Jordan is the winner!

She wins first place at the 2nd Annual Ugly Ornament Contest. Her ornament is fairly related to my winning ornament from last year. Her ornament choice was a toilet brush looking thing with a tinsel bow, two silver bells and a candle in the middle. Not only is it really ugly but it's also really phallic. Our ugly ornament tree is turning into a decorated toilet brush tree! I think each year I am going to try to find an ornament that resembles a fancy toilet brush. LOL!!! Jordan and I found the motherload of ugly ornaments - the Christmas section of Macy's!!!!!! The entire collection of ornaments they had this year made it really difficult to choose the most hideous. We were laughing so hard at some of the ornaments we scared off all shoppers in that section! As we made our way around the displays and kept commenting on the ugly or disgusting or EW ornament and then totally laughing about it, the shoppers slowly thinned. One lady even went behind us and picked up an ornament that we had just been laughing at and contemplated it then looked at us, returned the ornament to the bin, and walked away empty handed! For some strange reason the sales person wasn't that happy to see us at the register...hhmmm, well, bah humbug to her too.....

Oh, I made up a new word - gourdament. I found the cutest ornaments (at one of the fabulous craft shows I went to) made from gourds. They are gourd ornaments...so...gourdaments! I know, I'm brilliant.

Christmas was nice. I got the movie Mama Mia so I have been busy learning all the never annoying no matter how loud and off key you sing songs. The kids L O V E it! hee,hee,hee Just ask anybody - DISCO RULES!!!!!!!!!! I'm working on trying to learn some of the dance moves too. Soon I will be able to sing and dance with the movie...watch out Meryl Streep.

I'm jealous that Oregon had a white Christmas this year. We had a windy Christmas. Yeah, that doesn't really fit, they don't have classic Christmas songs where people dream of a windy Christmas.

Okay, late night A.D.D. is kicking in and my toe hurts so I'm gonna go.

I'll make my exit to song...yeah, never mind, it doesn't translate through typing...

Busy with Christmas

We have been doing all these festive things at work so I'm swamped with that and trying to do Christmas at home.

Jordan is home for Christmas now. :) It's bright and sunny and cold and I feel bad for making her leave the snow. It just feels a little more like Christmas if there is snow. Her flight had a layover in Las Vegas and she said it was really fun. Vegas has turned her into a criminal! She found a nickel so went and plugged it into one of the nickel slots. She didn't win - which is a good thing since she's far from being old enough to gamble. :)

Gotta get our tree decorated and finish, ok, start AND finish my Christmas cards.

Merry Christmas to all!

Love from Tennessee!

TV Star

Devan was on the news! He went out in the snow Thursday and made a gigantic snowman. The news people stopped to interview him. He was like the second story! He was so excited, they said his name - twice. I went to the news channel website and there was a picture of him so I copied it, but it won't let me paste it on the blog. hmph!

We had a lovely snow Thurs. night and school was cancelled for Friday. Two inches and things close here. The south is just not equipped for snow. It was sunny on Friday so the snow was basically melted by noon so the kids got a day off for basically no reason. :)

Friday night Devan and a friend went to a concert in Nashville. They went to see Disturbed. They had so much fun! They were worn out when it was over and they yelled and screamed so much their "vocal chords were bleeding". They didn't go into the mosh pit because it was "lame" and not very many people were in it. I'm glad since they said a kid near them went in for a while and came back with a bloody nose. :(

The snow did leave one surprise for me...a crack in my windshield! I have two small rock chips almost directly in front of my passenger side. With the sun being out but it being so cold, it decided it wanted noticed and presto bam-o I have a crack about 16 inches long! Rumor has it super glue applied correctly is a temporary fix and will help it not spread more. I'm going to have to replace my windshield though. Good thing my stress level isn't already high or anything...something like this could really put me on edge... Since I shop at Wal-Mart (due to the closeness factor) I feel like I fit right in with my dirty from the snow car and cracked windshield.

Oh, and when I went to Wal-Mart Friday night to get a pipe snake, the parking lot was packed! It was 11 pm on a Friday night!!!! What were these people doing shopping then? That is ridiculous or as my friend's mom says, indiculous! In a tiny way it was a little comforting knowing I am not the only one who doesn't have a life on a Friday night. :-)

Did you know that garbage disposals don't really like potato peelings?

Happy Christmas shopping! Buy me something. :)

Hello!!!

My Mom doesn't feel like updating the blog 'cause it's snowing and she is having fun. And did you know that turtles breathe out their butts? True fact! So have a happy Thursday all!

Jordan

Don't feel like writing much

Thanksgiving was nice. We got to hear my mom's cousin Karen play the piano. She is so amazing that Jordan had to admit that if she knew she could play like that, she would be willing to learn. The best part, aside from having Jordan home, was that I didn't have to cook or clean. I did help clean but with so many of us, it went really quickly. I got to show up empty handed and it was wonderful. :)

My kids have not had good luck flying lately. When Dev tried to come home this summer he had such an ordeal just getting out of Chicago. When Jordan was trying to go back to Oregon after Thanksgiving, her two hour lay over turned into a four and a half hour lay over. She finally arrived at nearly 1 am and still got her buns up and went to school. Kudos.

I'm a little unfocused right now. I can't really think of anything else to say, distracted by the whipping winds. Hope all is well.

I know I missed a few birthdays lately. Sorry to all. I haven't felt like card shopping lately (which I normally love) nor have I felt like I could carry off a decent cheerful birthday phone conversation. The holidays are a time of ups and downs for me. I love, love, love the holidays. I also really really miss my family being nearby and making plans with them. Plus Christmas has never been the same without my beloved neighbor Doris. Her birthday was on Christmas and we always tried to make it special for her since she never got to celebrate her birthday as a child. Christmas has never felt the same without her. Every year I am tempted to buy a Chia or a box of Applets and Cotlets - her favorites, which became a tradition for my sister and I to buy for her. It's weird that my heart can be bursting with joy and love and the overall excitement of the holidays but sad at the same time. I do love you all and for those of you who did not receive a card or call, it's not cuz I wasn't thinking of you or wishing you a wonderful birthday, so please forgive me. :)

Hugs.

She's home

And the world is as it should be. :)

Happy Thanksgiving.

More craft fairs

Oh yeah, another one this weekend! :) I love going because I get some really great ideas for future gifts plus can pick up some unique gifts at the same time.

The other night I get home from work and as I open the door I get this nostril full of smoke. Great, now what has Dev done?!!! He is sitting in the chair messing on the computer so I head into the kitchen to see what's up. One of the burners is one and there is nothing on the stove. I ask him what he burned and his reply was that he dropped a piece of bread onto the burner. Now teenage logic told him that was a really good answer and that now he's off the hook cause that is a plausible accident. I also think that part of teenage logic, well at least his teenage logic, is that I'm a parent so I don't know the truth and can't figure it out. After I turn off the back burner that is cooking nothing I go open the door to air out the house and my logic points out the obvious: if he had bread he would have left the rest of the loaf on the counter and it's not there, the burnt piece of bread is not on the counter either, and the burner that was still on, is not the one that has burnt bread remnants on it. As I go to throw something away, I see this piece of bread sitting on top of the garbage with perfect spirals on it. Hmmm. I accuse him of doing it on purpose and he still thinks I believe his other excuse but does offer to tell me that he realized the burner was hot and he didn't have a way to get the bread off so he had to find a wooden spoon to get the bread off. I just laughed at him and made him freeze for a minute while I kept the door open to get the smell out. Luckily he didn't set off the smoke alarm. This people is why I have renters insurance, to protect me from teenage logic. :) Oh, and he finally did admit that he put the piece of bread on the burner to see what it would look like. Duh, like I needed him to tell me it was intentional.

26 hours til I see my Jordan. so excited if I were a dog I would piddle myself!

