Christmas 2010 / Last Day of 2010

   Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. I love everything about it. Anticipation, excitement, picking out the right gift, enjoying family, etc. However, I have to say that the last few years have left little to look forward to next year. Let's just say that I need to rethink how I will approach Christmas holidays in the future. My children are grown now and do not hold the same excitement for the Christmas holidays as I do. Christmas has turned into more of a frustration with each passing year. I had hoped to "make memories" and continue traditions; however, after the last 4 Christmas's, it is painfully evident that it will not. I have to accept it and begin a new tradition for myself. I'm thinking vacation time. A cruise maybe. Something other than spending a fortune on gifts not appreciated, arguements over getting together, vastly amounts of money spent on food that ends up down the drain. I think that I will treasure each time my oldest daughter allows me to have my grandchildren  and make memories that way. I will buy presents for them then, and have Christmas several times throughout the year. Sounds awesome to me. To make things worse, my youngest daughter recieved devastating news on December 28. I'm not ready to post anything about this, but this has definately destroyed the holiday spirit. As I'm posting this, I know that most people are thinking about the year past, and being hopeful for the future and the aniticipation of what the new year brings. We already know that this year will bring sorrow. All I can do is pray that God has mercy on my youngest daughter, and leaves little decisions for her to make as she is agonizing on what to do. For the first time in my life, I am really dreading a new year.
   

Thanksgiving Day 2010

Ahhhhhhhh, one more holiday over with. Even though I am sounding like a "Bah Humbug" kinda person, I do have a lot to be thankful for. All four of my children, my daughter in law, son in law, and my 2 granchildren are healthy. My youngest daughter is pregnant and up to this point (3 months) her only complaint is exhaustion. My aunt and buddy are doing better health wise, and I am looking forward to spending the whole day with them this coming weekend. I have a job, home, and vehicle. I have food to eat and I am healthy. In the grand scheme of things, I am in pretty good shape. It has taken me 48 years, but I think that I am finally beginning to realize that I cannot "fix" the world....I just have to let it fix itself. As I am writing all of this, I am thinking that this is going to continue to be my focus....the grand scheme of things. For the last 6 days, I have been playing with my babies. They were so good for Grammy. We miss only one day of going to the park. They love to ride their bike down the road to the park, but on the return ride home, I am usually carrying a bike. Ha! We did some shopping for Thanksgiving and Christmas decorations. It took me 3 days to pull out all of the old Christmas stuff and get it up with a 3 and 4 year old. They were so excited, and I have to admit....I was excited too. It has been at least 5 years since I pulled out the "village." The last time I put it all up, my youngest son was home and he helped. My babies loved all this "new" Christmas stuff. I decided to attempt Walmart to pick up a train to go in our village, but Walmart was completely out. My babies were so disappointed, but I will continue to look for one and put it up before they come back to surprise them. I enjoyed them so much. My little man cried and cried when my daughter came to get them. He wasn't ready to leave Grammy, but my big man was ready to go I think. My house is so empty without them here. I didn't cook anything today. I cooked for the last 3 days, and I told the kids that if they wanted something, it was in the fridge. Last night at 12, I put on my salsa and let it cook all night. After my babies left, I sat in my rocker and popped open a beer and waited on the Saints game, which by the way.....we won! Yes, the New Orleans Saints beat the Dallas Cowboys IN Dallas.....HA! I'm saying that, but I have to say, it was a very close game. No game this Sunday, but I decided to watch the Falcons / Packers game. I have a feeling the Falcons will be a "force" to deal with this year. I'm hoping they lose! Well, nice Thanksgiving this year! I guess I'm ready to tackle Christmas now! Hmph.

Vacation Time!!!

The old saying for teachers rings true every year - "If you can make it to the Thanksgiving holidays, you can make it to the end of the year." I did it. Teachers go through 3 months with only 1 -3 day weekend break. By the time Thanksgiving gets here, we are all on the verge of resigning. It was way pass time for a break.

