celebrate life, celebrate lives, celebrate trees...but poodles? nope...we won't be celebrating those.

i cannot believe that the time has slipped away from me today! boo.

i woke up this morning, and i was able to be a part of celebrating a life. we had an older gentleman who has tutored and mentored students at our school over the past several years. he chose to be involved with our students and his consistency and commitment to them will leave a print on their lives forever!

THANK YOU MR. PAUL!!!

 a couple of days ago i also got another little invitation-and it will be a celebration of a different sort...still a celebration of life...in fact, a celebration of two lives becoming one! i'm so excited for miss xochitl and eric! i am so glad that i got to be a part of welcoming her to our school and helping her transition into teaching, and even more excited that i get to be there as she begins another new phase of life!

love it!

 as i mentioned before, we had STAAR testing this week...boo. then we had an early release on friday. along with early release, unimas came and shot some footage for vive verde..in fact, my good friend miguel (not really, i merely know his name) did the weather LIVE with a couple of my students, ap ms. perez, and coworker- dallas. it was really fun having to be there at 6 am...no, it really wasn't at all. AND to add to it, we filmed out in the garden, and i wasn't thinking. i walked around the backside of the tree, and it was very muddy, so i spent a good 5 minutes trying to scrape mud in strategic locations.

the students loved it and they were super excited!

 then after we had breakfast, we were able to go out and plant a tree that was donated by vive verde. it was pretty cool; all of the kids got to use shovels to put their dirt on the pile. it's a beautiful oak tree, and it will be beautiful when the colors change! it was funny to turn around and see so many classes at their windows watching-the camera man got some of them on film as well.

 after we had a special weather presentation, our kids had a reading common assessment, and then early release. so for the early release, we went to the cafeteria, and i had my last diet coke for awhile. time to pull out the excedrin again. then we went up to work on lesson plans and since we left before everyone else, we played a little game of "what can you make out of the napkin?" and we went around and came up with a chinese airplane, head band, cape, cup, etc..and we ended on this note: mr. napkin face:

lindsey as a cartoon character

maria got a funny little video of it-if i could upload it, i would...good laughs!

and back to today. after the memorial service, i went to the shooting range again with high hopes. last time i was there, the guy at the counter sold me a huge box of 350 rounds. well, at that time, the gun worked really well with certain ammunition, but then when i filled it with the new stuff that i bought from him, it didn't have enough powder to cycle the next round....i was so frustrated...i had one last "good" round, so i exchanged it with the one in the barrel and it did cycle through completely.

so today i went in and they had the good stuff, so i decided to try the same thing as before and put one good round in, and fill the magazine with the other. it worked every time! i was thrilled. the guy at the counter said they could sell me the remington ammo in bulk (like a bucket-full)...perhaps next time. i was a little less than thrilled today though because this is the second time i've been in and they have not had 9mm rounds, so i haven't been able to shoot my bigger gun.boo.

then the boys and i took a walk and bruno told a black poodle how ugly he thought she was; don't worry, we had a talk, as chaco was muttering under his breath how much he really didn't like poodles. i thought about reading to him from john steinbeck's 'travels with charley' so he could see poodles aren't all bad. i decided not to though, because i knew he wouldn't sit still for it. besides, i was reminded of my aunt beth's poodle timothy, who chewed up my grandma's dining room chairs, and decided that i really don't need to be a poodle-advocate.

and that's really all i've got to say about that!

julie

anagrams, target goodies and a wonderful weekend!

it's so nice to have summer school over and done with! i'll miss it. BA HAHAHA! i made a funny...i won't miss it at all! (certain people, but not the rest!) on friday, we had fun and games day, and one of the math teachers was trying to figure out an anagram, so he gave me one to try it. he ended up looking up the answer, but not me! and i wouldn't take any hints either. i was finally able to figure it out

i attribute it to the cross anagram at k wet-thank you kanakuk!

 and the kids had a chance to draw and finish books.

this is a portrait by a third grader...apparently he sees me as an amputee with scraggly hair...but he got the eye color right.

i came home and had to run over to target, where i found some really cool buys (only i didn't buy them...trying not to do impulse buys)

i absolutely fell in love with this clock-quirky like me

and since our doors do not have kick stands, i thought this would be a classy little door stop!

