The Irony ...

The other day while I was at work, a woman came into the store wearing a t-shi that said "Burnettes are going to rule the world". Now as burnette myself I really liked the shirt; however, I must say that I found it extremely odd to for this person to being wearing this shirt since she was very blonde. Now I am sure that she was not a natural blond but I find it very ironic that a blonde would wear a shirt like this. I believe that was leaving herself wide open to be the but of someone's joke. For those of you wondering why blonde jokes exist - well here is your answer.

Merry Christmas from Nibbles

Nibbles was very interested in the whole Christmas thing this year. He loved the tree. Several times a day he would go shopping for his "play toy" from the tree. Christmas balls were batted around the house. Surprisingly he only broke one. The silver pine cones were his favorite. I think all the ones that were hanging close to the bottom are now scattered around the house.

Hedging Our Bets

We have not had any real conversation about Santa Claus. Do we think Meghan suspects. Yes and I am sure that she is trying to make sure that she does not get "short changed". Realizing that she was probably not going to want to do the Santa thing, I did not push about going to see Santa this year.

While we were at the mall on Friday, Meghan asked when we would take her to see Santa. I shocked that she wanted to go. I promised to take her the next day that I opened. Well that Monday. As soon as I was off, we left for the mall. Even that close to Christmas, there was a line. We waited in line close to 30 minutes. We get up to the point were we are next in line and Meghan says she does not want go right now - she wants to come back later. It turns out that the photographer had brought her daughter who happens to be in Meghan's lyrical dance class. This class is the class with the girls that are Meghan's age and a little bit older (a year or so). Once Meghan realized that we were serious that we were not going to come back, she looks me and says she still wants to go see him but she is going to tell the girl from dance class that I made her do it. It took a few tries to get an ok picture but we did manage to get one.

Meghan did prove to be somewhat uncooperative with the taking of a picture. So the girl's mother was making Rudolph talk to me and walk up my arm. By the time we left, I am sure that the girl will not even mention seeing Meghan because I am sure that she was equally embarrassed.

Hope you enjoy the photo.

Meghan's Solo Away in a Manger

Meghan had the first of her school concerts today. They played carols for the school as they left for the day.

Time To Give Thanks

I thought I would create this post before I hit Thanksgiving Day and end up in a sour mood because I have to work:( Now of course I am "blessed" to have job.

Feel free to leave comments for what your thankful for.

Now for what I am thankful for:

1. A terrific husband: I cannot say enough good things even after 13 years of marriage and almost 18 years combined with dating time.

2. A wonderful daughter: She is my pride and joy.

3. My health: I appreciate my good health in a way that I never have before.

4. My parents: Truly supportive about all things and are always there when I have needed them.

5. Being back in touch with my friend Sabrina. A best friend growing up and as with all things, sometimes you lose touch with those that mean the most for you. I missed so many things about her and being around her, and more importantly I missed having her around at some of the more significant points in my life. Both of us being only children, we "adopted" each other as sisters when we were children. If I recall correctly there was at least one teacher we convinced at school that we were sisters. I had always wanted a sister, and Sabrina was it when I was growing up. All my childhood memories include her. Of all the things that happened in my life during the past year, this was probably the best.

6. This has been the year for getting in touch with old friends. I heard from Angie again. How exciting that was. Angie has been there for some of the significant events in my life. She was the one that made Alan and I aware of how old the other one was - not that it mattered at that point. My how her kids have grown. I also heard from Tammy and Tracy. I known Tammy almost as long as I have known Sabrina. I tried to teach her flute once. Tracy was a friend from middle school. It has been great to be back in touch with all of you. Just a sign that true friendship spans the years despite time and distance.

7. My in laws: You can never have too much family. My husbands entire family is full of special people that I think the world of even if I do not get to see them as often as I would like.

8. My Aunts, Uncles and cousins. I have been very fortunate in the family I have. My aunts and uncles have always been very supportive. My cousin Kendra and Mark have also been very supportive in my life. My only regret is that I have never gotten to known my cousins on my dad's side and that I did not have more contact with my cousins kids as they were growing up.

9. Last but certainly not least, I am thankful that I will be an aunt this time next year.

If I leave any other post this week it will be fun frivolous things to make me smile.

Fun Quiz Friday

The Ultimate Color Test

When you are at peace, you are: Giving and unselfish When you are moved to act, you are: Unorthodox and idealistic When you are inspired, you are: Spontaneous and adventurous When your life is perfectly balanced, you are: Philosophical and expressive Your life's purpose is: To find contentment

The Ultimate Color Test

The Rockets Red Glare STS-126

Tonight we witnessed one of the most awesome things about living on the space coast of Florida. At 7:55 pm this evening, we were sitting alongside the road near Port Canaveral with hundreds of other people as Space Shuttle Endeavour hurled from the launch pad and roared into space on its mission. The feelings that wash over you as you watch these lift offs with hundreds of others is indescribable. The lift off tonight is bittersweet as it is among the final shuttle missions - I believe there are 11 left. We are ushering out an era that spans generations as we watched these shuttles lumber into space on their final missions.

The feeling of being that close to a launch is thrilling. I remember the days when the Shuttle program was new and the school allowed us to watch the lift offs on a TV in the classroom. After all these years, I recall the thrill that raced along my spine watching the first shuttle launches. The Shuttle proved itself to be so dependable that over the years we seemed to forget that space flight was wrought with danger. It took the Space Shuttle Challenger to remind us of the danger that is inherent in these endeavours as it came apart before our eyes with school teacher Christa McCulliffe aboard. This reminder resulted in the shuttle program being grounded while we struggled to understand what went so horribly wrong that day. I was in high school when the we returned to space for the first time after the Challenger Disaster. I skipped lunch that day and sat in the school library watching as Space Shuttle Discovery returned America to space. The pride I felt that day rivaled the thrill I felt so many years earlier watching the first Shuttle launch.

We are privileged to live in this part of Florida where we can stand in our back yard and watch the shuttle or rocket launches. We can also drive 20 miles up the road and see and feel the experience the event in way many Americans cannot. My daughter has been able to attend school in an area that does not treat these launches as commonplace events but instead recognizes them as events to be seen/experienced. Since we have been here, Space Shuttle Columbia reminded us that space flight remains fraught with danger and
once again the American space flight was grounded while we once again searched for answers.

Just for Fun

I borrowed Crissa's idea from Geeks Like Us, I think she has a great idea for something to add some fun to this. So I will try to but one quiz type thing each week or some other fun thing I find.

The Castle Personality Test

You are scared of new experiences. It's hard for you to break outside of your comfort zone. You like to think that people are impressed by you. You know that you have a lot to offer. You are a very romantic person. You can't help but see the world as it should be. Right now, stress occasionally makes you feel trapped in your life. You usually have a clear perspective on things though! Overall, your life is calm and steady. Not much stirs you, and each day is full of joy. You are extremely optimistic about the future. You feel like things are always getting better.