On Friday, I went to my very first grandparent day event with my two little boys. I ate breakfast with my little man and toured his school and met his teachers. He was so excited to see Grammy. My daughter had not told him that I was coming. I knew that I would never be able to leave there without him, so I planned on taking him with me. He was so excited to leave school with Grammy. After that surprise, we went across the bayou to surprise my big man.. He was playing outside when me and the little man walked in, so we went to the back yard and his teacher call him to come see. When he rounded the corner of the building and saw me, he ran straight into my arms! He showed me around his school. I meet his class pets - 2 finches, an aquarium full of fish, and two turtles. He showed me his "cubby", where all his treasure work is. He pulled out a painted strip of paper that he had painted yellow....I said, "Wow, we are working on colors! What color is this?" Very proud of his work, he said, "Green." (it was yellow...lol). After my tour, we ate lunch, then he say, "Grammy, we gotta go to the book fair! I need a book" So, off we went to the book fair. $22 later - we were back in the van headed for "Grammy's School." We got back just in time for the Thanksgiving Feast in my classroom. After, we enjoyed the "Vocabulary Parade" and fun time in ASC. Now we are all set for a week of fun.

So, for the next few days, I will be playing with my babies. I started posting this on my lovely daughter's computer because my son has my computer and my school computer is in the bedroom with my sleeping babies.....and of course she wants her computer. I will post more later.

Trouble!

Okay, my email account was hacked, but I change the password, then it was hacked again. So it has been changed one more time. With all the password changes, I couldn't remember what my password was, so I HAD TO RESET IT AGAIN! UGH! So anyway, I have everthing fixed one more time. Vacation begins in 3 days! Post more later.

Catch up on paperwork?

Ok, so like I said yesterday, today was a good day to catch up on paperwork. Did I catch up on paperwork? Well, no. Of course not. Absolutely not. Why would I ever catch up on paperwork? Anyone who works at school 12 hours should be caught up, but oh no, not me. Had one parent show up for a conference, 2 ASC parents show up to chit chat, and the rest of the day was spent, answering text, helping Katie get her resume' ready to be faxed over to Lafeyette Parish School Board, and playing principal. Somehow I knew that this day would turn out like it did. Now I will be chasing my behind all week again. Paperwork.....is like an ever growing blob that ecompasses you entire life. Never ending. Ever growing. Ugh. I hate paperwork. Especially the one with a deadline.....which by the way.....I am always late.

I love being a Grammy.

Now I can let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.....my youngest daughter is on her way to her Dad's to surprise him for his birthday....she is pregnant with our 3rd grandchild. I can't believe it, my baby is going to have a baby. I found out Saturday...my oldest daughter accidently let it out of the bag in front of me. She has been holding it in since Oct. 9 when she took a home pregancy test and it showed up positive. It is a surprise, but I had a feeling that she was getting that "longing for a baby." I even told my aunt that I had that feeling.....and low and behold, I was right. AND, I can't ask for a better Daddy / Boyfriend / Future Husband for my daughter. He is equally excited, and already pacing the floors worrying about the financial end of the stick....typical Daddy. It will all work out, I know it....because these two were meant to be together, and God has gave his blessings by creating this little life within my daughter as a outward sign of their love. I knew this would all work out. I love these kids.

Upcoming Week

This upcoming week is set for excitement. On Monday, we have Parent / Teacher Conferences....no students. For me, that is a good day to catch up on all paperwork, as I only have 4 students at the Elementary. I may have one or two parents show up, but that will be all. Katie and I need to be there at 7, but we get off at 2....and phew.....no After School Care. We also have a week of Red Ribbon - Say No to Drugs - activities. Non stop fun, but also frustrating as we have so many interruptions throughout the week. I will call first thing Monday morning to see if I can get doctors appt.'s...one to see in Thibodaux and one to see in Metarie. I don't think that the one in Thibodaux will be a problem, but the one in Metarie will. I hope not....I'll just take the day off and do both. The following week, November 1, I want to take it off too, but I forgot all about ASC. Katie and I want an R&R day in New Orleans....Starbucks, Barnes and Nobles, Whole Foods, etc. Just a get the hell outta Berwick day. So I will probably ask my principal what are we doing for our inservice day on Nov. 2. I'm thinking nothing. That is one of those days that is slipped into the calender as an extra day in the event of a hurricane. I hope so......I will switch my R&R day to Nov. 2. Although it would be nice to take off Nov. 1....that would make it a 4 day weekend. Now if I can make it to Thanksgiving, I should be okay. Teachers live by the rule, if you can make it to Thanksgiving, you can make it to the end of the year. I was bored yesterday, so I started perusing the jobs wanted for Katie a job. Low and behold, would you believe that Lafayette Parish School Board have two opening for a technology teacher. We will be faxing in her application and resume promptly......Monday morning at 8. That is the parish she is wanting to get on, so I'm praying she does. Otherwise, it is back to the perusing.