last, but not least, God save the queen-solar powered...she waves! it would be even funnier if she tooted once in awhile.

then i saw this little button in the parking lot. he looked very distressed about being stuck on the sweltering blacktop!

the boys and i packed up on saturday and took off for the wedding! woo hoo!

bruno just chilling out in his car seat

we got to stay with bmayes because her roommate was out of town, the boys were thrilled that they were getting to hang out with reagan and thatcher again. they did fairly well. it was good for me just to have intelligent conversation-thanks brittany!

when we got to the wedding, we were walking in about 5 minutes early, and someone in front of me was fixing her shoe; mother/daughter. she turned around and there was a look of recognition-"jrob!" it was mrs. higgins and sally! sally had just rolled in from kamp. good times! it was a beautiful ceremony for an amazing couple!

this is their save-the-date pic, they are perfect for each other!

not gonna lie, i teared up a bit when lauren walked down the aisle with her brothers on either side. wow. their mother passed away when they were young, and their father passed away just a few years ago, so it was rather emotional! her sister, katie was the maid of honor and is also a dear friend and she and lindsay(one of the other bridesmaids/k2 friend) are quite possibly two of the funniest people i know! the reception was beautiful as well, and there was dancing! in fact one of the most prominent dancers was a little 7 yr old (i am guesstimating...i did not ask her age) this little gal would get right out into the middle of any group she could and pull out her moves-all night long! non-stop. i'm certain she slept like a rock!

the sparklers to see them off were beautiful and bmayes and i wanted to keep an extra, but this older guy came by and took them away from us. rude.

when we got back to the house, the pups were all ready to come out from behind the gate! i was exhausted (because i am a little sick-the sinus stuff really hit me hard!) the bed is super high, so i had to rig up a little stepping method-bruno caught on quickly, but chaco did not. i tried not to get up to go to the bathroom too many times for toilet paper (drainage), because chaco was a mess whenever i got up. he just wanted to get out the door and play with the other pups. all. night. long. he had a quiet whine. then i would pick him up and get him to lay for a little while before he was up again. it was ridiculous. i don't think he slept at all...hence, i really didn't get much shut-eye either!

when i finally couldn't keep them still any longer, we got up. some chloraseptic and green tea and cool enough weather outside was just what i needed to start the day! it was fun to watch chaco and thatcher pouncing around! then we went for breakfast at jimmy's egg.

not my most photogenic pic, but the point is, jimmy's has their own syrup labels...i wonder if they just buy someone else's syrup and keep refilling the bottle with cheap syrup.

when we walked in, i looked around and commented that it kinda' resembled a denny's...bmayes told me later that it actually was a denny's that no one really frequented, but it had been changed into jimmy's egg. the waitress was great and she looked down and asked bmayes if those were chacos she had on and of course we were both wearing ours; she said her daughter was a counselor at a camp and had gotten some chacos and vibrams, blah, blah, blah-she has good taste. i made sure to leave her a good tip (a. because it was breakfast, and i think breakfast servers deserve bigger tips because they are busier and the prices are usually lower than other meals, so % isn't fair...and b. because if she's having to help pay for her daughter's shoes, she's gonna need it!) 


brittany had tweeted that we were there, and a friend of hers suggested two different plates after we'd finished eating, and lo and behold each of us had ordered one of them! great palates have great taste...?

then we came home, and i am so glad that i have a radar detector because there were quite a few popo out there! (i had a hard time writing that, and i'm even having a more difficult time leaving it there! not the part about driving quickly, the part about writing 'popo') anyhoo, when we slowed down and pulled into the apt complex, the boys were ready to be home. i know they had fun, but they knew where they were!

we're home! we're home!

what a weekend!
julie

chaco, you're not going to the wedding...but you get to play with the president and the prime minister!

i think chaco was trying to send a message that he didn't want to come to the wedding...

he actually snagged the save the date back when i got it, and i caught him just in time, but i wasn't as lucky with the shower information card. brat.