The Castle Personality Test

While not 100% accurate, it does have some parts that hit surprisingly close to home.

Alan's Class Reunion

We attended Alan's 25th class reunion this past weekend. It was a real blast. The reunion had a kick off on Friday night that coincided with the homecoming game for the school. We walked down the hall to were the class was meeting in the drama room and many recognized Alan right away. After the get together in the drama room we went to the football game and Meghan enjoyed that part. She is a HUGE Kowboy fan. (No I did not misspell it - that is how this school spells it). I suppose she will remain a Kowboy fan until she starts high school which will make her a Bulldog. (Just what our family needs is another school represented by a Bulldog.)

Saturday night was the formal part of the reunion. First we agonized over what to wear. I have lost enough weight over the past year that I do not have a lot to chose from in the dressier section of my closet. Alan was having issues as well. The invitation said cocktail attire, and we both tried to make sure that we were dressed accordingly. Now with that said let me tell you cocktail attire does not translate very well for a very large portion of the population that is from this area of Florida. So here is what I took away from the gathering on Saturday night. First, regardless of your preconceived ideas about them, flip flops are not just for the beach and really can be worn in formal surroundings. I have also discovered much to my surprise, shorts and t-shirts are acceptable cocktail attire. If you should ever find yourself in a bind as to what to wear to a cocktail event in this part of the country never fear, your best pair of wranglers, cowboy shirt, cowboy boots and cowboy hat will be ok also. So the point here is that obviously we put entirely too much thought and effort into what we should wear.

Getting there was an adventure in and of itself. We went to that great map site on the Internet and typed in where we wanted to go and this was off by miles and miles... So we get to downtown where the site told us we wanted to go. At first we thought we were in the right place because we saw people everywhere that are dressed up. Well there was a wedding, the homecoming dance and some other event all down there. So we stopped for directions and everyone sent us off in another direction. After 30 minutes of this going on, we called one of the event organizers and she told us were she "thought" it was. She told us two of the right roads but missed telling us the name of the one that connected the two of them. Next solution - stop and the ask one of the five police cars that had arrested a whole group of individuals. The cops' response, "Well it is outside the city limits and I have not been there but I think it is down this street and turn on to Kings Highway. Don't worry if it is not down that road because the road ends pretty quick." I do not what you think but it is bad when no one really knows how to find the place you are holding the reunion. The cop was right and we found the Elks Club but the road seemed to go on and on. We apparently were not the only ones having a hard time finding the place. GPS 's could not find it either so we won't be too upset with the map site. The funny part is we spent about 45 minutes lost in the town where Alan went to high school.

Many of you realize that Alan operates in a time zone that has not truly been found on the East Coast. His times usually involve an "ish" which could be any where from on time (in a very rare circumstance) to two or three hours late. Do not despair folks - he is aware of our time occassionally. We were runnng late for both of these events (compared to the start time) and I caught him looking at his watch constantly. I truly find it amusing that he seemed so aware of time in this instance. I was not sure he carried an awareness for time.

I want to give all of you a little history about the high school thing with Alan and I. We spent the early years of our relationship near my high school in Georgia. Alan teased me endlessly about the "Redneck" tendencies of the area I went to school. He also claimed to not really understand how I graduated because he was sure a graduation requirement for the girls was the ability to carry a baby on your hip. We have now spent the past six years near his school. I have found that he was sort of "the pot calling the kettle black". Do you know that his school is out for the rodeo. Yes Internet ... the rodeo. A very little recognized holiday by the rest of us. When he played football the games were played on the Rodeo Grounds. (My school played on a football field and... well that did not help them much but hey someone has to lose.) Whose school has more "redneck tendancies? Alan, I think your school has defintiley won that title fair and square now!! :)

Mom's Surgeries

As many of you know Mom had bi-lateral knee replacement surgery. The first surgery September 23rd was in the left knee and the September 26th was the right knee. The pain has been relatively non existent for the most part. The left knee did not give her any real problems at all. She was able to bend the knee at a an 80 degree angle after surgery without any pain. The right knee gave a little trouble but a lot of it was probably psychological as she had little sleep in the days leading to that surgery. She was released to go home on September 29. She has a nurse two times a week unless she needs her more and physical therapist five days a week. She has some discomfort but some of that is from the therapy. She has a very good attitude and does her exercises without being reminded.

For those of you like me, I was astounded by the lack of pain she experiences. The IVs caused her more pain than the actual surgery. Her doctor is using a procedure that pulls palettes from blood that is taken from you just before the surgery. I have tried to locate something that explains what he does in terms the average person understands but all I found is a site for Thrombin-JMI. I believe this is probably what he does and if you are interested click on the the site. There are videos of her doctor performing knee replacement and hip replacement surgery. Also under clinical data is an article that tells more about it. The pictures in the article are pretty graphic so I did not finish reading it. So be warned that the sight does contain graphic (real life images) images of the knee or hip. I am a wuss and cannot handle the pictures; however, if you are the Discovery Channel type person then you can probably handle it.

October

With the onset of October we begin the three month long holiday overload. As a kid I enjoyed the haunted houses and the haunted hay rides. I am old enough that the early haunted houses I went to did not have the Friday the 13th influence that became so popular with Jason and chain saw. I feel that the quality of the haunted houses went down after this influence. When I was a cheerleader one of our fundraisers was the creation of a haunted house in the field house. I was around my daughters age when I did this, and it still is prominent in my mind after all these years.

Here in our little corner of the world, our local zoo sponsors a program called BOO at the Zoo. They have several activities for the kids and Meghan has enjoyed it every year. She has always had issues with some of the more "scary" scenarios that they have. She barely handles the haunted train ride. Last year I finally persuaded Meghan to walk the haunted trail with me. I thought the whole thing was hilarious and laughed the entire time we were walking along the trail. The high school kids that were doing this were quite distressed and tried even harder to scare me which made me laugh harder. Meghan informed me tonight that she was not going to go with me through the haunted trail. So I am searching for a new haunted trail partner. Of course we have a few weeks left to convince her that it will be alright. I am very disappointed that these things appear to scare her to the point that she will not share the experience with me.

How to Kill Cell Phone With Water

My cell phones and I have had an ongoing fascination with water. So I am trying to figure out the which way I have not attempted to kill a cell phone. The washing machine is the most common form of water based destruction with my cell phones. For reference the Samsungs we have did best in the washer. They came back from the water adventure relatively unscathed. The Nokia's (my favorite of my phones) do not do so well after its water adventures.

I have lost at least one phone by the toilet. I did have help from Meghan with that one. She dropped that phone in the toilet at Denny's. Alan has also managed to drop his phone in a toilet (right after we got new ones a little over two years ago). These were both Nokias and they did not recover.