I hate October.

Every year, I say that I will remember how crazy I am during the month of October. However, every year I  forget. And every year, I am so busy and exhausted that I could take a week off of school. Tonight was our annual Quarterfest at school. Exhausting...I work 7 hours at school, then 2 1/2 in After School Care, then 2 hours at Quarterfest. Wow. it is all for the kids though. They have a good time and the funds collected benefit all the children. Next week is Halloween. I bought my babies costumes. I will have a Batman and Iron Man. So cute.I can't wait to for Trick or Treat with my babies. Ok, let me rest so I can get going tomorrow morning.

Grammy's Lil Gangsters

Death and Beyond

A conversation between my oldest daughter (his mom) and my oldest grandson. I just love that kid.

Death and Beyond

As we were leaving the doctors office this afternoon, Lil' Nacho noticed a dead red bird. He was heartbroken.

-Mom? What happened to the bird?
- He got sick and died my love.
- But what happened? Why?
- I don't know Nacho. He probably got sick and couldn't get any better.
- Awwwww....... Poor little bird. I bet his parents miss him.
- Yea they probably do. But guess what? Even though we miss him and his parents and friends miss him, they will see him again one day.
- Where?!
- When we die, we go to heaven with Jesus.
- huh?
- Yep. We go to heaven with Jesus and the little bird won't be sick anymore.
- Mommy? Can I cook the bird? I bet he tastes like chicken.

Something has to give!

Phew! September flew by, and we are already half way through October. Things have not calmed down any at school. Instead of it getting easier, it seems to be getting harder. I have spent the last 2 Sundays at school trying to get a handle on the paperwork, but the stack doesn't seem to get any smaller. Last Sunday, I spent 13 hours at school. This Sunday, I spent 7 hours at school. I will be getting to school early to try to get more done before the school day begins. I have made major changes to my schedule and my 5 interpreters schedules, so I am hoping for some relief from those changes.

Nothing much going on outside of school. Katie's last day for her long term substitute job is Oct. 29, then she will be out looking for another job. She may have an opportunity to get 2 more maternity leave positions, if she doesn't find something permanent. Johnny is out looking for a job again also. Hopefully, he will decide what to do with all those college hours he has, but no degree. Nick is still trying to figure out what in the world he is gonna do. Seems like the Air Force is the way he is leaning. Who knows? He may change his mind 10 different time before May (his enlistment time with the Marine Corp is over.) And Kristian is plugging along I guess. She is always studying, and she hopes to be done in May. I hope so too.

As for me, I'm sick of going to school. I have been in school all my life, and for what? A school teachers salary of $52, 000 year. I get another $6,000 for being the Director of our After School Care Program. Big whoopi! All that education and I don't even make $60,000 a year. Yes, I am thankful that I do have a job, and yes, I know I make a lot for a woman, but I am still pissy that with all of that schooling, I should not have to go back everytime I want to try something different. I recieved my Master's in School Counseling from the University of Southern Mississippi, which their education department is NCATE approved, and the School Counseling Curriculum is NCATE approved, but that is not good enough for LA. O no, they want me to take 2 more classes to be a certified School Counselor in LA. Then, I took this Hearing Impaired position, then found out that I needed to take 2 parts of the Praxis and an internship + 18 more freaking hours of classes. Are they nuts? I got a whopping $300 more a month (gross) for my Master's +30 (I actually have +36), but that isn't good enough. Guess what I would get if I did all they want me to do to be Hearing Impaired Certified.....just take a guess.....$0. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Ugh. Seriously, I am just trying to make it 2 more years after this year. I will be eligible to retire. I am seriously thinking about moving. Yes, I love LA, but enough is enough. None of the other teachers in my School Counseling Graduating class had to deal with this. Their state accepted their degree face value. Only the 4 students from LA were paid for their degree, but not certified as a School Counselor.

Weight loss is going good I guess....I haven't weighed myself in over a month.....Need to go back for a fill, but so hard to go to NOLA while in school.
O well, need to get to sleep...it won't be long until that alarm goes off and I will be bouncing out of this bed. Nite All!

