Las Vegas Hoopla

Time to tell most of what happened in Vegas:

First we left on Friday, July 3 to go visit some of Jason's friends and have a BBQ. Good stuff. Then we drove to NWArk to visit my family. We got there about 10:30 and immediately decided that Pat and I would go get fireworks. We got a stash and shot them off until about 1am in the morning (late for me). Fun times!! 4th of July we went to the Rodeo of the Ozarks parade 1) because it was cool (literally and figuratively) and 2) because Alex and Emma were in it! The rode in the back of Drew's pickup and waved to the crowd with the Rounders, girls and their horses.

Came home and it started raining so we took naps. Yummy.

That evening we went to the Rodeo of the Ozarks and watched. The nieces were featured with the Rounders, who have a special program for disabled children. So sweet. We finished the night at the rodeo with fireworks and a round of God Bless America with Drew singing at the top of his lungs!! (me too but not so loud).

Alex and Emma waving to the crowd.


Dad with Alex


Drew with Emma


Rodeoing in the Ozarks

Sunday we went to church and then hung out with Dad and watched Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 3D. Cool.

Dad grilled some chicken and, as always, it was terrific!!!

Monday we got up and did all our laundry so we would have enough clothes to last us til Friday and then we headed for the OKC airport. Got there in plenty of time, flight was delayed and then once we were in the air, headed to Denver, no, I mean Colorado Springs, no I mean Denver. Because of thunderstorms we circled around Denver for about 30 minutes and then were diverted to COS because we were running out of fuel. Immediately after we landed we were told we could go back to Denver...not until I use the bathroom, mister!! It was a dire situation for me and several other people.

We got back into the air and landed in Denver with no other problems except that we missed our flight to Las Vegas so we high tailed it to the gate with the only other flight out to LV and was able to hop aboard. Needless to say that we were bushed by the time we crashed at our hotel. The Luxor, by the way...yeah, the pyramid.

A view from our room at the Luxor
(we weren't actually in the pyramid which was good because of the height issue.)

Hoover Dam


Bridge at the Hoover Dam being built to divert heavy truck traffic.
(Saw a Modern Marvels special on this...way cool.)


Typical south Nevada and Arizona scenery.


...and of course, the strip...

Monday we took a day trip to Laughlin, NV. Stops on the way included Hoover Dam and a rinkydink roadside souviner shop but it was fun. The mountains are awesome and I tried to picture the first people out there and how they determined why they wanted to live there. There isn't ANYTHING out there in the rocky desert!

Laughlin, NV was nice. It was on the Colorado River (beautiful), but it was dang hot. I could feel the tops of my toes cooking. We played the slots with about $10 each and Jason got a jackpot of about $100. Awesome! So we went across the street to the outlet shops and did some shopping!

Next day we toured the strip via monorail and scoped out where we would eat that night near the Ka Theater (Cirque de Soilel). We ate Asian food and the show was AWESOME!!!!! I won't even describe it because I can't...awesome acrobatics, martial arts, music and the storyline was good too.

Thursday we got up and ate breakfast, came back to the room and slept, got up to eat lunch and came back to the room and chilled and the went to supper and toured the strip at night. Very cool. We saw the Bellagio fountains and the Mirage's volcano and the gondolas at the Venetian. Don't forget about the Forum Shops at Ceasars Palace...incredible!!!!

Friday, we pretty much got up, got McDonald's and headed for the airport with no incidents!!! Yay! Got home about midnight and now it's back to reality....and the yard...which mocks us and says..."yes, you must mow me every week!! MWWWHAHAHAHAHHAHA!!!!!" Dang.

For more pictures...I will be uploading them to my Facebook account.

Quick note...on grass...

Just a quick observation...today we (and when I say we, I mean Jason) mowed the grass for the first time since our move in date. I found it very satisfying actually. Yes it was at 7am in the morning and it was still warm but I felt like we accomplished something. (I raked grass and other debris).

I used to HATE...no hate is not the right word...DESPISE it when Mom would come in early Saturday morning and say something like "lawn day" or "get up, get up, we need to do some chores!" I don't even know how to describe the irritation in my being when I heard that. Before Drew and Pat were old enough, I had to mow the lawn. We always had lawn mower issues...the issue being there was always something wrong with them. They would not start, flat tire...whatever... We also had a variety of lawn mowers too. Push and riding. I liked the riding...no biggie...except when I mowed under the apple tree. It would scrape my back while I was trying to duck underneath the low hanging limbs...those things were like steel with pointy objects!!! The push mowers were awful. We had a huge yard and mowing would take forEVer!!! And not to mention I get blisters very easily and I would have blisters from holding down the little bar to keep the mower going. (What can I say, I have delicate skin).

So all that complaint to say, I never appreciated the work that was involved and the outcome of having a pretty yard. I hated it then, and not lovin it now, but the satisfaction of saying, "look at my yard! I did that (or my husband did that)." It is pretty darn cool.

More House Pictures

...and, no, not as in that TV show doctor, although I do watch it sometimes.

Spare bedroom


Office


Master bath

Back deck

Cute little shed (matches the house)


Front of home (obviously)


Front door

A Home with a Backyard :)

Jason making a hole for our mailbox!!!

*Sigh* It's so nice to have a home with a backyard. Jason and I were so fortunate to find a house in our price range, rennovated so we didn't have to do much of anything, and lo and behold by some miracle most, if not all, our furnishings and accessories matches the paint scheme of the house and decor in the bathroom. Girls you know what I'm talking about, I think guys could care less. Jason's mom came down last Saturday and spent that day and Sunday with us. Then my mom came Sunday afternoon to help with the decorating. She's a task master...thank goodness for her help otherwise I'd be sitting on the couch not wanting to touch another box or hang another curtain!!!

Several things we did...organize stuff, hang pictures, hang curtains and plant flowers, oh! and took A LOT of boxes to the dumpster.

We hung a lot of curtains and had some mini crises over it. It was imparitive to have curtains in the eastern most rooms because that's where all the light comes in in the morning thus heating up the rooms like an oven. They also are the furthest from the AC unit therefore taking longer to cool down. Our first major investment into "fixing" the house will probably come in the fall when we have to have blown insulation in our attic, wrap the air ducts with insulation and put in two whirlybirds on top of the house so the ventilation will be better. Ahhh, the things we learn when owning a house. I can't wait for our first electric bill. I think we will have to sit down to open it. Our house payment is much lower than what our apartment rent was, but I have a feeling that other bills and "house projects" such as the attic will help offset the savings. That's ok! We don't have to drive 35 minutes one way to work. It's more like 5 minutes!!! WOOT WOOT!

