Moose and Llamas

My husband is a lucky, lucky man! ;)

Most of the time I walk around in various attire without comment
Last night was an exception...

My husband said "I'm confused, You've got animals from the south and animals from the north goin on there"

And sure enough..
In my eagerness to get comfy I had left my warm Llama sweater (from Peru) on and pulled on my comfy Moose jammies (from Utah) on.

I have decided matching is over rated!
The moose and llama are getting along just fine...

Frychik

3-D

I don't like it...

I don't get it...

I don't want it...

Make it go away!

I would be referring to 3D movies...

They are nothing but a way to get more money out of our pockets...

I also don't really appreciate the whole HD TV craze

I do appreciate HD photography...

The reasons I don't like it is because...

It's not real, it's TV/movie and I'm OK with that...

I also don't like 3D because those dumb glasses are

uncomfortable

smudged

annoying

I can't see anything around me in the theater

For example...

What if the guy next to me tries to get into my purse...

What if my kid is making out with his girlfriend...

What if I want to give the stink eye to the guy behind me with the crinkly wrappers...

But what I really don't like about 3D movies is

$$$$

Come on!

Movies are expensive enough!

I don't need to trick myself into thinking that butterfly is flying

right at me

Or confuse my brain into thinking I should duck when the

rock is thrown my way

I 'm perfectly fine watching a regular screen

I'm perfectly happy maintaining my awareness of my surroundings

I don't feel the need to get "lost in the movie"

On Sat night my family and I went to see Tangled

I was sold on the previews

It looked cute

funny

entertaining

and it was

cute

funny

entertaining

I was annoyed that the only option for us to see the

movie in our theater was to cough up the extra $$$

so we would get the smudgy, clunky glasses and

"experience 3D"

I guess I'm just an old fashioned gal...

I just don't see the 3D "advancement" on equal footing

as say, going from black and white to color

Our from silent film to sound...

Oh, that reminds me...

I'm not a big fan of surround sound either...

It's just loud with lots of booming...

Having said all this I will remind you that I live in a home

full of boys...

Boys who are completely sold on this stuff...

My husband saved his pennys an bought himself a HDTV

He has surround sound in the living room...

I dream of a house with a basement or some other distant room where I can

lock them all up and have some peace and quiet...

But that's just me...

Frychik

Black Friday

There's no holding it back now...

It's one of the reasons I insist on no Christmas until

after Thanksgiving...

I realize I have written a list of what I despise about Christmas

But what I really despise about Christmas is what

society has done to it...

Christmas itself is beautiful

the chaos that comes with it

is not...

It's 7:24 am on "Black Friday"

and I'm sitting at home in my

PJs

So, clearly I've missed the boat...

Any shred of tradition that was holding the tidal wave

known as Christmas back

is now removed with the official passing of

Thanksgiving

The chaos has begun...

As I understand it,

There were stores which opened at 3AM

3AM people?!?!?!?!

I'm here to tell you...

I wouldn't know a great deal at 3AM if it jumped

up and smacked me in the face...

Since I have spent the last 20ish years in Milton Freewater

on Black Friday I have always been out of reach

of any of this after Thanksgiving craziness...

I do remember years and years ago,

prekiddos...

Jeff and I lived in Collegedale, Tn and we decided

to drive to Atlanta for "Black Friday"

We even got up early...

Haven't done it since...

But today I am going to venture in...

I will be picking my Mom up at the civilized hour of 9am

If the sales are gone...

If we missed some sort of AMAZING deal...

I'm OK with that...

I was thoroughly enjoying my bed at 3AM!

Having said that...

I still enjoy shopping...

Not, however, with thousands of other crazed bargain hunters...

So I may not stay out long...

We shall see...

Happy "Black Friday" to you..

Whatever that means.... ;)

Personally, I'm missing my

pumpkins already...

Frychik

Thanksgiving

A day to be thankful...

Let me begin by letting you know that things are tough...

Jeff is still looking for a job and so many doors have been shut in his face it's mind boggling!

So naturally that makes finances a stressful issue

Christmas isn't helping that...

There are extended family issues that break the heart and cause frustration...

So what better time to have Thanksgiving!

I've read many times how important it is to be thankful for something in tough times.

I realize I have many things to be thankful for.

Here is my list...

That these two kids were able to grow up together and find themselves happily married 22 years later!

