For tomorrow

These are my plans for the last day of 2009:
1. Get ready to have company over for dinner including Mark's brother and his family who we hardly ever get to see because they live in LA.
2. Go to the library and pay my late fees and get 3 new books.
3. Work out.
4. Call my Michelle because the Christmas Card I sent to her was returned in the mail today.
5. Finish reading Fever:1793 which has been a great relief to read after trudging my way through A Tale of Two Cities (which I liked after I was finished with it).
6. Cuddle my puppy and hug my kids and kiss my husband.

Sophia

On Christmas Eve I had the pleasure of meeting my sweet new great niece, Sophia. She is just a couple of weeks old and as cute as a button. She is so tiny most of her clothes don't fit her yet. She sleeps all day and keeps her parents up all night. She is a joy to hold... all stretches and yawns and oh so cuddly. What a perfect gift! And I even might get to babysit her someday!

After

After all the anticipation of Christmas, it is nice to revel in the total relaxation that comes with having everything complete. I slept especially well last night, but woke up to some very bad news from the bathroom scale. So now my stress level is climbing again at the thought of all the steps that will need to be taken to reverse the effects of Cinnamon rolls for breakfast on Christmas morning and pie and merry berry bars and the delicious homemade caramel given to me as a gift from one of my sweet students. Overall, I thought I had a good week with over an hour of exercise every day... the elliptical and weight lifting and walking the dog. But all of my efforts have been in vain and the real work is ahead. You see, I went off of a prescription that helps keep your weight down but has other side effects I could not live with. And, I am at that magical age where (as all my older friends keep informing me) my body and metabolism are just changing. I can wish for liposuction and tummy tucks all the live long day, but I know that's not going to happen. So, I need to make a change in my eating and moving habits. It needs to be a permanent change. And, I need to take it one day at a time or I will get overwhelmed. So here I am on day one... Only 1/2 a bagel for breakfast along with a glass of milk and an orange. And now, I am off to work out. Maybe that crazy Billy Blanks will do the trick for today.

Happy Christmas to you!

December 22

Some observations from today....

1. I am not keeping up on my December Daily due to lack of a digital camera and am all blah about it.
2. I have pretty much everything ready for Christmas except some gift cards I need to buy that I have no money for and am therefore putting it off.
3. I am not sure if being ready for Christmas early agrees with me... I keep wanting to buy more stuff (which again I have no money for).
4. Sent my sweet friend Michelle her birthday card today... I hope she gets it by the 24th!
5. Have been working out quite a bit so far during the break. It feels good to move.
6. The sun is out finally, and it looks cold and windy out there, but still better than more drizzle.
7. Tomorrow I get my hair cut and am going to work to get a few things done.
8. Got 4 Christmas cards in the mail today and only 1 piece of junk mail.
9. Talked to my sister on the phone.
10.Totally cracked up last night at Sheldon in The Big Bang Theory. That show always makes me laugh.

Wow!

I had no idea it had been so long since I blogged! What a slacker! Not much is going on around here.... the boy is sick and coughing constantly. I think he is the loudest cougher in the whole wide world. Today in the car I counted the seconds between his coughs and the longest span was 65 seconds while the shortest span was 7 seconds. He was averaging 2-5 coughs per minute. And, since he was listening to his i pod, his coughs were even louder than usual. It was not a fun ride home... maybe I need to get him a new pack of cough drops. The girl is in love and has a nice hickey on her neck to prove it. She has finally earned her way back into the real world after being grounded for almost 4 months. So she's been at the boyfriend's house twice this week after school. She even ate dinner over there tonight. She's been in a better mood, though. Tonight she came in and said, "Hi Daddy" to Mark. The use of "Daddy" is usually only heard while she is asking for something she knows she is unlikely to get. I almost fell off my chair.
The Christmas card picture is done and has been sitting at Costco for a couple of days. Three Christmas trees are up and decorated. The big one is sitting without it's lights or adornaments in the dining room waiting patiently to be finished. My scrapbooking desk is a heap of messy ness, so nothing's going on over there. I also have stuff for the classroom memory books spread out all over the floor in the bedroom upstairs. I have to finish at least one of them before Christmas break, because one of my sweet students is moving away and I need to give it to her before she goes. It would be nice if I could have the others done as well.