I Need a Day Off to Rest from my Day Off

I cannot believe how fast this weekend has passed. I did rest on Saturday, but Sunday was non stop and so was today. I did get to see my babies twice. We played about 3 to 4 hours in the pool on Friday and today. They are so cute. The oldest thinks he is 15 and wanted to "rough house" with the older kids in the pool, but my sweet baby was deathly afraid of the water. He would get in on the top step, play a little and hop out, run around the pool hitting the older kids with a "noodle." At one point, the oldest was playing with the youngest with the noodle. He would pretend that he was drowning and the youngest had to "save" him with the "noodle." Well, I was waiting for it to happen and it did......the oldest pulled on the "noodle" too hard  and the youngest fell in head first into the deepest part of the pool. He had on his floaties, so he was floating and screaming (ie; not drowning) and once i calmed him down, i just coaxed him over to the side of the pool and clapped and made a big deal out of what a "big boy" he was. He climbed up that ladder and walked to the steps proud as a peacock, but he still wouldn't get in. I felt so bad for him.....I finally got in with him. I played and played with him and by the end of the day, he was floating, and holding only one of my hands. Much progress......we started out with his arms wrapped around my neck in a choke hold and his feet around my waist...lol.....so we had made mucho progress! I just love those kids! Other than that, I spent the weekend worrying bout my youngest child. New "hot" boyfriend seems to be a "jerk wad" big time. She is always upset and biting my head off. I am sitting here waiting on them to get home to give them both a piece of my mind....and as the time gets later, the madder I get.....we have school tomorrow and I am tired. I shouldn't have to tell my 22 year old that it is time to come home. However, I have a feeling they are trying to come in late to avoid me, but the joke is on them......I'm waiting on them.....no matter what time it is. Saga continued tomorrow........................

Slowly Overcoming Exhaustion

My first day of our 3 day weekend was spent pretty much sleeping. I woke up around 8, stayed up for a couple of hours, then went back and laid down and slept to 4 PM. Everyone is in the "Shrimp and Petroleum Festival" mood, but I am not. Everything at that festival is a fortune, so I think I will stay home and save my money. My aunt and "buddy" is coming in to town tomorrow to go to the annual Art Show at the festival. My aunt won a 2nd place, 3rd place, and an honorable mention. I am so happy she won. I also hope she sells them all! I really have nothing much planned. I plan on catching up on some paperwork for school so that I can have a less stressful week. I am hoping to get some housework done, but other than that......I'm just resting. After this weekend, we will not have any days off until Thanksgiving. I know that I will need to take some days off before then. It is too crazy at school to think I could make it all the way to Thanksgiving without an extra day off. No way. I will probably need a couple of R&R days. O well, I guess I will post more later.

Labor Day Weekend!!!!

Ok, so like, I am up so late because I am so excited about our upcoming 3 day holiday? NOT! The Shrimp and Petroleum Festival started today, so my youngest and the new "hot" boyfriend left to indulge in the festivities. They were not gone an hour and low and behold she text me to tell me she is at the casino with some other guy getting drunk. I'm like, What the Hell?! You would think that her and the new "hot" boyfriend would have at least a 1 week honeymoon phase....gosh!!!! Well, then mom couldn't go to sleep.....so she waits up. Between the old "hot" boyfriend and the new "hot" boyfriend.....my phone was blowing up all nite. Still have no idea exactly what happen in that hour, but whatever it was, it must of pissed her off cause he isn't here and she has been on the phone with the old "hot" boyfriend. Now mind you.......we both have school tomorrow. No, we are not students, we are the teachers!!!! I'm bringing Tylenol...lol.

So to celebrate the opening of the Shrimp and Petroleum Festival, we had another oil rig blow up off the coast of Louisiana. I wonder if that was planned? Seems very coincedental to me. So for the next 4 days, we will have people from all over driving in to Morgan City, LA to enjoy the oldest festival in LA. It is a economy booster for sure......and since we have not had the desruption of a hurricane, we will enjoy all those people visiting spending their money in St. Mary Parish. I probably won't go. The only reason I would go would be if the kids wanted to go, but my oldest daughter said that we probably won't see her this weekend, so I guess I wll just stay home.It is terribly expensive and I will need to save my money. O well, I think I might try to go to bed, AGAIN!

How many days left til summer vacation?