That this wimpy white boy as he was called grew up...

to be a healthy, and relatively happy (but moody) teenager

I'm thankful that these beautiful brown eyes are still with me!

And that he to, is happy and healthy (and becoming a moody teenager)

I am thankful for our home.

I am thankful for family 

I am thankful for my job



I am thankful for friends...

I am thankful that my life is full of blessings

I am thankful for health

I am thankful for a day that I can spend with my family and focus

on what is truly important

Happy Thanksgiving!

Frychik





Ora Mae Kirk

When I began teaching in 1993 at Georgia Cumberland Academy I was 24.  In other words I was young...
As the history teacher on campus one of my responsibilities was to go on the New England Trip each fall..

The NE trip was a History/English trip...
It was a 10 day trip...
On a coach bus...
With 40 teenagers...
about 5ish adults...
We packed our food in the bottom of the bus and had to feed them each day...

We slept many nights on gym floors...
We would plan the trip so that at least every other night we would have a shower...hopefully...
When we were really lucky we were at a boarding school with extra beds...

I remember the year we pulled into Greater New York Academy...
It is in the Bronx...
It has/had a chain link fence with barbed wire on top surrounding a parking lot with two smallish buildings...
one building was the gym...
one was the office building...

I remembering thinking as we disembarked "we're not in Georgia anymore kids!"
Turns out the classrooms and the cafeteria where UNDERGROUND!
Can you imagine?

So needless to say NE trips were adventures!
We toured Wa DC. climbed the Statue of Liberty and saw the view from the top of the Trade Towers, we walked the streets of Manhattan and hiked around Walden Pond.  We walked through Louisa May Alcott's home and climbed the many stairs of the House of Seven Gables,  We walked the many miles of  the Freedom Trail through Boston and visited Paul Revere's grave and sat in the Old North Church.

We walked the beaches of Maine and visited the battle field where the "shot heard around the world" was fired.  We reenacted Pickets Charge at Gettysburg and were amazed by Monticello.

All of this and more (river cruises and tours of Mt. Vernon, Whale watching trip from Boston, Dinner theater in DC) was planned by Ora Mae Kirk...

I wish I had a picture of her.
Picture your grandmother...
If you grandmother has the beautiful white hair and up do look goin on...
If your grandmother has a beautiful face lined with years of smiles, worry and living...
and 5'2"  with the hair 5'4"...

Thank goodness all the responsibility of planning this trip did not fall upon me...
In fact I really didn't do any of the planning...
Ms. Kirk had been planning and leading out in that trip for about 17 years before I even showed up

I was thrilled!  As you know I love to travel.  What an opportunity to spend two weeks every fall in NE! Even if it was with a bunch of rowdy kids
Even if I was sleeping on the gym floor
Even if I was sick of riding on the bus for hours

What amazed me then, and amazes me more even now, is that Ms. Kirk did it all!
I don't know how old she was then...
In all of my 24 years of wisdom I judged her then to be in her 70s
I realize now she was probably more like mid 60s

She climbed the Statue of Liberty with us...
She ate cold cereal out of the bottom of the bus with us...
She gave the bus drive instructions as we drove through Manhattan...
She slept on the gym floor with us!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Physically and mentally this was a tough trip!
By the end of each trip I was tired and cranky..
I would look at her and wonder "how on earth does this old lady do this year after year?" 
(I know "old lady" not very nice..)

Sadly, I learned this morning that Ora Mae Kirk has died...
Her former students are on FB morning her and remembering her
Jamie posted her most famous quote, one I have adopted and used several times...
"Count it a day lost in which you do not learn something new"
She said this all the time to the kids.  They remember...
I also remember learning the word "asinine"

When Ms. Kirks feather's got ruffled, and they would at times, she would pull out the word
Asinine
As in "that's the most asinine thing ever done!"

She was such a blessing to me...
As a new teacher I needed mentoring...

She was inspiring...
She was tough...
She left her mark...

It was those years of experience at GCA and with Ms. Kirk that I learned how to travel with kids.  I learned how to interact with kids.  I learned what a commitment to learning looks like...

Her services are this Sat in Georgia
I wish I could go...

But I will definitely look her up in Heaven!

Frychik

Snow pffhttt!

So as I mentioned yesterday
Snow is a really exciting event around here...
Its also a really frustrating experience...

Yesterday is an example of the frustrating experience...
It began Sunday with the surprise of snow...

and a promise from our weatherman that more was coming...