It's Craft Show Time

I went to a craft show called Christmas Village at the fairgrounds today. It was really big and really fun. It was interesting because there was tons of food things and anyone that had food stuff like soup packets or sauces had tasters out. There were so many pretzels to dip and cracker bits that it put Costco weekends to shame. :) I'm not a big fan of samples. I'm especially not a big fan of samples that I have to pick up my pretzel or cracker off a plate. Who else has touched it? They have people monitoring so there is no double dipping but even then, it does not interest me to taste any of it. The soup samples they ladle into the tiny plastic cups is fine since the only person touching the cup is the sales person who does the ladling and then hands it to you. I'm not a germ fanatic or clean freak in that regard, but the sheer volume of potential touchers kind of grosses me out. People are just way to eager to eat the food samples. There were lots of cool things and I came away with some great ideas. I did sample one thing (using a taster spoon served by the sales person) which was Apricot Honey Praline Jelly. Yum. Next weekend is the craft fair at the High School. :) ...more holiday fun... hee, hee

My vacuum died. I think the belt broke. I have to pry it open and check it out. Hopefully it's just the belt - those are cheap. I think it still sucks but doesn't seem to be rotating. With my cats I need to vacuum often. They leave a lot of hair on the carpet. I may have to resort to using the attachments to get the cat hair and dander out of the carpet. I have come to the conclusion that some of my allergies are because of the cats.

One week til I see my Jordan!!!!!!!!!

Sooooo tired

I've been working like crazy and by the time I get home I'm wiped out and haven't felt like getting on the computer let alone having any sort of creative notion to write anything interesting.

I will update tomorrow when I'm not so tired and can think of something to say.

cha, cha, cha

The Day After

Hope you all had a great Halloween! Being it was conveniently on a Friday night, it wasn't celebrated much because in the south, Friday night is High School Football night. Basically everyone was at the game so there were very few kids out trick or treating.

We had fun at work. We had our monthly luncheon. It was more of a party though. We had a dress up contest, pumpkin carving contest, scavenger hunt, and each department decorated their workspace. We had the scavenger hunt at lunchtime and we also did a "Mummy Roll" where one person gets wrapped in toilet paper and we did a pumpkin toss where partners stood apart from each other and one person threw those mini candy corn pumpkins and the partner tried to catch the pumpkin in one of those mini orange trick or treat pumpkins. It was really fun but it was so much work that I hardly got any actual work done. The scavenger hunt was a huge success and everyone had a lot of fun. It will be hard to top this next year. My pumpkin won the pumpkin carving contest so I got a $25 gas gift card. Yay me!!!

Devan carved the symbol of one of his favorite bands. I didn't get a photo of it once he was done. Yeah, yeah, I know, bad mom.

Daycare at school

All the high schools here have small playgrounds in a fenced in area. It's a decent idea for teachers to be able to have their small kids in daycare nearby. I imagine it helps them get back to work sooner and the daycare has the same hours so they don't have to worry about daycare being closed on days they have to work. I mentioned this to Devan and he said it is also for the students. Whoa! Hold up! They let the students bring their kids to school. Devan said there are about 15 pregnant girls in his school right now. More proof that there is nothing for the kids to do here and how the south is totally family centric. People actually brag about the fact that their 17 year old daughter is pregnant.

Devan is a poopoo head! He has grown even more and is now 5'11. He's still a dorky kid who needs his mom to help straighten his hair even though he towers over me and has to shave his few lip hairs once a week.

Ironing Idiot

I guess I fall into that category. I bought a new ironing board cover and tried to put it on my ironing board. Did you know they come in sizes? Well, they do. Guess I'm still a novice ironer. Hee, hee, ironer. It's totally not a word but I've just decided it should be.

While we are on the subject of words...time for another lesson in southern speak. Screen doors are referred to as storm doors. And remember to use "to be." As in the lawn needs TO BE mowed not the lawn needs mowed. Or the dishes need to be washed not the dishes need washed.

Devan got a 3.0. Not fabulous but decent. He got 2 A's, 2 B's, and 2 C's.

I'm cold now so I'm going to crawl under the blanket. It's not cold enough to pull out the Kristi scarf but close. :)

Keep eating those candy corns!

All God's Creatures

I love them all, even the stinky skunks, but why do so many of the icky ones think they need to come into my house? Okay, maybe I don't love them all, but I do appreciate them all for whatever purpose they may serve. Again, stop coming into my house already! Here is the 6 inch Walking Stick that decided to visit me. Blech!!!!! More like Walking Ick!

On my way to work there is a swampy little area where a crane lives. I always look for it when I drive by. I love seeing the lone crane out there. It totally makes my day.

And for Jordan who is dearly missing her cat...

Sick Kitty

Did you know that cat puke smells like people puke?

Guess what I did today? I got a massage! Yeah, me. My neck and shoulders are a little sore but nearly knot free. Our accounting department went today cuz one of the ladies is leaving. She's having cornea transplant surgery so decided to retire. I get to do her job too. :) The massage was definitely needed. It was an hour long and was completely fabulous. The only bad thing was when the girl worked on my neck she got a bunch of the oil in my hair so it was nasty and we had to go back to work. I had ultra greasy hair for the last hour of the day. :( I'm pretty proud of myself for stepping outside my comfort zone. I don't normally like to be touched so this was a big step for me.

Oh, Devan's soup turned out great! The sausage and lentil soup that I almost forgot to buy the lentils for.

Scatterbrain

Devan loves this Sausage and Lentil soup at a nearby Italian restaurant so we go there for dinner and they are out of the soup! I find a recipe online that a few people said was as good as the restaurant. Cool. It looks easy enough so I print it out and Devan and I head to the store. List in hand we start gathering ingredients. I have to buy this big jar of bay leaves because the three other brands are out since they have a reasonable amount in them and are a more reasonable price. Devan and I wander around gathering and gathering and checking our list and double checking it and as we are heading to the register I read the list from the beginning...sausage, check, onion, check, parsley, check, lentils, lentils, oops, forgot the lentils, head down the isle for the third time while Devan is making encouraging comments like "way to forget the LENTILS for LENTIL soup!" We unload the cart and I realize we also went for peanut butter and it's not on the belt...

It's official - I've lost my mind!

Southern Boredom

It's cold at night now.

I'm really bored.

I'm not feeling overly chatty or witty right now.

I almost feel like I need a good cry although I did watch a lot of The Notebook and that didn't work so I guess it will take something REALLY big.

Gotta tend to my laundry now. It's Sunday night, time to iron Devan's shirts for school for the week.

Giant Grasshoppers

The kitties have had a treat the last couple nights...grasshoppers. Instead of our boy cat jumping off our second story balcony to chase the, all he has to do is lay on the floor looking cute and they just jump right into our house! I leave the door to the balcony open for the cats and we have had grasshoppers come visit us. This is super exciting for the cats because they can practice their hunting skills. It's cute, the boy cat will catch the grasshopper then carry it around in his mouth while he looks for a good hiding place. Of course it tries to hop away as soon as he lets go so he gets to chase it some more. The only bad thing is that the cats don't eat the bugs so I get to pick up a half dead grasshopper. blech! The one I had to get rid of today is HUGE! If I held my hand out flat, it was the length of my palm! double blech! They are ugly when they are that big.

Congrats to my mom who has been walking diligently and is seeing the results!

My condolences to deanna on the sudden passing of her Uncle Nicky. I'm so sorry.

Orange Chicken to die for

We found it! Our new favorite Chinese dive restaurant! It only took us over a year but we finally found it. It's not a buffet either which is nearly impossible to find around here. There aren't that many Chinese places here but there is an abundance of Japanese restaurants serving Sushi. Which seems oddly out of place since we aren't near the water at all. Sushi is everywhere here. Kids in high school even take it for lunch. The orange chicken is so so so good that when we were done eating there, we got an order of orange chicken to go to eat the next day. :)

Oh, my pee was sufficient. I got my drug test back so my minimal sample was enough. I'm a permanent employee now.

I've discovered that you only need to apply deodorant every other day. I ran out the other day and each trip to the store ended up with me at home thinking, "aw, crap, I forgot the deodorant again!" I used Devan's one day over the weekend but didn't want to smell manly at work so didn't apply it yesterday. I still didn't really sweat much and didn't smell. So I've decided that I'm only going to apply every other day unless it's over 80 or I've been extra active.

Devan got to wear his viking helmet to school today and not get in trouble. It's homecoming week so the kids have dress up days this week. Yesterday was pajama day. Today was dress like your favorite video game character. He wore rock star type clothes and the viking helmet and went as a Sims character. Totally got away with dressing cool and getting to wear the viking helmet. Any excuse to wear the viking helmet is a good excuse in his opinion.

