Dog update

We picked Bo up from the doggy hospital a few minutes ago. Doc says he will be fine as long as he doesn't eat any more random stuff. Thanks for all your thoughts and well-wishes!

Now, all my boys are happy again.

A is for Amanda Sue

I got this from Tracy. Everyone else, put your own up so we can learn more about ya!

A is for Age - 26 years, 6 months, and 27 days.

B is for Booze - Margaritas are my poison. Or just give me a handful of limes and some salt.

C is for Cookie you crave - Pepperidge Farm Milanos.

D is for Dating tip you'd give your son or daughter -I am not EVEN thinking about this yet! And you can't make me!

E is for Essential items to bring to a party - A board game: Taboo, Outburst...

F is for Favorite song at the moment - Restless by Alison Krauss and Union Station.

G is for Goof off thing to do - play on the internet

H is for Hometown - Nacogdoches, Texas

I is for Instrument you play - Aw... nuthin'! And I can't even sing!

J is for Jam or Jelly you like - Homemade Strawberry Jam

K is for Kids - Dillon, currently residing in utero.

L is for Living arrangement - Co-habitating with my spouse and two sweet boy dogs.

M is for Mom’s name - Eleonore. Get it right. It isn't Elener, Elanor, Ellen, or Eleanor.

N is for Name of first crush - Nicky. No last names, this is a small town!

O is for Overexposed celebrity? - Ashton Kutcher.

P is for Phobias - I don't think I have any.

Q is for Quote you like - "Never hit a man with glasses. Hit him with something much bigger and heavier." Anonymous

R is for Relationship that lasted longest - Daniel!

S is for Siblings - Baby brother and big sister. (Both of the descriptive adjectives, although true, are not suitable for the person they describe!)

T is for Texas, ever been? - Um, I live here.

U is for Unique trait - I am legally blind.

V if for Vegetable you love - Carrots.

W is for Worst trait - I cannot keep my mouth shut when it really matters. No discretion. None.

X - is for Xtra Credit, did you ever do it in school? - I usually did it, but didn't need to.

Y is for Yummy food you make - Today? Tortilla pinwheels and cucumber dip. Tomorrow? Chicken a la King and homemade blackberry cobbler. Yes, my husband is a lucky man.

Z is for Zodiac sign - Scorpio.

Daniel, Tux and Bo. The red collar is the problem.

Sadderday

About a month ago, Daniel got a new dog. We have always had our sweet Tux, but now we have rowdy, rambunctious, playful, and wild Bo to go with him.

Bo is a really pretty, 2 year old yellow lab. Daniel just loves him! They play and go for walks every day. I have never seen Daniel so excited about an animal!

Last night, Bo got sick. He was throwing up and he wouldn't eat. He was even throwing up the water he drank! Of course, Daniel was so worried. He called the vet out and the vet said that it looks like Bo had eaten something he shouldn't have. He could feel sticks in his stomach! Poor baby...

He said to keep our eye on the dog, and give him a call this morning to let him know how Bo is doing. Well, he wouldn't even get up when we went outside this morning. His tummy hurts a lot and he is just miserable.

To make a long story short, Bo has a bowel obstruction because he ate Tux's collar plus a mixture of sticks and pine cones. He is having surgery this morning. Either the vet can get the collar out, or he will have to put Bo down if there is too much damage. Daniel is just as depressed as I have ever seen him. Tux is running around frantically looking for his buddy. I am so worried about all my boys.

So, whether you are the type that prays for animals or not, please remember my little family today. I will let you know as soon as I know something.

School's Out!!!

I am sorry to have to say this, but those who are not educators or school employees cannot understand the stress that is involved in the end-of-the-year routine! So much has to be done, and so many loose ends have to be tied. The children still need to be taught (at least, entertained) but this is done half-heartedly while your brain is doing something else entirely.

But another year is done. Summertime looms ahead, hot and sweaty, with possible dips in the pool and lazy afternoons of reading.

