, students are not thinking beyond next week.

In high school, you may get away with accidentally letting the occasional obscenity slip out. In middle school, you use words like “fudge,” “shoot,” and “dang.”

In middle school, students may find you as annoying as their parents. In high school, some students may find you as attractive as their boyfriends or girlfriends. Avoid those students.

In middle school, teachers may stay for hours after school tutoring students, grading papers, and filling out SST forms. In high school, the parking lot is usually cleared by 4pm.

In middle school, teachers occasionally whisper and snicker about having a drink after school. In high school, teachers are recognized by name when they show up for happy hour at the local watering hole.

I Survived!

I survived my first year of teaching high school, along with my first graduation. God, one year from now, I will be doing this again, only it will be my daughter walking across the stage. Geez, I was getting emotional and it wasn't even my kid up there. We had to move it indoors due to storms, which wasn't ideal. Think hot, sweaty gym and a bunch of people in robes, me included. All of the teachers wear their robes to graduation, which is neat, but uncomfortable. Right now, I'm just glad it's over. I'm so tired from all the events of the past few days that I headed for bed shortly. Thank goodness for 3-day weekends. I work 3 days next week, and then I'm off until August 4. Have I mentioned this is the best part of teaching? Hehe.

Thumbs down

Just got home from ER. Michael has had an adventurous day. First, he got in a fight at school and was um, uninvited to attend the last day of school, shall we say? The other kid started it, according to Michael, but who knows? Later, he was playing football in the front yard with his friends, when his hand collided with someone's shin bone. He has a badly sprained thumb and a cracked growth plate. After 3 hours of waiting, we got a splint, a phone number, and a hefty bill. Boy is fine, but mom is TIRED and has to be up at 6am. Tomorrow is the last day of school, and the graduation ceremony is tomorrow night. It's going to be a really long day; thank God it's the last one. More later; bedtime!

From my daughter's history

While I was cleaning up some old files on the computer today, I ran across the following that Chelsea wrote for her U.S. history project. The assignment was to write a personal history, and this little snippet made me laugh and get a little teary:

"My junior year has been the best so far. I have amazing teachers and the best friends anyone could ask for. We have had a lot of fun this year, from driving all of the teachers crazy to just taking it easy. I’ve learned a lot about myself this year and how things in life work. I got my 1st job in February. I realized how hard it truly is to get up and go to work each day. I value anyone who can do that and not fall out. I ended up quitting though. LOL

This year is really indescribable. My mom is now teaching 10th grade lit at the high school. It’s been ...well, different having her there. Not saying it’s a bad thing just different. Love, ya mom =]

It’s hard to believe in just a couple of weeks we’ll all be seniors. This year has flown by and we're all growing up and always growing apart. I would hate to lose the great friends I have, but I know they’ll always have a place in my heart.

In my future I predict I will graduate from high school, have a really good paying job, and eventually get married. I honestly don’t think I'll ever leave [insert the name of my small town]. Hate to say it but I doubt I am leaving unless my job forces me to move. I want to live my life for me, and just enjoy the little things while I can. I always tell everyone to live for the moments that take your breath away, and I am almost positive I'll be doing that in my future!"


All together now, everyone say, "Awww." Karen, was it really that long ago for us?

Flight of the Phoenix

Product reviews are not normally something you will find on this blog. However, having very recently experienced the Neutrogena® Healthy Skin Rejuvenator, I feel qualified to share my insight regarding this product. Let me preface this critique by clarifying that I got amazing results with just one use; my skin is very soft and smooth, and I’ve almost fully recovered from the treatment.

For some time now, I have had a problem with dry skin on my forehead, which lotions haven't helped. Recently, I saw an ad featuring actress Diane Lane gushing about the great results she experienced using this new product from Neutrogena®. In the commercial, the lovely and talented Ms. Lane seemed to be enjoying the Rejuvenator, which was apparently all of the validation I needed to convince myself to give it a try. After all, the campaign assured me that “just one treatment exfoliates and boosts microcirculation to enhance blood flow, resulting in more radiant, smoother skin today. And results you and everyone else can see tomorrow.” Incidentally, never take your vision for granted, my friends.