So I waited all day for the more snow to come...
All day the weatherman said the coldest air of the YEAR was on the way...
Snow accumulations anywhere from 1-4 inches...

Artic blast moving down from Seattle...
Seattle getting hammered...

Then by noon the word that the "Arctic air" had stalled...
Wouldn't be here till later...
But still it was coming...

Businesses and schools canceled their evening activities...
People rushed to the store to stock up on supplies...

Then the 5 O'clock news said maybe we won't get any snow...
Maybe we will...
Just a little...
Or maybe nothing at all...

I am a hopeful person...
I love the snow...
I love how it changes the routine of life...
I love how it gets people out of the house...
I love how families play together and get unexpected time off...

This was two Christmas's ago...

Best snow fall ever!

Two years ago we had an AMAZING winter!
I think we should get this kind of snow every year...

I should live in Boston maybe..
No I don't want to live in Boston (it is lovely though)
I just want to live here and I want it to start having massive snow falls each and every winter....

I don't understand people like my friend Suzanne who don't like the snow...
They go into the category of people who don't like chocolate...
Those people should be put onto some sort of "watch list"
Not to be trusted...
I just don't get it ;)

I woke up at 5:30 AM to a phone call...
The CAA phone tree had been "activated" 
Late start...
Nothing like getting a call earlier than usual to tell you, you can begin your day later than usual...

Now it's 7:30 my phone has rung again saying school has now been canceled...
Yea!

Frychik

P.S.

The geese are flying south in droves....
A good sign...

Snow!

Yesterday morning I looked out the window and for a moment I thought it had snowed...

Everything was white...
Then I realized we had our first hard frost of the season...
So I grabbed my camera and took some shots..

 My Dahlias have held on to the very end...

 My Hydrangea looked like it had been dipped in sugar...

 I thought these leaves looked so cool! 

I thought the frost was lovely!  I had heard the weathermen predicting snow...

Snow is a big deal around here.
We don't get enough of it as far as I'm concerned.

Our weathermen tend to be really bad a predicting it...
It tends to show up when they don't predict it...

Once the weatherman says those magical words "snow" we all get excited!
We knew there was a chance yesterday but we got way more than any of us expected...

By mid afternoon we had snow falling!  I was in town without my camera so I didn't get to take any "first snow" pics :(
Then the hope for a "snow day" began.  Today is a school day...there is only one thing with the power to stop it at this point...
Snow...

Sadly, no snow day today...
However there is hope for tomorrow...
The weatherman says we may get more tonight...




This is what my backyard looks like this morning...
As I type this I'm listening to the weatherman tell us more is coming...

Tomorrow I have a test scheduled to give to my class...
I would love a snow day so I don't have test to grade over Thanksgiving!
Shhhh don't tell them I'm hoping for a snow day as well! ;)

Enjoy the snow!

Frychik

Pie

Why?

Why did I tell my 13 year old that I would make him a pie?

The boy doesn't even eat pie!

He announced to me on Tue that Friday was Pie day at school and he signed me up to make a pie...

So, I was signed up to make a pie...

Hmmm, I wondered...when exactly would I be able to make this pie?

I'll tell you when...9:34 PM Thur night...

So my counter had to look like this....

So I put on this...

and whipped up some of this...

and then it looked like this...

and then I added those...

and then I began to wonder...

What is going to happen to this made from scratch pie?

This pie that is made by an exhausted mother

very late in the evening?

Will it be savored? enjoyed? Ohhed and ahhhed over?

No!

My kid will turn his own little nose up at because he doesn't like pie...

It will be tossed on a table with various other pies and picked over and probably coughed on and most likely sneezed on by one or more of the little darlings...

And then it suddenly occurred to the slow witted Mom...

I could have bought one!!!

I love cherry pie!

It smells amazing right now!

I won't even get a piece!!!

Lame...

So why did I make the pie?

Because my kiddo asked me to...

Ok, I'll be honest, I say no to plenty of things he asks of me.

Here's the truth - I'm slipping in the polls!

Both of my boys clearly think their dad is cooler than me...

Most times they prefer his company!

He watches cooler stuff on TV...

He lets them get away with stuff...

He gets their lame jokes...

He joins them in terrible table manners...

The list really could go on...

but I'll stop

Because I'm tired and I have to get this stupid pie out of the oven...

Oh, but I didn't answer the question...

I did it in an effort to win my kids affection...