Language lesson for the day. When in the south you have to say fixin'. Like I'm fixin' to fry up catfish for dinner. I'm fixin' to get some graham crackers.

A Little Pee

So I've been offered the position permanently. Yay! I went to take my drug test today. I am a bit dehydrated and went to the bathroom earlier so I didn't really have to go. I chugged some water before I left home and then drank some when I got there thinking it would be a long wait. It wasn't. I didn't pee enough to get it to the line at 45 mL! I was close. They could get a temperature off it but not sure if it's enough. They are going to send my specimen to the lab anyway so keep your fingers crossed it doesn't come back as "insufficient sample." Nobody likes being rejected, even if it is just pee...

My Aunt and Uncle from Texas were here. I took them to downtown Franklin and we wandered around a bit. We went to dinner at a place called Mellow Mushroom. It's the world's yummiest pizza! Before we left I tucked my camera into my purse and then left it there all evening. :) Brilliant of me I know. The weather was fabulous - comfortable in shorts and tee shirt so we spent most of the evening outside. We started talking books (one of our favorite topics) and Devan decided he wanted to find a certain book so he brought in three boxes from the storage closet on the patio and proceeded to open them all and inspect all the books which of course entales taking them out of the boxes.

Today was another employee luncheon. No exciting contest this time just tasty grilled burgers and dogs with all the fixin's. We ordered cobblers from Cracker Barrel. They have a seasonal dessert called Coca-Cola Cake which is chocolate cake that they add coca-cola to the mix. It's delightful! No, it's not fizzy, it's just very moist. (I don't know why I just phrased it that way, I try not to use the word moist because I hate it, it sounds gross. Try it, say it out loud...see, sounds gross doesn't it?!) I think they should use Diet Coke because the cake is super sweet. ;) Oooh, plus, then they could market it as Diet Chocolate Cake! Show me a woman who wouldn't be all over that like a fly on poop!!!!!

My feet are pretty torn up. I wasn't wearing great shoes to be doing a lot of running around so I've got a few blisters and a couple raw spots. That would also be the reason for the dehydration. Ha, ha, funny, the blisters are not the reason for the dehydration...the running around. Okay, gotta drink more water, the back of my throat is a little itchy. Bye!

Social Calendar

I've had a rather busy social life lately. I got to visit my sister. We had a good time. We went to Devan's fav restaurant - Ted's Montana Grill. She is doing well. Her skin pigmentation thing seems to have slowed or at least isn't progressing into areas that are visible while wearing regular clothing. She does seem a little pale but that's because she has religiously avoid the sun.

Today we are meeting up with family friends. They were in Kentucky for some men's quartet thing and are coming to visit Nashville.

Tuesday I get to visit my Aunt and Uncle from Texas.

Nothing else exciting to report. My boss is still working with the staffing agency to hire me permanent.

I wished I had filled my gas tank Friday night. It went up 52 cents overnight!

It's also very very windy here like a little aftermath of a southern storm. It's dry and warm and loud. The wind is whistling through the trees so I finally had to get up and close my window at some ungodly hour this morning.

Gotta go rinse my hair, dying it a darker brown.

Enjoy your day.

Pepe Le Pew

I think I have smelled skunk stink 8 out of the last 10 days. It's not pleasant. Luckily, it's not that close so it's fairly weak. Even so, ick. I live in the suburbs but obviously I'm on the edge of urban vs rural heavy on the rural. Where are all the coyotes to eat the stupid stinkers?!

Welcome to our blog. It seems by the comments that I might have a new reader to our blog. Whomever you are, welcome, I hope you find this blog a lot less boring than the reality that is my life. :)

Oh, I've just discovered this fabulous stuff called Claritin! My eyes aren't watering non stop and I don't feel like I'm looking through the bottom of a drinking glass. That commercial that shows a blurring picture then the clarity that can come from taking Claritin is totally me! There is still a little watery-ness but I'm not walking around work looking like I'm on the verge of tears. I CAN SEE!!!!!



My son is getting more comfortable in the school "dress code" uniform. Now he's choosing to wear button up shirts not just for dress up situations. He even bought a shirt on his own. It's definitely got a western theme but it's still very cool. I think he may like that he lost weight this summer so that style shirt really shows off his thinner body.
Here's a picture before the Claritin. :)

Employment status update. My boss has tried to get me on permanent for three weeks now but for some reason the staffing agency is dragging their feet. I guess the agency can't come to an agreement with my company. The best part is, my boss is so fed up with them since they aren't returning calls or being cooperative, that I might lose my job. It just gets better and better.

After dealing with a large school that is very organized and has a lot to offer I'm still frustrated with GHS. I understand that they are trying but advanced students who transfer in don't get to benefit from the school offering advanced classes. Specifically the sophomore year for required classes. Trying to put a positive spin on it to remain the cynical optimist that I am...at least Jordan won't have to work hard to maintain her "A" average. ;) Very glad to hear they are remodeling, anyone who has been inside that school in the last 10 years knows it really needs an update. I think I'm also seeing the difference between a school in a state with a sales tax and a school getting funded by state income tax.

I do prefer the sales tax. It's equal. Dolly Parton and I both pay the same sales tax. I've heard Oregon is considering a toll on the bridges between Washington and Oregon. I wonder if Oregon could figure out a sales tax and lower the income tax, if it would be necessary. Plus, it would help the economy in Washington because all those in the 'Coov wouldn't be crossing the river to shop. It would hurt the shopping in the Janzten Beach area true. Of course the State isn't going to get rid of the income tax, once a tax is in place and people are used to it, why get rid of it. Kristi-nomics would request to lower that and have a sales tax that would offset that. Plus, starting off with a sales tax that is still lower than Washington will still draw the shopping back across the river. (It couldn't be any worse than Reaganonics.) Hmmm. I think I'm a something of a financial genius. I also think I've been typing this blog too long and the heat radiating from the bottom into my legs is affecting my brain. Now figure out that! hee, hee

Sorry it's such a novel, I just had a lot to say. Actually, my son is at a concert and I guess I'm a bit chatty today. Thanks for listening, okay, reading. Whatever. Good bye! Have fun making sense of this! :)-

Snoopy talk

The guy who was the voice of Snoopy died. He was 91. I didn't know Snoopy spoke. I thought he just made noises. Maybe the headline shouldn't read the voice of Snoopy, it should read the guy who makes noises for Snoopy. Who knew. I can use that as my I learned something new today thing.

I'm getting a blaring reminder of why I didn't want my children to continue in Gladstone schools. My daughters English class is reading 1 book, 3 acts of a Shakespeare play, and some poems. (They aren't reading the whole play because the teacher only likes the first three acts.) They will also be doing 2 speeches...THE ENTIRE YEAR!!!!! I asked Jordan if she raised her hand and asked the teacher what they are going to do after the 1st month. Seriously, that is so - UGH,... words fail me right now! Oh wait, pathetic. That's fitting. This is a sophomore English class and that is basically all they are doing along with a few writing assignments. Not only that, but the teacher gave them a task to write adjectives about themselves then took the time to explain to the class what an adjective is. !!! Seriously?! Okay, again, SOPHOMORE English class - they should know what an adjective is by now. Poor Jordan. I feel so sorry for her, she is going to be so extremely bored. Not to mention the book is To Kill A Mockingbird. I'm pretty sure she read that in 6th grade. This will be her one and only year in Gladstone High School. Her Chemistry and Math classes are good so far. Mind you, chemistry is a junior/senior class. I'm fairly certain she is going to sit through her English class wishing she could cover her teacher with post it notes. Now you all know what to get her for Christmas. :)

Want something fun to do, google search butt cleavage images. I had to do a presentation on the dress code for work. I was trying to come up with pictures of what can happen if you are wearing low rise jeans and have to bend over to move a roll of labels. Keyword butt crack gets nasty old men butts and I wanted to get a woman example. I tried whale tail but that got me oceanic whales. Sorry Shamu, not you. I tried plumbers butt only to get men and a nasty porno-ish something referring to butt plumbers. Eeewwww. Then I tried butt cleavage. Voila! Perfect pictures of the female plumbers butt. I didn't even bother with say no to crack, that would have just given me a bunch of druggies. The pictures were blurry enough to not be gross, just totally amusing and effective in our presentation.

