ice

Well, we had some ice here. It started last Thursday with a minor storm that swept through, causing school in Palmyra (and many other districts) to be canceled. I honestly didn't mind lounging on the couch all day. It got icy for quite a while in the middle of the day, but had calmed down by Thursday evening. Apparently that was just the teaser storm, as the real one hit Saturday evening into Sunday morning. It wasn't nearly as severe as what Christy and the boys went through in Oklahoma, but it did make life in central PA somewhat interesting. Church was canceled on Sunday, which gave us some time to survey the damage. Luckily, our neighborhood did not suffer from the loss of electricity that plagued much of Harrisburg, Hershey and Lebanon, including poor Dad, Chrysta and the boys. So, we had power, but feared that the branches that were basically hanging from the electrical line into our house would put that luxury in jeopardy. So Mike, ever the handy man, decided to make his own extensions for his clippers so he could climb up on the ladder and take some of the bigger branches down. See pictures above. It worked swimmingly. That is, until Mike saw the other, bigger branches that were higher up on the wire, about 15'-20' above our heads. He contemplated adding more boards to his clippers, but we figured that just wouldn't work. So he ventured out to Home Depot and made a good investment in telescopic clippers. That did the job just fine, and our wire is still free from hanging branches. Our neighbors had some pretty big trees in their side yard that we are lucky didn't come crashing into our house. So, other than a night of restless sleep and a Sunday of icy yard work, we remained mostly unharmed. Poor Dad can't say the same thing. Apparently the nice big tree in the front yard by the mailbox was spontaneously bursting into flames as a result of the electrical wire that was down and dangling in its branches. Long story short, Chrysta, Hudson and Cannon came to stay with us from Sunday until just earlier this evening (Tuesday) since the power was out at Dad's, and the house was getting cold. Dad toughed it out in Lebanon, keeping a fire going to stop the pipes from bursting, should the temperature drop that low. Luckily for me, I didn't have school on Monday (I'm thinking that I won't consider this "lucky" once President's Day comes and I'm in school, but for now I'll consider it lucky) so we ventured out for a Pizza lunch where Cannon was picking up Babes with his good looks (bald is totally in). Then we spent some time at Target before heading home. I had to get myself ready for my big date with Mike to celebrate our two year anniversary. We went to our favorite restaurant, Cantone's, and had a great time celebrating:)

The first few pictures are from puppet show day at school. The kids put on puppet shows to teach the class about the Crusades. They did a nice job. The rest are of our tree, which we got this weekend, some of our favorite ornaments, and our stockings.

waka waka waka

Happy Birthday to me
I live in a tree
I like to eat cheese
But I ain't no sleeeeeeeze
And many moooooooooore.
The end.

Yes yes, I had a wonderful birthday celebration yesterday, and frankly, so did Mike. Seeing as we're only 4 days apart, we do joint bday celebration, so we went to our favorite restaurant, Cantone's. I got the Lobster Ravioli, and Mike got the Linguini with white clam sauce. It never disappoints. Mike got me the apple corer/peeler/slicer thingy that I have been wanting FOREVER, and it's so cool that I am feeling the need to go buy an apple right this second just to try it out. For his birthday, Mike got his first very own set of scriptures (the extra extra large size - he's a big guy). I also picked him up a new PSU hat and t-shirt. I had also gotten a gift card from my secret sister at work, so I picked up a nifty Puma backpack. I love bags.

Anyway, today the festivities continue! We're heading out with the in-laws to either Lancaster or Lebanon (Mike can never remember which) to go cedar-chest hunting! Woooo! So that will be their present to us, if we can find one we like. I gotta admit, I'm rather looking forward to it! I think it would look very cute in our guest room, that will eventually (fingers crossed) be a baby room! Then, after shopping we're doing lunch. Then later tonight, we're having dinner with Mike's parents and Ma and Pa K (as they signed our birthday cards) at Houlihans, the new restaurant in Hershey. Sooooo it should be a delightful day of fun and adventure!

Then tomorrow, I do believe Jean will be spending the morning with us at church and coming over for lunch time celebrations. So it'll be a good weekend! I think we've also decided to skip mutual on Tuesday night, and just spend the evening at home for Mike's birthday. Then, next weekend we are going up for the PSU vs. Iowa football game, followed by the PSU vs. Minnesota volleyball game. I mean seriously, could it get any better?? This is why I love the fall:) However, the following weekend won't be AS great, seeing as how Mike will be attending the PSU vs. Wisconsin football game with his dad, which means that, *gulp*, I didn't have any excuses to get out of chaperoning the Homecoming Dance. I'm afraid. Very afraid. Especially after my prom chaperoning experience. Egads.

Soooo many thanks to all those who sent cards (and yes K, I AM the rhyming queen, aren't I?? Hahaha that made me laugh!!) and other well wishes. We love you and miss you all!!

I was tagged, I'm procrastinating, and therefore I'm doing this.

A- Attached or single: attached
B- Best Friend: Mike, Jean
C- Cake or Pie: Cake. Unless it's the amazing apple/pear pie I just learned how to make.
D- Day of choice: Friday. The beginning of my glorious weekend!
E- Essential Item: Flip flops. I hate shoes.
F- Favorite Color: blue or perhaps green.
G- Gummi Bears or Worms: Neither. I hate all gummy creations.
H- Hometown: Lebtown and BrockVegas
I- Indulgence(s): Wild Cherry Pepsi. 3B's Ice Cream. Cinnamon Toast Crunch.
J- January or July: July. No school. Duh.
K- Kids: Am dying to have them.
L: Life is Incomplete Without: Oxygen? Ohhhh yeah Mike.
M- Marriage Date: Dec. 17 2005
N- Number of Siblings: 7 siblings and 7 sibs-in-law
O- Oranges or Apples: I hate peeling oranges, so I'm gonna go with Apples.
P- Phobias or Fears: Heights that are high enough that I could fall, but survive in some horribly disfigured or incapacitated form. And also being eaten by a shark.
Q- Quote(s):"Any day above ground is a good day". -Salvatore "Sammy the Bull" Gravano, mob boss who ratted out his "colleagues".
R- Reason To Smile: When Mike does his little booty shake dance. It's HILARIOUS!
S- Season: Summer. For obvious reasons dealing with work, and not actually having to do any.
T- Tag Three +: Larry Curly Moe
U- Unknown Fact About Me: Due to injuries sustained whilst throwing a javelin, I spend a lot of time not being able to feel my right arm from the elbow down. It's wierd, I must admit.
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animal: Wow. THe person who wrote this survey seems completely unbiased in any way. I'm not an animal oppressor. I just eat meat.
W- Worst Habit: having to flip through the channels and find something good to watch before I can fall asleep. If it doesn't interest me, my mind gets going about a million miles an hour and I worry myself all through the night and can't sleep. So I have to find something good that will occupy me, but not so much that I won't be able to let myself fall asleep. I'd NEVER sleep if it weren't for TV and it drives me crazy!
X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: Well I've only ever had an X-Ray.
Y- Your Favorite Food: Lobster Ravioli from Cantone's.
Z- Zodiac: Libra