 but now that we're here, he doesn't mind so much since he isn't going to the wedding-he thought he was going to have to dress up and be quiet....not a good combination.
well, i made it to oklahoma for the wedding and last night i went to the bbq/bridal shower and it was such a joy to get to hang out with some of my very favorite people all together in one place at one time...again! the shower was tastefully fun gifts rather than kinky gifts, so bmayes and i got fun games and put them in a fun bag with a fun card because it was a bbq and we figured it fit her personality!

somehow, it just felt right.

the food was wonderful and the company was even better! the only part that was mildly nasty was when melissa kept getting all of the "newly wed" video questions correct....because every time she was right, we all had to put a piece of bubble gum in our mouths, every time she was wrong, she did...as a credit to their future happiness, they know each other pretty darn well! and my teeth will probably all be falling out tomorrow.

our hotel room is actually quite comfortable...

the artwork needs some updating, but other than that, very nice. the housekeeper was in the hall this morning when i was looking for ice, and she only had one tooth and looked a bit like nanny mcphee (even more than my old student did!), but she was super nice, and she went and got my ice because she saw i was walking really slowly. i forgot they have a free breakfast, i might see what they have tomorrow...if they have anything that works with my diet (because the rest of this weekend doesn't really work) ..although i did bring my magic bullet with me and fruit and chard, etc...

and the only good place to plug it in happens to be by the sink

today we slept in until about 8.30, then the boys insisted we watch a little hgtv and then animal planet. i had to change animal planet after a bit because every time the dogs on the show barked, the boys felt they needed to respond in kind. it's ok at home, but not at the hotel!

then we went for a quick walk around the hotel parking lot in the grassy areas and by the time we got back, i had a text from bmayes to go over and play with reagan and thatcher (the cold war coalition)...and so we went over, even though it looked like possible rain. they went crazy when the boys trotted up to the door. then i got to try one of bmayes' banana, almond flour(i think) pancakes. it was pretty great! then the pups went out and played in the yard for a bit.

when lunch time rolled around, we went to mamavecas. before i came, i was looking for someplace with paella... craving. and i found a lot of positive reviews about this place on yelp. so we went and when we sat down, it felt so comfortable and familiar because they were playing hombres g-oldies but goodies, they were one of my favorite groups when i was living in HONDURAS! the food was pretty good-large portions. it didn't quite match up to the paella i had at a spanish restaurant in HONDURAS, though. the seasoning was alright, but there wasn't as large of a variety of seafood, so who in dallas knows of a restaurant that has excellent paella?

the typical lama fur decoration...of a panda because they have pandas in...peru?

and of course there were leftovers...um, we're thinking this used to be a chicken express or something like that because it certainly looks like a barn.

oh, when i tried the paella in HONDURAS, it was on a field trip with our special spanish class. we had a....unique teacher. her name was ms. acosta. she was also the school nurse. which was interesting. i distinctly remember going up to her room once when i had a headache and she wanted to look at my throat. but she didn't have a flashlight, so she made me come over by the window and tilt my head toward the sun...a little loopy. as i recall she was that teacher that always had the huge gaudy jewelry and caked on make-up. but we liked her well enough.

yep, they were all waiting at the door...impatiently; and it took several tries to get this pic because they just wouldn't stay still long enough!

anyhoo, the food was good, then we went back to the house and let the dogs out one more time before coming in and watching life in a day recommended by leah-it was very interesting-great insight on various cultures. during the movie, i was reclining on the sofa, and bruno pounced from the back of the couch onto my stomach and it caused instant pain in my back and leg-he has no clue. so when the documentary was over, we came back to the hotel and laid on an ice pack. and we're in for the night...

more than ever, i can't wait to be back in full swing!
julie

one scoop or two?

it's warming up and kids are starting to smell ripe...time for that health class and the lesson on: EVERYONE NEEDS TO START USING DEODORANT! (whether you think you stink or not!)

and after school i had to stop and get some produce for my green smoothies...wow, is produce getting expensive, or what? i also had to go to petsmart for some fun things for the dogs (as i think about the next couple of weeks).

bruno is a tug-o-war dog...and he especially likes this one because while chaco is standing on one loop and grasping the other and growling, bruno can get the third without getting nipped at by little. (that's not poop behind bruno, they're chew toys, promise).

this one was really important. i've explained that the boys use a potty pad, so it really hurts to bend down, now i have a great little scooper! good thing they're always solids! the great thing about getting this is that it doubles as an impromptu support.

