San Antonio

Last weekend Chase, Kenny, Mom, and I went to San Antonio so that Chase could participate in the state science fair competition. We had a great time even though he didn't win. He was up against some pretty tough competition ... you know, like the kid that has a theory about how to cure Alzheimer's Disease. And all of those other kids with projects whose titles were not even understandable to me. Yeah, the competition was pretty tough. But we had fun. Here are a couple of my favorite pictures from the weekend (there are more but I took them with Mom's camera and forgot to transfer them to my computer before she left to go back to NY):

Mom's first margarita! Awwww...


Chase, Kenny, and Chase's friend Ben drinking virgin Strawberry Daiquiris.

Chase & Kenny on our way to the Alamo.

This is Jeopardy!

On Wednesday Chase participated in a school Jeopardy contest. The entire school was invited to participate, but there was one catch: you had to read ten specific books that the librarian chose to be able to play. Chase started in early October and finished his tenth book on Tuesday afternoon. Ten of the 755 students enrolled at his school read all of the books and played the game. They broke the kids into two groups to play. The first five played Single Jeopardy while the other five stayed in another room. Then they came back and played the same exact board with the same exact questions. The six students with the top scores went on to Double and Final Jeopardy. Chase was in the second group and almost didn't make it to Double Jeopardy! There was a kid in his group that was insanely fast with the buzzer. When the very last question came up on the screen that kid buzzed in. If he had answered correctly Chase would have been in 7th place of the ten kids. Luckily, he didn't answer correctly. Chase buzzed in, got the right answer and moved on to the next round. That other kid made it into the next round as well because his score was a few hundred points higher than Chase's. During Double Jeopardy the game stayed pretty fair. All six kids were answering questions ... although some with more right answers than others. When Final Jeopardy began Chase was in 2nd place. He made a good wager, answered correctly and won the entire game!

The prizes were crazy good. I have heard that the librarian uses all of the book fair money for prizes, but I am not sure if that is correct. The first place winner was able to choose whichever prize he/she wanted from the table. Then the second place winner chose, etc. There were ten kids and ten great prizes. They also won some books and posters.



Here's Chase with his librarian and the prize he selected: a 16 GB ipod touch!!!!:

An Email Forward

I thought this was a pretty funny one and since I am at a loss for blog material right now I am going to use it here:

Shrek, Brad Pitt and Jennifer Lopez were all having lunch together. Shrek said, "I have always thought that I'm the strongest man in the world, but how can I be sure?" Brad Pitt said, "I'm pretty sure I'm the hottest man alive but I've never had it confirmed." Jennifer Lopez agreed. "I'm told I'm the sexiest of them all, but sometimes I wonder."

They all decided that the best way to find out if their beliefs were true was to approach the wicked queen's mirror to confirm for them whether Shrek was the strongest, Brad Pitt was the hottest and Jennifer Lopez was the sexiest. They agreed to meet again the next day for lunch to discuss their findings.

The next day Shrek walked up with a smile. "Well, it's true. The mirror told me that I am the strongest man in the world."

Brad Pitt followed and boasted, "It is true, it has been confirmed that I am the hottest man alive!!"

Jennifer Lopez walked in, head bent, tears in her eyes and asked, "Who in the hell is Amy Lemaster?"

W.W.M.D.

One day when we still lived in NC my friend Mandy commented on how clean my house/bathrooms always were. Of course I beamed with housewifely pride. Then one day about a week later we were going to have a surprise guest and I quickly wiped down the bathroom with a couple of baby wipes. I had a fleeting thought about Martha Stewart and wondered comically if she would consider my bathroom "clean" after I only wiped it down with a baby wipe. That began my own personal joke about "What Would Martha Do?" I was reminded of W.W.M.D. tonight when I ran into the house after student teaching all day, yelled instructions to the kids to get ready to leave the house because we had to get to Chase's National Junior Honor Society meeting, which was followed by his informational meeting regarding his State Science Fair Competition, grabbed a piece of cold pizza, and ate it while I was peeing!! Would she consider this a real dinner? A piece of cold leftover pizza wolfed down while going pee for the first time after a hectic day spent with 21 kindergartners? I am guessing she would not.

