Glasses

These are my new glasses

I'm getting older
I'm getting older and older


I used to just need my glasses when I read a lot and got a headache
Now I NEED my glasses to read a pill bottle or anything closer than 12 inches from my face.


Not only have I NEEDED glasses for several years.  Last week I had to strengthen my perscription.  My old glasses just weren't doing the job.


The good news is that my eye sight for distance is just fine.  So, with my old glasses, I would look up notice a slight difference, and then take them off. 
With my new "stronger" perscription, I look up and I'm nauseous and everything is blurry.  It's awful! I can't take them off fast enough.  When you're upfront teaching and constantly reading and then looking around the room to make sure no one has fallen asleep or has run screaming from the room, its a hazard!


The very friendly eye glasses people had offered "bifocals" to me but it just screamed "OLD" to me and I smiled a smug smile and said "no thank you".
Now I realize I'm going to have to go in with my tail between my legs and ask for bifocals.


I hate getting older...

Walfart...

Yes, I meant to call it Walfart...
I have a need/hate relationship with this stupid store.
I need it because I can afford it
I hate it because I always leave grouchy


One or more of the following things happen EVERY time I go

1.  I arrive and have to pee so bad I race right to the bathroom...it is closed for cleaning every time!
2.  When I do get to use the bathroom it is never clean???
3.  My cart pulls to the right, shocks me or squeaks at a pitch that I'm certain causes hearing loss
4.  The check out person stuffs the bags full of every jar I bought and is the slowest moving human on       the planet!
5.  They are out of morning star sausage links...
6.  The produce guy is WAY to helpful...
7.  The check out guy is WAY to talkative
8.  The parking lot is a scary dangerous place
9.  I always leave feeling like I have been abused
10.  There is a person in a motorized cart trying to run me over!


So why do I keep going?  Because I can't afford Fred Meyer and Winco is even scarier!

So some day I dream of being rich enough to grocery shop every week at Fred Meyers...

Frychik

teenagers everywhere...

So what's it like living with teenagers in the middle of nowhere for 4 days?  Well, you learn lots of new things....like the rhythm game called "big booty"

You also watch them do things that you used to do. The pool looked so fun, but  there is no way I'm getting into a bathing suit in front of  a bunch of skinny teenage girls! I wish I had the self-esteem to go there but my son is most likely thankful I don't!

Teenagers demonstrate that soccer can be played barefoot.  I grimaced every time someone kicked the ball!

While living with teenagers for 4 days you find yourself climbing really steep hills before the sun comes up.  As you are climbing you notice that you are the most red-faced out of breath person around...But then you also notice your one of the oldest and pat yourself on the back

That's me on the far right.  The red faced one...

The funnest part about spending 4 days in the middle of nowhere with a bunch is teenagers is you get to share really cool moments with them.  Like watching a sunrise and hear them singing praises to God.

Or listening to them open up about their thoughts about God

Or watching you son walk around with a box on his head???

I would have been really sad to have missed this moment...

Teenagers will show you how to be fearless

It was amazing to stand below and watch the kids jump out to the bar.  It was hard for most of them...I think they would have had to call the firemen to get me down...

Teenagers are amazing and inspiring and really cool people.  So full of potential and life.

So to answer the question...it was an amazing experience.  I was blessed by my time with them.  We have great kids!

The middle of nowhere...



So I have spent the last 3 days in the middle of nowhere with 350 teenagers...
It's one of the unique opportunities while teaching at a Christian high school...



When I say the middle of "nowhere" I mean the outskirts of Antelope, Oregon
Never heard of it? I'm not surprised.  I would like to emphasise it is the "outskirts" of Antelope!



It is an amazing oasis once you get there and a curvy road that snakes its way down into a valley.  It took my car sickness about an hour to subside before I could lift my head up and enjoy the scenery

I'm not really a desert girl...In fact, if the place we stayed didn't come with a swimming pool, some air conditioned spaces and ice cream I wouldn't go

This is the view from the top of communication hill.  I climbed to the top of this very steep hill to watch the sunrise.  It gives a nice view of Washington Family Ranch, which is where we stayed.  If you look closely you can see the pool, and gym, cafeteria.  It really is this amazing oasis in the middle of nothingness.  It was a really steep climb at 6am...my shins still hurt!

I found camp to be very peaceful early in the morning.

The grass looks greener in the middle of the desert

It was a great weekend.  We really are blessed with great teenagers! I will write more about the kids tomorrow.

70th post!

Wow! I have done this 70 times! And for at least 60 of them I have really wondered what I would blog about next...And would anyone read it...and would anyone be amused...and does anyone really care??? And will anyone notice my terrible punctuation and dangling participles and incomplete sentences???