Jump to the random. I just looked over by the sofa and my son has a pair of boxers on the floor. I don't know if they are clean or dirty. I think they are clean and just fell off the pile of his folded clothes but I really don't know. The best part is, he had a friend over after school. Yeah, they were hanging out here in the living room playing Guitar Hero with a pair of underwear in the middle of the floor. Boys. (heavy sigh followed by eye roll)

Bumper sticker sighting: Flush the Johns

New favorite T-shirt saying: I don't have A.D.D., I'm just...Oh, look, a bunny rabbit.

Hugs from the disappointed in GHS curriculum club founding member.

Vikings Rule

My son has decided that the internet never lies so we are Norwegian. Well, we aren't. We are Scottish and Native American so we can walk around in our buckskin boots and a kilt and if you don't like it, we'll scalp you. That being said, it has not altered his idea about the Norwegian ancestry which hasn't stopped him from learning that there were Norwegian vikings. They weren't as powerful or notorious as the Scandinavian vikings but who cares - vikings rule!!!!

It is now September so the costume shops are open for business.



Let's journey into the adolescent mind of a 14 year old boy...it's costume time and there's a costume store, i'm bored, let's see the bloody creepy masks and oh, look, a viking helmet. We are Norwegian and there were Norwegian vikings so I'm a viking and I need a helmet to prove it. "M-O-M, Mommy, Mom, MOM!!!!!!!! will you buy me this?" (He had his own money which he tried to forget about.)
I totally rock in this. I'm a viking!


Oh wait, vikings don't smile. I'm so cool. Vikings rule!!!!!

back to reality now...
Wasn't that a fun trip? Yes, this is what my son has been wearing the last couple days. He did get quite a few strange looks at the mall and at the sandwich shop. The best part is, he didn't get one single weird look or double take when he went into this store called Hot Topic. He actually fit in with the girl with purple hair and the guy with half blue half fire engine red hair and the kids in all black with chains and lots of body piercings. A little crazy, a lot entertaining - I'm so proud, my son is becoming as amusing as I am! There is hope for him yet. My heart is nearly bursting with joy. Such a proud moment for a mother...

Hope you all had as wonderful of a weekend as me and the Norwegian viking wannabe.

I still hate ironing

Getting the clothes out of the dryer immediately doesn't work well enough. One of the pants we purchased for Devan are falling apart already. We've washed them three times! The seam in the rear is coming apart. If the pants were tight like Devan's casual clothes, I wouldn't mind but these aren't tight.

I get to do a lot of Human Resources functions as my job. Today I had a chiropractor come visit and give us free 10 minute neck and shoulder massages. It was great. He worked out a few of the knots I have around my shoulder blades. I'm not big on people touching me and I'm usually more tense than normal so I was surprised at that I was able to relax and really enjoy it. I've decided that the 10 minutes was not enough.

I heard a blurb from some comedian. She was talking about feminism and then she said she would totally vote for a woman president because think of all the money we would save on her salary...

doh!

I'm not a big fan of ironing

Devan has chosen oxford style shirts for his school clothes and I have to iron them all the time. I don't like it. He won't iron them and that is not acceptable for me so even if I taught him how, it wouldn't happen. He doesn't care if he's wrinkled, he's 14, he's got better things to worry about like what he's having for lunch or if his pimple is noticeable.

My daughter is gone. She's in Oregon. She's registered for school and has been going to soccer practice. She has to get special permission to play soccer and we don't have an answer yet, but she's been going to daily doubles anyway. She is allowed to practice but cannot play in games until she has been granted an exception. She has already decided that even if she doesn't get permission, she is still going to practice with them all season. She is enjoying playing soccer with her friends again and just reconnecting with people. She genuinely tried here. She tried really hard to be involved and make friends and the only friend she really has was another new girl. After talking to her and hearing how things are going there, her spirits are already up and she is comfortable and confident. That makes it a little easier not having her here.

We had an employee luncheon at work. It was a very southern meal of fried catfish and hush puppies. No, not the shoes! Hush puppies are basically little corn bread nuggets that are deep fried. They taste a lot like the outside of a corndog. I tried both but didn't really like either. The rest of the lunch was coleslaw and tea. Everyone drinks tea and mostly sweet tea. I didn't eat much but stayed busy helping clean up so nobody noticed. :)

We are a pitiful bunch in the house tonight, Devan bruised his hand messing around at a friends house and my allergies are horrible. My eyes are very itchy and watery so if there are lots of misspellings or a sentence or two doesn't make sense, I'm sorry, I'm having a hard time proofreading.

A Plan of action

School started! Devan looks very handsome in his khaki pants and button up shirt. He's decided to embrace the non-uniform uniform that the school requires starting this year. I've been driving Devan to school in the mornings. His school is between home and my job so I've been going to work early, and walking around the neighborhood for about 20 minutes before heading into work.

Jordan and I have come to an agreement. For her sanity and mental well-being, she is going to return to Oregon for now. While it's not ideal, it's a better option than having her continue going to school here and sinking deeper and deeper into herself. She will be surrounded by the familiar and her friends. She is going to live with my mom but will probably be spending the majority of her time at her friends house. Her friend is the last child left at home and they've got plenty of room and enjoy having Jordan over. It was really difficult coming to this decision. I feel like I'm having to choose between the lesser of two evils.

I'm not happy about it and will miss her but when it comes down to it, she would rather be there than here. We are going to re-evaluate our location once I'm a little more stable in my job. Which is turning permanent! Yay me. Needless to say this has been an emotional week, deciding to send my daughter away, my baby starting high school, and the promise of going permanent once the details are worked out with the staffing agency.

On the upside, we are having fun watching the Olympics! We are totally getting into it and have watched quite a few things. So far our favorites are the swimming and the beach volleyball but we've seen a bit of diving and regular volleyball and fencing and soccer and the coolest game ever, Russian Handball. That game is really interesting. We've been trying to see all Michael Phelps races and once the kids saw the relay race, they were hooked. Gotta go cheer on the swimmers! Butterfly starting!!!

Bye.

What really happened Monday night

There was this lovely storm, you see. It decided to blow through Chicago as my son's flight was trying to leave. I get a phone call saying they are boarding the plane and my heart is bursting with excitement to see my boy in just over an hour. My phone rings again, it's my sister with this really annoying background music...wait, it's not background music - it's the Tornado Siren!!! Oh well, no problem, I get to see my boy soon so love ya sis, stay away from the windows.

Check the website, flight is on time! Woo-hoo! Drive to the airport giddy with excitement when my phone rings, it's my boy! *Yay, he's calling to tell me he's landed, yippee!* WRONG, oh so wrong, he's calling to tell me that he is still in Chicago, they finally got off the plane. They didn't get out before the storm so now they were waiting. He was getting something to eat and would call me later. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So drove through the airport parking lot and went back home. Immediately checked the website which now says flight is delayed. tick tock, tick tock Check the website an hour later and flight is boarding will be landing at 11:40. Check the website at 11:15 to see that flight has departed and will land at 11:40. YAY! Head to the airport minus daughter who had gone to bed. Park, head inside and phone rings just as I enter the area to the luggage carousel. THEY HAVEN'T LEFT YET!!! THEY ARE STILL IN CHICAGO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Flight departed my ass! This is getting a little old, stupid airline! Drive back home just after midnight and go directly to website. Flight is now (supposedly) arriving at 3:05 am. Okay, I'm just a little fed up and running out of exclamation points by now. Get a text message, they are getting off the current plane and moving to another. I throw on some sweats, set my alarm for 2:45 to get up and check the website again before heading to the airport to be utterly disappointed again. Beep, beep, that two hours was not enough sleep, unless I trick myself and call it a nap. Alarm goes off, I'm about to get up and check the lying website when my phone rings that oh so special ring. I've got a special ring tone for Devan. It's him - HE'S HERE!!!!! Drive to the airport, again, but this time was not disappointed. :) (insert Hallelujah chorus) There he is, looking like a really tall cherub dressed in all black with a guitar case and skateboard.