Recently I dropped my phone in Nibbles' water bowl. This time the phone recovered but it took about a week or two to recover. (This was a Nokia)

Well yesterday I was a chaperon for Meghan's trip to the Indian River Lagoon. Well this was the ultimate water adventure for my cell phone. For this trip we went in waist deep in the water and since my cell phone was in the pocket of my shorts, it went on its greatest adventure and did not live to tell about it. This is water is brackish because the ocean water mixes with the river water at this point.

For those of you interested, we will probably go back sometime to take some awesome pictures. We saw lots of dolphins in the natural habitat but alas my cell phone was DOA and unable to take pictures to share.

Meghan's Award

The award Meghan received today turned out to be from the state for recognition of her score on the FCAT assessment test given this past March. Only two kids in Meghan's class received recognition for their testing and only about 20 students from the entire 4th grade. In order to receive the award certificate from the state you had to score a 5 on either the reading or the right portion. The possible score range is from 1 to 5 with a 5 being the best score. While a 4 is considered to be exceptional, the only scores that receive recognition are the 5s. Hopefully this will encourage these kids to continue to strive to do well and not but unnecessary stress. We are so proud of her and her accomplishments.

Unfortunately we did not get a picture of Meghan because with a last name that far down the alphabet she was one of the last called and was behind the drape on the stage:( We do have a picture outside her classroom but it is not very good because she was being very silly:) I will post it this weekend if it is not to ridiculous.

FCAT Award

Meghan is receiving an award tomorrow for her high scores on the FCAT last year school year. Unfortunately it is truck day for me and does not look like I will be able to attend. Alan will most likely make it and Mawmaw andPawpaw will definitely be there.

A Little High...?

Gas prices are constantly fluctuating and it enough to make you want to cry. With the recent hike due to IKE and the investigations that have been launch in our state over the hike, you would think that the station would be a little more careful about their signing for the price by the road. However, I would like to know who reads this sign and would seriously stop to get premium unleaded here? I realize that the price is probably $4.10 at the pump, but if you cannot get your signing right then you really do not need my business. And by the way both sides of the sign are the same.

Aren't We Cute?

Alan's class reunion is just a month away. How fun it has bee nthis week. We have gone through his photo albums and stuff from high school. Now in all fairness I did post a photo earlier of me in 1985 with a cheerleading team photo. So now it is his turn but to be really fair there is a picture of me at the about the same age. By were my glasses ugly.

Are You Freaking Kidding Me!!???

How is this for premeditation by the gas companies. On Thursday someone I work with called us to tell us that the gas station that a family member works for received an email from the cooperate headquarters informing them that the price of gas was going to go up $1 a gallon over the next three days because of hurricane IKE. By yesterday morning, this information was out around the state. Gas prices have gone up and many stations only had premium left by last night.

Now the reason for this increase in gas was because a refinery was going to be hit Houston. I find this part of the whole thing most disturbing. IKE had not even made landfall at this point and people were still evacuating. At the point this email came down to these stations, the refineries had only been shut down. Yesterday morning some stations were limiting your fill up to 10 gallons supposedly so that it would keep the prices from rising and keep people from panicking. However, by last night they had simply created the panic they gave lip service to trying to avoid. If I ran a business the way most of these gas companies run theirs I would be out of business and being investigated for business ethics at the very least.

Who Knew....

Who knew that going to the bank for the store would ever be a test of your ability to think quickly and react. The bank parking lot is apparently the latest place to test your defensive driving skills. I never knew this until today and due to my job description, I usually am in and out of the bank parking lot 3-4 times a week at least.

Fortunately even though I go for a commercial account, the bank has a drive through lane reserved exclusively for those accounts. This is where the "Fun" began. The vehicle in front of me was F-250 extended cab pick up. That was not such a bad thing but this guy was towing approximately a 16 ft trailer that had a wheel base wider than his truck. Loaded in his trailer where crab traps stacked as high as his truck and filled the entire entire trailer except at the end which had a tub. Now folks if you do not drive a large vehicle, let me assure you that going through here is a tight situation even in my Tahoe without towing extra baggage behind you. After he completed his business at the drive thru window, he tried to pull forward. Suddenly the guy figured out "oh, *!$*" I cannot drive thru, he threw his truck in reverse and began backing up. Fortunately today I was not fiddling with my ipod and was able to react quickly and back up before he mowed me down. The exceptional talent he demonstrated doing this brings to mind a line from an old country western song Give Me 40 Acres and I will turn this rig around. For those of that are mentally challenged - the lanes in the drive through at the bank are apparently not the same size. Yes, the guy tried to go out one of the other drive thru lanes after he finally managed to back his vehicle out. He almost took out one of the teller chutes before he realized that YES THEY ARE ALL THE SAME SIZE!!!!! At this point he was forced to back all the way back out to the entrance of the drive thru.

Of course this could not be the end of the adventures in driving in the bank parking lot. After I finished my business at the window, I pulled out. There is an area at the bank if there are two cars coming at the same time, one car must wait before the other can go around the corner. I stopped to wait for the approaching car to come around the corner. What did the blue hair lady in the approaching car do? She squeezed between me and a parked car to come up parallel to me on my right side.

The lesson from all this is the banks parking lot is a lot more dangerous than you think.

First Chair Honors

Violin at school resumed today. Meghan is one of two returning to the Advanced strings from last year and the only violin. As the only 4th grader in the strings program at the school ( the county does not allow 4th graders starting this year so even the beginning strings is only 5th graders and 6th graders), she retains that special status she has enjoyed the past two years in the school program. This year she also First chair honors.

The Tropics

Well we have dodged Hanna and it looks like Ike will be a miss aw well. Of course I would not have been adverse to parts of Ike as we have an audit this week. Oh well. I have spent the last week trying to get us ready for the audit. Hence there are not any pictures of Hanna sitting off our coast this past week.

I counting down the days until my day off. The reward I got this week for the Labor Day weekend was that I not only had to work the entire weekend, I only got one day off and 12-15 hour shifts. Somehow that just feels wrong. I would be fine about working the extra hours and having to work on the holiday except that as a person being paid salary, I do not receive holiday pay or extra pay for the extra effort. I will gripe a lot about working holidays in the next few months since we have Thanksgiving and Christmas coming. Maybe we will win the lottery and I can quit:)

Violin starts up after school for Meghan on Monday. The school system has changed the rules about what grade is allowed to participate in the school program. So now it is limited to 5th and 6th grade so once gain she will be the youngest in the program. She has one more year of being the only kid from her grade in the school strings program. The bad thing in all this is that she will have another year before she can participate in the all county thing sponsored by the school system.