Curtain Mishap Story: So we had to drive to Ardmore to pick up a few things and get some pictures framed that we've been waiting to do for a LONG time...these are things you can't do in Sulphur (or haven't looked yet). The Wal-Mart in Sulphur is very small and doesn't carry enough stock and variety. So on to the slightly better Wal-Mart in Ardmore. We found more curtains that were PERFECT for the living room and dining room and extras for the two small bedrooms. When we got home, Mom was like, "Let's do this thing!" So I'm measuring and drilling holes to anchor the screws and my arm is getting tired. Ok, we got the brackets for the rod in place, now all we got to do is hang the rod. Whoops! The brackets are spaced too far apart and the rod won't reach. There was a small debate on getting a longer rod or just redrilling holes for the brackets closer so the rod can reach. We chose the latter. Mom gave some good advice...if you mess up something, it can be fixed. Fortunately I had some spackeling and filled the holes but haven't painted over them yet. Ok...so on to the new holes to drill for anchoring the screws. Remember my arm is tired? Well I had the drill at a wierd angle and was pushing probably too hard and I broke my drill bit. I was standing on the bench with a horrid look on my face and Mom is like: "It's allright, it's allright, we can fix it!" So after a taking a mental and physical break we fixed it. The curtains in the living room are beautiful. And of course the last set of curtains we hung over the doors to the deck were the best because we were pros by that time.

Some Pics:

Living Room Curtains (apply mishap story)


Looking into kitchen from living room

Dining area

Pros and Cons about living in a small town:

• Con: It's small...I'm definitely used to a bigger city with all amenities...such as a Target...I miss Target AND Bed Bath and Beyond.


• Pro: People are soooo much more friendly here!! The State Farm lady alone sold me on living in a small town. Others in our house hunting/closing have reaffirmed that.


• Con or Pro, you decide: I think in the week and a half we've been here we've seen at least 20 of our students.


• Pro: Commute is awesome.


• Pro: The environment is awesome. It's not flat in Sulphur. It's hilly and has a wonderful National Park with hiking trails. Biking could be a problem...maybe. Two nice lakes that we've found so far. It's got a lot of trees too.


• Con: The name Sulphur... There's a reason for it though. It's because of the sulphur springs (which used to be the city's name). I would have voted to change the name back to Sulphur Springs but apparently the towns folk didn't approve. Yes, it does stink in some areas. Particularly at the sulphur spring near downtown. Too bad the city wasn't named Siloam or Hot Springs...oh well!!!


• Pro and Con: Word gets around...everybody doesn't know everybody, but it sure is close. A neighbor a few houses down from us knew we were teachers when we told him. Scary!!

So that's all I'm going to say about that, except that having a home with a backyard is sublime. However, I wish I could enjoy being outdoors without sweating and slapping misquitos. I will say that my backyard is perfect for having a sprinkler so little girls and boys can come over and play!!!

Living the dream!!!

Well folks...it's official...we've finally moved in to a house. YAY!!!!!! It has been a crazy mess and apparently it's still not over...joy!! Here's how it went down:

We were originally supposed to close on Friday, June 12 at 1pm. Ok. No problem...we were ready. Then a few phone calls and emails later, they called back and said we needed to close on June 17th. (they being the bank) Uh, noooooo....the bank said we could go ahead and close that Friday plus we had to move out of our apartment that weekend! So we sent the bank scrambling and they were able to keep the original closing date. So we go to close and it takes the sellers about 2 seconds to sign their paperwork...we walk in and there's a stack a mile high of what I'm only assuming what we should read and sign and initial...blah, blah, blah... First things first, however, the closing costs. We were quoted a cost and were prepared for that but when she showed us the actual cost it was almost $1,000 more. WHAT!!!! so needless to say we juggled some numbers to bring it down and were calling bank people left and right saying "what the heck?" Well after we did the juggling, "they" said "they" have to redo the paperwork and won't be able to have it ready until Monday. Ok. Monday rolls around and "they" call back and said it won't be until this Wednesday at 10am that the papers will be ready. It better be because the locked in interest rate expires that day!!! And boy did we get a good one!

So closing has been a nightmare, moving was a nightmare...we had wonderful people helping us, but with Jason working half a day and me doing other things, we didn't get everything packed the way I wanted to...that's ok! It worked out and we are moved and it is awesome!!! The house is a mess of course but we now have cable and internet so we're good to go. (Got that yesterday!) I've got the kitchen the way I want it...and the cabinet space is to die for!!! (Probably not but it is WAY better than what we had). ALSO! I now have a pantry for food to be placed in. In the apartment, there was nothing. I had to buy shelves to put the food on and ran out of space so much that it was spilling out to the ground... That's in the past, though!!! Speaking of pantries. I already have a house story.

Yesterday I was rearranging furniture in the guest bedroom and heard a noise and I thought oh, it might be a cockroach or something...I went to the kitchen with the flyswatter and then went to the pantry where I saw some previous movement. Opened the door and a MOUSE jumped out and attacked me!!!! Ok, well, it didn't attack me, it actually ran in one direction and I shouted and ran in the other direction. So I immediately went to Wal-Mart and bought two different mouse traps and some roach baits (you never know). The first mouse trap I used was not the traditional trap but it did snap and sort of hid the mouse once trapped. Cool, I wouldn't have to look at the poor thing when disposing of it. I set two of them using peanut butter as bait, stepped back and watched. Not a minute later Squeaky came up to the trap and stood there. I couldn't tell if he was debating whether or not to get the PB or he was actually eating it off the trap...I was thinking to my self, "Ok, any second, it's going to snap." It never did...so I checked both traps and Squeaky swiped all the PB off the traps without them going off!! Son of a gun!!! On to trap two! It was a glue trap with "professional strength" glue for catching mice. Is there a semi-pro or just regular folks mouse glue I haven't heard of? Anyway, I stuck a bit of PB on the sticky trap and set it down...not a minute later did Squeaky try it and got stuck! I was watching and immediately felt awful. He was desperately trying to get away and squeaking at the same time. I kept on yelling "I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!!" but that didn't really sooth him. So that was yesterday, and the mouse is still alive but stuck and I'm waiting for it to die. I'm afraid if I put it outside, something is going to try to get it and get stuck as well (remember the professional strength glue). So it's still in my kitchen and I check the mouse every once in awhile for breathing. That's my first major house story! I'm sure many more are to come as a houseowner. We're living the dream, people!!!

