Merry Christmas Eve!

It is Christmas Eve and my son is very excited that we are in California because he gets to open presents on Christmas Eve at Grandma's house. My husband is happy to be around his best friend, Dan. Yesterday Dan, his boys, Gerry, Holly and Tim played basketball for hours. He is hobbling around now.
My Iphone probably won't arrive until after Christmas because FedEx is having problems with weather at their hub.
I am a bad mommy. I didn't get all the Christmas pjs this year. Every place I went they were out of pjs!!

12/21/09

Today is the eighth anniversary of my mother's death. I still can't believe she is gone. We finally made it to California. Gerry's mom had a bad spell today and she isn't feeling well. She had a pre-stroke. It is the second time that she has had one of these. Gerry is really sad about how ill his parents are getting.

my to do list is getting longer & Christmas Letter

I am getting a bit overwhelmed with what I need to do for Christmas. The boy wants a target gift card, and so does Dot #2. Dot #1 wants a digital camera to take pictures of the baby. I got presents for most of the extended family at Bass Pro last night. Tonight I have to finish the last of the packing and be ready to go. Kelsey is going to be alone for a while, but her buddies plan on visiting a bit.

And here is the 2009 Christmas Letter

Top Ten Reasons We Didn’t Send Out a Christmas Letter this Year….

10) Kim has a longer commute to work now that she is teaching at Jay High School. But don’t think it is a bad thing; she only teaches four classes and has a classroom in the building.

9) Gerry misses Kim a lot now that she isn’t at O’Connor and can’t make copies for him or bring him lunch!

8) Tim broke his arm, again. Actually, he was very diplomatic about it. He broke the right in July and the left in September. Eighth grade football season was spent on the sidelines.

7) Holly is taking 4 Advanced Placement Courses (English, Economics/
Government, Chemistry 2, and Art History).

6) Gerry is teaching Holly Chemistry 2. She tried to get the whole class to call him Dad, but they compromised by calling him “Sir”.

5) Holly scored really well on the SAT and is applying to several colleges.
She is graduating number 21 in her class. She is being offered numerous
scholarships and Incarnate Word University and Texas Tech are the
top 2 college choices right now.

4) Kelsey moved out, and moved back home.

3) Gerry joined a new fishing club (he won $300 in September!).

2) Bonkers passed away at the mature age of 15 (105 in human
years).

And the number 1 reason we didn’t send out a Christmas
Letter this year is…

Gerry & Kim are going to be Grandparents.
Kelsey is expecting a baby boy in April!

miss the little kids

ok, so 18 and 14 isn't exactly that little, but they are my little ones. They flew to California for the holiday break. We got a great deal on Southwest and thought it might be easier for them to fly down. We are going to drive. Kelsey is going to fly out on the 22nd. We have a house sitter for the big dogs. We still need to put stakes in the back fence to keep Taffy Daffy in. She will just make another hole though. She does not like to be fenced in. She comes around to the front and rings the bell when she wants to go to bed.

oh, yeah, I cut some bangs that I really shouldn't have. Note to self, leave the scissors alone.

4 days left till Break!

Boy, I am looking forward to the Winter Break. My classes are all taking a benchmark from Monday to Wednesday, then we are going to watch a video to relax after the benchmark. My students will be incredibly bouncy by the end of the week.

Kelsey had a dr appt today. It is her 6 month visit. She is still just going once a month. The ultrasound showed the baby was right on schedule for April 11. I am getting excited. We are going to plan the baby shower for the week of Spring Break.

I hit level 5 with my virginhealthmiles!!! yeah! That means $100 gift card for Best Buy. I am going to use it to buy my I Phone on the 22nd. (My contract renewal date is 12/22.) Kelsey is eligible for an upgrade on 12/28. She wants a touch screen phone but isn't going to get the IPhone.

We are getting ready to make a run for the west coast.

some people are very naughty

This situation started last Christmas and will probably continue until the person dies. She is not a nice person and her mask is finally slipping and no longer am I the only person who sees this. Last Christmas, this person came to my house for Christmas and totally dissed me. She brought presents for everyone but me. I didn't make a big deal about it till later.

She also started a situation in trying to get in between my daughter and the rest of the family. Interestingly enough, once we shut her out of our life everything got much better with our relationship with the daughter. Still there was major damage to our family and things that happened could have been avoided.