There I admitted it...

But I'm really regretting it...

Frychik

P.S.

I'm keeping it!

I'm going to the store in the moring to buy one

So, if you want some, I would love to share it with you!

FlashLight Literary Society

Last night was book club night.

I've written about book club night before...
It never disappoints...

We read the Wednesday Sisters this time...
and in the book there is a section where they talk about the Kentucky Derby..
So our hostess choose that for the theme and requested we all wear Derby hats...
And as is the case whenever I'm required to dress up, I panicked!

Dressing up for some people is so natural, so fun...
Why is it so terrifying for me?

Well, for one, I don't keep anything...so I don't have a trunk full of clothes from days gone by...

But thankfully my SOS was responded to and Jasmine snagged me a hat...and that's all I could do...

Thankfully, my friends are very accepting of my shortfalls!

There are so many wonderful parts to the FLS...
Each month the hostess goes to a tremendous amount of work to prepare yummy, fun meals...

The food is chosen to go along with the theme.  Tonight we had mint juleps, Derby pie and other wonderful recipes straight from the Kentucky Derby!


My very favorite part of this club is the friendship.  I have come to know people I didn't have any contact with before joining this group.  Our common bond is books and that's a lovely thing to bond over!

We listen to each other's opinions, we laugh with each other and we've been known to shed a few tears on each other's behalf.

Wednesday Sisters is a story of friends who meet each other in a park and slowly, in my opinion VERY slowly become friends or "sisters".  They bond over books and writing.  Through the course of the story you learn different things about each character as they learn about each other.

I believe to a degree, that is what is happening with us.  We don't meet every week as the characters in the book do.  Only once a month.  And some in our group are closer to each other than others.  But we value each other and miss members when they aren't there.  Last night 3 were gone.  We missed them!

As women we are very lucky to have friendships!
Reach out to your friends today and let them know how valued they are!

Frychik

P.S.  Hey SP  pink or blue?

Thanksgiving

My husbando and I have been together for over 25 years...
For those 25 Thanksgivings we have either..

A. lived in some god forsaken place like Florida
B. Had Thanksgiving in Walla Walla with his grandparents

However, due to certain circumstances, this year will be different.  We will celebrate Thanksgiving here with my Mom.

Let me be clear in saying, I love Jeff's grandparents dearly!  I honestly do.  They really are my grandparents at this point!

What I don't enjoy is being stuck in Walla Walla for the holiday.  Not a lot happening there.  The family we visit there are very busy and we tend to just sit around feeling the food we just ate gently take over our thighs and midsections as well as our backsides...A very disturbing feeling I assure you!

My Mom has been a great sport about it.  She gathers the family the Saturday before Thanksgiving and we eat a full on Thanksgiving meal.   Then, 4 days later we drive to Walla Walla and eat another Thanksgiving meal.

Friends, one Thanksgiving meal does enough damage, but having two every year is a really, really, bad thing!

So, only one Turkey day meal and Portland and Mt. Hood to keep me busy. I won't miss the 8 hours of driving either!

But I will miss these two!

Frychik



Sarah Palin

I am a little scared to admit this...
I actually like Sarah...
I'm scared to admit it because for some reason people Hate her!

I really, truly don't understand why...
What has she done that was so awful?

I'll tell you what she did...

1.  She has breasts and ovaries - the nerve!
2.  She has a brain for politics and business - absurd!
3.  She has been willing to put herself out there...fight for what she believes in - clearly crazy!
4.  And worst of all she's pretty - gasp!

I'm not endorsing her for President...
I'm just saying, I don't understand the intense negative feelings she arouses...

And I'll go one step further...
I believe that the majority of people don't have concrete factual reasons for disliking her.

They just jump on the bandwagon...
The bandwagon that is pulled by the press.

It is shocking how we believe whatever the press feeds us.
For some reason the press despises her?!
Actually, I have an opinion on why the press hates her...

They (press) were surprised.  Caught off guard.  Blindsided when Senator John McCain picked her for VP.
They didn't like being caught unaware and the prize went to whoever could dig up or make up, the most dirt...

My very first impression of Mrs. Palin was positive.  As she stood on that stage and gave her speech I was impressed.
Yes, she had an accent.  But she spoke smoothly, confidently, and with energy and passion.
She was positive and she struck me as an honest sort of person...

But then this firestorm erupted all around her and I was caught off guard...
Was it true?