If ya'll would like our new address, please email me! Hopefully we'll get our new mailbox put up today (the previous owners didn't have one!!!)

Cheers!
Jessica

Well that was dumb: part II

Well, yes I did something dumb...again...no TMI though.

Every spring/summer I look forward to the warmth and being outside. I love it!!! This past weekend Jason and I went to Comanche for Jason's Mom's birthday. Ruth had the boys and so it was a big get together. Devon and Bryce (nephews) had each double header baseball games that Saturday starting at 9am. Well we didn't get there until 9:45 but Bryce hadn't finished his first game so we all cheered, etc.... I wore a shirt with no sleeves and long pants (I thought we would be going out that night). Can you guess where this is heading? Well double headers mean long games and I stayed out in the sun way too long. Was there an offer of sunscreen? Yes...and I put some on my forearms to even out the farmer's tan I was already getting from riding my bike. But I didn't put any on my upper arms. That's where the dumb comes in....Ruth and Cliff were like, you definitely need to sit in the shade, now!! I said ok. I did and so did Jason. Now we both look like Lobster man and woman from Mars. Jason's face is completely red except where his cool looking sunglasses were on his face. The upper portion of my upper arms have tiny blisters on it. Every so often I'm putting Ocean Potion on for soothing purposes.

I texted Ruth to never let me say no to sunscreen. You'd think I'd learn from all the other bad experiences I've had...but noooooooooooo!

The other thing was the wind at the ball field. It was ridiculously crazy!!! The bad thing was the wind was blowing in our faces across the ball field and dust and dirt were flying in our faces. I brought a towel to sit on but I used it to shield my face. It didn't work that well. When I cleaned my face with wet naps there was dust all over...it looked like I had washed off all my makeup...I didn't even have any on!! When we finally got home after 6 hours at the ball field, I was cleaning out my ears with q-tips and in my right ear was literally tons of fine dirt in there. It was so gross!

Anyway...there's another dumb story and I this time I'm paying for it with pain. Stay tuned I'm sure there will be another dumb story coming up soon.

In other news....I've been packing up a storm here in the apartment anticipating the move this weekend. I'm excited and for some reason I like packing. I don't know why but I do... It's because I love organizing, I think. When I was packing my precious pottery, I was reminded of the good old days at the museum in the collections packing stuff up... aahhhh the memories...

June 12th is our closing date, which I now realize is the anniversary of the day I moved into my first apartment in Waco as an independant career girl!! Cool!

Love to all!!!

Well, that was dumb...

Have you ever said that to yourself? I did a couple of weeks ago and I thought it was so funny that I had to share... Sorry if it's TMI!!!!

So, Jason was running errands or something...he wasn't in the apartment. So I was like, great I can go to the bathroom without having to close the door. *ahh, the little things* The only problem was where I chose to do that. The "guest" bathroom is in the main hallway of the apartment. From inside the bathroom you can see the living room and entryway door. So while I'm "in the moment" I look out the bathroom doorway and see that I have conveniently left the blinds to the windows in the living room open. How unfortunate for the persons who walk by and peek in!!! So, I'm thinking to myself, well, that was dumb...

Fortunately for me AND others...no one walked by ;-)

Movie Reviews

Just thought I would give you the low down on some movies we have recently viewed:

Wolverine: LOVE IT!!! It was a good storyline, (although it didn't follow exactly the original comic book story). It was great and I love Ryan Reynolds...he's so funny. Gambit was great although Jason and I both thought he should have been in there longer... And of course Hugh Jackman...what female doesn't like watching him run around buck naked for several minutes??!!?!!

Terminator Salvation: It was interesting. I did like it but it wasn't what I thought it would be. I don't know...we just watched it and I may have to let it sink in. Good effects though!

Star Trek: I saved the best for last!!!! OMG!! It was spectacular! The characters matched the original characters so well, but those who aren't Trekkies...you didn't need to know that. The plot was good and the fact that the original Spock was in it was awesome. The special effects and humor was great!!! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Will be viewing Transformers and Harry Potter later this summer and will let you know what I think. I will probably view Angels & Demons just because I'd like to see the movie version of the book (which I thought was way better than the DiVinci Code despite all the hoopla).

Be on the look out for a trailer for the movie 9 which will be coming out 09-09-09 (go figure). It's gonna be awesome, especially since the trailer has Coheed & Cambria's Welcome Home song in it!!! Check it out here!!!!

Time for an update!

Well, well, well...look who it is!!! Long time no see!! I know, I know (as she grins sheepishly). There has been a whole bunch of stuff going on... and it's been exciting!

Nummer eins!!!! SCHOOL IS OUT!!!!!! YIP YIP YIPEEEEEE!!!

That has been a major thing in my life and now it's over!! Kids' last day was last Tuesday and the rest of the week was just cleaning up and getting ready for next year. I know it's crazy but I'm already looking forward to when school starts and getting to know the kids and them getting to know all the knowledge that I will bestow upon them... sounds good right?!!! :D I really do love teaching and I really do love having a break because that gives me time to mentally regroup and get stuff done that I haven't been able to while at work, which brings be to nummer zwei!!!

House Stuff!!

Yes...we are still in the middle of it. The house inspection is tomorrow at 2pm and then we will be done on our end. The appraisal has been ordered and the title/abstract thing is on the seller's end. I hope we will be able to move around the second week of June. (Cross your fingers)

These are the things I'm excited about in my (our) new house:

• gardening
• grilling
• lots of kitchen space
• a pantry
  
• doggie?
• a yard
• no neighbors above us
• state park with lake just to the south of us
• NO COMMUTE to WORK!!!
  

Other stuff...getting a badly needed haircut tomorrow, dentist in a few weeks, and getting ready for a big trip next year.

I've been put in charge of arranging our 2010 family trip to Germany and Austria since I'm the one that can speak a little Deutsch. I've got it pretty much figured out with packet included. Our major stops include: Berlin, Cologne, Munich and Vienna with day trips from those major cities like Postdam, Dachau, Salzburg, Neuschwanstein castle and so on.... If anybody's interested in the trip let me know and I can give you a rough estimate. We're looking at going in July 2010 around the 8th coming back the 24th. Me and organizing go hand in hand so I've got the trip color coded.