Boo.Yah.

the classroom

Back in the Flow

Well, school started and I'm back in the flow already. It's wierd, but I really do feel back in the swing of things already. For some reason I was thinking it would take me a lot longer to get back in the groove, but today went off without a hitch. Well... for the most part, but I'll talk more about that later. What's REALLY great is that from the first impressions of today, I think I have a really good group of kids, which is a relief. I was really worried about having problems, especially now that I'm in my new, itsy bitsy classroom. I have a full 30 in my first period class, so I was just feeling more and more nervous as the clock got closer and closer to 7:45. But, like I said, the kids were good, they were nice, and easy to amuse. So I have high hopes for my semester!!

On the down side, I still don't have a KEY to my classroom, which means that I have to leave my room unlocked all the time! This is an obvious negative side effect of the construction project, that I don't really have any control over. With the new system, all classrooms have the same key, but they didn't order enough of them. Go figure. So, I just have to keep all confidential files and my laptop shoved into my desk drawer, which I DO have a key for.

So today went pretty well, except for my bathroom breaks. I guess I got used to being able to go to the bathroom whenever I needed to, so my bladder had quite the shock when I had a three hour block in which I COULDN'T go. That was tough. I thought I might start doing the potty dance at any moment, but luckily I was able to keep it at bay until my classes were over. I promptly ran to the nearest rest room, which was FULL of chatty girls. Soooo I ran over to the other bathroom, which was ALSO full of chatty girls. By the time I ran back over to the first bathroom it had emptied out a little and there was (thankfully) an open stall. I'm pretty sure I looked pretty absurd running back and forth down the hall. I just hope the administration doesn't have a need to check the security cameras in that hall!

Unfortunately I am notorious for class-room slip ups and bloopers. Who can forget my first year when I hinted to my class during a review that Neanderthals had a body part that was REALLY BIG (I was referring to the brow ridge, but that was of course lost on the kids...) , or when I had to call home and explain to a parent why their son had recieved detention (it was, of course, because I caught him "pretend making out" with a paper bag puppet he'd made and drawn boobs on... yeah... try explaining that one) or when I tripped on a students book bag, went flying into the middle of the room, lost a shoe and gave myself a bloody lip... Ah yes, the joys of teaching. Well today was no different. By 6th period my voice was dry and cracking from talking all day, which I'm just not used to. I was going through the syllabus and explaining procedures for signing out, when I meant to say

"You'll notice the sign out sheet in the back of the classroom..."

but what came out was

"You'll notice the sign out sheet in the back of the (cough/gulp) assroom"

Somehow the "CL" just didn't come out and I had about 25 bewildered students staring at me wondering if they should laugh or not. The timing couldn't have been worse because I'd just gotten finished with a really long lecture about how inappropriate language is called "inappropriate language" for a reason, and that I wouldn't tolerate it in class. So I made some lame joke about keeping myself after school for detention and we had a good laugh.

Soooo it was a good first day, overall!! Hopefully the rest of the semester is this easy!! I'll post some pics of my new classroom soon, once I get some pictures!!

Farewell, Summer

Well, summer is about to be over. This is my LAST DAY of laziness. I have inservice the rest of this week, and then the kids come back to school the day after Labor Day. I've already got some fun and exciting things planned for my classes, so hopefully I won't end up with a bunch of jerkwadfaces like I did last year. Teaching is so much better when you can actually TEACH, instead of babysit. And hopefully, by the end of this year, I'll have tenure, which is nice. I also start my grad class this week. I already bought all 17 of my books for this ONE class that I'm taking. Gag me, right? Sooooo it's really over. It's gone. It's done. *Sob*

slide show to go with Ode

Ode To Winterpark

Once upon a time in a land far away
A group of Kilgores gathered to play
Off to Winterpark, Colorado the group did venture
And Grandma Chambers came with her dentures
The view was scenic, without any blemish
The grocery store workers were foreign, maybe Flemish
But it's no worry, the week was super
Full of standard Kilgore-family bloopers
Monday was chill, we mostly just ate
The tacos presented were fantastically great
Cannon was funny because he didn't like us at all
The poor little lad, we're all so goofy and droll
Tuesday was intended for hiking and fun
But the rain beat out the afternoon sun
So it was off to the pool for some random splash time
Until the pool Nazi expounded on pool crimes
No diving, no running, no jumping, OH MY
But that's ok, because Gaby, Cameron and Hudson did FLY
We tossed them and chucked them, oh dear it was funny
But the hot tub was the best, why yes it was "Money!"
Then off to the pavilion for a fantastic grill fest
Mike did the grilling because he's the best!
White water rafting was Wednesday's Event
And I think dad will agree it was money well spent
Karl went crazy with the paddle and bucket
Splashing and thrashing until we all said... nevermind.
After a cold, yet beautiful ride down the river
We were thankful to come home to a wonderful dinner
Sloppy joe's and lots of other goodies to share
Gave us energy for games and flare
That was also when Grandma Marilyn said, "Oh Dear"
"Alyssa has suddenly developed a rear!"
It's true, it's true, but it's no matter
I'll just keep on eating my brownie batter
Thursday was golfing, for me and the menfolk
I think dad beat us by hundreds of strokes
Later we headed back home to our rooms
To clean up for dinner, and pictures with zooms
Then after pictures me, Taylor, Ryan and Bird
Headed for the pool to swim like nerds
Taylor and I made the best synchronized swimming routine
If you ever saw it, you'd buy us some bling
But it was a sad thought when the night was done
Because Friday was our last full glorious day of fun
Three men headed up the mountain so high
Unfortunately for them, they couldn't fly
Sam broke his bike and Jerry nearly broke his head
We're just glad nobody ended up dead
Ryan made it down the mountain without a scratch
Apparently for mountain biking, he has a knack
Then four others headed up the mountain to glide
So nicely and easily down the Alpine Slide
Taylor, Mike and Bird made it down just fine
But I sure did have a heck of a time
I was going too fast, and tried to find my brake
I felt as though my life were at stake
Sadly I only made my self go faster
It turned out to be a nasty disaster
I left half my skin on that Alpine Slide
But I'm just glad I'm not Jerry who tore up his hide
The ladies spent the afternoon out at the shops
While the men stayed home and "watched" the tots
Friday night Me, Mike, Sam and K did cook
It was pancakes, eggs and bacon that were off the hook
And you wouldn't believe it unless you saw right
But it was 7.5 pounds of bacon we ate that night
Mmmmmm
Iron Chef dessert night, could it get any better?
Follow your recipes, to the letter!
Sadly Sara had an "Altitude-y" issue
And someone had to hand Anna and Chrysta a tissue
That's right, because Christy and I won the competition
When our minty chocolate balls came to fruition
But no matter, we all ate our share
And I think the judges were perfectly fair
Later that night it was sushi for all
Nothings better than a fish and rice ball
We played game after game until midnight was nigh
And we couldn't stop laughing at Chase's Scottish Guy
Then it was off to bed, or to pack or whatever
Regardless it seemed like the night took forever
Saturday morning was a sad time indeed
I was a sister, and aunt in serious need
Of some goodbye hugs and goodbye kisses
From all the people I so dearly misses
Chrysta, Karl, Hudson and Cannon
Anna and Chase and Miles and Cameron
Jerry and Sara and Taylor and Lydie
Owen and Gaby and Kathryn and Sammie
Scott and Christy and Zach and Ty
Mom and Dad, and the Grandma's, Oh my
Then it was off for me, Bird and Mike
Hoping to make our 1 o'clock flight.
The End.

