Gonna have a paint party!!

I LOVE to paint!!  Yeah, I know I'm one of the few who gets enjoyment and satisfaction out of painting rooms, but I do.  I love being able to see the difference a fresh coat of paint can make.  And I do love the smell of fresh paint. 

So when Katy sent me a text the other day asking my advice about painting Sam's room -- could we do it, or would it be better to hire someone to do it -- I jumped all over the opportunity!  We sent a few more texts back and forth, and then she called yesterday to see if we'd be available to do it this weekend.  We are, so we're having a party.  :)  I can't wait!!!!!

When we go to the lake for spring break, I'm going to paint the kitchen there.  (Did I already mention this in an earlier post?  I think I'd forget my brain if God hadn't seen the wisdom in making it something I couldn't take out and leave lying around.)  I want to use the same colors I have in the kitchen at home, except I want to do the base cabinets in the green and do the walls and the upper cabinets in the yellow.  John suggested doing the face of the cabinets in the green and doing the doors in the yellow.  I'm not so sure I like that.  I'll have to try it to see.  It won't be hard since I want to do the base cabinets green and the upper ones yellow.  I can paint the base cabinets and one of the upper doors and then lean the door next to the base.  He also doesn't want to strip the crappy, faded wallpaper, but I'll either strip it or paint over it.  As old and dried out as it is, it shouldn't be difficult to strip.  I think it would just pull right off.

I've been saying for a couple of years that I need to repaint the bedroom at home, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  Maybe that can be a summer project for a rainy day.  (MOST of my summer will be spent on the shores of beautiful Smith Lake!!)  And the bathroom is in desperate need of a redo. We had the bathtub redone a little over a year ago, but we haven't taken the time to redo the rest.  That will be a kinda major project because we plan to replace the sink and the toilet (thank goodness we have the half bath in our bedroom!) and we want to put  down new flooring, put up wainscoting and paint.  We finally found the color we want, but we want to pull the fixtures out before we paint.  I wouldn't mind putting a ceiling fan in there either.  The house is so old that there isn't any ventilation in the bathroom.  A fan should help with the moisture.  Just have to remember to get one that is suitable for moist environments.  I hate to see ceiling fans with droopy blades.  And yeah, we have one on the front porch. 

Buying our place at the lake has put a dent in my summertime makeovers at the house.  Luckily, we don't have much to do on the main level.  I seriously doubt we'll ever do anything upstairs.  Leave that project for whoever buys the house from us whenever we decide to put it on the market.

Guess that's about it for now.  Got a few things to do, so I need to get busy. 

Have a GREAT day!

TGIF!!

Have you ever had one of those weeks that seems to last six months?  Yeah, me too.  And this was one of them.  Every single morning this week, I woke up thinking it was Friday.  Every.  Single.  Morning.  Do you know how long that makes the week seem?  If you haven't experienced this, I don't suggest you try it because it STINKS!

For some reason, I have been exceptionally tired this week, too.  I'd be really concerned if everyone else wasn't walking about with toothpicks holding his/her eyelids open, too.  John and I went to bed at 7:15 Tuesday night, and it wasn't because it was Valentine's and we were making whoopie.  Nope, we went to bed and promptly went to sleep.  Until 8:30.  At 8:30, the home phone and my cell phone starting ringing at the same time, and that can mean only one thing.  School Cast. 

We get School Cast calls anytime something special or different is going on at school.  Today is a half day for students, so a School Cast call went out Tuesday night about 8:30 to notify parents.  John hates them, and sometimes they can be aggravating, but I tell him that all he has to do is pick up the phone, say hello, wait a second or two for the message to begin and then hang up.  Since they go to my cell phone too, I'll get them. It was rotten to be jarred from a nice sleep, though.

Last night we went out to dinner with Lance, Jess, and Layton.  They suggested the Irish Bred Pub in Opelika.  I've heard of it, but John and I have never been, so we said sure!  I don't think that will be our last visit.  Oh my!  Jess got the baked chicken with vodka sauce.  It was basically chicken Parmesan, and it was delicious!  Lance got shepherd's pie.  It looked really good, and he said it was.  John got pork tenderloin.  It was very tender and had a very slight smoky taste to it.  Definitely something I'd get on another visit.  I opted for the grilled shrimp.  Oh my!  They were fabulous!  Jess and I both got the stone ground grits.  YUM!  And I guess our server felt sorry for me since I was the only one who didn't order a salad, so he brought me a cup of potato and bacon soup.  My mouth waters just thinking about it.

Like I said, today is a half day for students, and the afternoon is supposed to be professional development.  As far as we all know, we have no meetings after the students leave, so I guess the afternoon will be for us to work in our rooms.  I've taken up the first set of note cards from the seniors, so I'll work on them.  From the looks of it, it shouldn't take me long to grade them because quite of few students didn't turn in the required 20 cards.  **sigh**

I have an intern this semester, and she is awesome!  Once I gave my spiel about how to put their note cards in their baggies (yeah, I'm picky about that), I left the class to her.  I didn't just come hang out in our lounge (new and improved, thanks to Vicki!!)  I had three videos about the new English Language Arts Course of Study to watch.  I found the first two, but I didn't see the third one.  I don't know if I was looking in the wrong place or if it hasn't been posted yet.  I figured today would be a good day to start easing out and letting her take the classes on her own. 