Little effort, big results, love it. I rushed to my local department store to proudly purchase my very own Rejuvenator, for about $35. Eager to try it, I hurried home to spend a few minutes examining my pores, counting my age spots, and looking for crow’s feet. I read all of the instructions and took careful note of the enclosed warnings, understanding that I must not eat the Rejuvenating Puffs or allow the “ultra-fine crystals and mild purifiers” to get in the eye area. No problem. I wasn’t hungry anyway, and I certainly intended to keep this stuff out of my eyes. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions.

Anticipating my soon-to-be-youthful skin, I popped my first puff onto my Rejuvenator, which, by the way, vibrates like a 455 V8 with a bad timing belt. Once I adjusted to disconcerting sensation of what I believe to be my brain shaking around inside my skull cavity, I began to enjoy the gentle foaming action. I believe the vibrations distracted me; while I buffed away my dry skin, a minuscule amount of liquid dripped into my eye and promptly melted my cornea. Searing heat scorched my eye socket as I released a string, nay an entire spool, of profanities with skillful intonation and enunciation. The F’s were airy perfection, while the K’s provided just the right amount of staccato punctuation. As I uttered words I didn’t even know I knew, I ripped my contact out of my eye and flooded my newly rejuvenated eyeball with water from the bathtub faucet.

Twenty minutes in Hell later, while I moaned and writhed on the floor trying to regain my sight and the power to walk, the abandoned Rejuvenator clattered away on the cool tiles, taunting me with its evil promises of smoother, younger-looking skin. I shook my fist and yelled, “Damn you, Rejuvenator,” then pulled myself up on the side of the sink to stare at my face with its now crimson left iris. My blind eye looked like something the dog wouldn’t eat. I recalled the word “radiant” from the commercial; something was definitely radiating in and around my retina. I grabbed the mechanical demon and launched it mightily into my bedroom, where it flew into a wall that successfully shut off its growling. “What was that,” called my husband from the living room. “My youth falling away,” I replied. He muttered something that I’m sure I didn’t need to hear, and I crawled into bed to take a much-deserved nap.

I’ll bet even that lying bitch, Diane Lane, takes naps.

Murphy's Laws of Teaching

Some of these are original; some of them are not. All of them would be funny if they weren't so damn true. Enjoy!

· Disaster will occur when visitors are in the room.
· A subject interesting to the teacher will bore students to tears.
· The time a teacher takes in explaining is inversely proportional to the information retained by students.
· Students who are doing better are credited with working harder. If children start to do poorly, the teacher will be blamed.
· The problem child will be a school board member's son, or the offspring of a fellow teacher.
· When the teacher is late, she will meet the principal in the hall.
· If the teacher is late and does not meet the principal, the teacher is late to the faculty meeting.
· New students come from schools that do not teach anything.
· Good students move away.
· On a test day, at least 15% of the class will be absent
· The worst behaved students are rarely absent; their parents don’t want them to stay home.
· Students behave like model children when the administrators visit the classroom. Exception: This law does not apply when the administrator is visiting to do the teacher’s evaluation; in this case, the students will be completely out of control.
· When the teacher tells one student that she can’t go to the bathroom unless it’s an emergency, four additional students will have an urgent need to go to the bathroom.
· When a teacher is absolutely certain that a student is faking the need to go to the bathroom, the student will vomit on the floor.
· When one naïve, new teacher carelessly remarks, “Wow, the kids are quiet today,” a fight will break out in the cafeteria resulting in injury and arrest.

Bored of Education

Received this funny cartoon in the mail today and wanted to share it with you. This is so me:

* * * * *
I picked up my student's poem from school yesterday, so I can post it now for you. She wrote it as her reaction to a string of fights at school, and also to the bullying incident down in Florida where the 6 girls kidnapped and beat up a classmate for talking bad about them on MySpace. While it is a sad commentary on the state of affairs, I think it's also very well done for a 15-year-old poet.

Drama High

There’s a fight every day.

There’s always blood.

the blood, the drugs, my fears

I’m not here to fuss and fight;
Education is my right.