ack

Oh boy, it's been a while since I've posted. I'm really bored already today. I've given up my efforts at dealing with the old people at the gym, so it'll be at least another hour and a half before I head over there and actually have something to do. I've already done the dishes, and the laundry for the day. I scrubbed down the entire house yesterday. All the grocery shopping is done for the week. It's looking very dreary outside, so I don't dare go out on my bike. I finished reading Harry Potter. Hmmmm... what to do, what to do. Yup. Mhmmmm. See ya later.

"Nut"

It's 5:30 am and I've been up for an hour. Now, I know for most of you this would probably be normal. BUT - I don't have kids. ALSO - I don't have work right now. So, I find it incredibly absurd that I'm awake. And I went to bed at midnight. But for some darn reason I'm up and WIDE AWAKE and completely irritated with myself. Normally, I'd have company in about 15 minutes, but this also just happens to be the day that Mike has to go straight to a job site, which means he gets to go in later, which means he won't be up til 7:00. Bah!

As for me, I'll be out the door by 7:00, on my way to State College to enjoy the festivities that are "Arts Fest" with my lil sis Bird. Soooooo I have about an hour and a half to kill. Hmmmmm...

I've recently been outed on the WWW as a "nut". In order to better understand this labeling, I looked "nut" up in the dictionary and was none too happy with what I found. Here are some particularly offensive excerpts, and I apologize in advance to the faint of heart:

1. a dry fruit consisting of an edible kernel or meat enclosed in a woody or leathery shell.
5. a block, usually of metal and generally square or hexagonal, perforated with a threaded hole so that it can be screwed down on a bolt to hold together objects through which the bolt passes.
8. Slang.
a. a foolish, silly, or eccentric person.
b. Offensive. an insane person; psychotic.
9. Slang: Vulgar. a testis.

Those words are taken directly from dictionary.com, people, and I don't think a website as virtuous as that is gonna lie. So, to those who would believe that I am indeed a nut, Bah! I am neither a dry fruit containing edible goodies, a block of metal, a foolish, silly person, psychotic, or a testis! Thank you very much!!

Oh... wait... maybe the one who outed me was driving at the "silly" part of that... Hmmm. Yeah. Now that I think about it, ok.... maybe I'm overreacting just a tad. HOWEVER, just for clarification purposes, we can avoid the term "nut" to make sure I'm not lumped in with the loony bin types out there. I prefer the label, "amazingly ridiculous" and "ridiculously good looking" (that's a Zoolander reference for those who haven't seen it... I wouldn't want to be called a nut and a narcissist!!).

Indy

Hello, Folks! Just thought I'd let you all know about our fantastic trip to Indianapolis! We left last Thursday night, and made it home late Sunday night, so it was a quick trip, but worth it. Mike and I are both obsessed with Track and Field, so we went to the USATF National Championships. It was awesome, because not only did one of Mike's athletes compete in the Juniors Division, and one of his former athletes compete in the mens division, but we also got to see several American Records, World Records, and Worlds Fastest Times so far this year. It was amazing.

So, Mike's SOPHOMORE Jav thrower competed in the Juniors Division, which is basically 20 years and younger. This SOPHOMORE finished 3rd overall in the competition, only being beaten by two college freshmen. He threw his Jav 215', which is only three feet away from the Sophomore National Record. So that was pretty awesome to see. We were also excited to see Ryan, who now throws for Arizona State University, compete in the shotput. He's dealing with a hamstring injury so he didn't throw his best, but it was still cool to watch.

And then there were all the people there that Mike and I were drooling over. The first day we were there, I realized that I was sitting about 5 feet away from Tom Petranoff, Javelin GOD. The man holds almost all the records with the old jav (they had to change it and make it harder to throw, because he was throwing it too far, well over 300 feet and almost out of stadiums!). So, it was crazy. Then we got to see Kim Kreiner and Dana Pounds, America's two best female jav throwers. Kreiner holds the womens American record at 209' which is amazing. And Dana Pounds threw 195' to win the meet. Pretty ridiculous stuff. And we also saw Reese Hoffa and Christian Cantwell, Adam Nelson, and John Godina in the mens shotput. Reese Hoffa (Pictured below, running his victory lap with a turkey leg) won the event, with three of his throws over 70' (amazing). Any of his six throws would have won the event for him, because he's ridiculously good. We also got to see Suzy Powell, womens' American discus record holder, throw the disc, along with some other pretty stiff competition. Seriously, it was awesome. Dan O'Brien, Carl Lewis, Jackie Joyner Kersey, and lots of other former Olympic athletes were there that we saw too.

Oh, and we got an autograph from Breaux Greer, who currently holds the mens American Jav Record (with the newer javs). Unfortunately, we didn't get to see him throw because that event was Thursday night, but he threw the new record. It's 299' and inches. RIDICULOUS. I cannot tell you just how amazing it was to see all this stuff. We went to Indy for this meet last year, but because of limited time off work and rain/thunderstorms, we hardly got to see anything. But this year we definitely made up for it, and saw some pretty amazing stuff. We're both in awe. And they also sell Turkey Legs there, which is really funny and seemed totally out of place. But they were tasty, so it's ok.

On a final note, I've been inspired by seeing this meet, and from hearing about all the marathons, triathalons, 5k's, and bike riding, to amp up my own training. I've decided to become a female body builder. And I'm off to a good start. Check out the picture below!!