What else...Memorial Day weekend we went to Norman, OK to see the last of Jason's kids graduate when he taught at Norman High School. It was really special...read his blog to find out more information. Then we went to OKC to drop off Ruth's phone she left at our house for a week!!! Then we went to Jason's parents and chilled until yesterday when we came back. I have mosquito bites (but no ticks, thank goodness)!

I had my annual physical - yippee :( Don't worry...I'm good to go. The last time I was at the doctor's office was my last physical last year...I just don't like doctors groping me.

That's about it! I know my last blog was a major downer but I'm good! and very excited about this summer!

And the Countdown Begins...

...until summer break? or to insanity?

Author's note: Don't read too much into this...these are just thoughts that need to come out. Nothing to be worried about... it's life, it happens.

We are on the downhill slide as far as school is concerned and I have nothing to write about. Yeah, the house...whoopie... it's still not finalized yet. I feel like pulling my hair out. Nothing is being done. What needs to be done? I feel all the weight on me...for some reason. No one is saying anything about it.

I feel like crying for some reason...don't know why...I'm blessed with everything I need.

I feel very fat and unattractive... no one is interested in this fact...everyone else feels this way, right?

I need to study for this stupid test I'm supposed to take on Saturday.

I keep forgetting to pay a bill...it's not much money but I can't get home in time to run it to the office.

I, I, I, me, me, me...I feel selfish.

I think people are stupid sometimes...they like to complain about everything and then offer no solutions to the problem.

What's up with the pirate thing out of Somalia? I can think of a few things to fix that! non-negotiable.

I got to see my family last weekend and watch my brother take a new life journey. Yay, Pat!! I love my family!

It's hard for me to do anything once I get home...literally...I want to do nothing...that's why I'm fat.

I don't have a "hormonal imbalance" right now...

I have no girlfriends my age here.

I'm lazy.

I'm the problem.

I have to be the solution.

I am normal.

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I'm probably depressed. I teach psychology, I should know. The worst thing is that I know I am and can't seem to want to get out of it. I mean I do, but don't...does that make sense? It seems like too much work. Why am I depressed? I need to find out so I can work out the issues...did I just teach on this today? Yes. Practice what I teach? Writing about it helps...I can reread it and try to look at it from another perspective.

I could say I'm depressed because:

• Pat's being deployed again
• the state of our youth is deplorable because their parents are deplorable...
• economy sucks and so does my investments
• I'm depressed...wow...how depressing!

So the psychological thing to do is turn those things around:

• Pat is being deployed to a now safer Iraq?
• Not all the youth are corrupt but are exemplary...I should know...some of them are in my classes.
• I'm a history teacher, the economy will turn around again...it always does.
• Hmmm....depressed because I'm depressed...don't see how I can make that positive!

"How do you feel now?"...Sigmund Freud would ask..."better," I would reply.

It's been awhile.

Yeah, I know. There's been a lot going on but there hasn't been any motivation to write about it.

First: We are still waiting on the house thing. All our papers are in order, pretty much. We are waiting on who knows at the top of the red tape to sign whatever paper to increase the limit on income for this very specific loan we have applied for. Right now "they" are saying March 29. Cross your fingers.

Second: almost three weeks ago I experienced my first major entanglement of an Oklahoma tornado. Not the most pleasant experience. Jason and I had to take separate cars that day because I had a PEO meeting in Ardmore and Jason had basketball games to announce in Sulphur. My meeting was canceled due to the potential for bad weather but I came home anyway. I went to Wal-Mart for a few things before I got home then made some good supper. I just chilled on the couch a bit. It was probably a little before 7pm when I started looking at the weather on the web and TV. I wasn't really concerned. There had been severe weather before and it never escalated and it was February for crying out loud. I was tracking the path on the web when I heard on the TV there was a storm chaser in Wilson, Ok which is due west of Ardmore. The guy was talking and all of a sudden he yelled, "Tornado on the ground, tornado on the ground." That got my attention so I listened more closely. He also said there was hail and while he was talking about it a car smashed into his car. They had to go to a break. Meanwhile I heard the tornado sirens come on. Panic mode. This next part may make you laugh...go ahead.

My first instinct when there's a possibility of power outage or water shortage is to fill up pitchers of water or even the bathtub. Don't ask me why but I just do, ok! So I immediately filled up the Brita water pitcher we have in the refrigerator. The next thing I did was think, I better go to the hospital basement (that is our designated tornado shelter). I was a little frantic and almost left with my houseshoes on. I did get my tennis shoes on and make it to my car. It was lightening quite frequently. It only takes about four minutes to get to the hospital but it seem like forever. I was a little worried that I would be the only one headed there. WRONG. The rest of humanity who didn't have a storm cellar was there too. Probably close to 200 people. I found a spot against the wall and waited. There was a lady next to me who needed a cigeratte and I gave her a piece of gum, hopefully to calm her down. I called my Dad to get some info on the path of the storm and also when it was safe to leave. I used my own phone to look it up but of course my battery was dying. Jason's sister called to check on me and report to Jason who in the meantime with the rest of the people at the highschool basketball game were in the safe room at the school. Built specifically for tornados. The only time while I was in the basement, the lights flickered once. That scared me. After an hour, the hospital staff gave the go ahead to leave.

I exited the building and the temperature had dropped dramatically. Was a lot of water in the ditches. I had to step it in to get to my car...brrrrrrr. Still lightening a lot but the majority of the storm had passed the northeast...toward Sulphur. I drove back to the apartment complex to notice that we had no electricity. It's wierd to be in total darkness. I did have my cell phone. It served as my flashlight for a little bit. I panicked for a second when I realized our apartment door lock is electric but separate from the grid. Needless to say I got in. Ok, now what? Ah HA!! I could use the lantern I bought when I was in Waco at a great price! Did I have the right sized batteries? Yes!!! I had two flashlights that had enough. The lantern gave off much more light. Now what? Nothing to do. Refrigerator? Eeek!! I had Jason's ribeye for Valentine's Day in there. I had to save it and everything else. So I went back to Wal-Mart to buy more batteries, ice, and candles that didn't have any fragrance so I could breathe. When I got to Wal-Mart again for the second time that day there were hardly any cars but there were shopping carts everywhere, blown about by the wind. It was really wierd. In Wal-Mart I got what I needed and then went to the book section. Twilight was staring at me, I was going to read it eventually, why not in the dark? I bought it.