All About Chase ...

While I have been busy with student teaching and Kenny has been sick/recovering, Chase has been just going on with his normal life. Here are some things he did over the past several weeks while Kenny and I have been trying to make it through each day:

Chase and his TRIYS group (Texas Research Institute for Young Scholars) met with the mayor last month to discuss better ways for our city to go green.

Basketball season just ended. His coach was one of the best coaches we have ever had. If you know me and sports you know we are not a good match. But I loved every minute of Chase's basketball games over the past two months. And so did he.

Chase competed in and won his class and school science fair competition. Then he went on the the regional competition and placed 2nd. He goes to the state competition at the end of the month. It should be a fun weekend in San Antonio.

On Thursday he got a letter in the mail inviting him to join National Junior Honor Society.

And through all of this he managed to pull off a report card that looks like this:

Math Pre-AP/GT: 96%
PE: 100%
History: 95%
Beginning Band: 99%
Science: 98%
Writing Pre-AP/GT: 100%
Reading Pre-AP/GT: 98%

Not that I am bragging or anything ;)

Shameless Plug

Yesterday at 5:32 PM I placed an order at Zappos.com for two pairs of Heelys for the boys. Less than 21 hours later, at 2:29 PM today, they were on my doorstep. If any of you have ever been here to the middle of nowhere, Texas or have ever tried to send me a package you know that is an amazing accomplishment. To top it all off I got free shipping, I could use free return shipping if they didn't fit (but they do), and they were only 80% of the price listed at amazon.com. So ... Zappos earns a free shameless plug on my blog and my eternal business!

My Honey

I love the internet. I love digital cameras. I love skype. I love instant messaging. And I love email. Why do I love all of these things? Because in 1996 - 1997 when Brian was in Bosnia I would wait impatiently for the mailman six days a week. I was home with a new baby and I lived for that moment when I could check if I got a letter from Brian. The letters were usually a month old and would often come in groups. I would go days without one and then all of a sudden I would have five of them in one day. I know that it's nice to get real mail, but what's even better is that in the past three days I have asked for and received about ten pictures, had several hours of instant messaging, and had a few skype calls with my honey. If you don't know what skype is think 'The Jetsons' and telephone with tv attached. Brian and I can sit and talk to each other and see each other live in person at the same time. It is absolutely amazing to me and oh-so-much better than the Bosnia days! When Chase was born I had to send Brian a Red Cross message to let him know that we had a birthday for our baby. Then the day I came home from the hospital Brian had to stand in line for over an hour to call me for five minutes. Our phone call was dropped and I didn't get to talk to him again for a few days. Today while I was washing dishes I heard my boys skyping with their dad without any help from me. So I will say it again ... I love the internet. I love digital cameras. I love skype. I love instant messaging. And I love email. Oh, and I love my honey too :)

A Mother Knows ...

All too often kids try to get out of school by faking illness. But when your kid wakes up and looks like this you know that he isn't faking it. And then when you take his temperature and it is over 101 you know that his hopes of making it through the year with perfect attendace are out the window. He spent the entire day yesterday in this exact position. The only thing that changed was the movie that was in the DVD player. Poor kid!

Not Paying Attention

On Sunday I took the boys to the mall because they wanted to look for new Heelys. I didn't even pay attention to how they dressed until after we got there and got into the first shoe store. Look at them! I was planning to go to the college to get a little bit of work done in the computer lab and felt a strong urge to buy them some new jeans before we went. I wonder why?!?

Cheap Entertainment

Roller skating: $5 each
Gas to get there: $2
Tokens for video games: $10
Having time to do my homework uninterrupted: priceless!

Desperate Times

... call for desperate measures. I really, really, really wanted homemade apple pie today. So I made this:

Isn't it cute?!? It sure was good! I ate about half of it and still have half leftover for tomorrow's breakfast. Yummy!!