In August, when kids and teachers alike reach the ultimate level of boredom, the bells will ring again, and it will be time to start back. Tan and healthy, everyone will be ready to sit still in the air-conditioning and look forward to what the year may hold.

In August, however, I will have my backpack on my back. I will be walking through those doors in order to be taught, not to teach. It is a relief to end a school year, but it is sad to say goodbye to friends, co-workers, and kids that I have worked with for three years.

I am a little nostalgic, but I am excited to sit in the air-conditioning and look forward to what the year may hold.

Survey says...

Thanks for the questions Vanessa! Readers, let me know if you want to be interviewed and I will try to come up with some questions for ya!

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher?

I have had lots of career changes. My undergraduate degree is in psychology and criminal justice. I worked with troubled teens and decided that felt too hopeless. I wanted to work with little kids, and so I went back to school for a degree in early childhood. I am going BACK to school again in the Fall to study Autism and Emotional Disorders, so I am not sure if I will keep teaching or not.

2. How did you meet your husband?

I met Daniel at the Police Department in our town. I was dispatching part-time at the tail-end of college. He had just started at the PD and I couldn't stand him. One time he got an attitude with me for sending him to a call that was out of his district. Daniel can definitely hold his own, and that caught my attention right away. Eventually, he decided that I was too cute to be rude to. :)

Update: Daniel decided I was too cute when he saw my panties one day at work. There! Ya happy???

3. Tell us one embarrassing moment you’ve experienced.

Okay, I only have a new one of these DAILY!!!

Yesterday, a student in my class had an accident and I had to change her panties. I keep packages of kids underwear just for this. Her dad is a very straight-laced and respected coach for our high school. He doesn't smile much and is pretty conservative. He came to pick her up after school and I said "Victoria had an accident and we had to change her underwear. I had already sent her extra clothes home for the year so I just put her in a pair of my panties."

Then I turned really red and tried to explain that they weren't really MY PANTIES, just some that I kept in case of emergency, but the damage was done. Sheesh.

4. What woman do you most admire?

I had to think about this a lot! There are successful women who I do not admire because of their lack of morals. There are very moral women who can't get it together professionally, or if they choose, with their families. So after some serious thought, I can say that I admire Laura Bush. I think she is dignified and educated. I think she is a strong, supportive, and prayerful wife. I think she is a good mother. She seems pleasant and even-tempered.

(This is very hard to find an answer to! I challenge each of you to think of one!)

5. If you could have one wish to come true for your baby, what would that wish be?

I wish for my baby to know in his life that he is loved. He may not always be healthy, because, really, who is? He may not be hyper-intelligent, but does that really take you far in life? He may not dress as well as his peers at school or have the best job or ride his bike without training wheels first, but I want him to always know, and never doubt, that he is loved. Not only by his family and friends, but by the Lord Jesus Christ, who has built him from dust and made him exactly the way that he is.

This is me at 24 weeks. I had an appointment and ultrasound today. He still has a little stem!

This is John and I on his bike. I am the giant lady with the tiny head.

Quick update so I don't get nagging emails from you-know-who-you-are

Daniel and I went out of town this weekend. We went to his hometown to visit his mom (Kim) and step-dad (John). We got to do some cool stuff - we went to a Harley Owners Group meeting in Beaumont, went shopping, and ate out. We watched "Ray" (which is definitely a one-time-only-flick) and watched our dogs play together.

Basically, we just had a good time relaxing. I am glad to be home. though. I am eager to sleep in my own bed, on my own sheets, with my own gigantic pregnancy pillow!

(FYI: My tentative next scheduled posting is tomorrow after school. Thank you for your patronage.)

Reduction of duties

Daniel had SWAT training today so he came home exhausted and sore. He asked me to walk on his back to pop it and help it to feel better.