Well, the girls went over to her house for a Christmas celebration and she didn't get a present for their brother. This upset the girls. Also, she has made several comments that have upset the girls. She is still trying to break up our family.

I wish that people could be happy and loving to family members. I will never talk to the woman again. I have blocked her number from my son's phone. My girls are grown and I will let them make their own choices. It is to the point that I am thinking of moving out of state to get away from the witch!

Falling behind....

I am falling behind in my Christmas Journal. I haven't even opened the prompts for the 9th and 10th, but I have a good excuse. My daughter, Holly, celebrated her 18th birthday yesterday. We didn't have a celebration yet, because we want to celebrate over Christmas Break. I am really looking forward to being off from work.

This weekend we have the Jay Christmas Party and then on Sunday we have Gerry's Fishing Club Fishing Trip. I am excited about the Party....

My Christmas Journal has been started

It still needs some photos to be added, but I haven't had them printed yet. Here are images from my Journal.

Another silly questionnaire

Another silly questionnaire

If you've been tagged or you are reading this, you have the honor of copying all these goofy questions, writing your own response, and tagging 25 other victims. You have to tag me so really you just need 24 more people. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you - but not in a creepy stalker kind of way.

To do this, go to "notes" under tabs on your profile page, paste these instructions in the body of the note, type your title as "Getting to know each other!", tag 25 people including me (tagging is done in the right hand corner of the app) then click publish.


1. What time did you get up this morning? 7 am    

2. How do you like your steak? Medium rare

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Blind Side

4. What is your favorite TV show? Ghost Whisperer

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Probably California to be near Gerry's family

6. What did you have for breakfast? cereal

7. What is your favorite cuisine? Italian

8. What foods do you dislike? onions

9. Favorite Place to Eat? Carraba's Italian Grill

10. Favorite dressing? Ceasar

11.What kind of vehicle do you drive? Nissian Versa

12. What are your favorite clothes? Yoga tanks & pants (though I don't do yoga)

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? The beach

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? 1/2 full

15. Where would you want to retire? The Lake (to join my hubby! Cause he is usually already there)

16. Favorite time of day? morning

17. Where were you born? Bowling Green, KY

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Basketball

19. Who do you think will not tag you back? Not sure. Maybe my Aunt Becky cause she can't get her computer to copy and paste. (love you, Aunt B!)

20. Person you expect to tag you back first? The first person to be awake...

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this? Not sure

22. Bird watcher? Are you kidding? I annoy the birds

23. Are you a morning person or a night person? morning

24. Do you have any pets? 3 dogs, 3 cats

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? My first grandchild will be here April 11 & it is a boy!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? A teacher (I made everyone play school)

27. What is your best childhood memory? Being with my Grandmother Dorothy and Granddad Cecil

28. Are you a cat or dog person? Both

29. Are you married? Yes        

30. Always wear your seat belt? yes

31. Been in a car accident? Several, so I wear my seat belt

32. Any pet peeves? Too many people

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings? mushrooms

34. Favorite Flower? honeysuckle

35. Favorite ice cream? chocolate

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Las Palapas (nachos, just ask my co-workers at OHS)

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? 0

38. Who did you get your last e-mail from? Best Buy ad about cyber Monday

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Barnes and Noble

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Most everything I do is spontaneous

41. Like your job? yes

42. Broccoli? yes

43. What was your favorite vacation? All of them

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? My husband

45. What are you listening to right now? A show on Animal Planet

46. What is your favorite color? purple

47. How many tattoos do you have? one

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz? Haven't decided

49. What time did you finish this quiz? 8:40 am

50. Coffee Drinker? No, soda drinker

Lazy Saturday

The results of the blood tests arrived today in the mail. The only significant result was that my human growth hormone is borderline. I have to call on Monday to schedule another test which requires fasting and drinking glucose. Not thrilled with the idea. My urine test and MRI were done this past week. The headaches are fairly constant. Not horrible but always there. I am also very tired in the afternoon.

Kelsey and I went walking at Bandera Point. We had some enchiladas and wandered around. We decided there was some really cute baby boy clothing. The only thing we bought were some Thank You cards for Holly. We also mailed her application to Incarnate World.