Just Kidding

So I have this friend who says "just kidding" whenever he changes his mind or is wrong about something. He's a cute 21 year old college student/soon to be teacher/boyfriend of my friend so I think it is endearing. I am going to use it here in hopes that it makes me feel better about what I am going to tell you. We took the puppy back today. Sad, I know. And pathetic. And I feel like a bad mom. But ... hear me out: He was a good puppy. Everything you would think I am about to complain about did not happen. He slept all night. He went potty outside. He was nice to the cats. Sammy loved him .... you get the idea. We had two major problems. PJ was absolutely scared to DEATH of him. She was hiding in corners of the house and refusing to come anywhere near any of us even if we were holding her favorite treats out to her. She was terrified. She is the sweetest, kindest dog and I felt bad for what I was putting her through. The second problem ... Brian. It's not what you think it is. I ended up sending him an email with a picture. He was ok with it. But one line in his reply email was "I haven't even been gone a month yet." It brought me right back to last October when he left for Kansas and I took over his side of the closet, threw away the toothbrush he left in the bathroom, and stole his garage door opener out of his truck because it worked better than mine. I really hurt him because he felt like I was just shoving him out the door and wasn't sad about our upcoming 15 month separation. On top of all of that, he and my mom have plans to buy Yorkshire Terrier puppies from the same litter when he returns from Iraq. This puppy would have messed up those plans. So the combination of a scared to death Penelope Jean and a leftout husband that is thousands of miles away forced me to see things in a different light. I let the animal rescue people keep our adoption fee as a donation to their program and made them promise to call me if he hadn't been adopted out by 5:00 PM today. I never got a call so I am sure our little "Romeo" found a brand new forever family this afternoon. I guess I was just kidding.

Who's Going Green?

Apparently we are not. Today I came into the house to get some work done and found the TV on Spongebob. The problem? She was the only one watching:

Skype

Just before Brian left we both installed Skype on our computers. We bought webcams and headsets and got all set up.

We even tested it out.

Once he is finally settled in his (first) permanent location in Iraq we'll be able to have Skype chats to try to keep in touch and keep up with what is going on in each other's lives. Why am I telling you all of this? I want to have a little vote. Who thinks I should let the boys tell Brian about the new puppy over Skype? The other choice is to not tell him and simply hope he doesn't notice the extra dog when he comes home for R & R this summer.

While the Soldier's Away ....

... the soldier's wife and kids do really strange things like get another puppy even though they already have too many animals running around their little house!

And yes, the boys look tired in their photos. They are tired. It is 9:30 and we had a long, busy day.

Happy Birthday TJ!!

Happy Birthday little brother. ILY

Wordless Wednesday -- Chase's Braces

Can you tell he hates them? This was the closest he would get to a smile this morning when I took his picture before he left for school.

My Boring Life

I know I have been terrible about blogging lately. I just don't have anything exciting to talk about or share with you ... my loyal readers. I understand that you won't be loyal readers for long if I keep this up, but I just can't think of anything funny or entertaining or even interesting to write about. I could write about how Sammy just rolled in something dead while we were out walking and instead of letting him in the house I am going to make him stay outside until it rains. Or about the kid in my kindergarten class who proudly told me this morning, "We got something real cheap for you for Valentine's Day!" I could write about how it is so windy here that my garden flag is somewhere in Alabama by now. Or I could tell you that Chase got braces today, but I think I'll save that for Wordless Wednesday tomorrow. The title even rhymes: Chase's Braces. Good, huh? Well, I guess if I think that is good entertainment I am in trouble. Other than that, we don't have a lot going on here. Life is good, but life is not all that exciting right now. Sorry 'bout that!

I Guess I am a "Chicken"

Jeff Foxworthy on Upstate New York .