      Well, school has returned with a vengence. The usual "drama" associated with the beginning of the year continues. Hopefully, next week will be better. I am already counting down the days until Labor Day weekend, which means a 3 day weekend.
      Finally heard from the State Department of Education. They have added my Master's in Education, and my +30 hours to my certificate; however, they said I have to take 2 more classes to be certified as a School Counselor. That aggravates the tar out of me. So anyway, I checked on some online courses so that I can get that added to my certificate too. They work my last nerve. While I was looking for those 2 classes, I ran across a specialist in education certification for educational diagnostician. All of these degrees and none of it I no longer want to do. I guess I wouldn't mind a guidance position.....that is why im taking the last 2 classes, but I really want to be an educational diagnostician. Almost 49 years old and still going to school.....ho hum.
      We have Hurricane Danielle and Tropical Storm Earl in the Atlantic. Right now they are saying that they will curve up into the Atlantic with no land fall in the US. Thank God.....now lets hope they are right.
      My youngest daughter finally found a job.....she will be taking a teachers maternity leave beginning next week. It is not a permanent job, but at least she will be getting teacher pay and not sub pay. Hopefully, she will find something else for next semester. She has also been hired to help me out in After School Care. We need her there too, so that is good for her pocketbook and my sanity.
      My oldest grandson begins Pre -K this Friday. It is so hard to believe he is old enough to go to school. He will be attending a private school, so hopefully it will lay the foundation for him enjoying school like his mom. She loved school. I never had any problems with her wanting to go to school. My youngest little man will be starting a toddler program at the same school on the Tuesday after labor day. His speech is severely delayed, so they are putting him in on a trial basis to assess if they can meet his needs. I hope they keep him. It will be terrible if the oldest can go there and the youngest can't. I have no idea what my daughter will do if they don't keep him. I'm really stressed about it. My daughter has planned this whole next year around that school. I keep telling myself not to worry, but all I do is worry...lol. I'm pitiful. Que Sera Sera right????
       Well, I will update more later. I'm tired. Blah
     

Ho Hum, Back at Work

Today was my first official day back at work.....meaning first day back that I was actually paid to be at work. Yes, I started back actually last Tuesday, and I have been running around to meeting after meeting, getting the classroom ready, preparing a presentation for our faculty, making up schedules for transliterators and LPN's, interviewing applicants to replace a transferred transliterator, etc, etc, etc. And, I did all of that for free...hoooray! Haha...seriously, I don't mind doing these sorts of things for free if it makes the start of school smoother for my students. We have an excellent faculty, and we all have been at school on and off all summer preparing for the first day of the 2010 -2011 school year. Teachers know that we work many more hours than we are paid. It is everyone that is not in education that thinks we get 2 months off, holidays off, etc, with pay. NOT! We are not paid for any of that or any days that we come in the summer or holidays. However, I love my job. That is why I do many things without pay. I knew the pay scale before I got into education. Most teachers are not looking to get rich. However, it really would be nice if the government paid off my student loans! HaHa!
Looks like we have our first threat of the hurricane season aiming its ugly eye right at LA. The National Hurricane Center is not expecting it to more than a tropical storm when it makes landfall, so I think I will just go camp out at school. I have a really cool classroom with a refridgerator, microwave, internet, AND I'm just thinking of all the work I could get done during that time! Haha! IF it does come this way, school may need to be cancelled, which will be a bummer. However, I could get a lot done. Our school is 1 block from City Hall, so we are on the same electrical lines as our Homeland Sercurity, Police, and Fire Departments; therefore if the electricity goes out, we would be the first to come back. See, I'm using my thinker here. If I lived in a sturdy house, I wouldn't leave home at all. However, I live in a mobile home. I don't think it would be too smart to stay home during a tropical storm.
Okay, that is all for now.

Busy, Busy, Busy!

Can you tell that I am trying to get back into the "back to school" mode? Today, I have an inservice at the Office of Special Education in Franklin, which I am not looking forward too. They are paying me $50 to attend, but considering the fact that I haven't really had a summer vacation, I am getting very selfish with what  days I have left. And, I know that it is concerning updates to the computer programs used by the state department, so I'm figuring they can put those small minor changes into a memo and send it to me. Gosh, I hate these inservices. I can read and follow directions.....just send me the changes in a memo and I will do it. But, I'm going. I didn't go last year, so I don't want to push the issue. It is a mandatory meeting, but they better not put a power point up, then read it to me.....I'm liable to get up and walk out saying I'm not feeling well. I hate "story time."