Off to watch that crazy show "Modern Family"
Happy Wednesday!

Thanksgiving #2

Around 5:30 we crossed town to Mark's mom's house where we had another delicous dinner and great company.

Here's Turkey #2

And the sweet potatoe pie and my spinach salad (I sure got off easy this year with the cooking!)

And my niece Jessica, who is going to have a baby, like, any minute, with her husband Saeng.

John carving the turkey

And my littlest nephew, Charles, who after finding out Jessica had a baby in her stomach, walked around the kitchen poking his little tummy out as far as it could go, saying he had a baby too.

And Mark's sister, Karen with her kids.

Unfortunately, after a couple of cranberry martinis, I forgot to take any more pictures, so I have none of Liz, Nana, or Amanda. Bad photographer!

Thanksgiving #1 (The afternoon addition)

We had 2 dinners to go to this year. We started off at my sister's house around 1:30

The turkey:

Here's my mommy stirring the gravy.

One of the many shots of Alivia on too much Mountain Dew.

Madi eating her blackberry pie. (There were 4 delicious pies!)

Mason and my dad... looking thrilled as always!

Dave holding the yummy turkey he just carved.


Cheryl trying to help Kyla get a piece of lemon meringue. Kyla had never had meringue before. She said it "tasted like outside".

And Alyssa making a funny face at Kyla. She's still adorable, though!

And Mark and I...

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Holidays in Hand

In order to help me better prepare for my December Daily, I signed up for a free class at jessicasprague.com called "Holidays in Hand". I was surprised to see that the content ended today, but I am actually kind of relieved because when I am back at work next week I need to be careful not to overdo it! So, in this class, Jessica has prompts for the 1-31 of December for this year's celebration and to remember things from holidays past. These prompts came all spruced up by her awesome digital scrapbooking self. Our first job was to make some kind of a "holder" to display the prompts in our homes where we would see them every day. I completed mine yesterday. It is sitting on top of my microwave in the kitchen. I can't wait until December 1, so I can get to work!

Happy Monday

What a happy Monday...
I took my dog for 2 walks.
I had a doctor's appointment that was not too horrible.
I watched "Ellen".
I worked on my classroom memory books.
I did dishes and laundry.
I made a super easy dinner (chicken quesadillas, rice and beans).
I watched 2 hours of sitcoms on CBS.
I worked on my "Holidays in Hand" stuff.
I talked to my mommy on the phone.
I did not yell at my daughter.

And the sun shined down on all of it.

December Daily

Long ago in 2005, I made a scrapbook documenting the season of Advent.

This year, I have decided to take on a December Daily. I copied this idea from the famous and talented Ms. Ali Edwards. I actually even copied much of the backgrounds of my pages from looking at her blog. Today I finished the background... and it's coming out pretty cool. Thanks Ali!
Here are pictures of the cover and a peek at the pages. I hope to post more later... maybe when the pages are complete.

Oh! I am also taking a terrific class over at Jessica Sprague's website... Details from that coming soon.

Braces

Tomorrow the boy gets his braces off! It's been 4 years since we've seen his pearly whites without metal on top of them.... I can't wait!

Hang the Man

Each of my classes has a "personality" of its own, but this year my class us LOADED with personality. Now that they are more settled in, we are having a blast! One thing I do at the end of the day (if we are ready early) is play Hang Man. The first time I played it with this class, someone shouted out "We're playing Hang the Man. I know this game." And the name has stuck. One of my sweet students now likes to play 'Hang the Man' at home with her family, and she wrote this.
It says:
Mrs. Bergenske teaches us to write.
I love it.

Where the Wild Things Are (the movie)

Today Kyla and I went and saw the movie Where the Wild Things Are. It was pretty good and TOTALLY weird. I liked the actor who played Max. I also liked that James Gandolfini was cast as the main "wild thing". I am not sure how to explain the weird part. I guess since I hang out from 8-2ish with a pack of wild things, I just found the movie was trying to be a little too deep. Too insightful from an adult perspective, maybe. I don't see many kids really liking it. Have you seen it? What did you think?