Drive home, listen to my son tell me all about his fabulous summer, get another two hour "nap" then get up and go to work.

All in all it was a fabulous day. :)

Almost home

My boy is almost home. His flight was delayed in Chicago. He was on the plane but a storm blew in so they got everyone off and he finally called to say they were boarding again.

Soon...

Blind sided

Jordan didn't make the team. :(

I stand corrected

I got the wrong guy singing in the rain. Oops. I'm not up to speed on the old black and white movies. Granted I've seen quite a few but I honestly can't recall any of the characters singing in them. Unless you count the beginning of The Wizard of Oz. :) My apologies to all those black and white classics fans for getting the details wrong. Can I blame it on the poor tv reception? The screen was to "snowy" and I couldn't see clearly...ugh, those old tv's with the stupid rabbit ears that never get good reception...



Soccer tryouts are Tues, Wed, & Thurs. This coach is serious about soccer and serious about creating a winning team. Jordan loves that about him. The results from tryouts will be very interesting because the coach has hinted that there may be some seniors cut because they just won't be able to keep up with the younger girls. So far the girls haven't tried any of their shenanigans like refusing to run or participate in a drill but that's because they haven't made a team yet. Jordan is anticipating a bit of rebellion once the team is chosen. Attitudes will come out and she's anxious to see how the coach handles it. She is fairly certain she has made a team but she always feels this way when she has been doing well. She's hoping to get a swing spot where she will play JV but also swing up to Varsity. The coach seems to like her but he's also seasoned enough to not let that cloud his judgement. We'll see what happens this week.

I'm flying solo this week at work. My boss is gone so it's all up to me. I'm still completely in the dark about whether they are going to hire me or not. I want them to. I'll keep my resume updated and let my recruiters know I'm available again soon just in case. I think I'm going to have to break down and travel into Nashville for a job. I've been avoiding it but I don't think I can any longer.

One of the guys at my job has an electric chair in his office! I have to give him a report each morning and I walk by it. I want to sit in it and take a picture but I don't have the nerve yet. Creepy fun. It's a little daunting to see that each day.

My son turns 14 tomorrow and he's not even here! :( His summer adventure is coming to an end. He is still in Oregon and has been working for my Uncle at the carnival. He will be flying out Wednesday to see my sister in Chicago and spending the weekend with her at Lollapaloooza. It's a huge concert weekend with something like 6 stages and concerts by amazing bands and musicians. Then he flies back to me on Monday night. I'm excited to see him. I miss him. He's been gone from me for a long time.

Disco Hotness

Jordan and I met up with my mom's cousin and aunt and went to see Mama Mia! It's the best! It's a great movie to go to with your girlfriends. It's fun and funny and makes you feel like dancing. And although the guys in it are old - they are hot! While I still favor Collin Firth, Pierce Brosnan and the Skarsgaard guy are nice to look at too. Ooh, small spoiler, they go shirtless and while most middle age men don't look good with their shirts off, these men can pull it off (sorry for the pun). They didn't even repulse Jordan which is saying A LOT. Okay, I confess, this is my second time seeing it. I saw it earlier in the week but knew that my cousin would like it and it gave me a great excuse to see it again. It may be disco music but it's not a disco movie by any means. Meryl Streep is great and all the people in the movie looked like they were having so much fun doing it.

So I'm telling my friend about it and she tells me she hates musicals almost as much as she hates disco. The only musical she can stand better have Fred Astaire and it better be raining. This got me to thinking...wouldn't it be funny to see Fred Astaire in sequenced bell bottoms singing in the rain? Or Mary Poppins in a leather jacket and back alley singing about a spoonful of sugar? I think Mary Poppins would have made a great Jet, oooh, or better yet, a Pink Lady. Or what about Maria from the Sound of Music, can you imagine her singing about her Summer Lovin? Although I can totally picture her Danny Zucko singing "We Go Together." Oh great, now I've got that stuck in my head. So for all you disco musical haters I say grab your glitter, throw on your platforms, unbutton your shirt to your navel - don't forget the matching headband - and Shake Your Groove Thing, Shake Your Groove Thing, yeah, yeah. You know you want to, go on, we won't tell...

Mixed signals

I can't tell if they are going to take me on permanent at this job or not. I get to go to a half day training session next week but I still don't know where I stand. I'm doing a really good job and I know the CFO likes that I am getting everything done in a timely manner as well as taking initiative to take on tasks. The person before me didn't do a bunch of stuff. When they called in sick the CFO had to do the payroll and found a large stack of payroll related items going back a couple weeks that were not processed. The next two weeks will seal my fate so I've got to make sure to stay on my "A" game.

My allergies are killing me right now. My eyes are a watery itchy mess!

Jordan starts soccer camp tomorrow. It's basically for the girls trying out for the team. Her feet are basically healed up. She's going to have to wrap them either in wrap tape or duct tape until she gets some good callouses built up. The really great part is that tomorrow it's supposed to get up to 97 degrees. She'll be done before the hottest part of the day but she is going to finish the week with a fabulously pronounced soccer tan!

Happy Feet

NOT!!!!

Here are Jordan's feet after conditioning today. Big - GINORMOUS - painfully located blister. To make it even better there is a smaller long blister that goes from the bottom of her toe to the daddy blister. We are putting duct tape over it for conditioning tomorrow.

Yesterday they had to run 10 laps around the track. Jordan came in second. She lapped everyone but the girl in first who even lapped Jordan. Then they had to run the bleachers (stairs) 5 sets of that. Today they had to do the 10 laps but since all the girls did it all and didn't cheat, they didn't have to run the stairs. Jordan got second again today. She was very happy about that. Not so happy about the condition of her feet though...

So do you like the tribute to the special order Reader's Digest in Large Print?

The most boring weekend ever

Yep, I lived it. I'm on a really really tight budget but I did splurge for a few movie rentals.

It seems like every time I start working for a new temp agency they somehow don't get my first check to me on time. I found out that one week (my first week) my timecard wasn't processed. :

My Aunt and Uncle from Texas are visiting my mom. They were going to Washington for some sort of reunion picnic. The school they went to was very small so besides having a class reunion, they have a school reunion lunch thing. Devan didn't want to go hang out with a bunch of old people so he worked for my other Uncle at the carnival. It's nice he could pick up another weekend since he has to replace his iPod. Mom was being helpful and did a load of laundry for him. He had fallen asleep on the sofa after a hard weekend working at the carnival. Unfortunately she didn't check his pockets...uh, huh, she washed it. It's funny how electronic devices don't like the wash machine. He had just purchased a new set of earphones to add to the disappointment. He called in the middle of the night to share his tragedy with me. He also didn't want me getting upset because I had it engraved for him. :)

Soccer practice/conditioning again tomorrow. Jordan's aches and pains have all subsided. She's ready for more pain to come. And it will. The pain won't be anything like last week so bring it on...

Hello everybody!!!

This is Jordan speaking. Moms making me update this because I won't get off the computer. Not fair. But I am supposed to inform u about soccer, moms job, and Wanted (needed to put them down so I could remember ;) So let us begin...

Soccer finally started today. Its just workouts but in they are hard! I kinda hurt... a lot! I like my new coach (we got a new coach this year). He is 100 times better than Po was already. And the really stuff hasn't even started. Of course I completely hate him already. That's what u get for being a soccer coach.

Mom got a job. Not a permanent spot. But she is hired till the end of the month. Which is good. She likes this place as far as I can tell.

Last (FINALLY!!!!) we went and saw Wanted the other day. We were just driving home and stopped in to see a movie. It was good. I liked it. I think mom liked it. When Dev sees it he is gonna love it! So yup i think i covered it all. By now!!

It's been a year

We've been in Tennessee for a year! Today is our 1 year anniversary. Devan isn't even here to celebrate with us. :(

Franklin does a little town festival for the 4th. There are 3 stages of entertainment, a bunch of blow up rides and a few food and vendor booths. It was kinda lame but there were tons of people there. A couple of the bands were good, Jordan and I enjoyed the bands on the side stages more than the main stage acts. We also decided that since one of our trio is in Oregon working, we would take Wilson Jr. He and Jordan got to milk a plastic cow with working udders.

