Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

I'm No Bowler

Apparently I suck just as much at pumpkin-cat bowling online as I do at ball-pin bowling in real life. I guess I can cross "Become a professional bowler" off my list of goals in life.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Weekend in the Twin Cities

My husband and I spent the weekend with his parents in Minnesota. Here is a little re-cap.


SATURDAY
The ride to the Twin Cities was quite amusing. My husband, when not driving, acts somewhat like an 5-year old who just inhaled a pound of sugar. For entertainment he used my broken shoelace to spin his wedding ring around in circles. Of course this only lasted two minutes or so because he had other activities to get to. When our children are diagnosed with ADHD, we'll both know where they got it from.

We checked into our hotel to find little square pillows the size of my father-in-law's head. I thought they were quite cute and in the hotel's defense, they did provide two per person.

The afternoon and early evening was spent at the Mall of America. While shopping is not really my thing, I always enjoy browsing the specialty shops and eating foods I normally don't get to have.

SUNDAY
Sunday's event was the reason for our trip: the Minnesota Vikings vs. Philadelphia Eagles game. Football is BY FAR my least favorite sport and the one I know the least about but what can you say when your father-in-law offers you free tickets? (Yes is the correct answer here.) Despite the fact that I couldn't even follow the ball or understand any of the calls made, the game was enjoyable. As you can tell from our jerseys, we were not there supporting the Vikings. My father-in-law is originally from Philadelphia so our family was cheering on the Eagles and I'm happy to report that they won.

Friday, October 26, 2007

Chocolate Gum

Today was the end of my school's first quarter; only three more to go! I hope they all go this quickly!

I was passed by a Sara Lee truck on the way to school this morning. I'm not sure what the company is trying to prove, but I'm sticking with the "Nobody does it like Sara Lee" slogan no matter how many times they park near my car or pass me on the road.

I caved and bought a pack of Bubble Yum's chocolate gum. It was not everything I hoped it be, but everything I feared it would be. It smells like chocolate but tastes like cardboard. At least Bubble Yum tried. I'm going to give them points for the attempt.

Monday, October 22, 2007

Sara Lee

I always thought the slogan for Sara Lee was "Nobody does it like Sara Lee." This morning when I pulled up to the school, there was a Sara Lee truck in the parking lot and written along the side was "Nobody doesn't like Sara Lee." I talked to my husband when I got home and he also thought the slogan was "Nobody does it like Sara Lee," too. Apparently we were both mistaken.

I eat Little Debbie.

Sunday, October 21, 2007

60th Wedding Anniversary

My husband and I joined my father's family this weekend to celebrate the 60th wedding anniversary of my grandparents.

The afternoon began with an open-house for friends and family to come and congratulate the couple (let's just say there were dozens and dozens of treats and while the self-control theme was in my mind, it was not registering with my mouth). After the open house, we went to mass and then out to my grandparent's farm for dinner. It was a nice celebration and a great deal of fun seeing relatives that I hadn't seen since our wedding.

My grandparents are amazing people. They have experienced a lot together in their 60 years - much more than I could ever imagine. My grandfather has eaten 60 years of my grandmother's amazing cooking and my grandmother has listened to 60 years of my grandfather's crazy jokes. They have raised 11 beautiful children and spoiled 23 grandchildren and 5 great-grandchildren. The dedication they have shown for one another and their family is truly inspiring. I have been truly blessed to have these two people in my life.

Happy Anniversary grandma and grandpa!

Friday, October 19, 2007

Self-Control

The theme for this weekend:

SELF-CONTROL


(Definition of self-control: Only two candy bars, not four, before dinner)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

One or Two

Instead of enjoying my day off by sleeping in, I got up while still dark and ventured out in the pouring rain to have my eyes checked. It has been over a year (in fact, I think it's been several years) but more importantly, I am out of contacts and tired of wearing my glasses.

My appointment went well - my prescription remained nearly the same and the new pair of contacts I received was much more comfortable than the last brand I had been wearing. The doctor I saw, however, will never compare to the doctor I had back home. Despite the fact that she was very nice and had the largest degree I have ever seen (apparently Indiana likes to give out GIANT certificates), she didn't have the voice. My doctor back home had a magical way of saying "one or two" when asking you to tell her which line of letters was more clear. Anyone who has had this doctor will tell you her sing-song, happy voice makes the whole process quite enjoyable. You don't feel as if you're being examined by a doctor, but playing a game with a friend.

So, in my opinion, the thing to look for when choosing an optometrist would be the quality of his/her voice. Never mind the schooling and credentials - it's all about the "one or two."

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Wedding Photos

I know I've already posted pictures from the wedding day, but I thought I would share a few that we received from the photographers. Enjoy! (Check out my nails in the last picture! That is the longest they have ever been and will ever be!)