I don’t have time for all of you, so please,

save the drama for your mama.

I’ve never seen such a thing,
Livin’ in a world of mean.

It needs to stop and go away.
Who cares about what happened today?

I’m done and over it –

finished, I’m out of this

Drama High.

Baby's First Ticket

Yes, Chelsea was pulled over for doing 20 mph over the speed limit -- in a hospital zone. Lovely. Good thing she has a job, because she's going to need to save her money to pay for that ticket. If your babies aren't driving, count your blessings every day.

Poem

I'm irritated with myself; in my haste to get out of there today and go to a friend's baby shower, I left a poem at school that I wanted to share with you. One of my students is this lovely, gifted writer, who recently composed an interesting poem in response to a string of fights we had on campus. It's sad, but I thought it was a great effort for a 15-year-old poet. I will probably be going by the school tomorrow briefly to pick up a few things, and then, I will post it.

I have dinner plans with hubby. After staying off meat for a month, I'm treating myself to some fish. I've missed fish. Hello, fish. Hehe. Not too many other plans for the weekend, other than grading the last batch of papers and trying not to fixate on the fact that there are only 5 days left of school.

:::big grins:::

Lost It

I totally lost it in class today; too many teachers are getting very lazy here at the end of the year and they are letting their students roam the building. I'm experiencing a high number of "visitors" at the end of sixth period lately, and today, I reached my "enough is enough" point when the EIGHTH student walked in the door, wanting to know if he could hang out in my room until the bell rings. I'm already annoyed with my classes, particularly 6th period because they are not taking advantage of the class time I'm giving them to do their final projects. All of the extra students wanting to use my room as a hangout doesn't help my mood any. After I yelled at them and made all the extra kids leave, I locked my door and it will remain locked for the last week of school. Other than an administrator, NO ONE is getting in for any reason. GRRRRRR!

On a more positive teaching note, we received our class assignments today. I'm excited to report that I'm teaching a creative writing class next year, which is what I always wanted to teach anyway. My wish is for that class to be the brightest spot in my day; experience tells me that administration will dump kids in there who aren't interested in creative writing, but I'm going to fight tooth and nail to allow only the kids who really want to write. There is so much I can do in a creative writing class to reinforce and enhance the English Language Arts curriculum -- if the powers that be will let me screen the kids who take my class. Seriously, why would you put a kid who HATES writing in a creative writing class, but that happened all year to one of my colleagues. He finally gave up and just made the students watch and "critique" movies all of the time. He got tired of hearing students complain, "What's up with all this writing? Why we gotta write in here all the time?" Wow. Wonder why the class is called creative writing, right?

Idol

Well, my theory about American Idol is shot to hell. I had convinced myself that the voting is fixed, and the winner this year needed to be an African American -- this theory is far from original as it is a belief held by many people of all colors. Don't know if you watch it at all. I don't watch it religiously, but I laugh at the audition episodes, then I check in to see who gets voted off each week. It seemed like Syesha was going to win this year, but she was voted off, leaving only two white males in the running for the title. Very interesting.

We have a possibility of more storms in the area tomorrow; pray that there are no more tornadoes. The damage here has been pretty bad for some of my students and other people in the area.

7 more days of school, woo hoo!

Memorial

Today, we held a memorial service at my school for our student who passed away. She was a member of my third period class, and for my contribution toward the remembrance, I sang Eric Clapton's Tears in Heaven. There were several poetry readings, an interpretive dance, and a PowerPoint with her pictures accompanied by several of her favorite songs. The family was there, which made it grueling, but still beautiful. Several of my students told me that my song made them cry; I told them that if a song makes you cry, you probably needed to cry. Don't you agree?

Altogether, tough day, but you go on. That's all anyone can do in the face of tragedy: put one foot in front of the other and survive. How many of you have seen the Adam Sandler movie Reign Over Me? He makes me laugh in the goofy comedies, but man, he gave a powerful performance in a serious role in that movie. It happened to be on the other day, and as I watched, I was thinking about how he chose to go on by forgetting the past. I don't think that's healthy in the long term, but it is a source of immediate survival, you know, and a valid coping mechanism in its own right.