Cracked

OK, I'll admit it. I cracked. I was feeling tired trying to play "just one more" game of Bejeweled Blitz.... and I ate a fun size bag of m&m's. I can't... just can't go back on sugar now. I am already up 4 punds from not exercising. I need to get off this blasted computer and go for a walk!

Goals for each day...

On this day I will not get irritated at drivers who stop when they have the right of way or drive 5 mph under the speed limit in the left lane.

On this day I will not use any sarcasm when talking to my students or my children. I will try not to use it on my husband either.

On this day I will breathe deeply and slow down and appreciate the beauty that God has surrounded me with.

On this day I will not eat any sweets, and I will savor my apple as if it were chocolate cake.

On this day I will take special care with my appearance. I will dress modestly. I will smile at people and greet them.

On this day I will listen carefully to what people say to me without thinking about what I am going to say next.

On this day I will kiss my husband and hug my kids and cuddle my puppy and stroke his soft, warm self, and feel grateful.

On this day I will not be filled with fear or anxiety for the future. I will pray and wait for guidance. I will trust that God's plan for me is more wonderful than what I could ever dream of for myself.

On this day I will make dinner with the appreciation that I am able to supply my family with 3 nutritious meals every day.

On this day I will remember that I am loved, I have been created in love. I am precious.

Halloween

Since this was our first Halloween in Lundbar Hills, I was a little nervous about not having enough candy. I had come up here trick or treating with my sister a couple of times, and had witnessed the hordes of children roaming the streets. Then, when we moved in, the previous owner warned us that we needed $100 of candy on hand to supply aforementioned hordes. I just couldn't find it in myself to spend that much money on candy, so I was seriously worried I was going to run out before the night was up. I had 3 huge bags of Hershey candy from Costco and about 6 other bags of random stuff like suckers, gummies, Lemonheads, and some cheaper Palmer chocolates. Our first trick or treater arrived at 4:30. Our last trick or treater rang at 9:45. In between it was sometimes a steady trickle of groups, sometimes up to 10 kids at a time, sometimes the doorbell rang every 30 seconds, sometimes only a loner every 10 minutes or so. Luckily, our supply held up. I don't know if this year would qualify as a "normal" year since it was semi-rainy and lots of kids have been or are sick from the flu/colds. All in all, it was a pretty fun night.

quicker than quick update...

1. Mark's bday was on Friday. Love you babe!
2. We had dinner out Fri, and dinner at relatives' houses Sat & Sun. That means I didn't have to cook dinner for 3 nights in a row. Love you even more, babe!
3. I think (fingers crossed here) my class is settling in and quieting down.
4. I am stocked up on candy for Halloween. (10 huge bags)
5. I found the Halloween decorations and put them out last night.
6. I hope to carve pumpkins this week.
7. I still haven't been to Kohl's.
8. I have been averaging an hour of Bejeweled Blitz per day.
9. I have not been working out.
10. I have a new email: nbergenske@yahoo.com

So, send me a message!!
Love, Nancy

Drat!

It's been 3 days and Manuela never called back. Now I have to go searching for a new internet provider. Any suggestions?

P.S. Cocktail recipes will also be accepted.

sunday boozy sunday

It is Sunday night at 8:11... and I am drunk! I had a few goals for the weekend...
1. Clean the bathroom (didn't do this)
2. Go to church (check)
3. Clean my kitchen (check)
4. Call my sister in law (I called, but she hasn't called me back0
5. Go to the Fire and Light Sale with Cindy (this happened at the last minute, but was fun and well worth the 1 1/2 hours in line)
6. Work out twice (I worked out once)
7. Get my email problems worked out.

Ahhhhh... here's the problem.

I called my lovely email/internet/cable provider and I was on the phone for 56 minutes. Now if this were my first try to fix my email issues, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. But, it was my 4th try. Since Sept. 12th! And, first, I was accused of being a criminal trying to break into someone else's email. Then, I was apologized to and helped. But, Manuela, the unfortunate girl who ended up trying to help me, did all of the things that the other people did the other 3 times I called, and (just like the other 3 people who promised to solve my email issues) She is supposed to call me tomorrow... with all the problems solved. If she doesn't Mark and I have decided to change our email/internet/cable providers.
I was so stressed out by the end of 56 minute call, that I truly thought my brain might explode. So I invented a new cocktail. (I love the word 'cocktail') It was a strawberry limeade. With Vodka. Lots of Vodka. And now I feel better.
But let's hope Manuela can work it out, because if she can't I'll have to go through all the trouble of changing email/internet/cable providers. And that just might cause my brain to explode.