The Gym

Ok, so I am irked. I love summer. ABSOLUTELY love it. I spend a lot of time reading, relaxing, baking, cooking, cleaning, and all the other stuff I love to do. As a part of my daily routine, I like to get up and go to the gym first thing in the morning, since I obviously don't have that luxury during the school year. And after two weeks, it's already getting to me!! Not the gym itself, just the geriatrics who swarm the place. Usually during the year it's the meat heads at the gym I can't stand. You know, the guys who spend more time talking about the creatine and power bars they consume, than actually lifting. You can spot them right away, because they've usually got a huge chest and arms, and then toothpick legs. Gotta love the beach workout. But, what I've discovered, is that the elderly that overtake my gym from 5:00 am to noon are much, much worse.

Today, I just couldn't take it, and had to leave early. I know it's going to be a bad day when the parking lot is full of cadillacs and oldsmobiles, so I should've known better and just kept on driving. But I didn't. I went in. And my nostrils were immediately assaulted by the smell. Granted, I was walking into a gym, so a bit of a smell is expected. But old people smell at the gym is bad, very bad. It's not just BO, it's BO combined with mothballs, bengay and flatulence. It's literally nauseating at points. Determined, I headed for the treadmill area, which, thankfully, was pretty vacant for the most part. I turned the tv on and got to running. About ten minutes later this particularly obnoxious old lady came in. The treadmill area is set up with about 12-15 treadmills in a long row, with four tv's set up on the opposite wall. When this lady came in, there were only two treadmills occupied, at opposite ends. And she decides to get on the treadmill directly to my left. And she decides to turn the tv I'm watching to a different channel. I try yelling at her that I'm watching that, but apparently she's deaf so she didn't hear my protest. I was already very annoyed and she had just walked in the room. Then, she sits down on her treadmill and whips out... you guessed it... a tube of bengay and starts lathering up. My lungs were burning up and my eyes were tearing at this point, but I was determined not to let her ruin my workout.

So, I'm running full speed by this point, while my new neighbor is at full throttle going a blistering 1 mph and huffing and puffing along. But I soon remembered that she was one of these ladies who has to talk to EVERYONE that comes in the door. You have to walk past the entrance to the treadmill area to get to the weight room, so almost everyone comes through here. The entrance is to my right, and the lady is to my left. So everytime someone comes in, she waves her right hand, nearly smacking me in the face, completely oblivious. And she's got an annoying voice. And half the people come over and stand right in front of me and chat with her for a few minutes. But of course, while she's chatting, she takes her feet off the belt, and stands on the side of the machine. Can't talk and walk at the same time you know... And then finally, I hear her comment to her friend about how far she's walked!!! She spent most of the time standing on the rails of the treadmill! Egads!! I'd had enough of being crowded and irritated, so I just finished up my run and headed for the weight room.

Personally, when I go to the gym, I put on my music and get to work. I don't like wasting time, or chit chatting, which is apparently what ALL ELDERLY PEOPLE DO AT THE GYM. Usually the weight room part of the gym isn't too crowded, but for some reason this morning was like a geriatric convention in there. And they all just stand around. It takes them about 20 minutes to do a machine, because they spend so much time just talking. And the other thing that really creeps me out, is that many of them are doing their workout in bathing suits, because many of them go to the pool after they lift. GROSS! Just gross on all accounts! So in the weight room I have a routine, and I know ahead of time what lifts I want to do that day. If a machine is busy, I'll just wait and get to it later. Unfortunately today there were old people either using or leaning up against almost all the machines. What really, REALLY irks me is the way they speak to me. For instance today I wanted to use the squat rack, and there was an old man leaning on it. I asked him if he was using it, or if I could please use it. At this point he got all offended and started on his sarcastic rant of "Oh excuse me sweetheart, my apologies, an old man should never lean on things, please, please forgive sweet cheeks". I wanted to slap him, but surprisingly restrained myself. I hate it when the old men refer to me as "sweetheart" , or "sweetcheeks", or "young thing" or "precious" or "darling" or "honey" or, my least favorite, "puddin'". But it seems that no matter what I'm asking, that's always the type of name they come up with for me. Grrrr. And the old guys, they fart all the time. In the middle of lifting, they're just straining so hard, they just fart. Most of the time they just laugh it off, too. It's just so, so gross.

And today the last straw was the same obnoxious woman from the treadmill, who came down to the weight room about 10 minutes after I did. I went to sit on the leg curl machine, and she runs over and says "Oh sweetheart, you must not have noticed... this is my towel right here, I'm on this machine". That was funny, considering she hadn't been sitting in it, and that on the contrary she was standing over by the water fountain talking to the gaggle of elderly located there. So, I relented and went to find something else to do. I went and did two other exercises, three sets of each. And the leg curl machine was still empty, so I went and sat in it, despite the fact that the lady's towel was still there, and that she had spent the entire time I was doing those lifts talking, and not doing a thing on the leg curl machine. Once again, she ran over, but this time wasn't so polite. "Ok toots, you obviously don't get it, I'm on this machine and if you keep trying to kick me off it, I'll contact the manager and have you thrown out of here!" I could not believe my ears. Had she really just threatened to have me kicked out?? Really? She had. I tried to explain that I could be done really quick while she was talking, and that she wasn't really "on" the machine, because she was actually over by the waterfountain talking. She did not take to this very kindly, and stormed away and I assumed she was probably on her way to find a manager. So I grabbed my keys and left. On my way out the front door I saw her talking to the clerk at the front desk, and then she shot me the most evil look and pointed directly at me as I was walking out. I don't think tomorrow is going to be a great day at the gym.

So I don't want to sound all evil and anti-elderly. I mean, I think it's great for them to stay in shape and be healthy. I just wish they didn't have to do it en masse at the exact time I'd like to be in the gym. Now, I'm sure you're wondering, why don't I just go to the gym later in the day? BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO! I like working out in the morning, and then I have the rest of my day to do whatever it is I need or want to do! I shouldnt' have to rearrange my whole day because of the elderly... so I guess I'll just have to figure out a way to deal with it... but I'm not gonna like it!

DONE!!!