Monday, October 15, 2007

My Little Sister

Here are some photos of my little sister enjoying herself at the pumpkin patch. She is a ridiculously fun person and I can always count on her for a good laugh. Looking at my pictures of her always brings a smile to my face. I'm so very lucky to have her!







Sunday, October 14, 2007

Bowling & Pumpkins

My husband and I went home this weekend. While the time goes way too fast and I rarely get as much sleep as I'd like, it's still a lot of fun and I always look forward to going back.

So as not to break tradition, my husband and I ate at Big Boy when we rolled into town Friday evening. It was the start to my healthy eating weekend. I lost any self-control I had the minute we pulled into town. The "NO RULES" light flashed in my mind and I went with it! I'm sure it comes as no surprise when I say that I'm not feeling my absolute best right now and look forward to my visit with the treadmill tomorrow.

Saturday afternoon, my husband and I bowled in a charity event with my parents and several of their friends. I definitely did my fair share in bringing down the team's average. It was ugly! I bowled a 61 in my first game! This, of course, put me in a very crabby mood. (Those who know me well understand the love-hate relationship I have with the game and the mood swings I often have while participating). By the third game, however, I was feeling pretty good and managed to get over 100. Too bad that was our last game! Needless to say, I won't be joining any leagues any time soon.

Despite complaints from friends, my husband and I spent Saturday evening with our parents. We ate pizza, played cards, and watched the wedding DVD our photographer had made for us. It was a fun evening and hopefully we'll have time in the near future to see those friends that we didn't get to see this weekend.

This afternoon, my husband and I had the opportunity to enjoy the beautiful fall day with our families out at the pumpkin patch. I have always loved going out to the pumpkin patch - it is a wonderful way to celebrate the fall season. There are great activities, such as the bale maze, pony rides (which my husband opted not to do this year - I'm sure the pony was thankful), a barnyard/petting zoo, a nature trail, and a pumpkin launcher. The pumpkin patch is a great place to watch families enjoying one another and the perfect place to capture beautiful scenery. Fall is definitely giving spring a run for it's money as my favorite season.

I hope everyone had as wonderful a weekend as I did!

Thursday, October 11, 2007

Concert

My husband and I had a "date night" tonight. We went out for dinner (and had dessert!!) and then went to see:

Taylor Swift


Rodney Atkins


Brad Paisley

It was an awesome concert - great performers and amazing seats! I'm spoiled, having a picky husband who will only go to concerts with close tickets.

Monday, October 8, 2007

Pink Circle

As I approached the last row of 7th-graders to check their planners, the little boy in the last desk raised his hand. "Mrs. W." was all he said and he pointed to the floor. I looked down and saw a circle of pink. At first it didn't register until I looked back at the boy and he said "I think I'm going to throw up again, can I go to the bathroom?" The boy was as white as a ghost and looked just miserable for having already lost control in my room. I sent him to the bathroom and contacted the office regarding the incident. Several minutes later "vomit absorber" was sprinkled on the carpet and TWO hours later, the mess was completely cleaned up. Needless to say, my morning was not filled with pleasant smells. The worst thing about it is the boy was two feet away from a garbage can. Poor kid.

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, mom! I hope you're having a wonderful day!

Friday, October 5, 2007

Week in Review

MONDAY

On Sunday night my breathing got so bad that I was taking my inhaler as often as I could and it still wasn't helping. Monday morning I called in sick to work and went to the clinic to see what they could do. I was given a prescription for Methylprednisolone, a steroid used to help breathing problems. I also got scolded for not having a 'regular' doctor to see regarding my asthma but told that my name was very pretty.


TUESDAY

On Tuesday, the school received the student's school pictures that were taken a few weeks ago. I had the pleasure of handing out the 9th-grade pictures during class today and, as expected, every girl said something along the lines of "I hate my picture. I look so stupid." These girls have no idea what bad school pictures look like. They have never seen my elementary school pictures or my favorite - the 7th-grade picture. This photo includes bangs that barely fit onto the picture and a shirt of my mothers, black and white checkered with shoulder pads. I should find that picture and bring it in for them to see. Maybe next year they won't complain when they get their pictures back.


WEDNESDAY

I have seen my mom prepare lasagna several times during my lifetime. While it was always delicious, I'm not sure how she could put that much time and energy into one meal. My husband's mother buys the pre-made, frozen lasagna and simply throws the container in the oven for an hour. Can you guess which route my husband and I go? Nothing beats 2 pounds of pre-made lasagna for $2.89!


THURSDAY

Thursday nights are always very relaxing at our place. Every week, we tune in for "My Name is Earl" and "The Office." I always look forward to these nights because I know I will always get a good laugh.


FRIDAY

Tonight was my school's last home football game. It was cool and rainy - nothing quite like the other games we had. I took tickets like usual for the first half of the game but spent the second half of the game working in my classroom instead of watching the game. The best part of the night was the popcorn that the science teacher was nice enough to buy for me.