I tried to get Jordan to ride the mechanical bull but her stomach was upset so she passed. They had a couple small games set up by all the blow up slides and rock climbing things so we let Wilson Jr. have fun with the Jurassic Adventure. Our favorite part of the festival was this little game where you could "Win a Rabbit or Goldfish!" They had little domestic bunnies as a prize!!!! I think I need to pass that one along to my Uncle Alan so he can incorporate that into his carnival. LOL! Can you imagine next time you go to the county fair you could win a goldfish or a rabbit?! I imagine the 4-H Group would be highly insulted. Their competition would double next year...

With our apartment sitting on top of the world we only had to step out on our patio to watch fireworks. There were about 7 different displays going on and then if we went into the parking lot we could see the show put on by the city. It was a fun night and Wilson Jr enjoyed watching the fireworks from our patio.

Seed spittin'

The place I'm working at has an employee lunch each month. Today, for this month's lunch activity they grilled burgers and hot dogs for a picnic lunch outside. I got the joy of filling up water balloons. After lunch they had a water balloon toss and the winning team got a package of fireworks. Then they had a watermelon seed spitting contest! Fireworks for the winner. It was hilarious to see half the people get up there and spit watermelon seeds off the loading dock! It was also really fun to see the water balloon fight that erupted after lunch. Suits as well as shop workers were getting it. My supervisor, the CFO, made a basket with the tail of her shirt and filled it with balloons so she could chase people down. I just laughed as I tried to picture my Neil Kelly friends doing the same. I can't imagine Tom Kelly standing off to the side watching this raging water balloon fight and spitting watermelon seeds. :) What I wouldn't give to see Tom and Julia the HR manager and my old boss Lisa spitting watermelon seeds!!!! Oh, all the while, the guy who was in charge of the grill pulled his car around and had the country music blasting!

Jordan has been keeping occupied. She has decided that since we don't know where the local library is, she's going to treat Borders like it's the library. She has been riding her bike over there and then hanging out reading a book. She finished one after two visits. Jordan has an objection to the overpriced hardback book and will wait a painfully long time for it to come out in paperback. With her new system, she gets to read it right away and then she can buy it later when it comes out in paperback. Plus, she's getting good exercise on her bike. It's a win/win situation - except for Borders. :) Besides, Jordan is convinced there is an evil lady employee who walks by, frequently, glaring at Jordan and making her feel like a thief as she sits quietly, minding her own business, enjoying a good book. Maybe the lady thinks that two hours sitting reading and not making a purchase is highly suspect. Next week she is going to ride a little farther and try out her new bookstore library system at Barnes and Noble.

Jordan is getting sick so is whining at me to make her popcorn. The kernels are speaking to her and she's whining at me so to shut them both up and get some peace I'm going to oblige her craving. Queen of the kernels!

Footprints on windows

I'm sitting here thinking of things to write and mindlessly gazing out the window. As I start to focus on the tree outside I see a smudge on the window about halfway up that looks like a footprint. That is a really weird place for a footprint and of course I mentally picture how it could be done. Awkwardly.

Jordan was not able to go to camp. We don't have proof of insurance yet. Their father has had insurance on them since November (at least) and yet we still don't have proof. I'm really disappointed for her since she cut her time with her friends short to come back so she could go to camp. She is disappointed too. It especially sucks because our cousins sponsored her so it was free for us. It was a fabulous and thoughtful gift that she can't use. There is always next year though.

I'm working a temp assignment and a couple ladies were talking about their dogs and the heat. One woman was mentioning that her dogs love to chase the "hose pipe." This got me thinking that I should give you some lessons in Tennessee vernacular. There is the obvious ya'll but some of the fun ones are:
hose pipe = garden hose (while it's just referred to as a hose in Oregon, it's the full hose pipe here)
smashed potatoes = mashed potatoes
Tailgating can have two meanings out west - a tailgate party before a game or driving too close to the car in front of you. Here it is only the first. If you are too close to the car in front of you you are "riding their bumper."

Yay to deanna for answering the Wilson question! She said Cast Away which is correct! Tom Hanks named a Spalding volleyball "Wilson." We haven't had anymore activities with Wilson Jr. yet. Jordan was going to ride her bike but couldn't figure out how to lower the seat. By the time I got home to help her, she decided it was too hot and had lost the motivation to go. Poor Wilson Jr. has just been sitting on our kitchen counter being bored. deanna, be watching for that Tinkerbell sticker. Oh, and thanks to her gamer husband Keith for the spelling of Princess Leia. See, being a gamer can come in handy...

Hugs.

A New Addition to the Family

...meet Wilson Jr.!!!!! (I've got a Tinkerbell sticker to anyone who tells me the movie reference.) Jordan and I were at dinner and I noticed the bottom of one of the rolls was hollow so I found another one and held them up to my ears like I was Princess Leah (is that how you spell Leah?). They were so hollow and fun - like they would fit right over my ears. As I was searching for another fun bun (okay roll but bun fit better) I found this little happy face guy. I held it up to Jordan and said "he's happy to see you!" Well of course my timing was perfect...Jordan starts cracking up just as the waiter walks over to take our order. We said, "We don't want food to eat - we want food to play with! What do you suggest?!" :) No, not really, although he did walk up to find me (the adult at the table) playing with our food. Of course we couldn't eat our happy face dude so we decided to play some more and emphasize his eyes with frosting from Jordan's healthy dinner of chocolate cake and we added a bit of ketchup to highlight his charming smile.

So I would like to introduce you all to Wilson Jr. Our happy little fellow...

He's still happy even with a thumb up his butt! :D

Look at him taking up the whole sofa just to watch a stupid soap opera. You'd think he would at least like CSI or Deadliest Catch!

She's baack

Jordan is back home. She had a nice visit in Oregon and most importantly - brought home two bags of Snoqualmie Falls pancake mix! We've tried pancakes from scratch but truly SF is much better. School just got out there so many of her friends were out of town so she didn't get to see everyone she wanted to see. She was glad to get back to her own bed though.

She did have a little excitement with the connecting flight in Dallas. Her plane arrived a few minutes early but there wasn't a ground crew around so they couldn't unload the plane. Well, Jordan's connecting flight was leaving in 40 minutes AND it was the last flight of the night heading to Nashville. By the time they got a ground crew to get the walkway attached the connecting flight was leaving in 4 minutes! Jordan had to run to catch a tram, go 5 stops then run to the gate. They were holding the plane. Jordan was the lead runner with about five or six grown men all following along running desperately for the Nashville bound plane. She said it looked like an outtake from Home Alone and "Run Run Rudolph" needed to be playing as they ran through the airport.

I'm in a bit of a funk right now. What type of funk? The Jordan may not be able to go to camp on Thursday because we still don't have a copy of her insurance card even though we've been trying to get it since January funk. The can't find a job within a 15 mile radius that pays more than $12/hr funk. The funk that comes along when noxious gas is released, it can't be undone and since it's a mixture of gasses, nobody knows the damage it will cause until it's too late.

Okay, gotta go pick popcorn kernels out of my teeth.

A Can of Worms

Turns out I'm related to a buttinskie. On the upside, it is only my close friends and family who read my blog. :)

My mom came clean tonight and told me she contacted the kids' dad. Far be it from me to truly believe he might try to make contact. Although in a way, it's sort of fitting that she call him and lead him to believe the kids' want to see him or talk to him. They don't. They don't want to call him or talk to him. She now has to answer to him as to why the kids haven't contacted him. But I do have to say it's just fabulous that he now knows we don't live there anymore. She has created drama that she alone gets to address. She's a little old to learn this lesson but I guess she has learned not to butt in. She had good intentions, she just didn't take the time to consider who it might affect and discuss it first. The only person potentially hurt from this is the kids' dad and at this point, I really don't care if his feelings get hurt. Call me heartless but don't call me late for a date. :)

Which, by the way, I really wouldn't be late to if I can ever get one lined up. :-)

Agh, itchy, itchy!

