I have drugs again... ;)

It's the weekend--almost--and I couldn't be happier. This has been a really tough week, but now that I have my "happy pills" I think things will be better soon.

When I took the last of my Lexapro, I called Rite Aid to have it refilled. I didn't realize that I was on my last refill, and I had to have it done by Oct. 18. I called on the 20th. Boo. So, they had to call Dr. Hudson to get a new script. When I stopped by yesterday, Fran said that they had not heard back from the office. I called Rite Aid this morning to check, and they still hadn't heard back. I knew then what the problem was.

I was supposed to have scheduled my appointment for sometime after July 27. That was the same week I had to start back to work, so I knew I wouldn't be able to go then. I love using Henderson & Walton at St. Vincent's, but there are times when it isn't the most convenient in the world, but I would rather go to Birmingham than to the satellite office in Sylacauga. I've been using them since August of 1991, so I'm not about to change doctors now. Anyway, my plan was to go during fall break, but when I called, the first available appointment wasn't until Nov. 18. Because it had been over a year since I'd seen Dr. Dan, they wouldn't just call in a new script. I called this morning and explained why I hadn't been to see him yet and that I was going in less than three weeks. The nurse called in a script to get me through until I have my appointment.

I hate this "dependence" I have on Lexapro, and I plan on talking to Dr. Dan about it when I go. I know the withdrawal symptoms are rough--been there, done that. Once I get beyond the swimmy head, yucky stomach, fuzzy brain, etc., I do pretty well for about six months, and then my evil twin shows up. I hate her. I cannot stand to be in the same room with her, much less the same body. If I feel that way about her, I know others must feel the same. I pity John for having to be married to her. Fortunately, he is such an easy going, good-natured person, he is able (for the most part) to deal with her. I'm quite certain that all of this is related to hormones...

Enough about my issues...tomorrow is Friday. First and fourth blocks will be in the computer lab doing some of their research, and third block will take notes on sonnets. It's a pep rally day, so classes will be short. I AM NOT participating in the pep rally in any way, so I may sneak out early. By early, I mean 3:14 instead of 3:15--just early enough to beat the bus and parent crowd. :)

Have a GREAT Friday, and

ROLL TIDE!!

i. am. so. tired.

Getting back into the swing of things this term has been SO hard! I have struggled to keep going for the last 2-1/2 weeks, and if I could, I would take a day off in a heart beat. Unfortunately, we are smack dab in the middle of research, and I just can't find a day. On top of being so tired, I haven't even been able to find time to stop at the drug store for my "happy pills" so I'm really starting to feel the effects of not having taken them for the last week or so. At least this should be a fairly relaxing weekend.

We decided that we'd go to Hartselle instead of going to the lake. John wants to try to get the boat cleaned up Saturday, and then we'll probably watch the Alabama homecoming game at Danny and Linda's. I hope I get to see Maggie sometime over the weekend. Amy, Allen, and Will are using our tickets and Danny and Linda's, but I'm not sure who is keeping Sweet Pea.

As soon as school was out yesterday, I had to go buy car tags--$447!! UGH! John still hasn't sold the Sentra, so we're still having to buy that one, and Jessi's car is in my name, so we buy that tag for her. (I must make a little side note here---I have been told that I have never done anything for Katy or Jessi unless it was "convenient" for me. When Jessi's old car was in the shop, I took my car over to her until we found out that her car was, in fact, dead and she had a chance to get a new one. She, Randy, and her daddy went car shopping one day, and she found a Mazda 6 that she really liked. When they ran the credit numbers, she was able to get the best loan with my credit, so I signed the papers for her to get her car--and John and I made the down payment for her. She is paying for the car, but if she decided to, she could just stop paying, therefore ruining MY credit. Yeah, I did that because it was "convenient" for me. HA. I did it because I happen to love Jessi, and that is the same thing I would have done if I had given birth to her.)

After I got the tags, I met John at the hospital, and then we took Jessi to The Olive Garden for her birthday. Yum. We had a great time, as always. Jessi is such a fun person to be around. I see so much of her daddy in her. She's so laid back and easy going, just like he is.

I've got tons to do, but I just wanted to take a few minutes to make a quick post. Have a great day!