Never has an English teacher ever told me I had written something well.  So its preposterous that I should be writing a blog.  But I find it a nice outlet and I'm needy...and I've told myself that the poor punctuation and the horrible sentence structure will be overlooked.  Please overlook it...

As mentioned earlier, I'm needy.  I'm also sensitive and desperately need feedback.  So I am constantly pestering my dear husband to read my blog and tell me what he thinks.  Then I ask my mom...Mom's are so great and supportive and encouraging...I hope I'm not really embarrassing her ;)

Sorry, love me or leave me :)


As I read back over my blogs I find a few, very few, that I think are funny, cleaver, or amusing...Here's a list of some of my favorites.

• The first posts about Florida.  I think back and realize I was 99% sure we would be moving and this blog would be about the process and keeping in touch with my dear friends in the NW.  Now I look at it and wonder what the heck was that about?

• My Travel post.  Just because I love to travel and its fun to look back at some of those trips

• The Animal in me  I thought it was cleaver and fun...didn't get a single comment ;)

• Fearless because I love that in my kids!

• Solo my three day blog on my weekend alone

• Battle Ground Night Court I think its hilarious!

• Lovin Fall Because I got 4 comments on it! The most ever!

I continue to be frustrated with the formatting for my blog.  I think Suzanne's blog is lovely!  Her pictures look amazing and I can't wait until we can get together and she can teach me.  I need to be taught!

Since beginning my blog I have been committed to writing something every week day.  I have kept that commitment until tomorrow...Today I am headed off to Bible Conference with CAA.  It is a lovely location with the exception that it is cut off from the outside world.  Which is good when having to monitor teenagers, but not good if you want to keep in touch with your husband.  Especially because he could be, potentially, getting a phone call regarding that job we have been waiting to hear about.  They said they would call this week...  Wanna take bets on the call comes just after I cross into the "dead zone" ;)  Pray hard friends!

So I will leave you with some shots from Josh's game last night

He made it through another game with out any injuries to the face

He looks relieved :)

So I will update you again on Monday.  Thanks for reading, commenting either here, on the blog, or when we talk. But most of all thanks for over looking the horrible grammar :) and thanks for ,being my friend!

Hugs!
Frychik

Day Dreams....

Do you ever find your mind wandering...

Maybe back to a time when you were somewhere really special..

 lately I've been noticing all the people headed to Hawaii....

A year and a half ago our family went to Hawaii

We have been very blessed with several family vacations...

But I do believe our favorite was our week spent in Maui

A week is not nearly enough.  I would like to try two weeks or maybe even three...

I find it hard to believe we would ever get tired of it

I remember after our first day there I began fretting about how soon we would be headed home

And all this loveliness would be a memory...

I hope, hope, that we will be returning to Maui some day :)

So if you find myself staring off into the distance with a smile on my face...you know where I am :)

Frychik



Lovin Fall

I don't know why but pumpkins make me really, really happy! I love them! I cannot explain to you how excited I was to look out on my baby garden and see my two big pumpkins turning orange! So exciting!!!

See how easy it is to make me happy?

Teddy's always happy! When ever I need a pick me up she is there with a smile. Love her! Isn't she the cutest Golden every!

Back to my pumpkins. Gorgeous! I don't care if there are only two large pumpkins I'm thrilled with them!

Besides my miniature pumpkin plant is really putting them out! These are the first 4 that I have picked. There are probably close to 10 more on the plant. I'm waiting for them to get "oranger" before I pluck them from the vine.

Jeff and I actually were able to pick several things from our garden this weekend! Jalapenos are doing the best. We have a ton of green peppers. They are smaller than usual but they are yummy!

And yes! We have some red tomatoes. Long wait for these guys but they are even tastier because there are so precious few!

Next to pumpkins and smiling Golden Retrievers, flowers are high on the list for pick me ups! I took several pictures of what's blooming in my yard right now.

Dahlias! Love them! These are bigger than my outstretched hand!

Cocosmos...or something like that. I never remember their name but I love them!

Hydrangea with a black/yellow bee doing his job.

I love this! I love seeing the leaves change. Such a gorgeous time of year!

Ella on patrol in the garden. I wish she would get those darn gofers!

I found another cherry tomato! So yummy!

Then I found a second one! Oh, the excitement! They always hide in the deep dark recesses of the bush. Behind all the green ones. So its like a treasure hunt to find one!

For the first time in my life my fuchsia has lived the entire summer! I think they are gorgeous and always buy one in the spring and it is usually dead by July.

Did I mention pumpkins make me happy?

My wish for my few friends/relatives (thanks mom!) that take the time to read my little blog, is that you find something that makes you happy today!

Frychik