Kendra and I went up to the college this week to pick up her books for the fall semester and make a final contact with the dorm she's living at. Books weren't a problem.. the dorm on the other hand...
It was long and gruesome... but we managed to miss out on bloodshed. And I walked away with the information we were promised last spring. But not without having to listen to a lot of blah, blah, blah....
Yesterday Paul called to ask if I wanted him to come home for the weekend. He is currently TDY in Northern Alabama. Originally this testing was to be done yesterday. Weather and a few unforeseen tweaks have caused the testing time to run into next week. So, Paul was trying to be generous and ask if I'd like him to come home for the weekend.
During our conversation he mentioned that he would be missing the parents' meeting at the h.s. monday night. Up to this point, the conversation had been good. I can't even tell you why, but realizing that he would once again miss something about the kids because of his job kind of pissed me off.
I took a deep breath and started my dissertation of how awful it is that he can't ever seem to make any of these meetings, etc... when suddenly he says "Stel?" "Stel?... can you hear me?" I stop my rant.. answer back with "Yes, can you hear me?" and then the line was dead.
I am telling you.. if it were not for the fact that my "land line" is a cable line and I couldn't call anyone immediately following that hang up.. I would suspect Paul of pulling the classic "I'm going into a tunnel and I can't hear you" ploy.
By the time I was able to reach his cell phone to leave a message... I was done being mad about what I (nor he) can control... I left him a message to come home for the weekend.
Of course, that means this morning is dedicated to making the house look a little less like "animal house" and a little more like a home. I forewarned the kids last night that I would be waking them around 10 am so they could help with the straightening up since they helped with the messing it up.
This morning I was on line reading emails and playing a game, waiting for 10 AM when my sister caught me in an IM. It was kind of funny.. so I share it with you now:
Sister: What is my sister doing?
Me: I'm playing a game, waiting for 10 when I can wake up the slaves.. I mean kids.
Sister: funny
Me: I know.. I'm just too cute for words.. what are you up to?
Sister: Did I tell you that they are splitting Lisa and me up at work?
Me: No.. what did you two do.. talk too much?
Sister: Nope, we were too efficient...so they are breaking up the teams so there is one strong member and one weak member.
Me: Do you know who they are setting you up with?
Sister: Yes, I'm going to work for Judge fillintheblank and Cesily. Cesily says we will make a better team than Lisa and I did, but I don't see how.
Me: Maybe Cesily likes to be bossed around? :)
Sister: You're mean!
Me: (seriously LMAO).. LOL
Sister: I don't boss Lisa around... I manage her.. there is a difference
Me: (laughing even harder) LOL...
Sister: I have to go now..
Me: LOL. okay have a good day!
My sister and I are getting ready to do our annual vacation. We are going on the road this time. My plan is for us to visit Nashville, Atlanta and Savannah. Neither of us have spent any real time in these cities.
So I'm open to any suggestions you folks might have. I can plan this on my own.. but was hoping for some input from the peanut gallery. :) Thank you
I slept better last night than I have in a while. Not the whole night, but at least enough to be functioning today. After the last four days of illness, I can see how easy it is to accidentally overdose on medications. Especially if no one else is monitoring your consumption.
All you want is relief from symptoms. You take something you think will help, and it does for a little while....but then symptoms return and you think.... guess it's time for another dose....but it's really not. Don't worry about me... I am fine, and I tend to err on the side of caution anyway. With the kids, I always write down the times and names of medications they take. I guess I should do the same with myself.
Today, Kendra has a dental appointment. First one with our new dentist. Another task I can cross off my list of "to do" items. Everyone will have seen our new dentist with Kendra's visit today. To celebrate the four of us (sans Paul) are going to the bowling alley to have lunch and bowl a game. They have a sweet deal here, the shoes, meal and two games for about $7.00. Works for us. :)
Anyway, won't be any pictures of this event because Paul has my camera. grrr
Whenever I am sick, I have a hard time sleeping at night. I'm not sure why this is... perhaps the dark feels more claustrophobic? At any rate.... I stay up late watching anything I can find on TV (last night was a gore fest of Dawn of the Dead, Rest Stop, & Room 6).