Black Friday

Didn't do much shopping today. Bought Tim some jeans at Penney's and Holly some jeans at Old Navy. I also bought 2 circuit cartridges at Michaels. The Martha Stewart line also had a cute elephant punch that I got for Kelsey. I have written a bit of my Christmas letter. This year I don't think I am going to be as funny as I usually am. This letter is going to be on the serious side. Too much happened this year. I started to do a really short top 10 style note but that just seemed too lazy. This year has been a great deal of change. I can't imagine a more eventful year. Heck, I am almost a grandma. Kelsey was saying how fast this time was going by, but I am not sure about that. We are hitting the 21^st week on Sunday. More than half way through. I don't know if I am ready. But the baby doesn't care. I will love the mite incredibly.

MRI over!!! Yeah!!

It took 40 minutes but I survived the MRI. I don't really go for enclosed spaces or crowded places, so I was concerned that I would freak out. But I didn't. I remained calm and collected. I just have to wait until the 10^th to find out if my pituitary gland is enlarged.

Some people wondered what type of car I was concerned about. It is a bright emerald low rider with hydraulic lifts. Just not the type of car I see in our neighborhood. I am just concerned because it is not a family car. We have SUVs, pickup trucks, even a corvette and a few Hummers. There is a bright yellow one down the street that is very tacky. We either have gang bangers or a fraternity moving in. The fraternity is the worst scenario. There was one by the elementary school last year. The parties were horrid. You would see beer cans all over the streets after the party. We are about 5 miles from UTSA and it doesn't have fraternity houses on campus. It started out as a commuter college.

I want to go get a newspaper to decide if I am going to go anywhere on Black Friday. I am taking Daisy to the groomers at 8am. She needs her nails clipped badly. They grow so fast.

The turkey is in the oven, and the dogs are playing. We are going to bring the dogs in this afternoon because the neighbors throw turkey over the fence. My dogs get horribly sick with turkey. So, even though I have asked them not to do this – it still happens. This year I am going to bring them in before they get to that point.

Today I am thankful that all the tests are done. I am waiting now on the results. The results are going to be the starting point for getting rid of these symptoms. I would love not to have headaches every day. I would love not to be so tired that I can't keep my eyes open. I would love to have fewer problems with my vision. The cure is much better than not knowing what is wrong with me. I have put off this for too long as it is.

Today is MRI day

In about an hour, I will be waiting for my MRI. I am not excited about this; I have a lot of apprehension about the test. I have taken all my jewelry off except for my wedding ring. I am going to have some bagel bites for lunch and then go to my appointment.

Our new neighbors are moving in. They drive a very interesting car. It is not one that we see in our neighborhood. We tend to go towards mini vans and SUVs. I am a bit worried. I am sure first impressions are not always the best.

I am supposed to get some scrapbooking stuff in the mail today. I can't wait until I get to play with them.

I am excited about the holiday. We have the turkey sitting in the sink and thawing. We are going to have turkey, dressing, corn casserole, green bean casserole and cranberry sauce. We are going to make pecan bars and cookies. We also have pumpkin pie and whipped cream.

For Christmas, I am getting the kids gift cards since we are traveling this season.

MRI is finally scheduled

I have the mri tomorrow at 2:50. I am going to the STRIC located on Spurs Lane. It is the athletic one right by the Spurs practice building. There is also a great sports medicine place over there too. Gerry his knee looked at there and Tim's foot.

Today I am taking Tim to get his cavity filled. Gerry has football practice this afternoon. That could be hilarious. The teachers are going to play the coaches. The teachers may win because they will play all those trick plays. The coaches only think the way they are told to sometimes. We will see.

Yesterday's ultrasound was awesome. We are going to have a grandson around April 11. The baby is growing well and is measuring for his due date really well. When I was pregnant I never measured right because I ovulate twice a month and got pregnant when I wasn't supposed to. I also have a tilted uterus which supposedly makes it hard to get pregnant. I guess the two eggs a month made me super fertile. We told our neighbor down the street that Kelsey was having a boy. I think he started to offer condolences. You see, he has 5 daughters and 1 son. The one son is more trouble than all five girls combined. I have always said that if my son was born first, he would have been an only child. Boys are just so much more inventive and destructive. Our grandson, Robby, is going to be a handful I am sure.

The weekend is here and it is a long one….

I am so happy for the Thanksgiving break week. My new buddy, Wendi K, supplied me with some fun papers and stamps to play with this week. I am going to get the baby's scrapbook going with all the fun papers I picked up yesterday. The album should be done and just waiting for the pictures by the end of the week. I have 3 scrapbook classes next month which I am really excited about. I am doing Ali Edward's December Daily, Shimelle's Journal you Christmas and on BPS, I am doing Reclaiming Your Time. I am looking forward to the fun classes. Wendi also is going to have a class for me on a calendar for my desk. I am very excited.