Got home, packed as much food in a cooler with the ice as I could and started cleaning. It's a wierd reaction but I was pumped up on so much adreniline I couldn't sit there. Plus Jason wasn't home yet. I did get a hold of him. He was very relieved to hear my voice. You should hear the message he left me when he couldn't reach me, but that's between me and him :D You have to understand something about the weather. Jason is fascinated with it but very cautious when it becomes severe. Me on the otherhand, I'm pretty laid back. I knew that if I hadn't gone to the hospital basement like he would have done, he would have killed me when he got home. My survival instincts got the better of me.

Anywhoo...he got home around 10pm. We couldn't go to sleep so we just walked around aimlessly in the dark, me cleaning until around 11pm. The electricity came on!! Yay! It was a short time to be off but long enough. The food was saved!!! I could take a hot shower!

The Monday after the tornado several of the members of the church we attend were going to help some people in an area that was hit by the tornado that really hadn't been mentioned at all because no one was killed or even hurt that I know of. Jason and I were off that Monday because of President's Day so we decided to help. I'd never seen tornado damage in person and it was definitely a shock. The tornado, in fact, passed north of us about a mile from our apartment. That's where we were going. We helped clear fallen trees from some homes. The devestation was awesome and awful. It looked like a giant had walked through the trees knocking some completely down and some where he just took his hands and snapped them in half. I took a few pictures.

So much for that adventure. I will be better prepared for severe weather next time. We now have a "tornado box" with some essentials like batteries, cards to play with, candles, matches and snacks.

Third: This past week has been pretty terrible. I have one particular class I teach where about half the students work on other things when I lecture or even review for a test. I've talked to them about it, even talked to some parents but apparently I didn't get their attention. This week I had to review for the test for two days. Problems with one entire class being gone the whole hour. Had to give them at least one day to review. Anyway. The class that was acting up, I decided to get their attention by giving them the test the day we were supposed to review. The students who were trying to review got to use their books, the other did not. It upset some of them. Probably because they failed the test. Some of them took it to the principal's office. This was Wednesday. At the end of the hour, when the bells rang both principal and assistant principal came into my room. I immediately felt crappy and the tears came. Now you have to understand something. I do not revel being the "evil one" as I'm sure my students were putting it mildly. But I also cry when I literally don't feel good. It was a combination of both I think. But how can I explain that to two male figure heads. I dont' know if they thought I was just an emotional person or what...needless to say I was completely embarassed. There were no other students with us, so that made it better.

They sided with me. Gary, our principal, knew exactly was I was going through. He had been the exact situation before when he was teaching. No big deal. I'm totally over it now but at the time it was a crappy thing to go through because it didn't end that Wednesday. The reason I didn't feel well was because I caught, apparently the 72 hour stomach bug and not the throwing up kind. Ugggh. It wasn't enough to stop me from staying home but I wasn't eating a whole bunch. I was hungry and nauseated at the same time. Ate crackers mostly until last night. Rice soup. Felt better. Feeling 10 times better today. That's why I'm finally getting around and writing this HUGE blog!!! I didn't realize how bad I felt until this morning when I felt awesome!

I also feel awesome because I finished the Twilight saga. I couldn't stop. So much that I bought New Moon and finished it the day I bought it. I had to borrow Eclipse and Breaking Dawn from one of my students!!! It was a great series. Very different from what I expected!

Anyway. Today is great day! I'm feeling good and motivated to tackle some of the mess that is our apartment. (Jason hasn't felt good this week either).

I hope every thing is well with all of you out there!!

Later taters,
Jess

PS: I'm really excited about these movies: Madea Goes to Jail; The Watchmen :D and 9

Updates and not so Randomness Part 2

Here are some pictures of the house we've been really looking at:

The facade is awesome. Vinyl!! Sage greeny...it's been landscaped. Living room is a tad small but ok for right now. The kitchen is AWESOME!!!! The utility room with washer/dryer is AWESOME!! Bathrooms are awesome with their tile and rain showerheads. Backyard is huge with two decks (one for the grills and one for hangin' out). Three bedrooms, two full baths; 1500 sq ft AND at a great price. Pray that we will be able to find a good banker and interest rate and everything goes smoothly. This would be my first house and Jason's second. Woot woot!!!

All these updates to say we are doing well and there are some exciting things happening right now. We are very blessed with what we have and what we could have.

On another note, I just want you to be in prayer for my family, specifically Drew and Mandy and the girls, Alex and Emma. As most of you know, sweet Alex has had physical problems since birth. She goes to therapy several times a week and has checkups several times a year. Over the past couple of months Mandy and the therapist have noticed that Alex favors her right arm and hand. She draws them up to the side of her body. About a week ago her tongue started pushing to the right side of her mouth and she does have a little bit of a drooling problem. That prompted Mandy to expedite an appointment with Kansas City Children's hospital. The appointment was yesterday where she had an MRI done. The doctor thinks he knows what the problem is and it's probable that Emma has it too.

The doctor is French and they like him very much. He is sending Alex's bloodwork to France to be tested because, so far, there isn't a facility in the US to test for this particular genetic disease. According to Drew the doctor said if it is in fact this very rare disease, it is progressive, meaning it will get worse. Pray that this is NOT the case.

Updates, Randomness Part 1

Well I thought I would first start off with some updates on the past two months.

1. I finished every knitting project I was on (except the ongoing project of the afghan for over 11 years).
2. Christmas, as always, was too short with family. We had a good time and also celebrated Alex's 6th birthday. I made a "present cake" for her!
   
3. I got a bike from all the Christmas money I received (thanks to all who contributed!!)
4. Christmas has come and gone and now I have springitis as well as my students.
5. Jason and I have been house hunting for several months now and I think we have found a house that would suit us... (pictures in the next blog)
   
6. Here are some pictures:

Me with Alex and her knitted presents


Happy/Sassy Emma with her knitted hat



Nephews TC, Bryce and Devon on Christmas Day



Brother-in-law Cliff with his new gun...it was like he was a kid...
he wore it all day around the house



My beautiful bike with awesome helmet. I actually did ride it the other day when the temperature was actually WARM!!!!



New Years Eve picture



Alex's cake Mom and I made for her!

Valentine's Day revisited

Hmmmm....Valentine's Day seems like a cuss word lately. Several people I know have explained why they hate this holiday. Granted it is VERY commercialized, so is every other holiday, but so many people hate this particular one and not the others. I wonder why. Is it because they have no one to love? Or no one loves them? Most of the people that I have heard complaining have significant others, so what's the deal? Should we not celebrate with the ones we love? My most memorable Valentine's day gift was from my father. I remember coming home and there was a big heart balloon standing in the floor. Yeah, standing. It was a heart person. It had legs and feet and arms too. It was soo cute.