• If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Upstate New York.
• If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights a year because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation, and Watertown gets more snow than any other major city in the US , you might live in Upstate NY.
• If your local Dairy Queen is closed from October through May, you might live in Upstate New York.
• If you get 131 inches of snow in a week and you comment that 'winter's finally here,' you might live near Watertown in Upstate New York.
• If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year, you might live, bundled up, in Upstate New York.
• If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you might live in Upstate NY.
• If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Upstate New York.
• If you have worn shorts and a parka on the same day, you might live in Upstate New York.
• If you have had a lengthy phone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Upstate New York.
• YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN:'Vacation' means going south past Syracuse for the weekend.
• You measure distance in hours..You know several people who have hit a deer - more than once.
• You often switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again.
• You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.
• You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.
• You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.
• You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.
• Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.
• You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.
• You can identify a southern or eastern accent.
• Down South to you means Corning.
• Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.
• You go out for a fish fry every Friday.
• Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.
• You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.
• You find 10 degrees 'a little chilly.' And 55 is shorts weather.
• You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Upstate New York friends and to those who used to live here and left(chickens).

From my Mom

This is why I love Texas!

Aug. 12 - Moved into our new home in New York . It is so beautiful here. The hills and river valleys are so picturesque. I have a beautiful old oak tree in my front yard. Can hardly wait to see the change in the seasons. This is truly God's Country.

Oct. 14 -New York is such a gorgeous place to live, one of the real special places on Earth. The leaves are turning a multitude of different colors.. I love all of the shades of reds, oranges and yellows, they are so bright.. I want to walk through all of the beautiful hills and spot some white tail deer. They are so graceful, certainly they must be the most peaceful creatures on Earth. This must be paradise.

Nov. 11 - Deer season opens this week. I can't imagine why anyone would want to shoot these elegant animals. They are the very symbol of peace and tranquility here in New York. I hope it snows soon. I love it here!

Dec. 2 - It snowed last night.. I woke to the usual wonderful sight: everything covered in a beautiful blanket of white. The oak tree is magnificent. It looks like a postcard. We went out and swept the snow from the steps and driveway. The air is so crisp, clean and refreshing. We had a snowball fight. I won, and the snowplow came down the street. He must have gotten too close to the driveway because we had to go out and shovel the end of the driveway again. What a beautiful place. Nature in harmony. I love it here!

Dec.. 12 - More snow last night. I love it! The plow did his cute little trick again. What a rascal. A winter wonderland. I love it here!

Dec. 19 - More snow - couldn't get out of the driveway to get to work in time. I'm exhausted from all of the shoveling. And that snowplow!

Dec. 21 - More of that white shit coming down. I've got blisters on my hands and a kink in my back. I think that the snowplow driver waits around the corner until I'm done shoveling the driveway. Asshole.

Dec. 25 - White Christmas? More freakin' snow. If I ever get my hands on the sonofabitch who drives that snowplow, I swear I'll castrate him. And why don't they use more salt on these roads to melt this crap??

Dec. 28 - It hasn't stopped snowing since Christmas. I have been inside since then, except of course when that SOB "Snowplow Smitty" comes by. Can't go anywhere, cars are buried up to the windows. Weather man says to expect another 10 inches. Do you have any idea how many shovelfuls 10 inches is??

Jan. 1 - Happy New Year? The way it's coming down it won't melt until the 4th of July! The snowplow got stuck down the road and the shithead actually had the balls to come and ask to borrow a shovel! I told him I'd broken six already this season.

Jan. 4 - Finally got out of the house.. We went to the store to get some food and a damn deer ran out in front of my car and I hit the bastard. It did $3,000 in damage to the car. Those beasts ought to be killed. The hunters should have a longer season if you ask me.

Jan. 27 - Warmed up a little and rained today. The rain turned the snow into ice and the weight of it broke the main limb of the oak tree in the front yard and it went through the roof. I should have cut that old piece of shit into fireplace wood when I had the chance.

May 10 - Took my car to the local garage. Would you believe the whole underside of the car is rusted away from all of that damn salt they dump on the road? Car looks like a bashed up, heap of rusted cow shit.

May 23 - Sold the car, the house, and moved to Florida . I can't imagine why anyone in their right freakin' mind would ever want to live in the State of New York!!!!