I have to go grocery shopping shortly, I am just trying to get motivated to move. I am not very excited about hitting the grocery store this morning. I hate the crowds.

I am really getting myself organized this year. Part of the Blogging for Scrapbookers class was being able to write about the memories that go with the photos so that you don't forget the best parts of the memory. I am also using something that is going to help with remembering the great moments. It is called Log you Memory and it is a calendar that I use to record things that are important to me. I am really excited about 2010 and being organized before this year starts. So much is going to be happening: the baby will be born in April, Holly graduates in June, Holly goes away to college in August and Tim starts high school. I am also talking Tim into going back to karate and finishing his training to get his black belt. He was about to test for his brown belt when he started football last year. There are so many accomplishments next year, and I don't want to miss one.

 

 

 

 

 

    

Medical Day part 2

We filed a report on the dog bite tonight. We took Tim to the doctor and it is healing well. There is no sign of infection! The doc did prescribe antibiotics, but just to be on the safe side. The dog will be quarantined by Animal Control. This dog has terrorized the neighborhood. Pete, down the street, has been bitten twice by this dog.

I know God doesn't give me more than I can handle, but I wish he didn't trust me so much (Mother Theresa).

The tests will be fine. I think knowing what it is will be better than not knowing. I have had strange symptoms, and I just want to know what is going on. The high levels of cortisol can even cause the pre-menopausal symptoms that I was experiencing. The vision changes and swelling of my hands and feet are also problems with the overactive pituitary gland.

On another note, I am getting excited about the coming Christmas season. At the beginning of December, Shimmelle starts her annual Journal Your Christmas with daily prompts to help you remember the Joy of the season. This will be my 3 year to participate. I am going to try a digital album this year. Maybe I can finish it this time….. Or I could do the Ali Edwards December Daily with an album already together. Sigh, so many choices… I do have my Christmas Planner completed and I am using it! I have my Christmas cards made (thanks to my friend and CTMH supplier (and enabler?)Wendy K!) lol! I also have the baby's scrapbook started with her help. I am using the pattern Animal Cookies for the baby book and pre-making the monthly pages with headers and space for journaling.

Medical Day

Ok, so I thought I was going to post only about my dr appointment today and my worries about it. But unfortunately, I have new fodder for my angst.
As I was driving home, I saw this man with two dogs in the middle of the street and my son laying on the sidewalk. One of our neighbors was in front of me, and started to pull over until she saw that I was behind her. Nicki is a really sweet woman.
I pulled over and Tim had been bitten by the dog "Jock". I couldn't believe it. I got the owner's contact number and made sure that the dog had a current rabies shot. I took Tim home with his bike in my car. Kelsey helped clean up his bite, and we now have him sitting on the futon with ice on his leg. He just had his DPT in August, so unless it becomes infected he doesn't ned to go to the doctor. Gerry thinks it is a dog that bites everyone, and if he is right we are calling the police. This dog is a menace.

Today, the doctor requested more tests. I had 7 vials of blood drawn, I have to collect my urine for 24 hours (ewwww!!!) and I am going to get a MRI. The doctor thinks my pituary (sp?) gland is enlarged and it is causing the problems. I go back on 12/10 to find out the results of the tests. At least I lost 2 pounds.

Good things to look forward to...

Thanksgiving holiday is just a week away. I am really looking forward to the holiday break. Tomorrow I go to the glandular specialist to begin to find out what is wrong with my bndody. Friday we are taking dinner over to Larry's house. A week from tomorrow is the ultrasound for my grandbaby. Hopefully we will be able to find out if it is a boy or girl. I think it is a boy. Gerry's parents are going to be here on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Great things are happening soon!

Something fun....

For fun, I spend lots of time on Facebook. No, not talking to friend, but playing games. Bejewelled Blitz, Farmville, Farmtown....

I need a life!!!

OHS Volleyball Beats Regan!

In a close match, O'Connor Volleyball won 2 to 1 to advance to the state semi-finals. My husband reported that there was a great shot where one of his students spiked the ball into another's face. I think that would almost be as good as the soccer player video that Letterman kept playing last night. Click here for the video. The girl has issues!