Cheers, on a Sunday.... Love, Nancy

I *heart* weekends

I had a great weekend last weekend. My sweet Granny came over from Hayfork and spent the weekend at my Mom's. So, Saturday we got to spend the whole day together. I met up with them at Madi and Livi's soccer game.

The best part is always after the game when all the parents make a tunnel for them to run through.


After that we went to my house and got my family, and then to lunch at Cafe Marina.
That's Mason and Kyla with Granny.

After lunch, Granny, Mom and I drove to Blue Lake to put flowers on my Grandpa Bill's and Uncle Tim's graves.

This is Mom and Granny walking into the cemetary.


It was a great day of visiting, catching up and laughter.

October

October is here. School is in full swing. Kyla and Mason have both had colds and missed one day. I've had a sore throat for 3 days with no other apparent symptoms. The kinders are starting to get the hang of the routine. They are more focused on their work, but they still like to yell out across the room to one another. They are a busy bunch. I have a dentist appointment soon. My mom's birthday is coming up. I am one month late getting new contacts and the ones I've been wearing since August are starting to feel a little weird. Tonight when I turned around from eating dinner it looked like the kitchen was filled with smoke. I also need an appointment with the gyno. Things feel like they're piling up. I have given up trying to work out in the morning. My alarm would go off at 5:31 and I'd push snooze. Then at 5:40 I'd push snooze again. At 5:49 I would get out of bed, turn on my lamp, reset the alarm for 6:21 and go back to sleep. It just isn't in my genetics to pop right out of bed. Even though I liked the feeling of having my work out out of the way, most days I just couldn't handle it at 5:31. So now I'm walking Pepper almost every day and doing a little yoga and weight lifting.

Goals for the month:
Read 2 books
Work out at least 5 days per week
Go to the class I am taking to get a unit increase at work every Tuesday
Have drinks with Shelly
Watch my nieces play soccer
Create 5 scrapbook pages
Write a few notes to friends/relatives
Go to church every Sunday
Get at least 8 hours sleep each night (9 is better)
Take pictures with my film camera since the digital one I wanted is never coming (again, out of stock)

On my mind...

1. Lots of thoughts of God, and how wonderful it is that he loves me just as I am yet pulls me to become the best 'me' possible.
2. Worrying about Kyla.
3. Can't get excited about eating anything (or cooking it, either) after a weekend of total food indulgence at the retreat.
4. Feeling sluggish after days with out working out.
5. Excited about reading the last book in the "Series of Unfortunate Events" book series. I hope things turn out well for those sweet Baudelaires.
6. Wanting to reach out more and build a community of friends.
7. Glad the Saints are playing well.
8. Anticipating (with pleasure)sleeping in my own bed tonight.
9. Grateful for such a generous and kind friend as Danette.
10. Loving the beautiful, sunny skies we've been having.

Weekend Away

Everyone needs a "break" from everyday life now and then. So, this weekend I am going to a Christian Women's Retreat with my wonderful friend Danette, who I've known since Kindergarten. I don't have to cook any meals, answer any questions about when phones will be replaced or guitar picks will be purchased. I won't have to worry about doing my hair, or laundry or dishes. I won't have to listen to football games blaring in the other room. I get to take some time to rejuvenate and renew my relationship with God (and hopefully make some new friends while I'm at it.) And hopefully, I'll be able to sleep on the hard old bunks in the freezing cold in a sleeping bag. Cuz, there are two things I need every day: 3 good meals, and a good night's sleep!

Hope your weekend is lovely!

It's football season

Yep, it's football season again, so every Thursday night, Saturday (all day), Sunday (all day) and Monday night this is what I am looking at. No chance of doing any fun family activities (unless they involve watching football). For the next 18 or so weeks, I am officially a football widow. Mark was sure happy when the Broncos came from behind for that last minute victory, though.