Getting Back to Normal

Things are getting back to normal as the flood waters have subsided on the streets. There is lots of sand in the road where the flooding was the worst. The rivers in the area are still increasing and many are now above "flood stage". School resumes tomorrow for Meghan.

Friday afternoon as the outer bands of Fay moved through, I was struck by how beautiful the sky is in the aftermath of one of these storms. Meghan and I saw a rainbow that went straight down instead of having the classic arc that is normally seen in rainbows. The sky was fill of the grayish white clouds that were part Fay. The cloud cover that these storms create in their wake have a texture to them that is impossible to define. Normal clouds day to day seem almost one dimensional compared to these clouds. As the sun set in the west these clouds created a swirly vision glowing light through the clouds themselves and shades of pink in the areas between the clouds. Unfortunately I did not have a camera with me and my cell phone with the camera met with disaster with another type of water source earlier in the week and was not completely operational at the time. (Better luck next time)

Meghan in Florida Today

They had a reporter at the BSYO kick off this past Saturday. More than 100 students participated and Meghan managed to get on photo posted on the site. This is the link for Meghan's BSYO photo . Meghan is in photo number 7.

Fay Is Still Here

Meghan woke up this morning and in a very disgusted tone asked why Fay was still here. This is one guest that has most assuredly out stayed her welcome. Fay will not let us forget that while she is not a hurricane, she is still a tropical system and has dumped astronomical amounts of rain. In just under 40 hours we have received close to 20 inches of rain. Much of our area is flooding including our street; however, cabin fever set in so we went out and took pictures to share with all of you. So scroll down and enjoy.



Alan trying to get in his truck to move it so it is not sitting in water.
Our front yard and the street in front of us.

Our street as we returned home this afternoon.

Meghan playing in the water at the foot of our driveway.


This picture is of I-
95 as we went over the overpass this afternoon.

This picture says it all. The first day of school was the 18th and they have had school cancelled now for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

This is the picture of some poor soul's front yard and garage.

Bike riders are a dedicated bunch when it comes their riding. Tropical storms and rain cannot keep them from riding.

A Pounding From Tropical Storm Fay

Fay continues to make her trek through our part of Florida. So far we have not lost power but many streets are flooded around us. Fay has proven to be hard top predict like so many tropical storms. She stalled earlier tonight to our southwest. The prediction on where she will exit the state has changed continually throughout the day. The most recent prediction has her exiting somewhere between us and Vero Beach. Based on current forecasts, she will exit off the east coast and hang out in the Atlantic and be a hurricane sometime tomorrow and then hover off our coast and gather strength before returning to visit Florida again. I hope she does not return to us at for a second time.

Meghan is out of school again tomorrow. Not bad go to school one day and out two. The bad thing is they are using up hurricane days right at the beginning of the school year.

Here Comes Fay

Well Meghan returned to school today but due to Fay churning away in the Gulf, school has been cancelled for tomorrow. What a start to the school year. While as of right now school is only cancelled for tomorrow the chances are high that it will be cancelled for Wednesday as well.

While we actually reside on the opposite side of the state from where Fay is expected to make landfall, we are currently under a tornado watch until sometime tomorrow morning due the part of the storm are expecting.

While we do not look forward to these storms, they have their place in pleasant memories for the time we spend together as a family. Despite the stress of dealing with the preparations and the days without electricity, there is a special feel to those days when the outside world really ceases to be intruding on family time.

Of course, you have not lived until you eat spaghetti that you made on the grill. I was not talented enough in 2004 to make a cake on the grill but one of the people that I work with did.

Gearing Up for School

School starts back on Monday the 18th. Meghan is eagerly counting down the days. We have finished her back to school shopping. I do not think we are missing anything. This year it looks like Meghan's principal in no longer at the the school which is disappointing. This principal knew just about all the students names and faces on site. She seemed to feel that it was equally important to recognize the good or quiet students and let them know she was aware of them and their existence. With a school population of over 1000 students, I find that to be a remarkable feat.

Last night we went to that W store and finished off the one or two things I did not have. We are thinking about letting her take her lunch to school some this year which meant that we had to pick out a lunch box because the one we had that someone gave her in kindergarten she was worried that someone would make fun of her for having. So we are standing on the aisle with the lunch boxes trying to make a decision. I am there with my 9 year old when another group came up. These girls were high school aged trying to justify to their mother why they needed a "character" lunch box while my daughter is asking my help ion locating a non "babyish" lunch box. The irony of the situation did not escape me or the other mom who was trying to get her girls to pick a more grown up lunch box.

Today we went and had Meghan's hair cut for school. This is the shortest that she has ever agreed but it still long enough to handle pony tails, braids and buns. Unfortunately for Meghan, I cannot french braid so she has to settle for regular braids.

With the return of school, we have to return to our very active schedule. Dance resumes on Tuesday. I have not picked up the lyrical shoes that she needs nor have I purchased ballet shoes. (We did get tights) I am hoping that she has not out grown the tap shoe which were a little big last year. BSYO resumes on the 25th with a kick off on the 16th. the school strings program usually resumes the week after school as well. Busy, busy, busy!!

We are down one driver with my mom looking at knee replacement surgery on both legs this fall.

New Picture of Meghan

Both pics taken today in the car

while we out running errands.

How Sweet!!

We just accepted to the invite to Alan's 25th class reunion. I have enjoyed the past few days reminding him exactly how long ago that really was. During this time I reminding him that when he graduated I was just completing fifth grade. It has been great fun (especially reminding him that we have not even hit the 20 year reunion for me:) Fortunately we live near by and will be able to attend the events and return home at the end of the events. It is cheaper for the two of us to go to his 25th reunion than it was for us to go my 5 year reunion. (His is a 2 day event)

Yes I Am Slacking :)

Yes I have been rather negligent in leaving any post. I have found myself falling into an old habit of reading too many books at once and found myself with the problem of preferring to read to "surfing the net". In addition to the distraction of reading multiple books at one time, Alan and I have been working on cleaning out the garage. When we moved 6 years ago the situation was so disastrous that we are still opening boxes from the movers packed for us. Many things we were forced to replace from necessity but there were many things that did not get packed were they should have so there are many things that we are still looking for that simply cannot be replaced. Every few months we go through some boxes in the garage and hope to find those missing treasure. Today we found several treasures in the way of pictures some of these I will post here. The first one is a team photo from 1985 and might bring back some memories for some.

Only Me?

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 1 or fewer people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I guess my parents were closet oboe or bassoon players.