I am DONE on so many levels!! First - I am DONE with school! Hooray! My last day with students was Monday. And then I had an in-service day on Tuesday. And that was that. The year is over, and I'm finally feeling fine and fancy free. Nice alliteration, eh? The house is also DONE! Which is amazing, because I thought it would never end. Actually, I guess it's not really "done", but there's onlya teensy eensy itty little bit left that needs to be done. The contractors need to come fix the weather stripping on our front door and replace the trim on the inside. But that shouldn't take too long. The gutters are up, all the siding is done, the lights and mailbox are on, and the new doors are installed!! And we even just put up the new house numbers, which was very exciting. We've gotten lots of comments from neighbors about how great it looks now, and we finally feel like the outside matches the inside. We've still got some work to do, but we'll be doing it ourselves. We need to paint the front door (either a dark green, or a cranberry red. Haven't decided yet, but Christy your very hot (as in Paris Hilton hot) looking front door has us kind of swayed in that direction). We are also going to re-stain the deck, build a sort of enclosure around our gas tank outside the kitchen, and MOW THE LAWN, which has not been done since they started this project. But first (I'm crying as I type this) we basically have to crawl around the lawn and pick up all the nails and screws that went a-flying when the took off the old siding. So it may be a while before we actually get to the lawn, but hopefully not tooooo long. Oh, also, I'm building a picnic table and benches for the deck! It's actually been pretty fun, since we've been working on that today!!

Alright, well I think that's it for now. I'm not sure what I'm going to blog about now that the residing is done... Hmmm...

ya gotta be kidding me...

So, it's about 1:45 am and I can't sleep. I was asleep for about 3 hours when I thought I heard some noises. It was my hubby walking about, probably back and forth from the bathroom. At any rate, I'm up and can't fall back to sleep. So I thought I'd take this opportunity to stay ahead of the blogging curve.

By the way, anyone got tips on how to de-stinkify a basement that's been hit with some water damage?? It all went down on Saturday afternoon. Technically, the rain came Friday. It was pretty much massive, torrential downpour. There was all sorts of flash flooding... it was major, major rain. I didn't really think anything of it, since we kind of live up on top of a hill. I mean, we've had rain at this house before without any problems. And then, Saturday afternoon, it dawned on us that we still don't have gutters on the house. Being that Mike was not home when it rained, he didn't even think of it when he got home, and as I said before, I thought the elevation would take care of things for us.

Alas, it did not. Apparently, the rain flooded one of the basement window wells and just poured into the basement. In about a half hour we received almost two inches of rain, and I kid you not when I say that much of that ended up in our basement. So Saturday afternoon we made a mad dash, moving furniture and cleaning up. We wet-vacced as much as we could, got fans going 24 hours a day, and moved the dehumidier right next to the damaged spot. Luckily, the water only came in through one window, and the damage is contained to only about 1/4 of the basement room. Unluckily, it has been rainy and damp since Friday night, and despite our best efforts, it is taking a very long time to dry out downstairs, and it's getting stinky. We don't know what to do!!

So here's what we're thinking as of right now, and please, PLEASE make suggestions if you've dealt with this before!!

1) The in-laws suggested we wait a couple days until they get back from vaca... to give it time to dry out, and then use their carpet cleaner to try and clean things up.

2) Mike would like to rip up and remove all of the carpet in the basement and murder the contractors who had scheduled to put our gutters on the house on Friday, but didn't because they "didn't have time", and left the house at about 4:30 pm to start their weekend festivities.

So, yeah. Mike is not very happy. We've been without gutters for almost two weeks now, and he has been worried about something like this the whole time. And now I have to admit that he was right, and well...

So, other than the smellyness of my house, things are actually coming along quite nicely, on the outside. If the rain stops (and it might not for a couple days... booooo!) it should only take another two work days for the contractors to finish everything up (gutters and all)!! And then we can get to work painting the door, re-staining the deck, de-stinkifying the basement and whatnot. I'm building a picnic table, too! Hooray!

Ok, I need to go and try to fall asleep. Wish me luck!

Oh, and did I mention that tomorrow is my last day with students?? And it's a half day??? And that Tuesday is my last work day until the end of August???? Well it is! Maybe that's why I can't sleep... the anticipation is killing me!!!!!! Oh also, kind of funny... I'm going to Hersheypark on Thursday. With a bunch of 9th graders! Oh wait... they'll technically be 10th graders... does that make me less of a nerd??? Yes, I think it does!

Oh and also, Bird, I am TOTALLY jealous that you got to play ball with girls from the team at PSU. Can I tell you that that is like... MY DREAM??? I would have been drooling.

Oh and also, Anna, I am totally embarrassed that you shared my French Revolution video with people I'm not related to. I totally wish they had put the version I played for my 6th period class on youtube, because that version was much better!!

Oh and also, I'm now in training to do the Heptathlon (sp??)! Since jav is out of the question due to the fact that it murders my elbow every time I try to throw hard, I thought I could do the hep just for fun!! Obviously, jav is involved in that, but I won't have to throw it hard since other events are also involved. And I'm also trying to find more 5k's and am training more for that. I think I'm just too competitive, and around here competitive volleyball is too far and few between. So now I can keep myself busy for the summer!

Ok, I'm actually gonna go, now. Zzzzzzzzz. That's me, trying to sleep. Goodnight:)

I'm having problems

Ok, for whatever reason I just wrote a blog, and the slide show came up, but the text didn't. Grr. Anyway, I'm tired. So the house is the house and it's coming along and the pictures are up because Anna was blograssing me. Also, Anna remember to tell Chase to sleep with one eye open next time you feel like taking a blog hiatus, because payback is coming! Mwuah ha ha! Also, it's funny that you "sang" the Law & Order song to me, because that is THE show of reference in my night class. That and Seinfeld. Oh, and I'm writing my final paper on Saved By The Bell. Also, I should mention that in my night class we talk about tv, and watch tv. And then we write about tv, and sometimes our homework is to watch more tv. Awesome. Of course I've already typed all of this, but you didn't read it because I couldn't figure my own blog out, and so now I'm typing it again except for this time I'm really annoyed and just firing away so it's probably not making as much sense as it did the first time I typed it. I'm gonna go to bed now.

I'm scared

"Before"

I am officially announcing that our siding project on the house will begin on Wednesday or Thursday of this week! Hooray!! So, I've taken a few "before" pictures, so we can all remember exactly what it is that we're changing! As I'm sure you can notice from the slide show below, our house is mostly pink. Lydia was even quick to mention it, when she came for a visit. It's one of those things that visitors politely comment on, such as "Oh... did you pick this color?". Or, "So... the INSIDE of your house is nice!" Hahaha... but seriously, we know the outside certainly does not match the inside, so we're extremely happy that the outside will soon match! Since the project is about to get started, we picked up our front door, screen door, outdoor lights, house numbers, and a new mailbox. If the project runs on schedule, it will be finished by Friday, May 25th!! Hooray!! It's gonna be super cute! And I will be sure to take lots of "during" and ESPECIALLY lots of "after" photos to share with you all!

RLW, Part II

Ok, so apparently last weekend was SOOOO exhausting, that I had to take a whole week to recuperate enough to blog about it. Poor me. Anyway, so here it is, all about the 5k!