Lovely Friday

It's lovely Friday again. It was a super busy week. On Thursday night we had Back to School Night. That's where all the parents come and listen to me talk about the program and just how Kindergarten works in general. Today we had our Teddy Bear picnic at school, and it went really well. One of the boys in my class is lobbying to have another teddy bear picnic. I think he must've had fun. I am starting to settle back in to the teaching routine (as is my class), and I think things are OK. The girl is handling her restriction with more maturity than we've seen in the past, and she has expressed an interest in playing the piano and the drums. The boy hasn't crashed my car or gotten a ticket or anything yet and is teaching himself to play guitar on a borrowed guitar. He is generally pretty talkative and pleasant to be around. The best part, though, is that I am going to go to bed super early and read until I fall asleep with my face in the book and sleep in super late then go for a walk with my sweet sister (who I haven't seen enough of lately). Lovely, lovely Friday.

One day at a time...

The way I deal with all difficult situations: prayers, taking it one day at a time, finding pleasure in small, everyday occurences and relying on friends and family to help me through. My life is blessed. I just need to remember to focus on the good parts. Thanks for all of the support.
Love, Love, Love you!
Nancy

Bad, bad weekend

This weekend has been like, completely crazy. The weather has been beyond gorgeous. I had a great visit with my family on Sunday... complete with bbq and heritage books and fresh veggies. I had a perfect dinner with some of M's family on Saturday... complete with brownies and catching up and fruity margaritas.
But the hours between 10 pm on Saturday and 5 am on Sunday were like out of a nightmare. The girl had lied about where she was going, and when we called to check up on her she turned her phone off. The first 5 or so hours consisted of sending her text messages, driving around town waking perfectly innocent people up trying to get any possible information about her whereabouts, tears, and despair. The last 2 hours we filed a missing persons report, then waited until the sheriff brought her home.
Yesterday morning, I truly felt more despondent than I have in years. The whole state of my body was messed up. I was just angry, and sad, and worried, and pessimistic about the future. The only time I can remember feeling this way was during the first month or so after we found out the girl had cancer. I am praying and wishing and hoping that the next 4 months (while she's on restriction) and then the next 3 1/2 years after that (while she's in high school under our roof) will not be as filled with obstacles and problems and traumas as I am anticipating. I truly don't know if I will survive it.

Today

Today I slept in until 9:00.
Today I made pancakes for breakfast.
Today I played Bejeweled Blitz for an hour in the morning and got my 125 K medal.
Today I watched tennis and college football with Mark because I like his company, not the sports.
Today I held my shaking puppy in my lap while the vacuum cleaner roared around us.
Today I invited some family members over for dinner.
Today I will go grocery shopping because we are out of milk and tp.
Today I watched my poor girl hobble around the house because her feet are swollen from wearing 4 inch pumps for 16 hours.
Today I found out my camera won't be her for another 20 days.
Today I feel my battery recharging and getting me ready for another challenging and worthwhile week with my new class.

5 days down....

175 to go.

I know, it seems a little early to be counting the days until summer. I just had a rough kind of week. I really love my class. I have so many sweet, funny, smart, engaged students. Just as a group they tend to be very LOUD. They love to talk. And, they all tend to talk while I'm talking or, while they are playing, in extremely loud voices. Herm the Worm and I (and my freezing signal, the rainstick) have been getting quite a workout. Herm even told me not to feel too bad because he had a headache at the end of each day, too.

So I am having a super mellow night with no noise around. Would love to have a cocktail to go with my quiet evening, but I have to pick my girl up from her first high school football game at 10:00.

First Days

Today was the boy's last first day of school. That's right, he's a senior. I can still clearly recall his first day of Kindergarten. It was raining buckets... like a deluge. He was wearing his shiny blue raincoat with the red and yellow stripes and his first Green Bay Packers Jersey underneath. He carried an umbrella. After his teacher shooed us out of the classroom, Mark and I went to this special room where they served doughnuts for the distraught parents. We each ate a doughnut and went to work. Today he wore jeans and a white tee shirt with an undershirt underneath (since the shirt was kind of see through). He dropped me off at school and drove himself down to the high school. I feel old.