What Does Your Instrument Say About You

I have a kid that works for me that graduated from high school and is getting ready to leave for college in about 2 weeks. The school he is going to was very high on my list when I was his age. Knowing why I was interested in it and knowing some of his interest including the fact that he has attended a camp for strings at this school, I never thought to ask him about his major. The other night when he was my closing cashier, I asked him about what he was planning on majoring and his response was biology - yes I was shocked since I had assumed music. Silly me;)
So as the evening progressed, we talked about the various activities he could do while at school. He plays cello now but has expressed an interest in trying out some different instruments. (of course I encourage that simply because you cannot march a cello)

He told me during our conversation that he thought he would like try playing the trumpet. I almost choked and while I do not want to discourage him from expanding his musical horizons, I was unable to prevent myself from letting him know that he did not have a "trumpet" personality. He smiled and asked my why. Fortunately, he has played in the orchestra and agrees that are certain types of personalities that play certain types of instruments. I explained that trumpet players have a very inflated sense of their worth and ability. Even the worst trumpet player in a band tends to think that they are better than the best players in any other section of the band. They project a certain aura - I am a trumpet player and therefore I am better than you and in case you do not recognize that obvious fact, I will remind you by only playing forte. If the music calls for any other dynamic marking in their, then the composer must have been mistaken simply because the trumpet and therefore me are the most important part of the ensemble. This is not the instrument for the shy and quiet or anyone with doubts about themselves or their abilities. You must be in your face confident for this instrument.

I suggested that he try out the saxophone because the musicians that gravitate toward this instrument tend to have a healthy self esteem while seeming to be a little quirky and are some of the more truly talented musicians in the band. (besides they are woodwinds which make them truly important. Not just in their own minds) Saxophone players in my experience tend to be a little quirky but more concerned about the overall sound of then ensemble and do not have the need to prove their importance.

The drummers tend to be hyper. They know what a good time is and they aren't afraid to be the life if the party. If there is not a party around you can guarantee that there will be where they are. When loud trouble starts in the group, they are the root of it.

The trombone players seem to be that group that never seems to fit in any where and truly would like to be a trumpet player but they do not have the confidence that is necessary to pull off an instrument quite that boldly. A well played trombone is great to listen to but too often there is a huge learning curve to reach that point.

French horns tend to be a little like saxophones. They are somewhat quirky but have a quiet confidence in themselves and their place within the group. However, they tend to be less serious and are not afraid of joining in the fun of stirring something up.

Baritones and tubas tend to be quietly confident people and much like the instrument they play they tend to be the foundation. They are not afraid to push the envelope a little and they do test the boundaries regularly. More intellectually inclined that the drummers they tend to be gravitate toward being sly trouble makers. (The rumble at the bottom) Probably to remind everyone they are there.

Oboe and bassoon players are individuals that seem to be obsessed with proclaiming their individuality by playing the uncommon instruments. They also seem to have issues with competition so choose an instrument that few play so as to limit the competition.

Clarinets and flutes tend to have a healthy dose of confidence. These individuals tend to attack the music placed before them. Despite the the healthy dose of confidence they feel a constant need to remind everyone of how awesome they are and feel the need to compete with the trumpets. Unfortunately neither instrument is capable of out blowing a trumpet. But for endurance you will not find a group better able to outlast the boldly, overly confident trumpet. The worst of this group tends to be better than the best in some other sections. Clarinets and flutes simply because of their music progress more rapidly to more complex type music and truly have a solid reason behind their feeling of superiority.

Now Alan claims that flutes tend to be girly girls; however, I can assure you after having been a flute player for the majority of my life that within the group these "girly" girls are fiercely competitive in a way that is not witnessed in many of the other sections except maybe the clarinets. The is a severe limited ability to tolerate anything less than perfection in anyone. Flutes and clarinets both tend to bring along music other than the group music to warm up with and this music is chosen carefully for its ability to intimidate those around you and showcase that you are more than the group as whole. As my high schools' football team found out before a game, the flute section might be among the most physically combative.

I have left out the strings but then I do not have the experience to identify them completely. From my observation thus far through Meghan. Violin tend to be much like flutes and clarinets with a dose of my instrument is the best. Violas seem to follow the oboe and bassoons for the need to shout their individuality. Cellos seem to fall in close to the saxophones and the bass seem to follow the path of the baritones and tubas.

So readers, please leave comments based on your own observations and experiences.

The Loss of Individual Identity

As a wife and a mother, I have found that my individual identity has become less and less a part of who I am. Up until the the time we moved to Florida, I was Jini and had an identity that was all my own. Once we moved, I began loosing my identity. Alan's job made him very "popular" and everyone in town seemed to know him.

The past couple of years have prompted the final erosion of my individual identity. More and more I am now simply known as Meghan's mom, or aren't you the mother of the little girl that plays violin. It is like the final bastion in motherhood or maybe even the greatest accomplishment of motherhood to cease having an existence outside that of "the mom". I am very proud of everything that Meghan has accomplished; and I am extremely proud of the young lady that has the potential to become. I find it ironic that as females we spend our life trying to find our own identity, only to find that the real satisfaction in our identity comes from being identified through our child and their accomplishments.

Gee another one already?

Well today marked another year on the calendar for me. My family was great. I had a Winnie Pooh cake :) complete with the right number of candles:( How hot that cake was. By the time they had all the candles lit and brought it to the table, several of the candles had melted almost all the way down. Boy was that one HOT cake.

For gifts there were lots of Cherished Teddies and Mary Higgins Clark's new book. This is a traditional birthday gift from husband; he remember in spite my forgetting to put it on my wish list. While the gifts are terrific and I am thankful for family that remembers these occasions, the unexpected in many ways becomes the best gift. I received an email today from my best friend growing up wishing me a happy birthday. We have just been back in touch on a regular basis for the past few months and her email remembering my birthday was so unexpected that a brought a smile to my face. (It also reminded me that she is still older than me:)

Now that we have covered all the great stuff about birthdays, I must say that with every year that goes by they seem to become more reflective and in many ways just another day of the year for the most part. I have had real hard time this year being excited about anything in relation to my birthday.

Mrs. D

I have a customer (Mrs. D to protect her privacy even though I do not think she will stumble upon this site) that calls every so often with all kinds of the things that bother her. It started out concerning a check or charge payment that was made while she was in the hospital. I am not sure what her full story is, but I listen to her ramble on about the ills of the world and her current symptoms. I feel real sorry for her and I take the time to let her talk. I wish I was so saintly as to say I am actually listening ( I don't think she really expects me to)but that would be untruthful. I let her talk and get it out of her system. I have been reprimanded more than I care to think about for taking the time to let her talk ( and some of our older employees that live alone), but I cannot just hang up on her (nor can I walk away from them when they seem to need someone to talk to/at). She seems like she is lonely and seems to content to just have someone to talk at.

I wish the person that fusses about me allowing her to talk would think about the fact someday that might be her or someone in her family. I think about that and hope that if someone close to me needs that outlet that there will be someone there to take the time to even pretend to listen. Mrs. D called me three times today and even though I was very busy, I tried to let her talk. Will I get any kind of pat on the back for trying to be sensitive - well no, but I can take away a feeling of satisfaction that for a few moments I made someone feel better by being there to listen. (okay I pretend to listen) Maybe if we all did that we would make the world a slightly better place.