I went to the doctor last Friday and I have lost another 5 pounds with a total of 22.5 pounds lost to date! Yay!!!!! I asked the doctor to to put in another little "fill" as I was still feeling hunger. That has made all the difference in the world. I will need to go for another appt. in a month, so I'm hoping for much more of a weight lost next time. Not complaining though, every pound lost is one pound closer to my goal of losing 156 pounds. Only 132 pounds left! I'm trying to smile! :)

Louisiana is the laziest state?

Ok...I have been killing myself laughing. Not about the Bloomberg Businessweek article, but the comments left by Louisianians. Article:  http://www.nola.com/business/index.ssf/2010/07/louisiana_is_the_laziest_state.html  
Some were rightfully angry, but many took it as a compliment...which I found to be halarious. According to the article, Louisianians work less than any other state, enjoy more leisure activities that require no physical output....sleeping, watching TV, surfing the Internet, socializing, relaxing, etc. verses states who put in more work hours, excersing, playing sports, which of course, are physical activities. Here are some of the comments that just cracked me up:

"I just woke up! What's all the ruckus!?"

"I'll drink to that! Cheers! We're #1, We're #1. Persistency pays off - thanks everyone!

"opinions are like armpits - everybody's got 'em and they all stink!"

"I knew I moved here for all the right reasons"

"Sitting on a porch and drinking malt liquor? That is a very biased and insulting comment...I sit on a lawn chair and drink Turbo Dogs all day thank you very much"

"WE'RE #1!!! WE'RE #1!!! WE'RE #1!!!Damn, this is tiring ... I gotta lay down ..."

"I guarantee there's not a single state out there that works harder at having fun as we do. It's not laziness; it's about priorities."

"Do we get a trophy?"

can you believe it?


"...i was sitting here on the couch eating some nachos and drinking some cream soda when i read this....the nerve of some people"

"I'd offer up a comment, but I'm just not feeling the initiative... Zzzzzzzz...."

"Did the rest of the nation really think our elected officials beg for money every chance they get so the citizens of this state could work harder?Idiots"

"I guess working a lot isn't the key to happiness. I'm lazy and I love it!"

http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2009/12/louisiana_ranks_as_happiest_st.html


Same people found that LA rank #1 for being the happiest. See article link above. Just had to share in case you didn't see it.

Blah, I'm Pooped!

This last week has been exhausting. I finished summer school on Tuesday, help inservice the 6th Grade Teachers on having students with Hearing Impairments in their classes at BJHS, went to the School Board Office and turn in my paperwork to have my Masters +30 added to my teaching certificate, completed lots of housework, caught up on my sleep, enjoyed some casino therapy, visted my aunt and my buddy, and visited with my grandchildren. None stop excitement. Today I slept pretty much all day. Although I had been up for over 24 hours, I could not go to sleep last night. My sleeping schedule gets all turned around and upside down during the summer, but when school starts, it always goes back to normal; therefore, I will just quit trying to fix it until I have too.

This week, the LA Gulf Coast managed to dodge another bullet....Tropical Storm Bonnie. Thank goodness. The tropical storm disappated to a very weak depression before coming ashore near NOLA. Here in Berwick, we did not get one drop of rain from Bonnie. I'm sure this won't be the last of the storms to head in our general direction this year, but I sure wasn't ready for one before the height of the season. Meteorologists are saying that they are seeing a pattern set up for westward moving storms since the large Bermuda high is protecting the east coast of the US, which is not good for the Gulf Coast. We will just have to play "wait and see" as the active months of August and September approaches quickly.

BP is planning to start operations on the "static kill" procedure. I had no clue what in the world it is, so I had to look it up. According to the article I read, it is pretty much the same thing as the "top kill" procedure they tried and failed. It is basically pumping mud and cement into the gushing hole to seal it off from gushing out oil into the Gulf of Mexico. They are saying that it has a better chance of plugging the "hole" because they have managed to partially cap off the well. By capping it off, they can basically pump in the mud and cement with lower pressure which will force the oil back down into the resevoir. We are all praying it works. This is supposed to begin Aug. 2.

Oh poopy....I'm sleepy! I'm going lay down. Blah!

Summer vacation is ending fast!

       Summer vacation for teachers is quickly coming to an end. Although technically, I have been teaching all summer, 3 hours a day, 4 days a week is not the usual work week. I have 2 more days to teach summer school, so I need to get my "to do" list ready for the remaining summer vacation. All of my "to do" list will need to be completed before Aug. 10 (first day for teachers). It is going to be a lengthy one I'm afraid, so I will need to be on the ball or my school year will be miserable.