Shimmelle's Class prompt 6 is about goals. Yeah, it has taken me 3 days to get around to the post. Goals are often something that I make but never achieve. Like losing weight. I would like to get back to 135 to 140 range of my late 20s. I must tell you that I started at 170 (my highest weight with being pregnant). I am now at 156. I got down to 150 this summer, but I have gained 6 pounds back.
So...
Goals for a healthier life....

• lose the weight - I would like to weigh 135 - 140
• lower my cholesterol, raise my iron and even out the cortisol
• lower my stress - relax more

Two of my friends are currently battling brain tumors right now. One is fortunately benign, but it is in a very difficult place to operate on. She is going through chemo right now. One is not so lucky, it started out 10 years ago as thyroid cancer and has suddenly become aggressive and he has tumors throughout his body. Both friends are on my daily prayer list. But they really show to me that I need to get serious about taking care of my health.

Fun Day

Went to a Christmas Card Crop today. Made some adorable Christmas cards. Now just need to write my Christmas letter and adress them and I will be good to go. :) I might actually get them mailed this year!!!

We are going to Wurstfest tonight with a couple that we work with. It will be fun. I will eat way to much. :)

Football Game Recap

The football game was interesting. Neither team has much of a defense, so the game was a race to see who could score the most. The Panthers (our team) lost by one point.
It was also the senior game with all the seniors and parents announced. Gerry and were out on the field with Holly.
I had pictures, but my uploading failed and I lost all my photos. I am bummed.

Day 4: And then

Writing about everyday things is day 4 prompt. Which is easy for me...

After my blood tests, I am more stressed about my health. My cholestrol is high and mmy iron is low. My red blood cells are once again young & immature. And as always --> I really wondered if we need a test for that. Anything & everything about me is young and immature. A new thing is my cortisol is high. From my research on high cortisol, my adrenal glands are over producing because I am overstressed.

I am going to try and eat better, take supplements and relax more. Eating better is very hard for me. I eat horribly. My palate is very immature & leans toward eating lots of yummy red meat.

So, today, I started taking supplements. I am taking fish oil, flaxseed oil and a mult-vitamin. First of all, the fish oil is not setting well on my stomach. And I keep tasting it. Nasty!!!! I think I am going to stick to the flaxseed oil, it doesn't keep visiting me.....

Day 4: And then

Day 3: My Top Five

Number 1 and Number 5 together! My darling husband and my little puppy! Daisy is a dauchsund mix, but not sure what she is mixed with.

My children are 2, 3, and 4 in no particular order.

But I have to add a 6th.....

MY SLIPPERS!!!

Day 2: Blogging for Scrapbookers

A memory that I treasure started out as a fairly mundane day. It was a half day of work followed by a doctor's appointment for my oldest daughter. It was a routine prenatal appointment with measurements and explanations of test results. Then it morphed into something extraordinary. The doctor got out the Doppler stethoscope. At 14 weeks, we were getting to hear the heart beat. At first we heard Kelsey's heart beat--> the slow steady rythm. Then the doctor started moving the transducer and the rythm changed. It was the heartbeat of my grandchild beating at 156 beats a minute. But the best part wasn't the sound but the look. The look of wonder on my daughter's face as she realized that her pregnancy was real and the was a baby inside her. She had known she was pregnant, the morning sickness certainly proved that. But I don't think it was real until that moment. This isn't the plan that I had for my daughter but I know we are going to make it through as a family and together. (picture to follow tomorrow!)

Day 1 of Blogging for Scrapbookers

Today is day one of Shimelle's new scrapbooking class. I think I will be going the short version of the prompts to start with. I hope to beginning blogging more. I think it is important for me to record my life. The time is going by so fast. I just can't keep up with it anyone. It is always more fun to scrap about things that I remember clearly. Though, I have joined several classes with good intentionsl. I just I can't seem to complete them. Soon my grandbaby will be here and I will have even less time to keep up with my world.

Another note, I have to take a half day tomorrow. My blood tests came back and they weren't good. They won't tell me what is exactly wrong yet. At least the mammogram hasn't made itself heard yet.

I am going to check out everyone else's blog and maybe get motivated to do more later. Right now I am worried about the test results....

It's noon and I need a shower still

What a lazy Sunday today is. I did manage to start my novel for NaNoMoWri. But I am procrastinating a great deal on it. I have got to get in the mood for writing. I also have paper work to finish for tomorrow. I have two meetings and I really haven't started on the paperwork.