I've just discovered the best form of torture! Forget Chinese water torture or any of those scary looking machines from the dark ages, forget everything you've learned about or heard about. Think nature think mosquitoes. Think mosquito bite. Think mosquito bite on the ball of your foot! Usually a little calloused the stupid mosquito really had to work for that drink and I'm feeling it! With every step!!!!! Step, itch, step, itch, step, itch. I have itch cream but it doesn't penetrate the callous. I need the ped-egg. LOL!

Boring and Quiet

It's quiet with both kids gone. The cats are worried and fretting about. They are following me everywhere, keeping me within their sight at all times. Little boy is the worst. He is needing lots of attention and reassurance right now.

The kids' dad finally made contact. It's only been a year and half so imagine our elation when he contacted my mom. It's the weirdest coincidence that he happened to call her house the day after Jordan arrived in town. My mom did tell that we live in Tennessee now. I guess he knows we've moved. She wrote down his number and passed it along to the kids. It's interesting that he made contact right after Jordan gets into town...(hmmm). At least I know someone besides my family and former co-workers are reading my blog. :) Maybe he can throw in that bridge while he's trying to sell me the rest of his story.

Jordan has summer camp coming up next week. It's a Christian based camp so they are not allowed to wear two piece swimsuits. She is having the hardest time finding a cute one piece. They are either hideous "old lady" patterns or really expensive swim team type suits. The camp is set at a private residence on some lake in Kentucky. Jord's got to get a suit or she will be sitting on the dock getting tan watching everyone else have fun on the lake. I guess we'll hit up the sporting goods stores and get her a plain ugly suit meant for serious swimmers.

Boy cat is demanding attention and driving me nuts. I'm gonna go love on him a little.

Estrogen Week is winding down

This is the girls last night here. Tomorrow they all fly to Oregon. Jordan tortured her friends by making them go to one night of training with her. They were both struggling and Jordan said it was an easy night. It wasn't overly hot tonight so it was comfortable for the workout.

Yesterday was the water park. I forgot my camera so purchased a disposable there. I'll finish the film and post those pics later. The park was really fun. The weather was fabulous! It was around 90 but there was a nice breeze so it was warm enough even when you were wet. The slides were fun and they had a few areas of the lake blocked off for other activities. There is kayaking, a place to just lounge on floaties, and then a sort of floating park setting with a trampoline and a huge rock climbing thing and a teeter totter. I have pics that show it. It's hard to imagine and hard to describe. For all the sun these two fair skinned visitors have been exposed to they have a slight sunburn from the second day here when they walked to the mall and that's it. I'm such a stickler for sunscreen that even being at the water park for over 4 hours they didn't burn. :)

Today the girls made brownies and had a mini birthday party. Mackenzie had a birthday last week and Alyssa's was last month so they all had presents to open. The girls got Jordan a mask and snorkel set because Jordan says it's so humid here it's like breathing in water. The humidity hasn't set in yet but Jordan's ready when it does.

Happy birthday girls!

Ghosts and Gore

Jordan's friends are here! She is so excited! Two friends from Oregon have flown in to spend the week so we have officially started Estrogen Fest '08.

We went into downtown Franklin for a Ghosts and Gore Tour. Franklin is extremely haunted. Well, being that it is Friday the 13th and we have out of town guests, who are easily freaked out 15 year olds, this tour sounded cool. It wasn't. It had the potential to be really creepy but the lady leading our tour wasn't a good story teller. I was disappointed and we didn't get to go into any of the haunted places. :(

Tomorrow is a lazy day for the girls to hang out and gossip all day. We don't have solid plans. It is teenagers choice tomorrow.

Jordan's visitors are fascinated by the lightening bugs. Or are they fireflies?

Even with the boring tour Jordan is having a great birthday.

Getting nervous

Jordan hasn't heard back from her soccer tryouts. She is nervous that she didn't make a team. It was for a travel team which is the equivalent of classic in Oregon. :(

Gotta go hang by the phone with fingers crossed...

Postage thief

I decided to end my job assignment early after being accused of stealing 84 cents worth of postage. Yeah, better watch out, I've got access to blank checks and the program to print checks but I'm going to steal postage! So instead, I sat and milked the clock for the rest of the day which costs way more than $.84 worth of postage. :)

Einstein (our boy cat) is all out of sorts today. Devan is in Oregon for the summer now. He is going to hang out with his friends there, visit his grandparents, be a carnie for a couple weeks to earn enough money to fly to Chicago to visit my sister and attend Lollapalooza. He has grown so tall and his voice is low now. When my mom picked him up at the airport she was very surprised.

We are preparing for what I have deemed "Estrogen Fest 2008." Jordan has two friends coming from Oregon to stay for a week. She is very excited. I will have an apartment full of 15 year old girls. They arrive on Jordan's birthday which makes it extra special. I have something special planned for them that evening so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the girls' flight is fairly close to arriving on schedule. Yep, Jordan's birthday is on Friday the 13th. (insert evil laugh)

I'm loving Devan's new CSI game. I'm a decent CSI on the Playstation. :)

Soccer is a kick!

Hee, hee.

Jordan just offered me a macaroni noodle that was stuck to her toe. yum

Tryouts went better tonight. We'll find out by early next week if she made the team and which team she made. It wasn't as humid tonight and there was a nice breeze plus she made sure to hydrate well and ate a banana so muscles were good.

Gotta help Devan solve a crime on his CSI video game. I'm gonna be Catherine. :)

I had something interesting to say, but it went away

No seriously, it was a cute little story about something.

Okay then, on to the boring stuff. I had an interview today for a payroll position with Williamson County. Yeah, they get 13 holidays a year. Coming from construction, that's like an extra week of holidays. :) Obviously the benefits are great and my commute would be very minimal. I would be taking a pay cut but the benefits totally make up for it. It's a newly created position and with the growth this county is experiencing, I'm sure they will need to add someone else in a couple years. We'll see. They have 5 other candidates to interview. :

Jordan had tryouts for travel (classic) soccer. She went Tuesday, performed decent but not great. The only problem with the way they hold tryouts here is that travel soccer teams play in the spring and into summer so the other girls that were trying out have been playing and are still playing so while Jordan is in shape, she hasn't had much time with a ball recently. Rec soccer doesn't help much, it's just not as competitive and intense as travel soccer. There are two teams so she has a very good chance of making one. She's nervous though. It was very hot and she wasn't feeling super confident because most of the girls knew each other so she felt like the odd man out. She is making sure to hydrate today and will be well hydrated for tomorrow nights tryout. She's also making sure to eat a banana and drink some Gatorade so she won't get muscle cramps from lack of potassium. Tomorrow night should go better enough to leave her feeling confident.

Oh, I can die now. I have life insurance. It's not a huge amount, but it's enough to bury me and give the kids and education. I thought it was ironic that it will pay out for suicide but only after the policy is two years old. I guess they think by then the urge to kill yourself is gone. I can understand why they make you wait though, they don't want someone getting a huge policy then two months later killing themselves and the insurance company would have to pay out a million dollars when they've only gotten two payments. BTW - I'm not gonna kill myself in two years nor do I want to die anytime soon. :-)

My finger itches so I'm going to go scratch it.

Scabby toes

I'm sitting here trying to think of something to write about and just realized I have a scab on my middle toe. Hmm. Peculiar, I can't think of where it came from.

The Baldwin news in Brief:

Big electric storm last night. Began right around 4 am and lasted a full hour. It was right over us and the lightening was so incredibly bright it woke me up. The thunder was deafening at times and somewhere in the middle of the thunder and brilliant light show, there was what I refer to as a sonic boom. It was seriously insane. It woke Jordan up and at some point Devan woke up because when he got up this morning, he had unplugged the computer in case of loss of power or a power surge.

The kids are wasting their summer away and happy to be doing so.

Devan has been playing his guitar a lot. He and a friend think they want to start a band. :)

Jordan had testing night at her training place. She did really well. She was the only girl in her age group with 10 other boys there to test. She is used to working out with 5 or 6 of them at a time but not that many. She did really well on her testing though and has improved a lot. She can even bench press 50 lbs! The guys started out seeming like they were going to be annoyed with her and sort of ignored her as she did her vertical jump and then of course she can't do a pull up. She had to jump just to reach the pull up handles. Anyway, she couldn't do that so instead, one of the trainers helped lift her up and she did an arm hang. She could hold herself up there for 52 seconds! By the time she got done, the boys and all the parents there were impressed and from then on the boys were really encouraging and not at all annoyed she was there. She earned a lot of people's respect Friday night.