Wednesday, several of us will be going to an PD on English Language Learners.  I am so excited.  Not necessarily about the PD but about getting to sleep until 6 or 6:15.  It takes so little to excite me.  hahaha 

Want to hear something that really does excite me?  Spa days!!  And I am taking one Friday!!  My intern last spring gave me a gift certificate for a 30-minute massage at a spa in Auburn.  I planned on using it over the summer, but it didn't happen.  Then I thought I'd use it during fall break.  I don't remember why I didn't use it then.  Over Christmas break, I just never got around to scheduling anything.  Finally, a couple of weeks ago, I called and made my appointment.  I'm actually getting the Essential Spa Experience.  I decided to do that and apply the gift certificate to it.  I'll get a 45-minute massage, the Essential facial, and the Essential pedicure.  My body is already anticipating the day. 

Another hour until the darlings are released.  Once they're gone, I might find a corner to curl up in and nap.  Hmmm...I guess I could turn off the lights her in the lounge and curl up on the sofa.  It's fairly comfy.  :)

I hope your week hasn't been as long and tiring as mine has been, but if it has, I hope you have a wonderfully relaxing weekend!  I certainly plan to!

Have a GREAT day!

So much for good intentions :)

Yeah, I was going to be MUCH better about blogging...writing AND reading...this year, but obviously, I have fallen WAY short.  The year is still early, though.

John and I went to New Orleans for the National Championship game.  We didn't have tickets, but we had a blast nonetheless!  Our amazingly wonderful friends Susan and Tim ended up with an extra room at the hotel they were staying in, and they offered it to us.  It was great to get to hang out with them.  We ate delicious food -- Central Grocery for muffulettas, Acme Oyster House, Cafe du Monde, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Gumbo Shop -- listened to great music at the piano bar of Pat O's, and of course, watched a terrific game.  :)  John and I went to Poppy's Sports Bar to watch the game, but as soon as it was over, we headed to the team hotel to meet up with Susan and Tim.  Then we headed to Bourbon Street to take in the craziness.  Well, that isn't exactly right because we took Royal St. and then went up one of the side streets.  None of us really wanted to get IN the crowd.  Bourbon St. isn't a favorite hang out for any of us, but you can't take a trip to Nawlins without making at least one trip down it.

Wonderful friends and a wonderful meal
@Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse



My love and me at Pat O'Brien's



Great friends!
@ Pat O's piano bar



Best friends -- showing love for Mark Ingram in
our #28 T-shirts
@ Pat O's piano bar



This semester at school has gotten off to a great start.  I have an intern this semester (YEAH!!), and I was seriously concerned that I would have horrible classes this semester because my last semester classes were SO good.  But I think those concerns were unfounded.  So far they are anyway.  We're only three weeks in, so that can all change.  :)  She is taking over the senior classes tomorrow, and then she'll be doing the junior class on Thursday for her first observation.  She's done a great job of establishing herself in the classroom already.  The kids still usually ask me stuff first, but I have noticed that they are beginning to ask her about stuff if I'm busy with another student.

We've made our first trip to the lake for the year.  We went up last weekend, but we decided not to go this weekend because it was supposed to rain.  It did rain here a little...last night.  That doesn't mean it didn't pour in Winston County, though.  We went yesterday and bought a used stove.  After 4+ years, we've finally tired of cooking everything on a hot plate.  With a real stove, we'll be able to make spaghetti, boil potatoes, or anything else that requires higher temperatures to cook.  I'm sure we'll still use the toaster oven as much as we did before.  And naturally, we'll grill a ton. 

Mom and Dad got a new fridge, so they brought their old one for us to have.  The one we had was OLD and UGLY.  It worked great, but the freezer gasket was shot, and it is seriously such an old fridge that we couldn't find a replacement.  The nice thing about our "new" one is that we'll have an ice dispenser we can use.  Dad said that something is messed up as far as making the ice (the water won't stop running or something like that), but we can buy bags of ice to dump into the bin.

I am very ready for spring and nice, sunny days.  We haven't had winter yet.  The few cold days we have had have been few and far between.  We'll probably have snow the week we're out for spring break.  :-/  John was cleaning up his car this afternoon, and I sat out soaking up the sun.  It felt soooo good!  I love sunshine!!

John's gonna grill steaks (YUM) for dinner, and we decided we want salad, so I need to make a quick run to the store.  Maybe this won't be my last post for over a month.  hahaha  With an intern, I should have time to put my thoughts down.  :)

Have a GREAT day!  And GO PATS!!!!!  (Yeah, it's Super Bowl Sunday.  Can't wait to see the commercials!)

My last first kiss

Twenty years ago, on December 31, 1991, I had my last first kiss.  Did I know then it would be the last first kiss I would ever have?  Subconsciously, I think I did.