So Sunday morning arrived, and Bird was at my door bright and early to pick me up! Of course, since it was her birthday, we had to do her birthday presents right away! She enjoyed my wrapping (see pictures below) and also, she enjoyed her shirts. Especially the one that says "GANGSTER RAP" on it. She said she could wear it out with Cam, when he wears his "Mo' Money" shirt. Awesome.

Anyway, we were off! After a few miles on the Turnpike, some random driving around in Philly, random trips to a burger king bathroom, and a walk around a few blocks, we finally figured out where we needed to go for this 5k. We registered, hung out for a bit, and then Bird used her sweet, sweet massage skills to rub down my quads before we ran. As you know, they were EXTREMELY sore from the 1000's of squat thrusts I'd done the previous two days. And Bird did a marvelous job. I kid you not, she's good at what she does, and I am confident she will make mucho dinero once she's done with school. So, now that we were all limbered up, we were set for the 5k!

And off we ran! Margaret Kilgore (no relation, but she was Bird's friend in high school, and I was friends with her older sister) sounded the horn for the race to start! For those who don't know, she attended Philadelphia University when she was struck by a car while riding her bike across campus. She was left in a coma for about 3 weeks, but came out of it, and is currently on the road to recovery (see pics below). The 5k was to benefit the family to help pay for costs of medical care.

At any rate, we were off! Bird and I set out at a steady pace and kept up with the pack for the most part. It was fun running together! We just took it nice and easy, and enjoyed the beautiful weather! The 5k was split into two loops, and unfortunately, a whole bunch of people just stopped after the first loop! So they probably only ran about 3k. But Bird and I ran the whole thing! What can I say, we're devoted. After the 5k they pulled names for the raffles, and then presented the Kilgore Family with a check for over $12,000! We were all shocked and amazed by the generosity of those who participated. There couldn't have been more than 100 people there, and registration was only $15, so you know there were some generous givers. It was awesome!

Once we were done with the 5k, we headed home to Bird's birthday dinner and icecream cake. Hooray!! So, it was a super fun day!!

But of course, since I knew I'd be super exhausted from my weekend, I had already planned to take a personal day off from school on Monday. Good call on that one! So Monday was a great day, too! I actually got up pretty early, because my best friend Jean's mom had been rushed to the hospital the night before with chest pains. I found out early Monday morning that it was a heart attack, so I was up worrying about Jean and Mama C. All is well, though, I'm happy to report.

Anyway, Monday was a productive day. Dishes, laundry, vaccuming, working out, and then reading on the deck before night class. All around it was a nice day! And then Tuesday came. And my students were sucky. Boooo. There are 19.5 school days left this year, and they cannot be over soon enough. Now that the weather is nice, it seems like there is a mandatory order that students be jerks. Not cool. Not at all. But aside from that, life is peachy!

Sorry for another long, rambling blog. It's just how I roll. Sage - Out.

PS - Mike thought of another slogan idea for our family reunion t-shirts. I smacked him when he told me.

"Kilgore: It's no Sage, but it's still a good thing."

Ridiculously long weekend, Part I

I see the blog boycott is over, everyone else has updated, so I'm feeling the pressure.

Okay, so this weekend has been ridiculous. And it's only going to get more ridiculouser. So, Friday night was the kickoff for our semi-annual... wait. Bi-annual... wait. Whichever word means, "They only have it every other year" Stake Dance Festival. I had the honor of being one of two adults who were present to supervise/chaperone the whole thing. The basic gist of it is that on Friday night at five o'clock, all the youth in the ward gathered together to find out what their "dance theme" for the festival was. Our theme was "Life is a Dance". From that moment on, all chaos ensued. We worked for about 5 hours on Friday night getting a dance routine together, working on props and a set for the stage, and working on costumes. It was amazing. There were so many people there! Me and Christian were responsible for teaching them the dance moves. Bird, I'm sure you're laughing your butt off right now. Anyway, I did it. And I was good! So we were doing the dance moves, while a crew worked on the props and a separate crew worked on costumes. It was all very chaotic, but organized at the same time. So Friday night was exhausting, going over a 6-minute dance routine over and over again in small chunks.

At that point, I took the YW back to my house to spend the night. BUT - we were working on our costumes and needed to stop at Target first. So, we did. Finally we made it home and started pigging out. Then we did nails, we did hair, and then I stayed up for a while SEWING costumes. Crazy. So the girls were probably asleep by 1, and I was asleep by 2. Then I got up at 6, took my shower and prepped myself for the day before I woke the girls. Then chaos broke out again as we got the girls ready to head back to the church for another full day of rehearsal. It was a LONG day of rehearsal. It was my job to learn and do the dances with the kids and help them learn it, get the rhythm and all that jazz. So, in the last 30 hours, I've done well over 1,000 squat thrusts. My quads are burning as we speak. BUT - we finally made it to the show, did well, and had a blast!

The Dance Festival started at 7, we were the second last group to perform, and then before we knew it, it was over, we were done, we screwed up a lot of parts, but it was fun. And then I was home by 10, after dropping the kiddos off at their respective homes! So, ridiculously long weekend part II will have to be updated later, after I'm done running the 5K in Philly with Bird tomorrow.

So why, might you ask, is this poor, tired girl who's been run ragged the past two days, and who is running a charity 5K tomorrow, sitting up at 11:11 pm (I just noticed that, by the way... got my wish in on time!!) writing this silly blog? Well, Mike left early Friday morning to travel with his track team to Erie where they had a meet today. I got a message from him saying they left Erie at about 9 pm, so it will still be several hours before he's home. And it's dark. And it's raining. And the house is making wierd freaky noises. And I wouldn't be able to sleep right now anyway. So, I blog. I blog like a maniac!

Oh, and as a side note: Here are a few of the Kilgore Family Reunion T-Shirt options that I sent Anna. Please feel free to add to the list, cross some off, or vote on ones you like.

"Kilgore's: The Other White Meat"

"Kilgore's: Don't hate us because we're beautiful"

"Kilgore Family Reunion, 2007: Party Like it's 1999"

"Kilgore Family Reunion: Please don't call the cops"

"Kilgore's: We ain't no nappy headed hos"

"Kilgore Family Reunion: Celebrating and Exacerbating Global Warming"

"Kilgore Family Reunion: Bettering America's Gene Pool"

That's all for now. Stay tuned for next week...

"Musicians Got Bach"

Lyrics to "Musicians Got Bach". For the record, they got an A on the assignment. They really stepped it up during the performance, wearing huge sunglasses and lots of "bling". Lots of rap type dancing as well (but not the dirty kind). They were fearless and pretty amazing. And yes, Sara, I think I can probably work out some sort of online course for Taylor to take. Geez... in less than two years she'll be an obnoxious freshman!! How cute!!!!!