Hope you're all doing well.

Waterproof

Man is my house a wreck. We spent most of the weekend messing it up rather than cleaning it up, so it's ironic that I stumbled upon this little goodie:

Excerpt from Yesterday's Tomorrows: past visions of the American future, by Joseph J. Corn and Brian Horrigan; Summit Books (1984), page 83. The actual item is from a 1950 issue of Popular Mechanics.



The caption reads, "Because everything in her home is waterproof, the housewife of 2000 can do her daily cleaning with a hose." Don't you wish it was that easy?

Mother's Day

We had some frightening storms last night; tornadoes ripped through the county, destroying homes and causing power outages. Thank God we were safe. You couldn't convince my little dog that we were OK, though -- she spent the entire night basically trying to crawl inside my body via my mouth. I've had very little sleep, and am a bit grumpy on Mother's Day. Haha.

When the power came back on, I made a quiche with mushrooms, spinach, and Swiss chees Yum! Today's Mike's birthday, in addition to Mother's Day, so I figured I'd make the breakfast. Ironically, I gave him an emergency weather radio, something he's been wanting. He gave me a new iced tea maker, and Kill Bill Vol. I & II. That totally cracked me up. He knows I love those movies. What other mom would be OK that gift? If you think about it though, one of the primary themes of K.B. is that a mother's love is stronger than any other instinct. No, really. Stop laughing. It's true.

Hope you're all having a great weekend. Here's the recipe for the quiche, if you want to try it.

1 c. sliced fresh mushrooms
1 c. fresh baby spinach leaves, chopped fine
1 c. shredded Swiss cheese
2 c. milk
1 c. Bisquick
4 eggs
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese (for top of quiche)

Step 1: Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Step 2: Grease 10" pie plate or 12" quiche pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Step 3: Evenly layer sliced fresh mushrooms, spinach, and Swiss cheese in the pan.
Step 4: In a medium mixing bowl, beat the milk, Bisquick, eggs, salt, and pepper until smooth and free of any lumps.
Step 5: Pour into pan.
Step 6: Bake 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle the remaining 1/4 cup of shredded Swiss cheese on top.
Step 7: Bake about 10 minutes longer, or until a knife inserted halfway between edge and center comes out clean.
Step 8: Let stand 5-10 minutes before serving.

Right Now

My old doggie has perked up a lot and isn't stumbling as much; she seems to be feeling a lot better. I know the inevitable is going to happen, but it's nice to buy a little bit more time. I just gave the other dog a bath, and she's smelling good and rolling around on the carpet snorting. When her coat dries, she will get her K9 Advantix. Flea and tick season is going to be bad this year -- I've already pulled two ticks off of her, and it's only May!

The house is almost unbearably hot. We need our AC serviced, so we haven't been able to turn it on yet. Today is the first day that I've really wanted it, and it's just the first of many. Not using the AC is good for the electric bill, but man, I'm sweaty, especially after bathing the dog. When I finish this Pepsi, I'm jumping in the shower to cool off. I always need a bath after giving the dog one, anyway. :)

Because she really loves the pears, I sent my mom a Harry & David fruit basket for Mother's Day. I wanted to send her the baby veggie basket, which is one of my favorites, but they don't start delivering those until June. I also wrote her a long list of thank you's; she may have been a psycho crazy mom at times, but there are definitely some good things to remember too.

Chelsea is taking a pre-work nap; she's still pretty worn out from the mono. Michael is out playing with his friends. Mike's puttering around with a friend's laptop that needs repairs. All is well.

What a Wonderful World

Julie from Are You Going to Eat That? has challenged her readers to try to think of the things that strike them as “awesome.”

I choose:

luna moths
the smell of honeysuckles
yellow finches on the feeders
baby vegetables growing in the garden
a foot spa
DSL connection to the Internet
Making someone laugh
a great cup of coffee early in the morning

Your turn…

Oh, and I love this kitty:

Bonus Post

One more thing; I wish we all had smell-a-vision. The honeysuckles smell incredible; their perfume is wafting through every open window in this house. I want to smell like THAT, and I wish I could share it with you.