Pied, productive weekend, football (of course), "Remember When", and Alzheimer's

When I got home Friday, I had to clean up before we could leave for the lake. The pep rally theme for this week was "Mute the Mustangs." The way it works is that each of the cheerleaders asks a teacher to be their partner for the pep rally. On Friday, the cheerleaders cannot talk unless it is necessary in class and only when directed to by the teacher. If they talk, the teacher gets to pie them at the pep rally; if they don't talk, they pie the teacher. Last year, Saylor asked if I'd be her partner. She was in my English 10 class and I knew there was NO WAY she could go all day without talking, so I agreed, and just as I thought, I got to pie her. When she came to me to ask this year, I agreed without hesitation. It was SAYLOR. Guess who managed to stay quiet ALL DAY. I wish I had thought to take my camera so someone could have gotten our picture. I must say I looked quite lovely wearing my shower cap and garbage bag with Cool Whip all over my face. hahaha (OOPS--I had a spelling error--hope you caught it "deb-in-the-city.")

We got to the lake about 9:30 Friday night, and I went right to bed. I was exhausted. I think I slept like the dead, too. I don't even remember John coming to bed, but I know he did because he was there when I woke up yesterday. ;)

We were both very productive yesterday. He got the fascia board caulked and painted. For anyone who didn't know what it looked like before, they'd think it was no big deal, but if you have seen it--it looks TONS better! Mr. and Mrs. Ward had not been out there much for about 5 years, so there really hadn't been any maintenance done on the trailer at all. We're slowly getting it back into good shape. About the time we get everything done, we'll hopefully be ready to start building.

While John was working outside, I was checking bib cards and note cards. Misty and I decided to assign our students to research groups that they will work in throughout the research process. On Friday, I had them get into their groups and check each other's cards. I really think it helped a lot. I had a couple of students who realized they had left the publication date off one of their bib cards, so they were able to dash down to the library and get it. There were very few mistakes with the punctuation on the cards. That is typically the biggest problem--they forget to put a comma, they use a colon in the wrong place, or they forget the period at the end of the URL for their web sources. The end period was still something a few of them left off, but overall, their grades were much better than usual.

Misty and I decided to provide the students with a list of pre-approved topics this year instead of making them do a literary analysis on the works of the British author. The productivity of the students has improved so much. They still have questions, but they are typically about how to cite a source or whether or not a source is one they can use. I'm looking forward to reading all of their papers, but some of the ones that I am most interested in are the ones on Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Bi-Polar Disorder, all of which are things our family is dealing with. John's mom has Alzheimer's, his older brother has Parkinson's, and my brother is Bi-Polar. Another student is doing his paper on night terrors, and as a child, my brother suffered from them as well.

Since I was grading, I didn't watch football non-stop, but I did have the TV on. What about the Georgia-LSU game? 90 points total! Wow!! I would yell out to John when one of them would score. I did a lot of yelling. hahaha We were really glad that Georgia beat LSU--it helps our chances of going to Atlanta for the championship game. IF we do make it to Atlanta, I hope that John and I can go. The '99 game was one of the most fun games we've ever gone to.

We certainly enjoyed the Bama-tennessee game last night. I don't think I sat down for more than 15 minutes during the entire game. Once, Bama (the dog) was snuggled up with me, and Bama (the team) did something really good--I think it was when Javy had a good run. I jumped up screaming and threw Bama (the dog) down. Bama (the dog) stood in the middle of the floor barking at me. I know he was saying, "Mom, would you PLEASE shut up and sit down so I can go back to sleep???" He finally crawled up in John's lap and snoozed with Ali for the rest of the game. Susan and I usually text each other all during the game, but at the bottom of the world, we don't have cell service. At half time, I called her, and we talked about how the game had gone to that point.

This morning, we rode over to Ron and Cindy's. They have done a ton of work on their place. It's going to look so good when they finish. Ron decided he wanted to have a "Remember When" room. That will probably be THE place everyone gathers when we're all out there. The plan is to have old pictures of everyone from their younger days. Of course, their "remember when" days were WAY pre-me. I was, oh, 10 or 12 when they were all hanging out back in the day. It's so much fun to look through the pictures of them. They were all skinny and they all had hair. A lot of the guys still have hair, but it's a different color now. hahaha The stories are quite amusing, too.