I am starting on a class at Shimelle.com on blogging and scrapbooking. I really enjoy her classes. Her ideas are so cool. I did manage to finish a small scrapbook last week. I promised it to my cousin Karen. I just want to take some photos of it first. I really think it turned out well.

I have to go to the grocery and pick up all the prescriptions that I got on Friday. All the blood test results will be back on Monday. The biopsy and mamagram will be back later. My obgyn wants me to take the birthcontrol continously to lighten my time of the month. She really doesn't want to go the route of removing anything.

Daisy is still traumatized from her day at the groomers yesterday. My time at the groomers went well, I got my nails and toes done. I am going to go clean up and get ready for my day. I made brunch for the family, so I haven't had a totally wasted day....

Why I teach

Today was an exhausting day, but it was eventful. I am teaching summer school this year. It is a bit different from my regular teaching assignment. It is preschool program for children with disablities. I have three students in my class. All are completely nonverbal. Only one student babbles when he is enjoying something.
Yesterday, the little girl mimicked the chorus of a song and said "roll over." I was so excited just for that little bit of language. Today she was doing even more. She was babbling all morning and repeating words from different songs that we had playing. She had speech therapy this morning and the therapist reported more interaction than she had ever seen before.
These little victories are why I teach. I did a little something to help someone communicate a little bit with the world they live in.

In a cast again

Tim compressed his growth plates in his hand and is now in a cast for the month of July. He didn't break anything, they are using the cast as a protective measure to make sure his growth plates heal.
I have another week off from summer school. Next week we go back. I will have a student from UTSA next week. She also has had mainly high school experience, so it will be a case of the blind leading the blind.
I hope everyone is having a good summer.

First Day of Summer

Well, the longest day of the year is here and I have nothing planned. It is also Father's Day.
We got Gerry a great Fred Flintstone card and a photo viewer keychain. He likes it and already has me putting photos on and charging it.
I am also feeling a little puny. I am going to relax and hopefully feel better.

Grandparents are Visiting

We are having a blast with Gerry's parents visiting. Tonight, Gerry, his dad and Pat Gardner are going fishing for crappie. Tomorrow we are going to have crappie for dinner. Not my favorite meal, but I will find something to eat.
They brought their dog, Annie. Annie and Daisy are having a blast together. Daisy is excited to see a dog that she is bigger than. Well, sort of. Daisy is about an inch taller and 2 inches longer but Annie out weighs her by 5 pounds.

Inservice Days are a total waste of time

I just spent 8 hours of toture today. I don't see why they have to do stupid meetings and listen to the talking heads. I really hated being squashed into a computer lab with 140 other teachers in a room for about 60. I thought I was going to have a panic attack. And then nothing worked the way it was suposed too. Naturally!

Gerry's New Laptop

I ordered Gerry a new laptop from Best Buy. We had $160 in gift cards from our Virginhealthmiles and I used that to bring the $399 price down. He got a good Valentine's day! It is an HP with 15.4 screen, so it is bigger than mine. I have the 14. Both have 250 gig hard drive & 3 gig virtual memory. I have a built in webcam but I don't think Gerry's does.

Valentine's Dinner

Holly and I cooked a Valentine's dinner for the family. We had steak, baked potatoes, ceasar salad, and sour dough bread. We are a simple family, meat and potatoes is our mainstay.



Holly is going to babysit for my friend Wendy tonight and Kelsey is working at the bowling alley. Tim, Gerry & I are going to be hanging out with the pupsters.



Amazing Race starts on Sunday. I think that would be a great reality show for me & Gerry to go on. We might bore people though, we get along to well.

My husband

Here's a chance to see how well you really know your husband. Cut, paste and fill in the answers, then forward . . . shoot, you know what to do. The real challenge is to send it to your husband to see how right you really are.

1. He's sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen?
If it is Wednesday, it is Ghosthunter. Any other night, NCAA Football or Madden Football games

2. You're out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ceasar

3. What's one food he doesn't like? Onions!!! It is almost phobic!!

4. You go out to eat and have a drink. What drink does he order? Diet Coke if we are not drinking, and Shiner Bock if we are.

5. Where did he go to high school? Elk Grove High School

6. What size shoe does he wear? 12

7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? He collects fishing equipment

8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? reuben

9. What would this person eat every day if he could? Chinese Food

10. What is his favorite cereal? He really doesn't have a favorite cereal... doesn't eat it enough

11. What would he never wear? something pink

12. What is his favorite sports team? Raiders (football) & Kings (basketball)

13. Who did he vote for? McCain

14. Who are his best friends? Dan & myself

15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn't do? picking my cuticles, he swears if I was a bird, I would be bald. And bringing home stray pets (we have a small zoo!).