Maybe we get so upset is that we have to spend money. Really? Do you? Does it cost money to spend time with the one you love? I have made it clear to my husband that flowers that cost $50 or more is cool but not necessary. I'd be happy with a single rose. I told him that we didn't have to go out to eat, in fact, I'd rather stay in so I can cook him a nice meal. Do I like Valentine's Day? Sure. Do I hope I get something? Sure I do.

What my brain has been pondering is maybe people crave this day is because they don't get any other day. Yes, they may be married or have a girl/boyfriend...but do they feel special outside Valentine's Day? A lot of people say we shouldn't have a holiday to say you love someone and I totally agree but does anybody on a regular basis show they love someone not on Valentine's Day? Do you ask how their day is? Do you do the dishes without being prompted? or fix dinner when not asked? Do you kiss them for no reason? Do you sit by them on the couch when you watch TV? Do you suggest things to do with them? Do you tell them they are handsome/beautiful? It's easy for me to ask if they do those things for you, but do you do those things for them as well?

Just some thoughts while vegging in the tub.

I should be writing about the other stuff that's happening but don't feel like it...maybe later.

Peace,
Jess

Christmas Update

We're on vacation! vacation! So happy!!! Last two days have been semester tests for the students and so it's been pretty easy and consequently I've been on vacation since Thursday. I have still been knitting like a crazy person and think I will have my projects completed in time for Christmas!!!

Got some good news Thursday too. We've been trying to relocate to Sulphur to cut down on some expenses and with Jason's financial situation we weren't sure if we were going to rent or buy. It turns out we will be in a position to buy (at least that's what the bank told us). So we are officially excited and looking forward to finding something that will suit us!!!!

The video you see below is from Friday. We had a Christmas assembly where songs were sung and skits were acted out. My hubby was asked to play a part that only he could play...Buddy the Elf...see for yourself...it was awesome!!!!! the kids loved it!

Bloggin' Once a Month...

I guess that's what I'll be doing...a once a month blogger. This past month has been extremely busy... of course there was Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner, so we've been running around like crazy people here. I guess I blogged about Jason's birthday and that I baked an awesome apple pie and a cherry one. What else...I've still been knitting away. For Thanksgiving we went to Jason's parent's house and I baked a blackberry pie...that didn't last long.

It was nice just to hang out. They live outside of McAlester, OK and in their backyard on Thanksgiving day there were about 20 turkeys feeding. It was awesome. We helped put the Christmas tree up and hung the lights and played with TC, our nephew. Then the day after Thanksgiving we went to Fayetteville, AR to be with my family. That was fun too, except the day that Emma, our niece, tumbled into the rock ledge and busted her lip pretty good. Ick. Yummy turkey and we had a very good time playing Trival Pursuit 80s version. Except the guys won. Nah.... Drew, Mandy and I went and saw Four Christmases. It was pretty funny. The entire audience was laughing and that is always a good sign. We also watched Pat play video games on his XBox 360. Cool. That Saturday night we went over to Dad's and watched the OU game (which we won) yeah!!! and had catfish. yummy.

We finally had to come home :( and get ready for three more weeks of school!!! Yippeee!!! We are all counting the days. I'm actually home today because I'm not feeling so good. Coughing up a lot of gunk...more than you wanted to know, no doubt. Anywho...school is gearing up for semester tests. In the middle of it all, my PEO chapter met last Tuesday for our annual Christmas shindig. This time we made something for a silent auction to raise money for the chapter's projects. I made my first fondant covered cake. It was a practice run before I made Alex's birthday cake after Christmas. For my first time...I think I did a pretty ok job!!! It took me the longest to color the fondant. Wow what a job!! My triceps hurt. You have to knead it like dough but it's a little tougher than dough. I also wanted to make the bow on top just like it was on the box, but that didn't work. See the before and after picture.

I also have decorated for Christmas. The tree is up and the theme is red. I don't have all that many ornaments but that's ok. I'm sort of a minimialist. I did need a centerpiece for the table though. So I bought one of those do it yourself gingerbread house kits at Wal-Mart. The house was already put together, thank goodness, and then I just deocrated it. It turned out pretty cute and perfect for the table.

Last weekend on the 6th, Jason and I went to OKC to the train convention. It was pretty cool. If you are a train enthusiast, this is the place for you!!!! We spent almost four hours there and were starving by the time we got out. We went to eat and bypassed the horse show that was next to the train show :( We ate at 3pm at the Rib Crib, yummy, and then went to see the James Bond movie. It was pretty good!!!!!! Would recommend it!!! Afterwards we went to the Sooner Mall and shopped a little bit. Got some clothes for me and Jason's Christmas present. Then we went to Bed Bath and Beyond for some addtional items. We drove home in anticipation of the OU vs Missouri game. Jason was a bit tense, but I knew we would pull it off. We did. Now we are number one and Sam Bradford is the Heisman Trophy winner and we have to play Florida. That will be a game, fo sho!!!!

This past weekend I went to Ruth, the sister-in-law's house for a girls night out and some Bunco!!! It was fun! I almost forgot how to play! We also had an ornament exchange and I got a pretty wooden cross for the tree AND a light up Santa. Pauline and Archie (parents-in-law) came over late that night to Ruth's and we all played with TC. I slept on the bottom bunk of the boys room (they weren't there). I slept pretty good, actually!! We went and got breakfast and shopping a little bit and found something for Dad. I hope he likes it!!!! Now I just have to find something for Drew...I have NO IDEA what he would like. It's a conundrum. I'll probably ask Mandy for some help.

I am furiously knitting and think I will have everything done. I hope so....

That's about it except for counting down the days until break. Yeah!!!!! Happy Christmas and don't forget the meaning of this season... Jesus.

Hugs and Love,
Jessica

One of those days....