chaco looked at the scooper when i came in and said, "mama, why did you get a shovel? it doesn't even snow here!" i believe that half of the time, he doesn't even know what he is saying, he's like i was when i was little. just likes to talk-afraid of silence.

i am not really looking forward to my drive up to oklahoma on thursday, but i am looking forward to the wedding and seeing some dearly loved friends! we decided to stay in a hotel so that we could come and go and not be a hassle-pups! we're looking forward to romping with reagan and thatcher-chaco adores them. bruno acts like he doesn't care, but i know he does. and i am also looking forward to being a patron at a little mexican/peruvian restaurant tucked out of the way-i hear they have great paella (which i haven't had a great one in awhile, and gigi left before her mom could whip us up a batch!)

goodnight!
julie

i've become ocd aobut checking dates-wish i had been back in may

the alarm went off this morning while it was still dark out and chaco said,"make it stop! ewwww, make it go away!"(as he burrowed further down under the cover)... i forgot to warn them last night before we went to bed.

so i got to school and got started with the most important project of the day.

seemed january-ish bulletin board

hopeful for snow days...in april or may...after good friday!

oh, and did you realize that this year we get 29 days in february? leap year!!

staff development today was pretty good-the lady who presented our developmental asset presentation liked to use the fill-in-the-blank (CLOZE) method, and thank goodness she didn't wait to long for us to answer before she just went ahead and supplied the answer. i wonder if she even realized that she was doing it, or if it was a habit from her teaching days.

i took chicken out of the freezer last night and now i have to go ahead and make some dijon chicken in the crockpot-so i can use it all and not mess around; it's a super easy recipe, so hopefully it will taste pretty good too. yum.

so i don't know if any of you remember the moment i regret most from 2011...when i missed theresa's wedding...well, since then, i have been extra careful in checking and rechecking my dates. so, every day since i printed it off, i look again...just to be sure!

makin' me ocd!

so, it really is tomorrow, and unfortunately i won't get to welcome my kids back on their first day, but the upside (whether i bomb it or not), i get to wear jeans and be comfortable...and i get to come home for lunch and spend the rest of the day not worrying about taking a test!

well, that said, i am off to do one last round!
julie

nothing spoils a good stained glass window like a creepy child

i do not love weddings. but i do love people who get married, therefore i go to weddings. i chose not to write about this ahead of time because i didn't want to jinx myself. i checked and double checked...i even triple checked this time to make sure that this time i had all of my information in order! if you recall, i missed my last big wedding. boo.

part of the reason i don't enjoy weddings is the whole 'getting-ready' thing. and then there's the 'being-single' thing. unless you are going with a group of friends, it isn't much fun going to weddings. as the bride entered and walked down the aisle, i was not completely dry-eyed because i've known brett anne since she was in 8th grade (or before). fortunately as soon as the bride began walking, mary showed up! she'd been helping brett with the dress. mary is a great wedding buddy because she loves to laugh and has a great sense of humor, so we play off of each other well.

the venue was a church out in mckinney and mary had been privy to many of the details, so she was quick to point out the creepy window:

'suffer little children to come unto me'...i think this little child is suffering.

and once the wedding was over, i helped mary do some quick clean up before heading over to the fellowship hall for the reception. and it was beautiful! i thought at one point that i saw...dick cheney...

white shirt-doesn't he kinda bear a resemblance? (and there's mary fully enjoying being in the picture)

anyhoo, i loved attending this wedding because i love this family! they love the Lord and they are such a blessing to everyone around them! it was also nice to visit with several mutual friends who happened to be guests as well.so many people that i really don't get to see very often, and sadly, at a wedding reception, there isn't much of a chance to really catch up and have any real conversation because everyone is making rounds and seeing who else is around to talk to :)

and is it ok that when i went shopping for the wedding gift, i saw some things that i really liked on the list? and that maybe i bought something for myself as well? well, i did. but as you can see it was something small!

yes, a mini measuring cup for tablespoon, teaspoon, etc, and kitchen spice yankee candle-which i am LOVING!

the perfect way to end a wedding weekend was brunch with a former camper, one of the bride's sisters and a new acquaintance. egg-cellent!

hope your weekend was beautiful!
julie