Today was my little pumpkin's first day of high school. She was in a horrendous fury yesterday because we would not let her ride to school with her cousin's boyfriend. You see, in CA, it is illegal for kids to drive other kids around until 1 year after they've had their license, and he's only had his license a few weeks. He's already been pulled over with the cousin in the car and the police had to drive her home. She thought we were being incredibly unreasonable for not letting her ride with him. When I dropped her off at her friend's house this morning (who she was riding the bus with) she answered my "I love you" with a firmly closed door. After school we spent almost $80 on school supplies. I had no luck trying to persuade her that cute binders and pens versus plain binders and pens didn't determine her worth as a person. I feel stomped on and tired.

Today was my 11th first day of school as the teacher. I can't remember any details from my first day of school as the teacher. Except that I had a cute little class of 16 Kinders and I was really excited about putting my room together. Today, I didn't feel at all nervous. I really can't remember the last time I felt nervous about starting school. I had some fun moments with my class, but they sure had a lot of energy!! It will take many sessions with my favorite puppet Herm the Worm, and lots of practice, practice, practice for them to all get "how" to do school. I have many talkers. When we were walking out to the bus they little boy who was holding my hand looked up at me and said, "I had fun." For this, I am happy.

Quick Check In

I am checking in to report how I did on my previous list of items to do for the last month of summer. The goal will be listed first with what was accomplished in parenthesis.

1. Exercise 25 times for one hour or more. (I exercised 15 times. Never over 1 hour... usually 20-30 minutes)
2. Clean 2 junk drawers. (finished early on... and they still look pretty good!)
3. Visit Granny Millie (Nope, didn't even call her)
4. Flowers on Granny & Grandpa's graves (Nope)
5. Pick blackberries and make cobbler (Accomplished... it was good.)
6. Learn to make a really pear martini (Nope... had some great Mango margaritas in Cabo, though)
7. Go to Fern Canyon (No)
8. Go to Patrick's Point (No)
9. Read 10 books (Yep, I read 11.)
10. Make an appointment with the dermatologist (Did it... everything's fine)
11. Clean off the laundry room counter (Yes, it was clean, but I have refilled it with other stuff!)
12. Have guests for dinner once per week (Well, I had people over twice)
13. Work on Homework bags for school ( I did work on them, they are sitting incomplete on the laundry room counter.)
14. Start memory books (Technically, yes. They are assembled in a big box in my garage.)
15. Scrap 40 pages (I got 16 pages completed)

So, I guess I did OK... definitely lacking in outings... maybe that'll be a goal for Fall.... to go on some day trips.

Cheers! Nancy

Stress

Sometimes getting ready for a vacation and getting back from a vacation are such stress filled times that I wonder if it's really worth it to go... BUT NO! I KNOW it is worth it to go, and I am looking forward to it... I have a week of laying by the pool, reading (I am taking 8 books with me), working out, eating yummy food, drinking luscious cold drinks, and basically being responsible for nothing. It will be wonderful.
It's just that I'm already dreading the 7 days after I return... when I will be in a pressure cooker timewise... to get my classroom ready... to learn the new Language Arts Curriculum... to be ready to teach again after such a short break....
That's the clincher... I feel like summer just began, and now it's over.
BUT, I do have a great class coming in with lots of parents I adore... so that should help a thousand fold! Wish me luck... (and prayers, too... prayers really help!)

Crazy

It's crazy how fast time flies when you spend a couple of hours each day reading.. and when you just putter around taking time to do all the things you usually have to rush through, like making your bed and wiping down the counters and scrubbing the sink and flossing your teeth and eating your lunch. It's crazy how good it feels to just float through each day with a list of things both written and unwritten to do, yet rarely feeling rushed or stressed about it. Because it's summer time and there's always tomorrow...

It's crazy how when you've had a day where much of it felt frazzled and hectic because of car accidents and closed roads and scraping machines and changed appointments and PMS headaches and a stressed out son... that a few minutes of time to gather your thoughts and relax and get your priorities straight makes it all better.

I love summer.

finally...

After years of begging for a digital camera, Mark said tonight, "I guess you can go online and buy that camera you want for your birthday." So here I am trying to buy it, and having no luck at all! Won't someone please take my money and send me this camera!?!