      On Friday, I went for my first "fill." It was painless. I lost 10 pounds since my surgery, and a total of 17.5 overall. Although I should have lost 14 since surgery, my doctor said she will take that as a sign I needed a "fill." She wants me to lose 2 pounds a week, which I'm hoping for better than that once I get the band adjusted right. "K" has started her diet too, so we will be dieting together. I hadn't been feeling up to par this weekend, but I'm rebounding quick.

"My buddy" and aunt came with me to NOLA, so after my appt, we went to pick up my oldest son. We all went to eat at our favorite restaurant for lunch, La Madelines. I ate creamy potatoe soup...their soups are the best! My aunt ate quiche, my buddy had the usual.....cheese sandwich on 7 grain bread, and my son had crepes. After lunch, I wanted to check out the large Whole Foods store on Magazine. So, off we went. Half of the building is covered parking in the back. Very nice for rainy days, but with that and storage the actual shopping part of the store is no bigger than the one on Veterans in Metarie. What I would give to live near one of those stores. Everything looks so fresh.....none of the meat is prepackaged, so you choose what you want.  Imported wines and cheese (my son had a fit)...the list goes on. As we were driving to the store....my son showed us where he works. The name of the restaurant is Hoshun's (Asian Cuisine)and it is located on St. Charles Ave. He likes working there...mostly because it is in NOLA.  After our day in NOLA, we dropped my son off in Hahnville (friends house) and made our way back home. I really enjoyed spending my day in my favorite place - NOLA - with my favorite people!
 
I went to the casino a couple of times over the weekend. It was ok, but not the fun I usually have. I guess I just went at the wrong time.....no older people. They are the best to gamble with. They are not so serious.

Well that is an update, will blog again later!

All Pretty Again!

I feel much better now that my blog is pretty again. The site I usually get my layouts from is in transition. They did find a server to use free of charge, so now they have to hand enter all of their codes onto that server; therefore, it will be a while before they are up and running. Hopefully, it will be before August (when I will want to change my layout again). My daughter still has not downloaded all of the pictures. She downloaded all of the one off of the camera, but she also took some with her phone (no flash) and that is what she hasn't gotten to yet. Hopefully it will be soon. I just rested and washed clothes today....nothing spectacular. "KT" slept all day, and now she is up and gone to visit a friend. That's all for now!

We're Home!

Yes, we arrived at 8:00 PM, Central Time, today. I haven't had a chance to past our last day in DC, so I will do that first. Our last day of sightseeing excursions was Thursday, 7/8. We slept late (we were recuperating from the day before) so all we had was the afternoon to get in one last sight. We decided to let my son pick something, and he pick the Smithosonian's National Air and Space Museum. As usual, we could have spent another 3 hours there, but after 3hours we couldn't go anymore. Like everything else in DC, it was wonderful.....I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to have a place like this near Berwick for field trips. It was very interactive, had a I-MAX Theatre, and a Flight Simulator. My daughter couldn't wait to get in the flight simulator. Now, she decided to wear a sun dress that day, and didn't think when she got in the flight simulator......she was the pilot and flipped the plane over and her dress went over her head.....she couldn't get the thing to flip back over.....all she could think of was....thank god my partner in this thing is a girl! As usual, she had me killing myself laughing. Enjoy the pics below.

The mural darwfs them!

My daughter trying out the Cessna airplane in the discovery lab.

Plenty of stuff for my daughter to play with.

Lunar Landing Module

Close-ups of Astronauts boarding the Module.

In the museum, they had a 3 huge open areas that housed the larger airplanes, spaceships, etc. Off of these large areas were smaller areas that focused on certian topics. This is the beginning of the area on planets.

Heat Sensors - Can you find me and my daughter?

Model of the Hubble Space Telescope

Model of the Space Shuttle

Part of a Space Ship we were able to tour.

As I'm completing this, I just realized some of my picutures are missing...hmph. She must not be finish downloading and editing them off of the camera. O well, I will finish putting the other pictures later.