After we left the Livingston's, we went over to get the boat out of storage and took it to Tim's for now. After we dropped it off, we went over to Billie's. For now, she is still staying at her house. I told both John and Connie today that IF she were my mother, I would have her in the assisted living facility already, but she isn't my mother and I can't make that decision. The plan is still for her to go, but when hasn't been decided, and a lot of it depends on the availability at the facility. I know that Billie is extremely resistant to going--she thinks it's a nursing home--but I think once she sees it and realizes it isn't what she thinks it is, she'll feel a little better about it. I hope so anyway.

The entire time we were there, she talked about how no one has been over to see her in she doesn't know how long. Now, John and I neither one feel that she sits there day after day after day with no one coming to see her or to call her. We KNOW that someone is going by daily, but she just doesn't remember it. Today, John called Danny while Billie was sitting there, and in five minutes, she had completely forgotten. We told her probably 6 or 7 times in not more than 30 minutes that John had talked to Danny right after we got there. It is so sad, and it just breaks my heart. Alzheimer's is such a horrible disease. No one should have to be subjected to it.

I guess that's it. I've got to check on the laundry, and then I'll settle in to watch True Blood--if I can stay awake that long. Have a GREAT week!

Random stuff on a Thursday afternoon

No particular reason for this post, but we'll be gone over the weekend, and I just wanted to put down some thoughts.

Yesterday, Debbie, Sam, Scott, Alex, Brooke, and I met over at Kristen's for a Pumpkin Party. Nothing fancy--chips and dips, pumpkin carving, and lots of laughs. Every now and then, teachers just have to get together and decompress. There aren't many other professions in which there is so little adult interaction on the job. I've said it before, I love the conversations I have with my students, but in a normal day, I probably spend less than an hour in conversation with adults. I don't count "Hey, how are you?" as I pass someone in the hall as conversation. So, we had some good adult conversation last night. Of course, Debbie and I are the "old dogs" of the bunch. Scott is mid-30s, but the others...they're still pups. Sam is a first year teacher, and Alex is an intern, so they're real babies. :) I love being around them though. It makes me feel younger than my (almost) 42 years. (It helps, too, that Kristen tells me I don't look like I'm even close to 40. lol)

Mom and Dad are trying out a "new" chihuahua--he's 10 months old. She said that Mule isn't too thrilled about him, but I think with time Mule will be fine. Bama didn't care much for Ali AT ALL when we first got her, but he loves her now (even though he acts like he doesn't sometimes. lol) I know that this pup won't replace Giz, but he will help keep the hole from seeming quite so big.

We're going up to the lake this weekend. John hopes we get the fascia board painted, and I'm hoping he can get the outside lights put up. It isn't looking like the hot water heater will happen this trip, but maybe I'll be surprised. With Auburn playing tonight, and Alabama not playing until Saturday night, we'll probably be pretty productive. I can pull myself away from the TV for other games, unless they are extremely exciting.

For the next three weekends (counting this one) we won't be going to a football game. Even though I'd rather go to a game than go shop, it will be nice to have some free weekends. The next home game that we'll go to will be Miss. St. We decided before the season started that we wouldn't go to the homecoming game.

Mr. Davidson and I were talking this morning about Alabama. They are huge Bama fans, and his son has decided for sure that is where he is going (and with a Presidential scholarship offer...uh, yeah) Anyway, I said that would give him a good reason to go to Tuscaloosa for weekends. He said that he was looking forward to being able to go to more games since Jacob will be there. He also said they've been trying to decide whether or not to order SECCG tickets. I'm still a little afraid to even think about being in Atlanta on Dec. 6. It does look like we have a good shot, but there is still a lot of football to be played.

I'm going by Sho 'Nuff to get some barbecue for supper, and we'll kick back and watch the Auburn-West Virginia game.

Since I probably won't be posting again, have a GREAT weekend!

ROLL TIDE!!