"Hey Ya'll Watch This"

Happy 4th Of July weekend!!! If ever a holiday begged to be subtitled "Hey ya'll watch this", this is the one. After living in the south most all of my life, I can tell you a holiday that involves explosives, alcohol and hill billys/rednecks has all the ingredients necessary for hilarious, ridiculous, reckless, stupid, and down right funny behaviors to occur.

I do not know what the laws are in your communities concerning fireworks, but where I grew up they were strictly prohibited. If the local law enforcement community discovered a stash before the 4th, it was confiscated and added to the arsenal for the public display. Since you could not get fireworks in the state and had to travel to neighboring states to purchase fireworks ( at least 1 1/2 hours ), it was not a law that was really hard to enforce in our area. I will say that we had some of the best displays I have ever seen. However the best ever title belongs to the fireworks display I saw was while at a band camp in Maryville Tennessee.

Now with that said, imagine my shock when we moved to Florida and some types of fireworks are legal to shoot. What is legal varies from city to city. However, due to the recent fires and the fire danger still being high, our area begged people to attend the public displays and refrain from shooting their own. Apparently the instructions were not explicit enough for the redneck/hill billy's because this year they brought their fireworks with them to the public displays. Before the city started their display, people were setting off fireworks less that 50 ft away from us.

As you can imagine with large groups of people gathered in an area there are lots of opportunities of "Hey ya'll watch this" waiting to happen. Unfortunately none of the possible incident's completely unfolded. But here are just a few of the possible scenarios that we had. There was the family of women that resembled female Sumo wrestlers. The younger one climbed into the back of the family pick up truck and that display was enough to let you know that some people should not wear hip huggers. After being in the back of the truck for a while she apparently decided that was not where she wanted to be and began the very amusing (at least for us) process of attempting to get out of the back. We had visions of her going splat on the pavement. Much to our disappointment, she managed to get out without bodily harm to the truck (or to herself or her hip huggers). Then there was the older "sister" that was sitting on a beach lounger that was sagging precariously. Again another lesson that there are somethings that some types of people should not do. She managed to get through the entire three hours without the seat collapsing with her in it (again much to our disappointment). And last but not least from this group was the mother. She brought along her own fireworks entertainment in the form of some kind of sparkler but not the kind on the stick. In true redneck form she burned up 97.6% of them before it was dark. She also provided us with a fashion don't by wearing a mid riff baring tank top. When she became bored with her fireworks, she went to the car and got a wheel chair out to sit in. That in and of itself was not bad idea but the chair was not designed for someone of her rather large size. The buttons on the back were decidedly stressed even from our distance of approximately 30 feet away. We had visions of dodging popping buttons/rivets at any moment. The next group of note had two girls younger than Meghan. They were setting off a pre - city display of fireworks in the parking lot redneck style. They were around 50 feet away and having a grand time. Some members of that group were more plastered than the group at the bar 200 feet away. Then was the near skateboard/bike collision.

Just a few hours earlier the lawn service truck backed their lawn mower off the the trailer and jump started the truck with it. (In front of the auto parts store) A very true redneck moment.

Now being a southern girl myself, I did my own version of the "Hey ya'll watch this". A couple girls that Meghan knew showed up and sat near us. The girls all started trying to turn cartwheels. Well it felt like a dare and the southern in me could not resist. I showed them up and started turning cartwheels with them in our part of the parking lot. The one little girl was impressed to find that adults knew how to do cartwheels. She tried to get me to do a one handed cart wheel and a front handspring. I managed to avoid that dare and keep the southern in me tightly reined simply because I have a healthy respect for my body or maybe just a real lack of desire to see a hospital again anytime soon as a patient.

While watching and observing all this, I learned that my husband can be almost as catty as a woman. (my mom defends him though and says he was simply being amusing) So the next time he attempts to tell his mom and I we are being catty, I will remind him of his own cattiness might actually make us look more like "kittens".

Also for those of you that want to annoy Alan, the Small World song and Pac Man Fever are not the only ones to use. ( Bryan if you still have a copy of Pac Man Fever I would sure love to have one also.) The theme song from the ice cream truck(Turkey in the Straw) will do the trick nicely as well. The ice cream truck parked behind us for about 2 hours playing the song over and over and over...!!

On the way home, we took fire and Alan was looking for air support as the rednecks continued firing off their personal arsenals. One salvo fired directly over his head. The worse part was all he saw was the glow - he did not get to enjoy the actual display.

The best "Hey ya'll watch this" came from Kelli today - down the street from her they managed to set the displays off spectacularly into the side of a car. Of course that could have had better results besides a huge dent:)

We are gearing up for another simulation of living in Beirut until well after 2 in the morning. Despite pleadings from local officials to please enjoy the public displays of fireworks, the "hill billy's" were still out in force with their own displays and will remain so for the weekend. The catch here was before we became homeowners, we thought all of this was kind of cool (after all we are southerners), but now we are more concerned about our property than the coolness of it all.

Oh and Frank, we all missed you even though you called and we still have your roast beef sandwich waiting for you.

For those of us that are southerners we tend to think that the hill billy and redneck titles are exclusive to us; however, I can assure after living in Florida for 6 years, the terms redneck and hill billy do not know geographical, regional, national or ethnic boundaries.

Hurricane Jeanne 2004

While I enjoy the storms that Mother Nature sends, it does not hurt to remember the fact that she remains a force to be reckoned with as this picture taken 12+ hours after Hurricane Jeanne made landfall in 2004. This is the street we live on - poor dog.

Clouds

Like any place you live there are many great things about the place that make it unique. For me I find the sheer beauty that can be found to awe inspiring. I enjoy the phenomenal sunsets that we see. I understand the sun rises are equally impressive but I am not usually in a good place to witness those. And days off - I am the only truly morning person in this house. The rest of my household thinks mornings are highly overrated and are content to sleep til noon. (anyone that knows my husband well is aware of his penchant for sleeping late. My daughter does not fall that far from the tree. Even the kitten thinks mornings are overrated so needless to say, I see very little of the sun rises. I love the ocean and the way you can feel the different moods of nature by standing on the beach.

This time of year here in "sunny" Florida is not for the faint of heart. ( For the uninitiated, this time of year sunshine tends to be in a liquid form by afternoon) If Mother Nature in all her stormy glory scares you then you might not want to be here. Me - well I find the storms to actually be soothing and awesome to watch. Unless of course that lightening strike is a little too close - I have a healthy respect for the her abilities and power. While I enjoy the storms in all their fury, I can do without another up close experience with hurricanes for a little bit longer.

