Thief

With much hesitation, Todd told me something today that just bothered me. In fact, Todd started off the story with, "You're not going to like this . . ."

A teacher at his school thought it was so neat that Todd named his lab/pit puppy "Steve" that the guy named his lab/pit puppy Steve also! WHAT???? That's OUR NAME! This is worse than stealing a baby name in my opinion. I don't consider it a compliment. This is theft - plain and simple.

I mean . . . come on . . . who has a dog named STEVE? We do!! Well, obviously that stupid guy does now too. It's not like our dog is named Scruffy, Scooby, Barky, Fido, or something dog-like. I'm absolutely and positively sure that our Steve is amazingly cuter, definitely smarter, and has MUCH more personality. And here's the proof:



Told ya so! That guy's still a thief, though.

Inside the Actors Studio - Ten Questions

If I were on Inside the Actors Studio these would be my responses to James Lipton’s ten questions:

1. What is your favorite word? supercalifragilisticexpialidocious (even though the sound of it is something quite atrocious)

2. What is your least favorite word? the "c" word (I can't even pretend spell it.)

3. What turns you on? kindness, a listening ear, complete attention, a nice, long, passionate kiss

4. What turns you off? rudeness, cruelty, being ignored

5. What sound do you love? the sound of a baby's belly laugh, my husband cracking up, my dogs snoring or having doggie dreams, my Mindy-cat saying "Mama", the sincere words of "I love you"

6. What sound do you hate? nails on a chalkboard, shrieking, a deep, gutteral cry of grief

7. What is your favorite curse word? Don't know if it's my favorite, but unfortunately I seem to use sh!t and f*ck more than I should.

8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? L&D nurse

9. What profession would you not like to do? anything that involves extreme heights (tightrope walker, window washer, etc.)

10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? Well done, my good and faithful servant. Welcome. Your loved ones are waiting for you.

So true!

A Night with Friends

Last night, Todd and I met some friends at Jorg's Vienna Cafe for dinner and drinks. We enjoyed some delicious pretzels, beer, schnitzel, bratwurst, spoetzel, and sauerkraut.



You can't beat a combination of good food, good friends, and good beer!

New Addition to Our Family!

We have a BABY GIRL!!!! Her name is Annie, and she was born yesterday at my Dad's ranch.

She was welcomed by her Mom Sarah, her Dad JimBob, and older sister Kilee. You "met" them in an earlier post this month. Welcome Baby Annie!

Scrapbooking

I returned home this afternoon after a weekend scrapbook retreat. It was a wonderful time full of fun, laughter, creativity, relaxation, good snacks, wine, and no sleep. I think I've had only 15 hours of sleep since Friday morning.

I completed sixteen scrapbook pages and most look really, really good. There are two that are ugly, and one that was the ugliest page I have ever attempted. It was torn out of my book and slapped on the wall. That way all of my scrapping friends would feel good about themselves (at my expense)!

Good night.

Living with Disappointment

Todd and I have been so excited to get our new entertainment center! Unfortunately, we found out the Bassett Furniture is backlogged and their deliveries are running behind. Hopefully we'll have our new furniture by mid-February. That also means that a new flat-panel, LCD HDTV will wait until then as well.

Poor us. Boo hoo, huh? If that's our biggest worry, then we're doing GREAT!

Rough & Tough Beasts

After hearing the fierce growling and watching the gnashing of sharp teeth, I took this video of Steve & Pippin playing rope today. They're so tough.

Oh, how they make me smile!

Yet Another Blog

I've started another blog just for the photographs I'm taking for Project 365. It will be a simple blog with no frills or sparkles. I'll be changing the look of the blog as soon as the Cutest Blog on the Block fixes their website, so it won't be completely ugly.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Why It's Hard to Leave in the Morning

Seriously . . . How would ANYONE not want to stay home and play?

Working in an Elementary School

The people I work with are truly amazing. I am often awestruck at what we are all able to accomplish and achieve with the student population we have at my school. No, we aren't inner-city. We are a suburbian school with an inner-city population and feel. The women and men who work with all of the children here are dedicated to the teaching profession and determined to help every student become a success no matter what it takes. To become a "Recognized" school with our population, you have to be a teacher - and an excellent one at that.

We are really and truly a family here. Everyone cares for one another as much as we do the kids. We help each other, lift each other up when needed, and cheer in our successes. You'll often see attaboy emails, requests for help, prayers being given, high fives in the hall, or simple smiles that say, "You can do it!"

Today I took my typical mid-day restroom break (usually the one break I get), only to find an inspirational message awaiting me. You can only find such messages in the trash of the teacher's restroom at an elementary school.

My question: Was it left as another sticker to trash, to inspire me to stay in the restroom for a while, or to just simply help us make it through another day? :)

Of course, I had to include this as today's photo on My Shuttercal.

Hanging at Papa & Marilynn's House

Two of my nieces, Ashley and Courtney, are in town from Ohio for a few days. It's always fun to go to Papa's and ride the tractor, run the riding mower, feed the cows range cubes, and give the donkeys some carrots. Believe me - all were done in our short visit at Papa & Marilynn's house yesterday!

Here's a video of the girls feeding the cows. Be ready: it involves cows & cow poop.



And some photos of the donkeys getting their carrots and us being together as a family.

Friends for Life

When I was three years old, I met two friends, Kim and Leslie. They were four (we all need "older" friends!), and moved in on either side of my house. We did EVERYTHING together --- greeting the ice cream truck, making cinnamon toast, trick-or-treating, riding Big Wheels, playing outside, going to each other's grandparents' houses, Christmas --- you name it!

Halloween 1972 - Leslie, Me, Kim
The only thing we didn't do together was school because eventually THEY were in 1st grade while I was a lowly Kindergartner. Our homes were intermingled in that we could be found in or near one of them at any given time. Sadly, Kim's family moved to Georgia a few years later and Leslie's moved out of the neighborhood not long after that. We had a sleep over the night before Kim moved, and as children, we knew that we'd never see one another again.

Thankfully, that wasn't the case. Kim, Leslie, and I are still friends. Yes, 37 years later! We have been with one another through the loss of parents, marriages, divorces, children, miscarriages, adoptions, family illnesses, moves, happy times, and sad times. We don't see one another often enough, but when we do it's easy to pick right back up where we were.

Thanks be to Ole Miss University - that they played in the Cotton Bowl today. That means Kim and her family came in from Georgia to see the game. It also means that Leslie and her family became available so we could spend our New Year's Day together. What a FABULOUS way to start off 2009!

Here are a few photos from our time together last night:


Although we don't talk nearly often enough, we are friends for life. I am thankful to have them both, and I know their friendship will be cherished for another 37 years and more!