Well it was not a typical day today. Woke up at the normal time and tried to take a shower but there was no hot water!! UGH!!! Yikes! What to do! What to do!!! Brushed my hair, washed my face and put my clothes on. About halfway through the day, I figured out that I'm pretty sure I forgot to put deodorant on. My routine was messed up!!! Give me break!! There is a certain order to what I do in the morning and it just didn't work out!! So I'm dressed and had my lunch ready to go and was going to leave slightly early because I had to fill my tank with gas, which is unusual because normally Jason and I ride together. Not today... Jason had an appointment in Tulsa to go see Metallica in concert and he was leaving right after school. Ok, so I tried to start my car this morning to go get the gas needed and the car was totally dead. I wasn't actually surprised by this because it had happened about a week ago but I was able to turn it over. Jason and I were able to jump it and I drove straight to Wal-Mart to get a new battery. By this time it's about 7:07am. The automotive center is open at this time but not raring to go. I found the correct battery and brought it to the counter and it was like they started moving in slow motion (with Chariots of Fire music playing in the background). Of course time dragged on sooooo slowly and the pit of my stomach and my tear ducts started acting up. I did mention to them I was a teacher and had to drive to Sulphur, which is 30 minutes away...there was finally some progress. I got to school just before 8:45am. Whew!!! The great thing is my planning period is 1st hour so I didn't have any students waiting for me. And thank God for giving me the gift of organization, otherwise I would have been babbling in front of my kids. I was prepared for classes and everything went pretty smoothly.

It started out as one of those days but actually ended up pretty darn good. I received my second ever bonus check. It was a chunk of money too. I am sooooo thankful for it. What I need seems to come when I need it. Go figure!!! Thank you, God! Jason came and checked on me during 4th hour (his planning period) and he was so sweet and knew I was stressed. It's really the little things that count and I realize you can love someone more and more as time goes by. It's pretty amazing!!!

So all I have done tonight is eat fat free pudding, watched TV (including the movie Aladdin) and knitted until my fingers are permanently curved!!! Not really, but close. I have been a knitting crazy person...ask Jason there are needles and yarn everywhere!!!! It's all good, though. People like getting homemade stuff for Christmas, right? They know it's all from the heart, right? Don't worry, those of you who fear you might get knitted socks...I have refrained, however I did think about it! There is a pattern for legwarmers...muwahahahahahahaaaaaaa...

To copy from my sister's blog...this blog really is about thanks...yes, it was one of those days today, but everything was taken care of. I am taken care of and I am grateful. Grateful for God who has laid out my life up to this point, to this hour and has taken care of me this far. Even when I have screwed up. Grateful to God who has given me a husband who worries about me when he doesn't have to and also takes care of me. Thank you, Lord! Thanks for all the family and friends you have laid in my path and thank you for the things that make my life comfortable. We are the luckiest people on earth, here in America and we should be grateful for all of it. There are so many people in the world who don't have anything. We shouldn't complain when our lives get "cramped" due to an unstable economy. At least we have food on the table.

OHHH!!!! AND I got gas today for $20 dollars. NEVER in my life did I think I would be able to fill up my gas tank again for that much. Thank you, Lord!!!

Hugs and Kisses to family and friends...
-J

Politics and a Relaxing Weekend

Well, it's finally over!!! The presidential election is history so to speak and what history it's made!! Because I'm teaching government to 15 year olds, I've had to pay attention this year. Actually, since I've been teaching it, I've become more interested in politics. I still HATE the commercials and watching the debates. I think they are senseless because all they do is throw muck at each other and people will base their decisions on the ads. *sigh* This year I assigned my students a political party and had them research the platforms of those parties on specific issues. It was interesting and then we had a debate!!! One can definitely tell which students share their parents' politics and who has their own ideas and then those who don't give a flip. We also had a mock election using the actual ballot that was used in the election. McCain won by 5 votes. We also explored propaganda techniques that campaigners use on television to persuade you to vote one way or the other. I had groups create commercials based on those propaganda techniques and filmed them. You can see some of them on my YouTube site (I had their parent's permission, of course).

So who did you vote for? This is a very sensitive subject. I respect both candidates very much. John McCain for the huge sacrifices he has made for our country. His concession speech was gracious and eloquent. I hope he is able to come back from his loss and still be able to serve his country like he said he wanted to. When I listened to Barack Obama's acceptance speech, I was in awe. His message was so inspiring (kudos to his speech writers). He also cautioned us that while change is what he wants, it can't happen over night. It is incredible to watch the course of history take place while I'm alive. I believe it will be a good thing. I don't agree with everything Obama leans towards, specifically abortion and stem cell research, BUT I do believe he is sincere when he says he wants change and that he wants to bring the parties together to create that change for America. I also loved watching the election inspire so many people, especially young people to be involved in this process. Electing our first black president is monumental, people!! I thought I would never see this happen in my lifetime. Unfortunately, I hear to many cynics talk about hoping he makes it to January 20th. A tiny piece of my brain fears that some idiot will try to assassinate Obama but I honestly think he'll be OK. I remember when there were rumors of Colin Powell possibly running for president, I thought it was a great idea but I thought he would be assassinated too.

No matter what happens, Obama has inherited a big mess. I hope he can help bring us out of the mire. Remember, he is just the president. He can't do anything he wants. There is Congress - the branch who makes the laws (yes, I know the Democrats have control in both the Senate and House). I voted for Barack Obama after years of voting Republican. I'm not a die hard Democrat either. I vote according to my conscience, not according to party.

Different Subject: This weekend

Last Saturday was Jason's birthday. His parents came down and we hung out by watching tons of football and eating good food. Jason got an email for a complimentary meal with a purchased meal at Texas de Brazil. Yummy. We went there after we got married and it was fabulous. We decided that we would go to Dallas on Friday to eat at the restaurant, spend the night and cruise around town for the day. Angie and I started txting and we decided that the hubbys and wives would get together for dim sum at Kirin Court in Richardson. Yummy. Dim sum is southern style food from China. They bring the food around in little carts and ask you if you want any. Fast food so to speak. HAH!!! But really good food too. It was Jason's first time for that style of cooking. He's warming up to it!! After dim sum we all went to Central Market. This is the mecca for all food connoisseurs. It has hundreds of different cheeses and tons of olives and balsamic vinegar for $200. I know, it's ridiculous but so much fun!!!! Chris (Angie's hubby) is a gourmet cook in his spare time and bought some things for their supper that night. Sounded good. Jason and I bought a couple of items, too. We mainly just followed Chris around tasting cheeses. Yummy. We split up from Central Market (waaahhhh!!!). Chris and Angie went home and Jason and I went to Huffines Hyundai dealership. There has been talk of trading my car in sooner or later for a Hyuandi Veracruz. LOVE IT!!! It's really all about timing and where we'll be in January and, oh yeah, the money. We'll see. We were treated very nicely by the salesman. He wasn't pushy and didn't talk a lot. I didn't get that creepy feeling like I did the time I went to Greg May Honda in Waco. We were just really relaxed and enjoyed the day. After talking with the guy and thanking him for being cool, we headed over to Fry's Electronics with one goal in mind. The new Harry Connick, Jr. Christmas album. When I couldn't find it, I asked an associate and they looked at me like I had something sprouting out of my head. WHO'S HARRY CONNICK, JR.????? The guy really needs to get out of his mom's basement and stop playing video games!!!! He had no clue who it was. That's OK, he couldn't find it either, so we went down the road to Best Buy and found it there. Done and done. We hopped in the car and headed home...and listened to Harry. It is a good CD. Very jazzy and with some traditional songs in there too as well as several Harry wrote himself. (We are on a first name basis).