What Matters

I have an old album I have never quite finished called "What Matters". The pages are 8x8 and it's all planned out, so I thought it might be a good place to get my creativity flowing...


The base of this page was made at CKU-M ages ago at the Hero Arts class. It has lots of fancy stamping that I never take the time to do on my regular pages. The picture is from last year's birthday wine tasting trip to Sonoma. I sure miss these girls!



This is a page for Mark's family. Photo was taken Thanksgiving 2007. The last time all 5 siblings were gathered together.

List update

I know you are all just dying to hear how I've progressed on my list from yesterday:

1. Worked out- 1 hour of yoga and walked Pepper
2. Cleaned out both junk drawers
3. Picked blackberries but didn't make cobbler yet.

Feeling pretty productive for the first official day of vacation!

Finally, Summer!

Summer school is officially over, and I am now on vacation.... 5 blissful weeks of sleeping in, working out, scrapbooking(hopefully), organizing.... my mind is spinning with the possibilities.
So I thought I'd make a list of all the things I'd like to accomplish this summer:
1. Work out 5 days per week at least one hour per day
2. Clean off my laundry room counter (I hope there's a counter somewhere under all that stuff)
3. Scrapbook 40 pages of something (anything!)
4. Go hiking at Fern Canyon
5. Have guests over for dinner once per week
6. Start next year's school memory books
7. Get my homework bags reorganized
8. Clean out my 2 worst junk drawers
9. Visit my Granny Millie
10. Pick blackberries and make a cobbler
11. Read 10 books off my "to read" list on goodreads
12. Go to Patrick's Point
13. Take flowers to Grandpa and Granny's graves
14. Figure out how to make a really good pear martini
15. Make an appointment to see the dermatologist

So what are you up to this summer?

What's going on around here?

Not much actually....

1. Pepper is rolling around on the rug chasing his tail. He stops occasionally to frantically lick the rug. Ugh!
2. The sunburned boy is drinking his 3rd gallon of milk for the week.
3. The girl has been unusually quiet and mellow. Mark and I are both sure she is up to no good in some capacity. We just haven't been able to catch her at it yet.
4. I had a horrible day at work.... actually I pretty much had a migraine by the time I left at 3:30. (I only get paid until 12:00) but within 10 minutes of being home Mark had me calmed down and my headache went away. He must be some kind of psycho-woman whisperer.
5. I had dinner with my dear friend, Danette. Good conversation, catching up, and making plans.

Rafting pictures

River rafting

For a while now, my sweet sister in law, Ann, has been trying to get us to go on a rafting trip down the Trinity River. I didn't really think it was a possibility because I thought Mark would scoff at the idea. But when I mentioned it, he was all for it. So today we did a 4 hour rafting tour. It was great fun:
with the threat of falling in while paddling frantically
and the hot sun shining on us
and the quiet parts where you can see through 12 feet of clear turquoise water
and a bald eagle flying over our heads
and learning how to paddle
and having our guide be my own school colleague (aka Danger Dave)
and watching Dennis try to balance on the front of the boat
and doing 360's down a fun rapid
and seeing Mason smile right before he jumps in
and listening to corny jokes
and seeing the beautiful "fool's gold" shimmering in the water around your ankles
and watching the kayaks try to manueveur down the category 4 rapid, Hell's hole
and looking at hilarious pictures of us doing our strange manueveur
and drinking two peach daquiris that were so refreshing you had a brain freeze before you realized it.
Yes, it was a great day.
And after these days I always wonder why we don't do these kinds of things more often.

Amazing

It was
AMAZING.
I finally went to a Harry Potter movie and left with a smile on my face. Of course, of necessity, they had to leave out MUCH of the book. It's a really long book. But I was OK with the changes they made. I really loved it. In fact, it was so good, I am having serious urges to dump all current books and pick up #6 again. Mark even liked it. When we got home, he was full of questions and wanted to know lots of stuff about what was going on. He questioned me for ages, but I would not give up any crucial information. I really think he should read the books... not all of them... but maybe starting with #4.
Now, I can't wait for the last book to be made into a movie. I hear it will actually be 2 movies. I wonder where they will break it up? My head is spinning!