Pictures of the rooms

These aren't the best pictures in the world (I can take much better ones--it's in my genes, but Skip, I need advice!!) I think you can get the idea of how the well the floors turned out, though. We are very pleased. Like I said in an earlier post, they are about 72 years old, and they were under wool rugs for years. We were surprised more repair work wasn't needed. If anyone has any complaints, feel free to pay to have them redone to your satisfaction, but John and I are quite happy with them the way they are. :)
The first two pictures are, obviously, of the living room. The Duncan Phyfe sofa was my great-grandmother's (Grannie's mother), so I know it is old, but I'm not sure exactly how old. She was 75 (I think) when she died (Mom, correct me on this if I'm wrong) and that was 36-37 years ago. John picked out the colors for the living room and the dining room, and I think he did a great job!

The next three pictures are of the dining room (again, obviously.) The paint is a darker color than it appears. It's kind of a weird color--in some light they look more green, but in others, they look more brown. I really like the color, though.

The mirrored piece of furniture in the first picture is another piece of furniture that we will not part with. It was John's great-grandfather's. The story behind it is that it came from an old drug store. Billie has
said she remembers her grandmother keeping pies in the bottom. She says it would smell just like apples when she opened it. When John and I first started dating, Katy and Jessi would hide in it. It won't be many years before Sam can do the same thing. :-)

I had to include the last two pictures to show off John's handiwork. He built both pieces when he still lived in Hartselle, and he moved from there about 20 years ago. I use the dry sink as my "wine bar." It isn't a very big one, but then again, we aren't very big wine drinkers. He modeled the pie safe from one that Cindy has in her house. These pieces are ones that I won't part with, either.

Most of the furnishings in the living room and dining room are old, but that is what John and I love. Browsing through antiques stores and going to auctions is something we used to do all the time--until we ran out of space to add anything else. :) We still enjoy looking at antiques, but we just don't do that as much now. Whenever we do build and move to the lake, it's going to be hard to part with some of the things we've bought together.

I can finally say that after 4 months, this project has been COMPLETED!

Unconscious Mutterings on a Tuesday morning

I haven't done one of these in a while, so I thought I'd take a quick break from planning for the DRP and see what unconscious mutterings I have. So, here goes!

I say ... and you think ... ?

Magical :: Sunrise

Shrimp :: Yummy

Project Runway :: Models

Economy :: Sad

Porch :: Sweet tea

State of affairs :: Scary

.com :: fun

Fifty cents :: money

Ripping :: sound

Bull :: Corry (hahaha...I haven't thought about Richard "Bull" Corry in YEARS!)

That was quick and easy. Now, back to the DRP and bib cards. Ugh...

BCS is out!

The first BCS poll is out, and as expected, Bama is at number 2. At the beginning of the season, I would have never thought we'd be ranked in the BCS, much less at number 2.

I love football!!!!

7-0, but just barely

Yesterday was the perfect autumn day for football. The sky was so blue with just a few clouds here and there. A nice, cool breeze was blowing, so the temperature was just right--not too hot, and not too cold.

When John and I got off the shuttle, the ROTC was practicing for the pregame. Standing nearby were some guys in flight suits, so I commented to John that I hoped we would be having a fly over. I love the games when there are fly overs, and the one yesterday did not disappoint me. There were two F-18s out of Oceana, VA. The pilots had just returned from two back-to-back 6 month tours to Iraq. When they introduced them over the PA at half time, it seemed as if the entire stadium stood to give them a standing ovation. They certainly deserve it! Back to the fly over, though...They timed it perfectly. Just before the final note of the national anthem was played, we could hear them coming. They come over the stadium from the south end, which is where we sit. I get chills every time. The only thing I can say when they go over is "damn." The sound, the vibration...it's just indescribable.

This game had me more nervous than any other game so far. (I think I say that every week, but every week I think I feel more nervous than I did before. lol) I knew that Ole Miss would be there to play. They had already beaten Florida at The Swamp, so they were confident that they could come to BDS and beat us, and they almost did. The Tide had an awesome first half, and then something happened in the second. That's become the norm the last few weeks, and I don't like it. Of course, I know the players and the coaches don't like it either. It's that second half that is going to cost us a game somewhere down the road.