I mentioned in an earlier entry that I received a digital camera for my birthday. Any pictures on this site since mid-June are courtesy of that camera. Paul has taken my camera on at least one TDY flight event. He's taking off with it again today for another assignment. (He does ask permission first). I've decided that this is what he needs for his birthday. I really don't like being without my camera.
So, my shopping goal in the next two weeks or so (Aug. 15 is his birthday) is to find the brother of my camera for him. And then I can be selfish with mine from now on.. I don't really share well.
Fever broke yesterday. Now I just have a sore throat and headache. I'm hoping that will be gone by tomorrow. doubt it, but I can hope. :)
Here the four kidlets are as we arrive inside the aquarium. Chad is the one on the left.
Spider crabs. very scary to look at, there were several in the tank. They didn't move much though.. so probably not so scary at all. Kind of remind me of the face huggers in Alien.
These are garden eels. Kind of reminded me of those wispy things in the Seawitch's garden in The Little Mermaid. The orange striped ones were pretty.
Jellies (not jelly FISH since they don't share any of the characteristics that make fish "fish").
The Beluga Whale.. beluga means white in russian... very playful animal.
some of the colorful fish from the coral reefs
Observation bubble that allowed the kids to get an eye to eye view of the penguins. Chad jumped in to check it out.
Whale Sharks. The whole reason for our visit. Very cool. very large.. and they aren't even the largest they can get... impressed the heck out of me though.
My favorite sea creatures are the sea horse and sea dragon.. this is one of the sea dragons. Oneof the sea dragons at the aquarium is carrying eggs on its tail. They are due to hatch in the next two weeks. Very cool.
I seriously doubt one has anything to do with the other, but ....
We drove Chad back to Atlanta (being an UM he must have a flight without layovers) on Tuesday and while we were still all together we went to the Georgia Aquarium. Small, but really cool. I could easily have spent another hour there just watching the animals and fish. We ate at Hard Rock Cafe (a habit we began while in Europe). Wednesday we took Chad to the airport and once he was airborne, we drove home.
Yesterday morning I woke up kind of achy. As the day progressed, I started shaking and my teeth chattered.. I felt like I was freezing to death. Checked my temp and it was at 99. degrees. Took some tylenol and an hour later my temp had climbed to 101.5. So I went back to bed, adding extra blankets. Woke up two hours later, burning up...
Anyway... still going back and forth between 99 and 101.5 on temp. Slept like crap last night. Throat sore today. I really hate being sick.
Chad, Kendra and Kim climbing the horizontal wall at Desoto Caverns
Mac and Chad finishing at the bumper cars
Kim and Kendra panning for gems
Kim on the gocarts
Chad during the water balloon fight
Chad golfing
What could be more satisfying than lemonade on the back porch?
I recently received an e-mail from a friend of mine. I'm not sure why we are friends because he is so far to the left and I am so far to the right that a lot of our correspondence is more irritating than it is uplifting.
I think we like to practice our debating skills on one another. The one thing that I have learned in debating this friend for the last 8 years is that most people choose to debate for the purpose of changing YOUR mind. They have already selected their stance and there is usually nothing that can be said or done to change that view.
Case in point.. he recently sent me a link about the 9/11 conspiracy ... covering the black smoke (it wasn't a hot fire)... the collapse of the third building (why when it wasn't touched by a plane or debris)... and goodness knows what all. I read the stuff he sent.. I watched the video.. and at the end, I remained unconvinced. So, I began my own research and found some really good anticonspiracy sites that could address each point with sound reason and pictures to boot.
And all my friend could say was.. "I find it hard to take someone seriously when they can't structure a grammatically correct sentence." LMAO... this one thing (which, by the by... is all in the eye of the beholder) was the only thing that he could take issue with? Grammar?
So, I've decided it's time to quit debating the folks that want to debate. What they really want to do is change my mind, and that's all I want to do as well.. point out the errors of their thought process. Which pretty much brings us to a point of having to agreeto disagree... therefore.. why debate?