This of course brings us to the reason for this post and that is to share some pictures of storm clouds that where in the area today when I was at work. They were moving so fast that the most dramatic views had moved before I remembered that I have a camera on my cell phone:) So enjoy the photos and will try to remember to take more as the rainy season progresses here in the "Sunshine" state.

The Wait is Over

Well folks, we finally are up to date. We not only have cable TV again for the first time in 6 years. (Amazingly there are new History Channel episodes. YEAH!!!! Now for me the even better part of all this is the broadband internet connection. They will be back out tomorrow to make some adjustments since the cable is not working very well in the living room. Too bad I have to no more days off until next Tuesday:( But that is another post entirely. While I am in the I hate my job mode, I will wait til I am truly pissed off or more completely pissed on to make that post. I am sure that someone will find it entertaining and make them very thankful for their jobs.

Another Countdown

We are in the official countdown to cable and broadband for the computer. We have decided that almost six years without it that maybe it is time to get it again. I am looking forward to upgrading our internet service. So anyway, the cable company will be here on Tuesday to install us. Meghan is trying very hard to lay claim on the big TV in the living room - NOT GOING to happen!! Daddy says that one is his - so then she tried for the smaller 42" in our bedroom -still NOT GOING to happen. She claims her TV is too small. My response - be thankful it is color and 13". My TV at her age was black and white and 9". We were thinking of letting her have the 19" TV in our guest room but we might have to make her wait awhile now.

Wii challenges

For those of you keeping track, I have fallen behind in the bowling challenges; however, I am now in 2nd for the Big Brain challenge. The furrent standings are listed on the right side. Yes the are scores such as B minus minus. I guess that means .... better than C++ ... but not as good as B -. I don't know... seems kinda odd but I will won't strain too much trying to understand since I am ahead of that.

Time Moves On

Tomorrow afternoon my cousin's daughter will get married. Sadly, we are unable to afford to fly up for the wedding. I would like to have gone but between work and cost to fly, I could not be there. I feel almost as though I am letting my cousin down. She was there for my wedding and except for my parents she was the only family that I had at my side when Alan and I were married. I know that there will be plenty of family there and my presence will not be missed.

I spent a couple of summers with my cousin and her husband when I was in my pre-teen years. Unfortunately, I was too young when my cousin's daughter was at the same age I was then to recreate the same experience for her.

There are lot fewer years between my cousin's daughter and me than there are between my cousin and I. I remember when I found out that my cousin was having her daughter and how excited I was awaiting the news that she had arrived. I remember shopping and getting a huge box together to send to them. I was a little younger than my daughter is now. Being an only child, I looked forwarded to doing things with her as she got older. Unfortunately, those things never happened. The travel distance was too great. Add to that, I am horrible at writing letters. No, it is not really the writing letters part that I have a problem with it is remembering where the address book is and actually putting it in the mailbox. I guess bottom line while I was busy growing up so was she.

Despite the things that we did not get to do and the time that passed while we were both growing up, my cousin's daughter will always have a special place in my heart. So with that said, I offer these hopes for her:

1. I hope that the man she has chosen has proven himself worthy of the "little girl" that I hold dear in my heart and memories (yes she has grown up but I remember the little girl I spent a couple of summers with that thought Shamu was the best thing)

2. I hope that she finds the same contentment and security within her marriage as I have found in mine

3. I hope that he is at least half as terrific as my husband

Most of all I wish for her complete happiness. I really regret that I am not there to wish her in person all these things.

Walking

In order to supplement all the good that our dance class did for us, we have taken up walking along one of the local causways. ( we have at least 2 more months before that starts back up if it is offered again). We walked about 3 miles today with this. Alan and I had absolutely no problem making the walk; however, our queen of dance had problems making the trek. We will get her built up so that we can make the walk from there to the beach and back. While we were walking, it struck me how beautiful a place we live and how lucky we really are to live somewhere like this. I will have to remember to bring one of our digital cameras along with us on the walk. The cell phone does ok but its not as good as the a real camera. Of course while I am on the subject of the beauty of the area we live, beauty does have its short comings namely in the name of hurricanes.

The picture was taken on our way back (when I finally rememeber that my cell phone had a camera on it) . Our car is parked on the other side of the bridge that you see in the picture. Meghan was not a happy camper at this point but she did recover quickly and run part of the way back.

Bok Sanctuary Pictures

The other day when I was flipping through the pictures on here I realized never I had gotten around to leaving a picture of the Bok Sanctuary in Lake Wales Florida. This is a truly sad oversight on my part because it was a truly beautiful place.

The door to the carillon is a made of brass and each panel depicts part of the story of Genesis. Unfortunately, the gate were closed so that you could not get real close to the to see all the panels. I could have gotten a better picture with a larger telephoto, but mine just does not reach far enough. I guess that will be our next savings goal. Anyway this is a lovely place and is worth a visit if you are ever in the central Florida area.

Wii Big Brain

Well for those of you tracking the progress on on our Wii challenges in pur husehold -here is an update!! I still hold the record on bowling and am the person to beat in that category. I moved from third on Big Brain to second. I am right behind Alan. Maybe I can catch him tomorrow!!!

Meghan has some Pokeman game for the Wii that she plays as often as possible. I judt do not get the whole Pokeman thing. I hope this is something that she will outgrow soon. It drives me crazy since I do not understand the point or attraction.

Meghan's school solo

FINALLY - the long awaited video of Meghan's solo in her school concert.

This was only the third time that she played with the piano accompaniment. Due to the fires that we had the week before she and the music teacher missed rehearsing together as much as was planned. She is performing Angel of Music from Andrew Loyd Weber's Phantom of the Opera.

Wii Fever Continues

The Wii challenges continue to dominate our home. It is now the wii (ha ha) hours of the morning here and Alan is still playing. I got off work at 10 pm and have not been able to play yet. I remember hearing the competition is healthy - I guess whoever said that had yet to encounter a Wii or maybe did not have the competitve drive that the three of us have. The good news that I am still top dog at bowling but the purchase of Big Brain Academy has assisted in that I am sure. I hold a couple of top scores on Big Brain but fewer than a couple of days ago.

Must see if I can get the controller. MY TURN!!!!!

The Wii challenge

For those of you helping me keep track, I still reign supreme in bowling on Wii sports. The Wii fit challenge I do not fare as well. I have not yet mastered a good strategy for the tennis and I had not even tried the baseball yet. Guess what was on the fitness test. Bowling ( which I smoked my competitors), tennis (which I struggle with) and baseball which was not a favorite of mine in school and I had yet to do when the gauntlet was thrown down for the fitness test.