I like musical geniuses and cannot lie
You other brothers can't deny
When Bach walks in the church of Liebzig
With a piano solo in your face
You get Enlightened!
Wanna go to Europe
Cuz' Germany's where its Blarin'
Handel's Messiah got me starin'

Oh Baby, he ain't no witcha'
His music makes a pretty picture
My homeboys try to warn me
But poor old Mozart, he's so lonelyyyyyy

Oh, Child Prodigy
You wanna write Don Giovanni??
Well be a muse to me, muse to me
Cuz your music really soothes me
I like the Marriage of Figaro
But Haydn's purty cool
He's rich, got pitch
Got it going like Will Smith in Hitch
He got tired of Hungarian Prince's
Telling him what to sing
Take the average guy and ask him
He'll say England is for kings!

So fellas (yeah) fellas (yeah)
Does creation sound real good (heck yeah)
So sing it (sing it) Sing it (sing it)
Sing the Enlightenment Song

Musicians Got Bach.

brilliance

I just wanted to share with you all the works of some of my more brilliant and awesome students. Just the other day in class we did an activity called "Mission Impossible: The Enlightenment". Groups of students got various packets with different information and assignments contained inside. For example, the group on Enlightenment artists had to create a drawing/poster to explain the Rococo style popular during that time, the group with Enlightenment writers had to write a silly short story to explain popular themes and characters during the time, and so on and so forth. The group who was responsible for Enlightenment musicians just floored me, though. Obviously, their task was to WRITE and PERFORM a song about musicians and musical styles of the Enlightenment. They proceeded to write their own version of "Baby Got Back", which they instead called "Musicians Got Bach". Oh, it was such a delicious little rendition. And they actually had the guts to PERFORM it in front of the class. They had practiced, had all the parts down pat. IT WAS ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS. I nearly peed. The lyrics will be forthcoming when I remember to bring them home.

Good, Great, Grand... EVERYBODY ON THE BUS!

Life is pretty good at the moment! I'm almost done with my first grad class, there are only 2 more months of school (EXACTLY), the weather is getting nice, the house will be re-sided soon, the yard is coming along nicely, and we just had a great week spending time with family from out of town!!

Anna is harrassing me for pictures of the new siding on the house, but alas, there is none yet. We just got word from our contractor that we have been bumped back to Mid-May. This is quite upsetting, since according to plans we should have had it FINISHED by now. But, I guess you can't really argue with a contractor, so we're just thankful that it will get done before next winter (let's cross our fingers, lest we have a scenario like mom and dad's reno!). So, sorry anna, no pictures yet. As for the new paint in the basement (Penn State Blue & White), you'll have to check out my epson site. I can't find my camera, and I only saved the pictures to that site, and not to my computer. So those pictures will have to do. You'll see some "before" pictures in there, and then some pictures with the new paint. I still need to take more pictures of the "finished" job, but again, can't find my camera. It's somewhere around here.

ANYWAY - had a GREAT time when Sara and the gang were here last week. Tuesday night we hosted dinner at our house. It was great! It was the first time we really had a big gathering here. We need more furniture. And Dishes. But that's beside the point, it was just a blast. Mason, Lydia and Gaby had a great time running around in the empty attic, hiding in the crawl space and scaring the crap out of me. They all also had fun running around the yard, and then breaking the lock on my screen door. And Chase had a great time nearly falling through the screen door in the front, and onto the front landing. It would have been disastrous if Momma Deb hadn't caught him! But, I think I can say that we all had fun.

Then, everyone took off and the pandemonium began. After Taylor sat comfortably on the couch watching me and Mike do the dishes, we watched a re-cap of dancing with the stars, and then hit blockbuster!! We spent the night watching Eragon (which I didn't get at all... good thing Taylor was there to explain it to me) and Pink Panther (hilarious more for Taylor's reaction than for the actual movie itself. "In my pocket I have une HEEMBOOOOGARE. Une HINBEEGEE"). Normally I would have been asleep this late at night, but sleep was pretty much impossible considering the ridiculous amounts of sugar we imbibed. Sour straws, bottlecaps, twizzlers, pop rocks, dots, fun dip and oh so much more. And that's on top of the popcorn and soda we had, too. I think I might be diabetic now.

So, Taylor and I crashed by about 2:00 am, her on the couch, me on the floor. We woke up in time to eat a nice breakfast, and hit 5 Below to get some cool toys and whatnot, before heading to Matt and Deb's for babysitting. Let's just say, sleeping for about 5 hours on the cold floor was not a good idea the night before having to watch some pretty crazy kids. And by crazy kids, I mean Gaby. She is just a ridiculous ball of energy. Hilarious, adorable, tooting energy. But it was worth it, I just love those kiddos! Later that night we had dinner with Matt and Deb, and I was introduced to Guitar Hero. I feel somewhat ashamed of my performance. I think I was a big letdown. The pressure was just too much, and needless to say, I am not a Guitar Hero. I'm more like Raffi. Kid-Tested, Mother Approved. I'm white milk, to Matt's rockin' Chocolate.

Lastly, the trip was great because we got to see everybody. Owen is so adorable and I love his little "I'm shy" look. Mike had a great time trying to get him to make funny noises, too. He's easily amused. Gaby is just this awesome ball of energy, and Lydia is so big since I last saw her! She also told me that my house was a very nice light pink color, and that I should keep it that way. Ha! Ta-May-May is a retainer-faced goonball! Mason and Chase were a riot, too. I loved watching Chase sit back and relax with his feet up on the table! Too cute!


Moving on, I just realized how long this blog is getting, and how ridiculously long my blogs usually are (my sister Bird told me she has to take bathroom breaks while reading my blogs, because they are too long. Sorry Bird. Maybe get some Depends.) I'll try to update more frequently so as to limit the excessive length of future blogs. Peace out to all my homies... Werd.

2,543

I have recently been heckled by some, who will remain nameless, who feel my recent hiatus from the blogging world is rather unnecessary. For this, I apologize. However, I would like to note that my hiatus has not been in vain, and that my absence from the blogging scene has been for a good cause. The graduate class I'm taking this semester is great! The professor is awesome, and the class is really relaxed, and I get along with my classmates very well. I was also very stoked to discover that my only "graded" assessment for the entire semester would be one, 20-page paper, on any topic of my choice, that is due at the end of the semester. On the other hand, I was shocked to discover that the other "60%" of my grade is based on participation in class discussion. AND - class discussion is COMPLETELY centered around the 16 required texts that we have to read this semester, along with the 1 text on Material Culture of our choosing. So, to date, I have read 2,543 pages of required text, and I am happy to report that I have been a substantial contributor to all class discussions to date. The reading is a bit ridiculous at times, and it keeps me up late at others, but all in all it's not too bad, and I've finished every book so far. Unfortunately, I'm not looking forward to next week's book, which is 629 pages on the history of historical research. Blah.