He and I both forgot that I am at least ten pounds heavier than I was several months ago. I was balancing precariously on his back, and his spine was popping like popcorn. His face was turning red. Then kind of purple. He gasped "Ohhhhkaaaayyy" and I stepped off. He said "I think I am going to puke."

I guess my role as in-house chiropractor is also on hold indefinitely, as well as tending to the yard.

What was I going to write about, again?

I am losing my mind. Really!

I believe that the female brain is so high-functioning that it is acceptable to "drop the ball" on a few minor details, especially considering the weight of processing a woman's brain does during the day. For example, I forget to turn off lights when I leave the room. I also forget to turn my straightening iron off in the mornings. These are things that I have always done, but probably because I am a ferociously intelligent, multi-tasking woman.

However, my mental retention is on a downhill slide. For example, until the last week or so, I have not EVER:

1) Left my sweet, spoiled, inside-dog in the yard for six hours in the heat of the day with the savage beast that is our other pet.

2) Forgotten the lead singer of Genesis, then strained my brain so hard to remember that I finally had to just Google it.

3) Left the oven on, but not because I used it. Because I just turned it on, and then never cooked anything in it at all.

4) Forgotten to watch a television show that I have watched every Saturday for five years.


My most recent example happened yesterday. I was talking with a neighbor and she was commenting on our nice sodded yard. She said we are really going to have to baby it in this heat. To show what a good spouse I am, I decided to turn the sprinklers on. That was at about 8 pm.

After a long night of work, Daniel walked in the door at 6 this morning, thrilled that I had "helped out with the yard" by turning the sprinklers on, only to realize by the look on my face that I had left them on for ten hours. TEN HOURS. He walked (and I sulked) into the yard to see how mushy it was, and that is when we noticed the small (but steady) river that flowed from our saturated lawn onto the curb and down the hill.

Daniel told me thanks, but that I don't have to help him anymore.

Guess I will just patrol the house for lights left burning.

Countdown

Nine days left of school is like a slow death.

You know the end is near, and each day is just postponing the inevitable. Can we just skip these days and get it over with? The answer is no. You must continually drag yourself from the bed, put clothing on that covers more of your skin than you are comfortable with in this 95 degree heat, drive to work, and tell the kids, yet again, that, NO, it is not the last day of school!

Actually, tomorrow is our annual field trip. We go somewhere public with our brood, and pretend to be able to function in society. Nevermind the lack of restroom availability. Actually, the field trip is usually fun and the kids are so exhausted by the end of the day that they just sleep and sweat on the bus ride back to school.

So, say a prayer for me tomorrow. Maybe it won't be too traumatic. Then after that day is done, we will just have seven days!

The Class of '96

Today, I got an invitation in the mail to a high school graduation. It is for a third- or fourth-cousin of mine, Christine, to whom I have spoken a couple of times at family functions. Opening the formal envelope-within-an-envelope, I was taken back to my own high school graduation.

I remember how GLAD I was to be done. High school has got to be one of the hardest times for a person. There are so many cliques, so many mean comments, so many insecurities. It sounds like I was some lame, inferior, picked-on-kid, but I wasn't. I was pretty average in most things, but I was "smart" and that is the only thing that stood out about me.

Still, I was glad to be done. I remember looking at the four years of college I had ahead of me. That was going to take FOREVER! I was so ready to get started!

My experiences were few, and I was ready to build up my portfolio! I wanted to see everything and take part in things I had never done. I wanted to stay out later than 11 pm! I wanted to eat sushi! I wanted to have an intellectual discussion at a coffee shop!

I did all of those things, and more!

Those years absolutely FLEW by. I learned a lot in college. More outside of the classroom than in. More about myself than about my major. I treasure the memories and the friends that I made. I remember feeling like the world was so much bigger than the walls of my stupid 5A high school. I remember feeling the potential impact that my life could have.

When I stop today and look at my life, those are the years that I love. I wish the best to that cousin. I hope that she pauses and takes a breath. The next years go fast. And after that, they just keep getting faster.