If we do not have enough competition happening in this house, we bought Big Brain Academy for the Wii. After the initial test I am third but on the two of the practice things I hold the record. Now Meghan had the Big Brain Academy for DS and my mom and Alan compete on that one. I do not like that one as well as Brain Age for DS. ( yes both 1 and 2)

Must go now to uphold my scores and create new ones to beat:) Wish me luck - I do so hate to lose:(

The National UDT-Seal Museum

Truly a tribute to the work this group has done. The website for this museum is http://www.navysealmuseum.com/

Jupiter Lighthouse

At least you can still take a picture of this enven if it is closed.

You can view the website for this location at http://www.lrhs.org/

Being Tourist In Our Own Backyard

What a great week this has been. Meghan's dance recital went well, Alan's parents made it here for the recital and have spent the week with us. This is the first time since we moved to Florida that I have managed to be off the during the time they were visiting, so we did "touristy" things.

Monday was the start of Alan' s time off. We attempted to go to Ft Pierce and visit the UDT - Navy Seal Museum. Alan is a huge history (military history in particular) buff. The Ft. Pierce area is recognized as the birthplace of the SEALS. Unfortunately for Alan we arrived only to find that it is closed on Mondays. We decided that we would continue down the coast to the see the Jupiter Lighthouse. Guess what? That is closed on Mondays as well. So we started out the week feeling a little like a scene from a National Lampoon movie. The day was not a total waste since we took a ride along A1A to get to these places. The views from A1A a magnificent; and its a good way to get in touch with all the beauty that is uniquely Florida.

Tuesday we tried again on the UDT- Navy Seal Museum and this time IT WAS OPEN!!! Alan has wanted to go to this museum since before we moved to Florida. He really enjoyed the museum. I found myself pleasantly surprised by the museum. It is right on the beach and while we were there they had a "summer camp" group of kids that it looked like they were going through a mini BUDS type training program. The were many neat displays in the museum and the grounds were covered with boats and sub type devices that were all a part of the UDT, Frogman, SEAL legacy. The greatest thing about this was to read the information on the displays and have it reinforced about how great American ingenuity is when it allowed to flourish and come up with solutions that are outside the box. I believe the reason the WWII generation is remembered for how great it was is because they allowed to simply analyze a need set forth to do what is necessary and without the overwhelming emphasis on being politically correct. The push to follow this dictate hampers our generations of Americans ability to set about solving the challenges put forth to it.

Wednesday the gentleman in the group humored my mother in law and me and took us to Bok Sanctuary in Lake Wales Florida. This was home to the first Carillon in Florida. It was built upon Iron Mountain which is the highest point on the Florida peninsula. They believe that this part of Florida was never underwater when the rest if the area was. This is called the ridge area of Florida which is believe to have been an island chain that existed before the peninsula emerged from water. The gardens were gorgeous. There were lots of places to sit and relax as you strolled through out the grounds. The carillon (Bok Tower) was beautiful. The bells rang out music every hour and then we were able to listen to half hour concert.

Meghan's new Wii was hooked up so we also spent time with Wii sports. I am enjoying the fact that currently I am out bowling everyone else in the family. It won't last long since I really stink at bowling. Alan usually is much better than I am but he has not quite beaten me.....Yet.

My in laws are leaving very EARLY in the morning to go home. We are attempting to go up the coast to see the shuttle land in the morning. We had a really great time being "tourist" in our own backyard.

There is lots around us to enjoy when we take the time to look. I believe we will take several days this summer to do short day trips. It was great to spend time with family without the need to go rushing off to other commitments.

As I have time, I will post pictures of the week as individual post.

Meghan

Meghan and I went to the mall yesterday to go to Limited Too to cash in her $5 coupon for her report card. She picked a new Webkinz. (like she really needs another) She picked the new Pink Googles. While we were at the mall we found out that the pet of the month for July is the Cheeky Monkey which she has but has not yet registered. So it will be registered next month.

While we were there she decided she was ready to get her ears pierced. Of course my mom was unimpressed because she does not like pierced ears. ( I was 19 before I had my ears pierced, because she would not allow it. It was my point of rebellion.) She is ready to begin shopping for earrings but as I have reminded her, 6 weeks is a long time.

Wow!! I haven't posted in a long time!!!

I cannot believe how unattentive I have been to the this. Since my disatrous attempt to put video of Meghan with her violin solo at her school concert. ( I still plan to post it ) Since that date, Meghan has finished school for the year. She made the A/B honor roll for this last grading period (she was devestated over her 1 B) but she made the A honor roll for the entire school year. She is done with school until they return in August. My how time flies, she will be in fourth grade this year.

The dress rehearsal for the dancde recital went very good. Meghan had picks done in all three dance costumes and her school concert dress and violin. The dance recital went well also. I will try to post some pics. I think maybe I can handle that possibly (ha ha). Meghan was apparently upset with one of the girls in the hip hop class during the performance. I understand that she was upset looking during the performance like she was going to cry or deck someone.

Alan's mom and dad are here with this week as we are on vacation for the first week that she is not in school. We have had a really good time although there are plenty of instances that will provide fodder for this especially Monday.

The Last Concert of the school year

Tonight marked the last concert of the school year. Meghan performed her solo at the day time demonstration concert for fourth and fifth graders and again at the evening concert. The afternoon performance was a resounding success. The most amount of applause was for her performance in front of her peers. The appreciation for her performance shown by her peers astounded the music teacher as well as she was still talking about it when we returned to the school for the evening performance. Three of her friends showed up for the performance tonight.

This was the first time that we have seen Meghan show any sign of nerves for a performance. Unfortunately it effected her a little bit. Hopefully tomorrow I can put some of the video up. Of course tomorrow is the the third grade writers tea.

BSYO Article in The Sun

An article about the BSYO was printed in The Sun which is a local newspaper. Meghan is in the strings ensemble and is a third grader.

Introducing Nibbles

We have a new pet at our house. He is a very intelligent kitten that is approximately 6 months old. Meghan has all the responsibility for him. She makes sure he has food and water and cleans the litter box. When she leaves a room he stops to see were she is and see if she is coming back. He is very playful and does not sit still very long for all the cuddling that a 9 year old little girl is interested in providing. That will change as he calms down a little.

He does not seem to like other cats. My in laws are coming the beginning of June with the lab so we will see how they do together.

The picture is of him on Meghan's Hilary Duff comforter.

Fires Nearby

For those of you that are aware of where we live, recent reports on the news may have caused you to question what our situation here is. We were about 8 to 10 miles away from the brush fires. The only danger we faced from all this was smoke in the air and the fact that these were arson related and the arsonist was not caught until yesterday. We saw fire trucks from all over Florida as assistance from across the stay poured into our city to help fight these fires. It is sad to see on the news peoples homes burning but it boost your faith in people to see the overwhelming out reach toward these people. To see people assist those in need is mighty powerful thing. Fortunately, none of our friends faced any problems from the fires.

Meghan missed 2 days of school because of the fires. We will see if that has any effect on the last day of school.