This weekend has been really relaxing. We had a plan and were doing lots of things but it was on our time schedule and had plenty of time to sleep in and get ready, etc... it was great. Good times with friends and good food. Good times, good times....

PS: Two weeks until our Thanksgiving break starts!!! Yippeee!!!

Lack of Motivation...

...is the reason I haven't written any blogs. I just don't seem to want to or don't think I have anything interesting to say. I guess I can update you on what's been going on though.

September has come and gone. I feel rather pathetic because I can't remember anything. I remember Jason and I gave blood together and going to home football games.

October.

I've been knitting a lot and some of the things I've been making have turned out very nice. They are all Christmas presents and so I can't say what they are so they will be surprise. A friend of mine FINALLY got married and we went to it in Waco. We met Mary Beth, David and Jennifer at Teryaki Park for some really good Asian food. Jason seemed to like the sushi. We went over to MB's house to change and met Jennie and Ben there. I gave Ben a blue crocheted cap for winter. It fit, thank goodness, and he was pretty cute.

The wedding was nice. We BARELY made it. We thought we knew where it was but the Mapquest map was wrong. It was about 2 miles south of where it really was. We walked in, all the seats were pretty much filled up with Latinos. Jason and I sat on the second row. There weren't enough seats for all of us together. The ceremony took place at the Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall Church and the ceremony was in Spanish. There was a lot of reading from the Bible and I could pick out the books and chapters and sometimes verses. I heard the word "pantalones" and laughing, so I assumed it was about Sammy wearing the pants in the family. Afterwards we went to the reception and waited forever. Jason and I had plans to go to the restuarant Edelweiss in Ft. Worth. It was getting later and later and finally we just told MB and the gang to say hello to Sammy and Roxanna for us. There was some discussion of even going to the restuarant because of some disagreements about behavior during the excursion but ended up going. All I have to say about that is you should never use your gender as an excuse for behavior you can control...

Oh, the day before the wedding, Jason and I went to the home game and we won $50 because the program I bought had a sticker in it. The only one apparently. This is the second time we've won. Last year Jason won $100. It was great!! The money paid for our German food at Edelweiss.

After the wedding, we started counting down the days until our Fall Break which was last week. We had two days off. Thursday and Friday. It was a pretty hectic week because we were trying to get our grades in for the end of the first nine weeks. They have gone by pretty fast and will probably go faster until after Christmas. Then it will "slow" down. Looking forward to Thanksgiving already!!!

We first went to Arkansas to see family. I hadn't seen them since July. It was nice and cool and we slept pretty good. We went up Wednesday after school. Thursday we went fishing and I caught some decent fish and watched my two brothers in the boat almost tip over. It was pretty hilarious. When they get together it's like the three stooges but with just two people. They also "claimed" they saw a mountain lion. They may have but I was on the far side of the pond and didn't see it. That would have been cool. We also practiced shooting a little bit. I shot Pat's .45 handgun. Jason and I headed back early from fishing to pick up Aunt Paula from the airport. She was staying for a week because mom was having a minor procedure that next Monday. So I showered and then picked up Aunt Paula. Jason was having a time with his allergies too. Sniffiling and coughing a lot. Later that night we all went over to Drew and Mandy's house to eat hamburgers and have surprise birthday cake for Mom whose B-Day is on Halloween. It was fun playing with the girls.

That Saturday Jason and I went over to Dad's for breakfast and then trekked on over to McAlester to stay the night at Jason's parents. His mom was by herself while his dad went hunting. He should have stayed home because there were deer in their backyard the night we got there and then Sunday morning. It was pretty cool. Came home and took a nap and unpacked and tried to get ready for the week.

I'm frantically trying to get all my knitting done, so I've been sitting on the couch A LOT!!! I do nothing physical so I feel like a fat slob. I did, however, clean the ceiling fans in our bedroom and living room with this handy dandy cleaning too that is washable microfiber. I love it and there is no embarassing dust pileup on the fans or anywhere else for that matter.

Last Friday was our HUGE rivalry football game agains the Davis Wolves. We were 7-0, hoping to go undefeated. No such luck. The game was a literal nail biter. It really came down to the last play. We just couldn't make it over the goal line. It ended up being 8-14, Davis.

This weekend we laid low and did nothing which was fine, but it needs to be colder. I sleep better when it's colder and I was too hot.

Jason and I watched Ironman finally. It was really good and funny. Robert Downy, Jr. pulled it off very well.

Well that's it and we are going to start a new week. I'm dressing up for Halloween as a pirate and then I think I will retire the costume. I've got pirate music to play that day too. The kids will think it's great.

OH!!! I could tell you what my government class has been up to. I'm pretty proud of it too. Because the elections are so close, we held mock elections for the presidential candidates. I assigned everybody a political party to research the issues (they didn't have to vote for that party). First I made them register to vote using the official forms. If they didn't fill it out right, they didn't get a voter identification card. So they had to research the issues for two days and then we held debates based on their notes, and then the next day they voted using a sample ballot the county is actually using. It went rather well. I could definitely tell which students had their parents' political views, who had their own views and who didn't care. All in all it was pretty cool. The final outcome was McCain with 17 and Obama with 12. The last question I asked the kids was this: What if Obama was an Arab American or Musilim? Would it matter?

This past week we talked about how misleading polls can be and what types of propaganda the mass media uses to try to influence you. I had them create commercials based on an assigned propaganda technique and then I filmed them. Some were really great. I will put them on YouTube when I get parent's permission. I'll let you know when they are up!

One more thing...(I'm starting to remember other stuff...). Every five years some of our family goes on a trip for about two weeks. 2010 is the next trip and it will be to Germany and Austria and guess who's in charge? ME!!! I've already started the planning and if anyone is interested in going, let me know!!! IT'S GOING TO BE AWESOME!!!! Think about it!

That's about it...gonna go make some supper and watch Iron Chef America!!!