Lazy Post

OK, I know you've noticed that when I have nothing to say, I do a meme :X That probably makes a blog-loser or a "bloser," but guess what, here's another one. I got this one from my brother, and some of his answers made me laugh. Maybe I should post HIS answers? Anyway, steal these 50 odd things, if you like:

Do you like swiss cheese?
Yes, especially melted.

Have you ever had smoked fish?
Yep, salmon.

Do you own any weapons?
Nope, unless you count my chef knives.

What is your favorite candy?
Dark chocolate.

Do you get nervous before dentist appointments?
Nope.

What do you think of corn dogs?
I like the ones you get at fairs, and the ballpark. Not eating meat right now, though.

Favorite Christmas tradition?
I buy ornaments for my children every year; I am going to give them all of their ornaments when they move into homes of their own.

What do you prefer to drink in the evening:
A glass of cold white wine, or an even colder martini.

Can you do chin ups?
BAHAHAHAHAHA. I mean, no, but I’m working on it.

What's your favorite piece of furniture?
My armchair. Great for reading, watching TV, and I even drag it over to the computer so I can sit cross-legged and comfy.

Favorite fruit?
Oranges, maybe. I love lots of fruit, so that’s a tough one.

Secret weapon to get the opposite sex?
Men are simple. Show up naked. Bring beer.

Do you have OCD?
Doesn’t everyone, to an extent? I walk through the house cutting off all the extra lights and closing the bedroom doors, because I think everyone else here has OCD about leaving the lights ON and the doors OPEN. I also can’t stand for the blinds to be open at night.

Maiden/Former Name?
Maiden name is Sarvis. Unusual name outside of the Carolinas, for the most part.

Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment
The TV is loud. My neck hurts. Survivor comes on in 20 minutes.

Name 3 things you bought yesterday:
Catfood, toilet paper, coffee.

Current pet peeve:
Misuse of it’s/its.

Favorite place to be?
In my head. Also my least favorite place, at times.
(My brother wrote this, but it also applies to me.)

What did you do for the Super Bowl?
Made homemade chicken wings, drank beer, had folks over.

Where would you like to travel?
Italy

Name three people who won't complete this?
I dunno.

Do you own a bathrobe?
Yes, a white terry cloth one.

What socks are you wearing?
None.

Do you like sleeping on flannel sheets?
Only when it’s really cold.

Can you touch your nose with your tongue?
Yes.

Favorite color car?
Silver.

Would you be a treasure hunter?
Definitely.

What is the first thing you do in the shower?
Wet my hair, stand there with my eyes closed.

Favorite girl's names?
Chelsea is my favorite girl.

Favorite boy's names?
Michael is my favorite boy.

What is in your pocket right now?
No pockets in my PJs. Yes it’s 7:45pm and I’m in my PJ’s. You got a problem with that?

What's the last thing you did last night?
Um, that’s not for general publication. Hey, it WAS our anniversary, after all.

Best friend as a child?
When I was really young, my best friend was a girl named Shelly. After that, Karen and Mike have both been my friends since high school.

Worst injury you've ever had?
Got my arm caught in a washing machine.

Do you love where you live?
It’s home, but would I live somewhere else if that was possible right now? Sure. I want to live by the ocean again someday.
How many beds do you have in your house?
3

Who is your oldest friend?
Does this mean what is the age of your oldest friend or what friend has been your friend the longest? My most aged friend is Bob, and I think he’s 52? I’ve been friends with Karen since I was 17, and I’m almost 42 now.

How many dogs do you have?
Two.

Does someone have a crush on you?
Crush isn’t the right word, but one of my students wants me to adopt her.

What is your favorite sport?
I like to watch NASCAR races. I like to shoot baskets once in a while.

What is your favorite sports team?
Atlanta Braves, Georgia Bulldogs.

What songs do you play when you're angry?
You Oughta Know, Alanis Morrisette

What were you doing at 6 pm last night?
Sitting on the back porch with Mike, relaxing.