Report cards came. Jordan got a 4.25 with her cumulative for the year at 4.225. Devan got two C's, two A's, and the rest B's. His report cards don't give GPA for some reason. One of his C's might be a B if they consider it to be a high school class - his math grade.

Utter disappointment has fallen upon our household as we learned of the new "dress code policy" of the high school which is their nice way of saying uniforms. The kids' hearts sank. This was a very sudden and extreme way for the school to deal with a dress code that has never been enforced. I think the kids were actually looking forward to next year...

I'll end on a high note - the company I am currently working for went with another candidate! :) Yay! I was going to withdraw my application anyway because I am not interested in going on permanently with this company and I can't stand doing A/P. If it was a combination of A/P and something else it might be okay, but straight A/P is not for me. hee, hee, I'm a poet. ;-)

Big Juicy Ants

We went to see Indiana Jones. It was funny. There was one icky part with big juicy ants. The reviews are right in only giving it a B+ but it was entertaining which is why you go to see a movie anyway. Harrison Ford is looking very old but he can still pull it off.


Saturday Devan spent Saturday in the parking lot of the mall. DC shoes (skater shoe brand) hosted this thing called the Backyard BBQ. There was a skate team, and a bike team and they had a motocross team. A band played and it was all free. It was very hot that day but he had so much fun he didn't notice the heat.


Jordan hung out with a friend by the pool. She's trying really hard to get rid of her soccer tan. She has really tan knees and has had for the last 5 or more years. Now that her legs are getting so defined from going to training, she wants to get rid of the crazy tan so she can wear shorts and not be self conscious.

Jordan is getting a new soccer coach next year. She will have a guy coach which she likes better. Some of the girls will be in for a rude awakening but this guy seems like he will run the team like it should be. He is organized for one thing - YAY!!! He will turn this program around and not let the girls run around doing whatever they want. While Jordan will have to work really hard to get on Varsity next year (there are 11 seniors) she has a very good chance because this guy rewards hard work. He also told the girls that just because they are on varsity doesn't mean that their position is set in stone, if someone on JV is working their butt off and a varsity player isn't... This guy was an assistant coach for football but his real passion is soccer. He is having the girls do 10 days of conditioning before tryouts. Then they will be doing a camp this summer AND he is going to keep them working on their conditioning all throughout the season, not just for the beginning. He's smart and has a goal for the program and even has a plan to achieve that goal. He's going to be a coach, not a friend so some girls will hate it, Jordan is so excited. Her old coach is leaving due to money constraints. She lives really far away and can't afford the gas and the extra trips she would have to make this summer. There is something going on that her family needs a large sum of money so she can't afford to be driving the 80 or more miles each day during the summer. I'm not sure but when she told the girls she was resigning it sounds like she might be leaving the school as well. Jordan and I feel a little jerky for being glad she's leaving when she's doing it because of bad personal circumstances. Jerk or not, I'm sure those feelings will dissipate as the season goes on and will be completely obliterated if they go to state. :o

I have a gray eyelash

Normally I pluck out my gray hairs but I can't pluck out my eyelash - that will hurt. It made me think that women have it a little easier than men on this matter because we can cover it up with mascara but what about a man who is young who is going gray? He shouldn't be wearing mascara so then what? He just gets to strut around with his prematurely graying eyelashes?

Devan is so excited - he only has two hours of school left and he is a High Schooler! Ugh. Now I know why I have the gray eyelash...

Little Miss Overachiever is bummed because while she got the highest grade on her final out of all the Geometry Honors classes, she only got a 94 which dropped her grade from a 103 to a 102. :

I should change my blog title

It says can you keep up but now that we have settled down, it should be would you slow down? We don't have much going on right now and of course most of the activities are for household residents under age 15.

The weather was great Saturday and Jordan and her friend worked on their school project down by the pool. She worked on the project and helped tutor her friend in Math. She didn't study for her own finals but she really only has two. The other classes have all had this state testing that they count for the final. She has French and something else and she will be finishing the math test - which she doesn't need to study for. This week should be a fairly easy week for her as long as she can get her group together to finish the project for English.

Rec soccer is over. They played their last game Saturday. They won again, undefeated this season. The girls had fun and they were a nice group of girls who just want to play. Other teams were having trouble getting enough girls to show up and one team had a group of girls that hated each other and would yell at each other on the field. That is a coaching issue. I'm grateful for the team she got on. They had fun and won games what more could you ask for?

Devan has finals this week too. He has been doing state testing as well so while his load isn't as light as Jord's this week, he won't be slammed. He's doing well and as long as his grades are good, he is going to spend the majority of his summer in Oregon. He is really looking forward to going there but he's starting to get used to it here so has a little bit of mixed feelings about going. He wants to hang out with his friends here but I think by the time he is getting bored here it will be time for him to go there so it will be fine.

Both of the kids have fun plans for the summer. Enough to keep them busy and hopefully out of trouble. wink, wink Who knows though, they are teenagers... :)

My summer...well, my plans involve quality time by the pool after a hard day at the steady permanent job I land. I will be finding more hiking spots and scoping out camping areas. I don't have my camping equipment here yet so for now it's just finding places to go.

While this is more informative than entertaining, I don't care. It's getting late, I've done tons of chores today, and I have to go to the restroom. I guess you all bring out the best in me... :)

I can drive!

Legally - here in Tennessee. I got my TN Driver License! This is a very good thing since my license expired in March. *she says with a sheepish grin*

Sad news...I didn't get the job at the fun place. I'm bummed - I really wanted that one. They went with a candidate that wasn't from an agency (so they don't have to pay the agency fees???).

School gets out next week. The kids are very excited. Not only do they get out of school early here, they also get to enjoy the whole summer. They won't miss out on two and half weeks of their summer break this year. Hhmmm, maybe we should move somewhere that has year round schools... :)

Hillary Clinton is on the news and is it my poor eyesight or is she getting jowls? She looks very tired. So does Barack Obama. I'm tired too so to make sure I don't get jowls, I'm going to bed. 'Nite ya'll.

I need a bigger purse

I don't carry much just the loose change in the bottom, my chapstick, my cell phone, and my ID and the random item I happen to throw in there like a spoon or chip clip or battery. Now I need to make room for sunscreen. I got caught in the sun two days in a row. The first day wasn't bad and left the back of my neck a little pink but the second day was the worst. I burnt my chest and arms. My forearms look strange because they are red especially by my elbow pit. What is that area called on the inside of your elbow? I think it should be called the elbow pit because it's sort of like an armpit in the middle of your arm.

Busting High School kids for banging on the glass of the animals was entertaining. Basically it was a free trip to the zoo. The zoo here is okay. They don't have many animals. The set up is okay but I like that the animals they did have were in a natural nature setting. They basically use the natural landscape to create an exhibit. The elephants were good. I guess they just got the elephants a couple years ago.

Leave it to high school kids to figure out a way around the rules moment. The busses were all loaded and had just left the parking lot when we stopped and one bus pulled back into the school. We made it to the zoo and were waiting for all the little kids to unload and get out of our way when the other bus arrived. One of the teachers from that bus came to see what the hold up was and told us why they went back into the school. The kids were all seated and the teacher took roll and marked off everyone and asked if anyone was missing or if there was anyone whose name she didn't call. Of course nobody said anything. As a double check the teacher went through and did a head count and came up with one extra! A girl snuck on hoping for a day at the zoo with her friends! Ingenious! They need to hire that girl as a consultant about what to do about the dress code policy violations.

Mother's Day was lame. My kids didn't do anything for me. We did go see a movie but I paid. We saw Baby Mama. It was funny but totally predictable. There were moments that were really funny but it's the subtle parts that get me. It's interesting to listen to when people laugh and what parts they think are funny. There was one part that cracked me up and I burst out laughing and was the only one. The next part of the scene was supposed to be the funny part and everyone else laughed then. Maybe I'm just ahead of the joke? As long as I'm not the joke... :)

Haven't heard back from the interview last week. Not looking good but not giving up hope yet. Keep your fingers crossed.