Carpe diem!

Jessica and I at The Vietnam Restaurant. (Yes, that is the real name of the place.)

In a jam

A couple of weeks ago, when I went to see my sweet neice in Fort Worth, I took a quick detour to another part of the Metroplex. I went to my friend Jessica's apartment in Dallas, and we got to go out to dinner!

This is a big deal for a couple of reasons.

First, I rarely see Jessica. We were friends in college because we happened to pick two losers to date, who happened to be roommates. She was only here for a year before she headed off to greener pastures, and I can count on one hand the number of times I have seen her since then.

Secondly, Jessica gave me some jam. Now, I have a couple of weaknesses, and homemade strawberry jam is one of them. I begged a couple of jars off of her, and she gave them to me out of pity. One for me, one for the baby, I assume.

Well, so much for begging. Last night, one of the jars slipped out of my hand and onto the tile floor of my kitchen. Jam actually does a good job of holding broken glass together, so I scooped the big sugary pile onto a plate. I actually contemplated picking all the glass out of the jam,then saving the jam in a bowl. That is how sad I was. I would shred my mouth, throat, and insides with shards of glass, as long as it tasted like strawberry jam. Sheesh.

You will probably be happy to know that I threw it out. Good thing that was the baby's jar of jam! Mine is still in the pantry.

Who nose?

I have a scratch or something right on the edge of my left nostril. It keeps getting a small scab on it, and I keep removing the scab because it feels like a crusty booger. I will probably develop a staph infection on my nostril.

That being said, I would like to give you a little background on my history of nose problems.

I really love Neosporin. I think this is a great, great invention. Many moons ago, I would have nosebleeds every single day. I went to the doctor and he cauterized the blood vessels in my nose. I still got nosebleeds every single day, and now they HURT! Weird right?

I thought, "Neosporin heals skin. Does it heal nostril linings?" It does!

Now, as an attractive nightly ritual that makes my husband desire me more than steak, I squirt a healthy amount of Neosporin up my nose. Much like a crack addict, I cannot sleep or think about anything else until I have had my fix. (Let's not even talk about Carmex or Aveeno lotion for my hands.)

In light of my recent nose-scratch, I will probably need to expand the Neosporin application to include my whole nose, and perhaps a narrow band of skin around it. Or how about just my whole middle-face?

Maybe someone, somewhere has a cuter neice. Wait, no, I am pretty sure that no one does!

Dream Jobs

Jes tagged me, so I had to pick 5 professions from the following list and complete the sentence. If your name is Jenn, Quycksilver, Vanessa, Melinda or Michelle, you have to do it as well! My responses are in red, Jes's are in blue. Post it on your blog, or in a comment on mine.


If I could be a scientist...
If I could be a farmer...I'd live on a plantation and grow all my own vegetables, so that I didn't have to pay $4.99 for a pound of asparagus, or $2 per artichoke.
If I could be a musician...
If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary... I would come up with a more interesting "position."
If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...I'd travel the world, and be able to talk to everyone I met without feeling like the ignorant American who couldn't speak another language and just expected everyone else to speak English.
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian... I would label books with helpful words like "Quick, Funny Read" or "Interesting" or "Waste of Time" or "Makes you mad at the author at the end"...
If I could be an athlete...I'd be a swimmer. Or I'd row on a crew team. I'd be fabulously in shape, and never have to worry about what I ate, because my career would be EXERCISING.
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an innkeeper... I would keep one room vacant at all times, in case Jesus wanted to come and stay.
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer...
If I could be a backup dancer...
If I could be a llama-rider... I would make it a very lucrative career that only very intelligent and capable people could do. Then I would be their leader and organize conferences on llama-riding, which would be held in St. Thomas.
If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be a proctologist...
If I could be a TV-Chat Show host...I'd have Jessica Simpson as my first guest, and DEMAND TO KNOW THE TRUTH, the ABSOLUTE TRUTH about her relationship with Johnny Knoxville, and whether she and Nick Lachey were going to separate. And if that were to be the truth, I would be deeply, deeply disappointed, because I am so infatuated with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey.
If I could be an actor...
If I could be a judge... I would never have a TV show where I tried petty cases in front of ten people and a moronic bailiff. I would never wear a doily under my gown. I would give people punishment that fits the crime. If you steal from a store, you have to go work there for free. If you abuse your spouse, you have to get beat up by a redneck in a 4-wheel drive truck that has no muffler.
If I could be a Jedi...
If I could be a mob boss...
If I could be a backup singer…I would be a good enough singer to audition for "Making the Band."
If I could be a CEO...
If I could be a movie reviewer...