In other news - Winter finally kicked into gear here in PA the last few weeks. Since my last rant against mother nature I had TWO, count them TWO days off school due to the snow, followed by freezing rain, followed by more snow. I probably would have gotten off with only one snow day and a 2-hour delay (as opposed to my early dismissal, off, off, 2-hour delay scenario) if PENNDOT hadn't screwed up in such a ridiculous way. The roads were awful, but Bird and I enjoyed laying around the house very much, so no complaints here. Aside from that, we got a little bit more snow/freezing rain the following week, but not nearly as bad. It's been very cold and windy here the past few days, which makes me wonder if winter is going to stick around for another few weeks... hope not. I got my fill of snow delays and days off, so I'm done with winter now.

In other news - Mike has officially started outdoor track. He enjoys it and hates it at the same time... Mike has also successfully installed recessed lighting in our laundry room! The new lights make a HUGE difference, and brighten the whole place up! And in general, their (Mike and his dad) electric work has done much to improve the basement by removing all the creepy hanging wires and wierd makeshift stuff the previous owner had rigged up. Pretty soon the electrical upgrades will be done in the laundry room, and we'll be able to put the ceiling up! Hooray! Mike will also be installing the recessed lights in the "living room" part of the basement this upcoming weekend, so pretty soon we'll have that all finished up as well. It's wonderful!

Lastly, the house will be re-sided soon! Our project got bumped from mid-march to the beginning of April as a result of the ice that stuck around PA for over a week and a half... But we are still looking forward to having INSULATION, a house that's not pink, a new door that's not drafty, new windows in the attic that aren't drafty, and a new mailbox! Hooray!!

THE END.

P.S.

ANNA - PLEASE CALL OFF YOUR PAL-MIZZY BOMBERS!! NO SCHOOL EXPLOSION NEEDED!! Although as former students, I'm sure they would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately, the school still so graciously pays me, and therefore I'd like for it not to be a burning pile of rubble, despite previous comments to the contrary. Thank you, that is all for now.

Apology Accepted, Motha Nature!

Well well well... it appears that all I need to do to get what I really want is complain about it in every possible venue to anyone who can stand to listen to me yammer on. SWEET! My one wish for the school year was FINALLY granted on Wednesday, with our very first TWO HOUR DELAY! YAHOO! It was pure bliss:) I got up, sat expectantly on the edge of the bed watching the delays scroll across the top of the screen, and before long, those sweet, sweet words came flashing on. "PALMYRA AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT, TWO HOUR DELAY, MODIFIED KINDERGARTEN." So I cuddled back up under my warm cozy blankets, and vegged out for a couple hours. Got to catch up on my "Saved by the Bell", and actually gave myself time to eat breakfast. The joy rushed right back into my career:) Which brings me to my next point...

I think I've been a bit cynical and bitter lately. First semester gave me nothing but worries and stress, but this new semester has awakened me to WHY I started teaching in the first place. I like it! Two hour delays! Random fire drills that get me out of class for 30 min. at a time (break was nice, 12 degree temperature was rough)! Assemblies and Pep Rallies! Someone else paying for my grad school, which I love! SUMMER VACATION! There really is so much that I enjoy about my job, and the teaching isn't half bad either! I've actually got some kids who are nice and who do work and who follow directions this semester! And also, I haven't been cursed at, spit at, or had anyone expose themselves yet this semester!! Yes, truly, things are looking up:)

SNOW DAY

I don't think that I ask for much. A two hour delay, early dismissal, school explosion... BUT NO. Mother nature just can't cooperate. And so it's FEBRUARY and the state of PENNSYLVANIA has seen no significant snow fall yet. I am a bitter person at this moment. It is FRIDAY AFTERNOON, and the HUGE SNOW STORM that was supposed to hit the mid-state THURSDAY afternoon/evening is JUST NOW showing up. I've gotta say, I'm getting sick of hearing the forecasts calling for snow, with accumulation of 7-a billion inches overnight, only to read in the very fine print that the actual CHANCE of snow is only 12%. WHAT IS THE POINT OF FORECASTING THE WEATHER IF YOU CAN'T PREDICT WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN WITH MORE THAN 12% ACCURACY!! Needless to say, there've been no delays, no early dismissals, and no explosions. This year just keeps getting worse and worse! I think I might move to the Arctic.

Bird's haircut

Yee-haw! First semester of school is over, and only one left to go!! First semester seemed to go at a snail's pace, so I am hoping that second semester goes much faster, and with far fewer "incidents". I don't know if I can handle another semester like the first without ripping the hair out of my head. And I feel that the stress may be somewhat compounded by the fact that I am starting grad classes tomorrow. Hopefully it will all stay in the realm of "manageable".

Speaking of "manageable", Bird got a new haircut. By me. It was an interesting experience to say the least. We all go through the back-to-school ritual of new clothes, new supplies, new haircut, and Bird is no different. She's heading back to school in a few weeks, and was getting herself all set to go. Unfortunately, she made a bad decision on WHERE to get her hair trimmed up, and I feel that I may have doomed her in this. You see, she was just getting ready to leave for her haircut when I called and asked her to drop a CD off for me at the high school. Being the loving person she is, she agreed. What I didn't know, is that she didn't have a hair appt., she was just going to find some local hair shop and walk in. If I had known this, I would have warned her to STAY AS FAR AWAY AS POSSIBLE FROM "OUTLOOKS" IN PALMYRA, as they were responsible for butchering my hair this summer (my hair is still recovering from this, by the way). But, alas, she ended up in the chair at outlooks. She called me later and told of the butchered job she got, and asked if I had some clippers... and I did. So she came over so we could try to fix it a bit. Let me just say, in my defense, her hair was horrendous when she got here.



So, we set out with some scissors and some clippers. Bird was talking about just cutting it all off, buzz style, and I was trying to talk her out of it. We came to the conclusion that she, if anyone, could probably pull off the "faux-hawk" look. So, we gave it a shot. Oh my did we laugh. Let me just tell you that the only persons hair I've ever cut is Mike's, and it was a bit different cutting a girls hair, with my nice blunt scissors. But I did an ok job on the top. Then, it was time to trim up the back, and I'm not so good with the clippers. I accidently took kind of a chunk off the back of her neck, but luckily I was able to even it out by taking a chunk off the other side too. All in all, it didn't turn out too badly. I took a lot of Bird's hair, but it turns out she really can pull off the faux-hawk. It kind of fits her. I'm not sure if mom and dad will agree, but hey, like I said, her hair was bad BEFORE she got here!