John and I had met about four months earlier when I was hired as a file clerk/fill-in receptionist in the radiology department.  In those four months, I saw what a wonderful, kind, generous person he was, and I began to look for reasons to go back to the control room in the department.  Do films need to be hung?  I'll do it!  We're out of film jackets.  I'll go get them!  Can somebody bring the film jacket for Mr. Smith?  I'll take it!  Even though it might mean only catching a glimpse of him, I wanted that glimpse.  If it was a slow day, it might mean a couple of minutes to talk.  When we were busy, I was constantly listening for his laugh.

One thing I noticed not long after I started working in the department is that John was always giving out hugs.  Oh, he wasn't just walking up to women and accosting them with hugs.  (That would be sexual harassment!)  They were coming to him and asking for hugs.  Techs, nurses, clerical...One day, after one of the other file clerks asked him for a hug, I told him that I needed to know what was so special about his hugs, so he gave me one.  And I learned that when John hugs you, he gives you a REAL hug.  His hugs aren't those one-arm-kinda-pulling-you-to-him hugs.  He envelopes you and you can tell he is sincere. 

Right after I was officially hired at the hospital, I moved out of the slum apartment I was living in and moved into a MUCH nicer (and less expensive!) apartment.  It had a washer/dryer hook-up, but I didn't have a washer or a dryer.  It turned out that one of the ultrasound techs had recently moved, and the house she bought had a set.  She had her own and didn't need them, so I bought them.  (Well, Mom bought them for me.)  Somehow, John was volunteered to move them for me.  I remember him standing in my kitchen with a glass of tea after he'd gotten them in and hooked up.  As he stood there in his overalls, I thought to myself then that I really wanted to kiss him, but I didn't.  I mean, I didn't want him to think I was this incredibly forward girl, did I?  That was around the end of September/first of October.

Fast forward to New Year's Eve 1991.  Vicky, the full-time receptionist, had volunteered John's house for a small gathering.  (Funny how John gets volunteered for a lot of things.  LOL)  I started the evening with a little adult beverage before I got there, and then I indulged in a little more after I got there, so I was just a touch...tipsy.  I had gone to the kitchen to refill my wine, but I ended up breaking the cork, so John came in and got the rest of the cork out.  After refilling my glass, we were standing face to face, and I really wanted to kiss him.  In just a matter of maybe two seconds, this is the conversation I had with myself and my good/bad consciences.

ME:  I really want to kiss me.
Bad Trina:  Go ahead!
Good Trina:  NO!  You can't do that!  He'll think your being too forward.
BT:  Oh, shut up!  It's New Year's Eve!  Nothing wrong with a little kiss!
GT:  You do this, and you will REGRET it!
ME:  Oh, what the heck!

So I kissed him!  (And he kissed me back.)  And that was my last first kiss.

It was a couple of days before we both worked at the same time.  I remember being so nervous about seeing him again.  How was he going to react?  Was he going to ignore me?  Pretend it never happened?  Was he going to think I was this slush who went around kissing guys?  I was afraid to even look at him, but I shouldn't have been.  Over the next few weeks, I began noticing that he was making his way to the front part of the department a bit more frequently that he had been before, and he always came through before he left for the day.

About a week and a half after "the kiss", he called and asked me out.  By Valentine's Day, we were "unofficially" an item. In mid-August, we were engaged, and on December 20, 1992, we were married.  Sometimes I think it would have been neat to have had our wedding on New Year's Eve since that was when our love story really started. 

Sometimes I still feel so amazed that out of all the people in the world, John chose me for his wife.  I look at him, and I realize how very lucky I am to have such a kind, loving, and supportive man to share my life with.

Twenty years ago, our love story began.  I can't wait to see what the next twenty years holds!

2011 was a difficult year

As 2011 winds down, I can't say I'm sad to see it go.  This has been a very difficult year for so many people who are so important to me, and I'm ready for them to have some happiness and joy.

This year has had some extremely wonderful moments.  We were blessed with a new grandson.  Layton is such a joy, and I thank God each and every day for bringing him to our family.  Our good friends Amy and Stephen were also blessed with a sweet son.  Preston is a doll, and I know they have enjoyed each and every minute of his life.  Three of my co-workers welcomed new babies.  So yeah, 2011 has been good, but the tears outweighed the smiles.

Our school family was hit especially hard.  My precious friend Karen lost her mother, her cousin's husband (Amanda has always been like a sister to Karen, so Randy was like a brother-in-law), and her best friend, Mary...who was one of our much-loved science teachers and a dear friend of mine as well.  Another dear friend, Don, lost four relatives and his girlfriend.  And he had a guy break into his house and commit suicide, AND Don went in for surgery to have a cyst removed from his kidney but ended up losing the entire kidney.  We lost another precious member of our school staff when our registrar, Patti, died.  We had a student who was severely injured in a bizarre accident with her horse (but thankfully she survived.  She has struggles, but let me tell you...she is a true inspiration!!)  Another student drowned not long after school was out for summer.  A former student was killed in a car accident.  Several other faculty and staff members lost loved ones.  It has been a year we're all happy to see in the rear view mirror.

So, as the new year approaches, my wish is for nothing but smiles and laughter, happiness and joy for my family and friends.  May God bless you and your families.