16. How many states has he lived in ? Two, California & Texas

17. What is his heritage? German

18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what kind of cake? I usually make chocolate or strawberry cause they are my favorite & he doesn't like sweets much

19. Did he play sports in high school? football

20. What could he spend hours doing? fishing or playing football on the game cube

21. What is something cool about him? he really cares about his students and his job

Getting Rid of the Old Lady Wings

I have been participating in the health miles for 2 years now, and this is the first time I have used my personal training sessions. I am hoping to strengthen my back and get rid of the beginning of the old lady wings. Yesterday was the day. Boy do I hurt today! My shoulders and biceps are killing me. I am sore!!
I guess round is not being in shape, it is just a shape.

Gerry's Bday is Monday

Gerry will be 46. Today is Lola puppy's birthday, she is one year old. She weighs about 70 pounds and is a very well behaved dog. She knows how to shake hands and that is the only trick she wants to do. I think it may be because Daisy does more. I am not sure. Daisy is over the mange, but we continue medication for another month. She went to the vet yesterday and weighs 19 pounds. None of the animals want us to sleep late on the weekends. They become very upset when we aren't up by 6:30. I need a dog with a snooze button....

New Car for Kim

I have a new car. This isn't a picture of the exact car I have, but it looks just like this. It is going to be detail tomorrow, so I am taking its picture then.

I am very excited to have a new car. My Nissan Versa is very cute. All the kids have said it is the hero's car. It was featured in the first season of my children's favorite TV show. So, I think it may now be known as the hero car.

Hitting 40

Well, I have been 40 for two days now. It doesn't feel too terribly different. I took Daisy for a walk and I think she was tired! Poor little Daisy!

Daisy

Daisy is such a sweet puppy. I am a little too attached to her, but she is so sweet. Everyone thinks she is an ugly dog, but I just adore her. Right now, she has my afghan and is making a nest for herself. She is such a momma's girl. :)

Plans

I am trying to get my kids ready for our finals next week. Tuesday we have a full day, Wednesday, Thursday & Friday are half days. On Wednesday I have 3rd period exam, Thursday is 2nd & 5th and Friday is 7th.
Daisy has puppy class tonight. We have missed the last two. We are way behind. Last week Lola was very sick with her ear infection and the time before was Holly's Christmas concert.
Gerry, Johnny, Holly and Tim are going to the Monster Truck Jam on Sunday.

Back to school

There are 99 days left of the school year. Yes, we are all counting.
It seems that I will not be getting a new portable. The old portable will stay on campus until it is bought by someone. Unfortunately, I don't have a classroom. I currently float into 3 different classrooms. In 1st period I am in Portable 16, 2nd period I am in portable 9 and 3rd period in portable 30. I am getting 13,000+ steps a day on my pedometer. It was very miserable today with drizzle and a high of 42. I am so thrilled with my schedule.

Last Day of my Vacation

Today is the last day of our holiday. We go back to work tomorrow. I don't know where my classrooms will be. I was told that they were going to try and move in a new portable for me over the break. I haven't gone up to see if they even moved the old one out. I would really like to have my own room again. It is going to be really cold and rainy tomorrow.
Lola is starting to feel a little better. She has a very bad outer ear infection. We have been on meds since Friday. I have to cleanse her ear a couple of times a day. She is still swollen.
Daisy is being a sweetie. She likes to sit on my feet when I sit in my recliner. She loves my afghan and thinks it is hers.

Virgin Health Miles

We have this program through our health insurance that we get membership to Spectrum Health Club and participate in Virgin Health Miles. We have a pedometer that we wear and earn points for steps and health challenges and stuff. There are 5 levels, and you get health cash that you reedem for gift cards. This year I made it to level 5. I almost didn't make it! I was 730 points short, then there were opportunities to earn points for agreeing to be smoke free and creating your own challenge. Each was worth 500 points. So, I got to level 5 and earned $100!! Last year, I bought my new range with gift cards. I am giving this gift card to Gerry for him to buy his own laptop. We got a really good deal on Kelsey & my computers and will be able to get him one shortly.
Gerry and I both want to get to level 5 this year. :)