Where are y'all from?

There has been recent debate on some other sites regarding the uniqueness and importance of various states within the United States, specifically Texas, versus some other state up North. Here is my contribution. Does your state have such interesting defining characteristics?

You're from Texas if...

1. You can properly pronounce Corsicana, Palestine, Decatur, Wichita Falls, San Antonio, Mexia, Waco, and Amarillo.

Pshaw! Try "Nacogdoches"!

2. You think that people who complain about the wind in their states are sissies.

3. A tornado warning siren is your signal to go out in the yard and look for a funnel cloud.

Why else would they blow that horn?

4. Your idea of a traffic jam is ten cars waiting to pass a tractor on the highway.

Every day on the way to school!

5. You've ever had to switch from "heat" to "A/C" in the same day.

6. You know that the true value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but by the availability of shade.

7. Stores don't have bags, they have sacks.

8. You see people wear bib overalls at funerals.

9. You think everyone from a bigger city has an accent.

10. You measure distance in minutes.

11. Little Smokies are something you serve only for special occasions.

Like funerals, where you wear your overalls.

12. You go to the lake because you think it is like going to the ocean.

13. You listen to the weather forecast before picking out an outfit.

Who DOESN'T do this???

14. Someone you know has used a football schedule to plan their wedding date.

Okay, okay! He was a high school coach.

15. You have known someone who has had one belt buckle bigger than your fist.

16. A bad traffic jam involves two cars staring each other down at a four-way stop, each determined to be the most polite and let the other go first.

17. You aren't surprised to find movie rental, ammunition, and bait all in the same store.

And apparently, after this weekend's experience, baby cribs, also.

18. Your "place at the lake" has wheels under it.

19. A Mercedes Benz is not a status symbol. A Ford F350 4x4 is.

20. You know everything goes better with Ranch.

21. You learned how to shoot a gun before you learned how to multiply.

22. You actually get these jokes and are "fixin'" to send them to your friends.

Why don't other people say fixin' to, too??? It really does make sense, y'all!

23. You are 100% Texan if you have ever heard/had this conversation:
"You wanna coke?"
"Yeah."
"What kind?"
"Dr.Pepper."

Mmmkay, I don't do this, but I know people who do!

You are what you eat

I just wanted to jot a quick note to let my readers know what I have subjected my body to today. Not that it is particularly interesting, but perhaps someone wants to know.

a bowl of Honey Nut Chex with 1% milk
dole pinapple-orange-banana juice

(pretty good, right? not Atkins, but it is healthy. just wait.)

a handful of peanut m&m's. (thanks to "ben" from MIM for kick-starting that craze.)
a pint of strawberries with sugar. (yes, a pint.)
a glass of chocolate milk.
a peanut butter and strawberry jam sandwich. (thanks, jes!)
the rest of the bag of Lay's SC&O potato chips.
a peanut butter granola bar that expired in November of '03.
a coconut-pecan bar that I made this afternoon.
a mango.
a squirt of Reddi-Whip right off my finger.

Now, I am going to get Daniel up from his nap. He is grilling burgers for me before he goes to work.

Yes, I said burgerSSSSSSSS.