(Just a side note.  One of the things I really don't like about politics is that you never REALLY know the truth about any candidate....)


I couldn't read her book fast enough.
I figured that if I was gonna listen to what the press had to say, I should hear what she had to say...

Yes, I'm aware that her book was "biased"  but how can that be?  Isn't the press "biased"?
There were many stories in the book where she was able to explain her side, her point of view, her story...imagine that...

So Sunday night her "reality" show Alaska premiered.
I watched it.
Nothing terribly exciting...

Then I just read on line someone claiming that the show is full of "subliminal" messages. 
For example;
~when she says "oh no, we are stuck on a rock"  That the message we were to hear was "we are stuck in Iraq"

OMG!!!

Isn't there a point where people just look stupid trying to villainize someone?
I believe we are way past there.

Frychik

Bad Aditude!

Christmas...
I'm afraid I have a bad attitude about the holiday.

I believe, and know, Jesus is the reason for the season...
However, "knowing" this, isn't helping me...

The following a list of my "bah humbug"

1.  It completely overshadows, swallows up, stomps on and grinds up Thanksgiving

2.  While Christmas trees are nice they don't make me smile like pumpkins do...

3.  Every direction you turn is BUY, BUY, BUY.

4.  The grumpiest people on the planet suddenly invade EVERY store I need to go into.  They are rude, pushy and buying EVERY item they can with their shopping cart overflowing and kids screaming.

5.  Those stupid bells!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6.  No matter that I have just emptied my wallet at the last ringing red bucket the next person manages to make me feel guilty...then the person at the cash register asking if I want to "round up" or "donate a toy" or "contribute" to the needy...

7.  Fudge - It makes me FATTER

8.  The PRESSURE! - For staying in the budget.  For remembering everyone. For getting it all done...

9.  Even though I've never succeeded before, I suddenly believe that I'm able to make the perfect;
~ Christmas card to send to everyone
~ to make the yummiest treats for my family
~ to buy the perfect gifts at unbelievable bargain prices
~ to decorate my house inside and out
~ to be generous and giving to everyone that asks
~ to make sure Jesus is the reason for the season and not the gifts your kids are really hoping for...
~to be happy at all those Christmas programs I must attend
~to keep a smile on my face and stay calm at all times.

10.  That no matter how many years I tell myself to chill out and enjoy I never can...

I'm sure by now some of you who are all sparkly, snowy, Christmas lovers are traumatized by my bah humbug list.

Stay tuned for the reasons I do like Christmas...  ;)

Frychik

Progress

I go a little crazy when I'm behind...
I have several definitions of being behind...

Messy house...
empty fridge...
extra lbs sitting on me...

messy car...
laundry...Man of Man do I hate, Hate, HATE laundry...
I stop putting my clothes away and just take them off and toss them in the corner...

I stop washing my face at night because  I'm just too tired...
I stop cooking...(well I really don't care to cook so this one doesn't bother me much.  But it really bothers the boys!)

But the thing that really truly drives me crazy, is getting behind on my grading...It really, really bugs me! I suppose that's because no one else will do it...

When every day there are more papers coming in, it's just so critical to my sanity to keep things graded, recorded, and returned...

When this isn't happening everything else seems out of control.
I've had time to get some grading done...

But my Mom did the nicest thing for me yesterday which made such a huge difference!
She drove all the way up here into Washington State and sat in my empty house and graded papers for me while I was teaching.

My Mom Rocks!

Thanks Mom!

Frychik

What I wanna be when I grow up...

So when I was little I told my mom I wanted to be a gardener and a movie star...

 Gardener....

Movie Star... ;)


Then when I got older I just wanted to play volleyball and date boys...

Volleyball....

Boy!!!


Then, I wanted to go to college, but I had no idea what I wanted to become.
Then, I decided I liked history and teenagers and happily, I still do..

In high school I got my first 35mm camera.  I loved, love taking pictures!  So what I'm still waiting to become is a "famous" photographer...

My absolute dream job would be to travel the world taking pictures....
I am so blessed to have had the opportunities I have already had.

But, can you imagine getting paid to travel and take pictures!!  Maybe some day...Yes, Art Wolfe I am after your job!  I noticed when I met you this summer you're looking a little tired...

So for the record, my aspirations in life have been to be a gardener/movie star, who teaches high school history and travels the world taking pictures...

I wonder what a shrink could determine about me based on that....

Frychik