Addictions

There are many things that I do everyday. If I am on vacation or something is different, and I don't get to do (or have) these things, I feel weird. Does that mean they are my addictions?
1. Milk at breakfast (either to drink or in cereal)
2. Cherry Chapstick
3. Diet soda with lunch (diet Mtn. Dew is best, but others will do)
4. Playing Zen Bones on the computer
5. Reading something. I have to have something to read when I eat my breakfast, and before I go to sleep.

What are your addictions?

Daily details

1. I am reading Markus Zusak's A Book Thief... It is fabulous. Set in Germany during WWII. Filled with so much odd, delightful imagery...

Listen to this:
"Each night Liesel would step outside, wipe the door, and watch the sky. Usually it was like spillage-cold and heavy, slippery and gray- but once in a while some stars had the nerve to rise and float, if only for a few minutes. On those nights, she would stay a little longer and wait.
"Hello stars."
Waiting.
For the voice from the kitchen.
Or till the stars were dragged down again, into the waters of the German sky."

Or this:
"As was her habit, she stood for a while on the steps, looking at Molching beneath her. The town that afternoon was covered in a yellow mist, which stroked the rooftops as if they were pets and filled up the streets like a bath."

2. I worked out really hard tonight on the elliptical. It took some of my usual hormonal fury out of me, now I feel settled down.

3. We had BBQed roast with lemon marinade, cheesy potatoes, corn on the cob, and zucchini pancakes for dinner tonight. The zucchini was fresh from my Dad's garden.

4. I have a set of math tests from today to correct, and a sample to make of a drawing showing my favorite vacation.

5. I also have to address Kyla's thank you notes from graduation.

6. I forced myself to sit in the sun and read for hours this afternoon. It was so windy out there I had to keep my sweatshirt on, and my hair was blown up in every direction, but it was worth it.

Goodnight.

Is it the Swine flu?

So I have been sick with cold/flu symtoms since July 3rd. Yuck! I tried not taking any medicine over the weekend because I wanted my histamines to do their job, so I was trying not to mess with them. On Sunday night, however, I had 2 drinks and a dose of NyQuil. I slept like a baby... a drunk baby, but still, it felt great to get some rest! Anyway, I started feeling better yesterday and have been medicine free for 2 days now. Oh, and I think I caught it from Kyla, since she was sick the whole week we were in Disneyland. And, she went to the Dr. when we got back and they gave her penicillin, so I'm thinking it's NOT the swine flu. At least, I hope not!

Oh, only 6 more days until the Half Blood Prince opens. EEEEEEE!

Independence Day

Thanks to all the past and present soldiers out there who have given and contlinue to give all of us regular old citizens here in the USA the greatest gift of all.... freedom.

As for my day, I went grocery shopping and saw an old friend (which was nice). Tonight I may or may not be driving and hour and a half (one way) to pick my son up from a wedding. The jury's still out about whether he will get a ride from someone else. I even offered him $20 if he did, but it's doubtful. So, here I sit with Kyla's germ... my ears crackling, my nose running and no energy. Oh well, I saw lots of fireworks last week at Disneyland.

California Adventures

So we went to CA Adventures on our second day at Disney. The older kids really had fun that day. We also bought ears for everyone who wanted them.


Here are Kyla, Alyssa, Mason, Amanda and Mark on California Screamin. We had gone on it once already, and it made me pretty nauseous, so I was taking a break. This is right before the ride started.



This is right after the ride started. It really shoots you out there like a shot out of a cannon or something. I just love the expressions on their faces. I especially love how Mark has the exact same smile in both shots. And, of course, Alyssa's face is classic.



Here are the big kids at the 3-D Muppet Show.



Here are Cheryl, Dave, Alyssa, Madi and Livi in "Hollywood."



Alyssa and Kyla in front of their favorite ride.... The Tower of Terror. It was my favorite too. The first time we went on, Alyssa was freaking out, and when the hostess asked, "Are there any last questions or requests?" I thought for sure she was going to jump up and ask to get off. But, she stuck with it, and I held her hand and we screamed our lungs out. When we got off the ride, our hands were covered with sweat. What a panic we were in! It was a blast!