20 Years Ago

I've known this man since I was 14. We've been dating since I was 17. We got married shortly before I turned 22. He asked me to marry him by singing me a song of his own composition. I meant that I could, and so I said, "I will." Twenty years ago, I thought that I did, and so I said, "I do." It hasn't been all candlelight and roses, but I've grown, as has he. Now, after all, turns out I do, and I will. My definition of love has changed beyond recognition, when compared to my early ideas about love. Although I wasn't then, I'm a healthy person now, with a healthy perspective on what it means to share your life with someone; it's a good feeling.

China is the traditional gift for the 20th anniversary. I wracked my brains to think of a china gift that makes sense for a male; finally, I bought a really good quality 14-inch wok, with bamboo tools, since he enjoys cooking. I also bought him Lucky perfume, which has the Chinese symbol for lucky on it and smells nice. He gave me 1/3 carat diamond earrings and is taking me out to dinner at my favorite Chinese restaurant. As a very thoughtful bonus, these earrings have screw-backs. Now I don't have to worry about losing them, as I did a smaller, less expensive pair that he gave me once. YIKES!

Long Day

Testing is over.
Feet are swollen.
Body is tired.
Dog is still hanging in there.
Comment box is delightfully full -- IOU.
Son is grouchy, wtf?
Anniversary is tomorrow. :)
More tomorrow.

¡Celebramos!

I received the following annoying ad in the mail today: Celebrate Cinco de Mayo With This Pizza & Chicken Strips Offer From Papa John's! Um, yeah. That's how I celebrate Cinco de Mayo; I eat pizza and chicken strips.

How about something a bit more in keeping with the theme?

Margaritas for Four (or less)

12 ounces De Agave Tequila,
8 ounces Cointreau
3 ounces freshly squeezed lime juice
Salt

Combine ingredients in a pitcher. Stir. Rub the rims of four, chilled long-stem glasses with lime juice, and then dip the glasses into a thin layer of salt. Pour margaritas evenly into four glasses, or two if you want to get drunk with a partner, or one glass if you have no plans to drive for two days.

The Third

I think I may have figured out who the third might be, in that whole "bad things happen in threes" scenario. Our 13-year-old chow/Lab, Dixie, seems to be nearing the end. She's been aging rapidly over the last 3-4 months, and today, she's especially wobbly and clumsy. Although she doesn't seem to be in any pain, she doesn't seem to be restful at all. She's been pacing and circling a bit. When we speak to her or pet her, though, she wags her tail and shows recognition like always. We're praying for a peaceful ending, without medical intervention. Because she hates the vet so much, I'd like to spare her that stress if possible. Poor baby.

Today was a beautiful day; I needed that sunshine and R&R. This is EOCT week, and it's going to be a long one. After that, it's a countdown until May 23. Hope everyone had a great weekend.

Home

It's messy, noisy, and cluttered. It's in need of TLC, both inside and out, but it's home. It rained all morning for the drive down, the funeral, the burial, and the drive back, but now, the sun is peeking out a little and I'm home. It feels good to be here. We stopped at the store in town for groceries before we came home; picked up some sunny marigolds, too, for the garden. Sometimes I might wish for a bigger, newer house; however, right now, this house is a welcoming place.

Tomorrow, I'm going to church, grading papers, working a little in the garden, and playing some music with a friend, not necessarily in that order. Monday is the first of my last three Mondays of the school year. Life goes on.

Crocs

Is it just me and my terrible feet or are these things getting more and more appealing? Have you seen some of the new styles? I wouldn't wear a high heel, even a Croc high heel, but they have created some cute, strappy sandals and other nice-looking styles. Along with my pricey MBTs, these inexpensive shoes are the only footwear I can handle comfortably with the plantar fasciitis and heel spur. Any other Croc wearers here?

It happens in threes...

Remember how earlier this week I said I met my life-time quota for funerals? Well, our good friend's mother has passed away, and I can't hardly see how not to go. We've known him for 19 years, and we've shared many good times with both him and his parents. We went to his dad's funeral just 3 years ago -- do you see any way to bail on this one? I feel like I have to just bite the bullet and go. I thought a lot of his mother, and she loved us as well. Dammit.

And, as my title suggests, I can help but think about that bullshit superstition that I've heard my entire life. Death always comes in threes, so who's next?