Anyway, we left yesterday 7/9. I hate leaving my kids, so I waited until I got in the van to cry. I just felt like I needed to bring my son home. I don't mind them leaving me, but I take it hard leaving them. There was so much more I wanted to see in DC. It was really fun and I loved being with my son and daughter and law. I hope we will be able to visit again soon. We slept last night in Knoxville, Tenn., and came in home today. The actual trip is butt numbing. I put 2600 miles on my van.....entirely too much for a one week trip.  O well, glad to be back home I guess. My daughter left to go to the movies as soon as we got home, so I have the quiet house all too myself. AHHHHHH, I think I am going make me some good coffee. Will blog again later.

Vacation 2010 - Day 5

July 6, 2010

Sorry for the white blog. The free sight I get my layouts from has become very popular; therefore, the server they post their codes on (Photobucket) says they are getting too many hits, which is putting a drag on their server. So, to upgrade their server to accommodate all of the traffic on this site, they want to charge them an ungodly fee. Therefore the owners are searching for another free server to use - otherwise they will need to charge for using their layouts. So since they haven't paid, Photobucket erased all their codes, which erased our free layouts. So, I just wanted to let you know I will deal with making my blog pretty when I get home, but nothing is wrong with my blog. On Tuesday, we left for Washington DC on our own. Nick had homework to do and Alison had some things to do also. We decided to ditch the bus and try parking in the street. The drive down I-95 to DC was not the horror story we had been hearing. The traffic was heavy, but it kept moving. We drove straight to the Smithsonian’s Portrait Gallery and The American Art Gallery. We got a parking spot on the street right in front of the Gallery….what luck! See pictures below.

                                                                                  

                                                                                      

                                                                     

"The Sad Thing Is I'm So Damn Happy"

 Bill Clinton

John Kennedy

Portraits of Indian Chiefs
2nd Floor at the top of the Stairs.

Dying Indian

Dying Cleopatra

Umhmmmmm?

   

This picture does not do this piano justice.

Elvis Presley

 

            Pocahontas                                                                        

 

  

 

Hmm, my friend must of took these. I have no clue for sure who they are, but I think the one on the right is Teddy Roosevelt. Any body have a clue?

 

  Abraham Lincoln                                                                                  Andrew Jackson

  George Washington                                                                    Marilyn Monroe

OK, that ends the Art Museums. Next we went to Washington Memorial. We were too late to go to the top, but it is a good. I thought there was an elevator....but I later found out there was only stairs. I decided it looks just fine on the outside! Who needs to see a 360 degree view of Washington DC?

                                                                                       Washington Memorial in the middle of the day.

After we left the Washington Memorial, we headed for the Lincoln Memorial. Now, thus far on this day, we had no problems finding a parking spot. However, it was a nightmare to get to the Lincoln Memorial. Now, if you look at a map of this area, the Lincoln Memorial is behind the Washington Monument. Now it is a good walk, but my daughter was having heart failure because "she did not want to sweat." So I punch in the GPS and of we go. Well, there was a small piece of Independence Avenue closed for repairs. All traffic had to detour. This small piece of Independence Avenue caused us to ride around for 1 1/2 hours. We could see where people were parking, but we couldn't get there. It was horrible because once you would get on a street you couldn't get off. I can't tell you how many time we went over the Arlington bridge. Well finally....we were determined to see Lincoln's Memorial.....we figured it out and found a parking spot. It was well worth the trouble. Although it near 100 degrees and hundreds of people were visiting, I got the chills when I walk in. First you are struck by the size of the monument. It is enormous. However, one side of the monument was the words of his first inaugural address and on the other side is the Gettysburg Address. President Lincoln was years ahead of us all. Although I had read these words many times before, I was so moved by these words that I almost cried. Anyone visiting DC needs to visit this place. It is amazing!

 

 

Oh, I forgot.....After the Art Museums, we went the National Archives. We were not allowed to take any pictures in side the building, but we did get to see The United States Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and many other original paperwork including the Louisiana Purchase, and a English Charter allowing immigrants to start a colony in the new land. Major security at this building. In the Rotunda, there is one guard to give instructions to observers, one that walks around as people are viewing the documents, and 2 guards who stand near the documents. This is not counting the guards in the rest of the archives. Phew! I was not about to try to fool the feds in this place....ha ha! So all I have is the outside of the building.

Today, Wednesday, we mostly rested. We were all exhausted. My friend had a rough night. We decided to go to Fredicksburg to eat and my daughter and daughter in law wanted shop at a local mall. My friend and I found a Starbucks, so we let them shop while we let our food go down with a Frappacino. Tomorrow, we are planning to go to the Smithsonian so I will post again tomorrow if it is not too late. Nite!