We had a huge loss with Terrence Cody being hurt. I hope, for him, that it isn't anything major. "Mt. Cody" has the potential to have a nice NFL career ahead of him. It was awesome to see him in on the offense. I love seeing a surprise like that. It reminded me of the time that big Andre Smith scored a TD. :)

Even with Cody out, our D had a huge 4th down stop near the end of the game. Dont'a Hightower, one of the freshmen, was a big part of the stop. He's going to be impressive in the next few years. He already IS impressive, but he'll only get better with experience. We have a really great group of freshmen who have had already made major contributions to the team.

After the game, John and I walked over to our old tailgate spot. It looked so lonely. BD was the only one over there. He said yesterday was the first game he's been to all year. Forrest and Morgan have been coming up and tailgating, so hopefully the spot hasn't looked that empty every week. :) I'm sure they've kept it pretty lively.

We decided to stop at Dreamland for ribs on the way home. We must've been in a barbecue mood yesterday--we had Full Moon for lunch. Both were good, but Dreamland is still my favorite. It has to be the original Dreamland, though. We've eaten at the one in Birmingham a lot, and it's good, but we weren't impressed with the one in Montgomery or the one in Mobile. It has been years since we've been to either of those, so they may have improved. Then again, they may not even still be open. We don't typically go to Montgomery or Mobile.

Even with stopping for ribs, we still got home about 10:30, so it wasn't too bad. We were in bed and asleep by 11.

It is now Tennessee week. I've said it before--I dislike auburn, but I HATE tennessee. Their fans have always been the most obnoxious, mouthy, and rude ones we've ever encountered. There are some good ones out there, like Suzanne. The third Saturday in October used to be one of the great rivalry games in college football. Over the years, the rivalry has been tarnished. I think most Bama fans would agree that things began to change about the time that Fulmer became coach... I hate fact that the game isn't played on the third Saturday in October anymore, either.

I was hoping that the BCS poll would have come out before I posted, but it hasn't. (I guess I could have waited to post until after it did, but I had taken a break from putting the dining room back together, and it seemed like a good time to post.) We're still ranked 2 in the AP, Coaches, and Harris polls. AP doesn't matter as far as the BCS goes, but the Coaches and the Harris polls do. It will be interesting to see how the computer rankings affect our ranking in the BCS. I'd guess we'll still be at number 2, and that's fine with me for now.

I guess that just about does it for this post. As always on Sunday...

ROLL TIDE!!

Ahh...the weekend is just around the corner!

I am so ready for the weekend, even though I know I won't get any rest. The first week back--whether it is at the very beginning of school or after a break--is always so tiring. Monday was a professional development day, so it wasn't a hard day. That meant that Tuesday was the first "real" work day this week. Anytime I have a Monday that isn't a regular school day, the rest of the week seems to last F-O-R-E-V-E-R. I don't think I'm the only one who feels that way, either.

The new term has gotten off to a good start. My seniors have been introduced to the DRP--the Dreaded Research Project. lol It will be a lot better for them this year (and for me, too!) because they are getting to choose their topics instead of having to do a paper on a British author. Misty and I developed a list for them to choose from, so there have been some parameters set. A couple of students have requested topics which weren't on the list, and since they were really good topics, I approved them. One of my guys begged to let him do his paper on the history of Alabama football, and as much as I would love to read a paper on that topic, I had to deny it. That doesn't quite fit into what Misty and I are trying to have them do.

The juniors haven't been introduced to their research project yet. I have given them a brief--a VERY brief--overview of what it will entail, but I haven't gotten them started yet. I figured I needed to get the seniors going first. The juniors will be doing a career portfolio. They will be required to research an educational institution and the program requirements for their particular career choice, write a personal essay about why they chose the particular institution and the career, conduct an interview with someone who is in the field of study they plan to pursue, and create either a PowerPoint presentation or a 3-fold display. I think it will be really good for them. Some of them think they know exactly what they want to do when they "grow up" but they haven't ever really put much thought into what goes into becoming a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher. Others have only a vague idea of what they want to do, so this kind of forces them to focus on something. Misty used to do this years ago with her seniors. One of them just knew what he wanted to do, but after doing the research, he realized the career wasn't at all what he thought. I'm sure his parents were glad he discovered this before they put tons of money into his education only to have him change his mind halfway through. :) (Not that there is anything wrong with changing your mind if you discover you really don't what to continue that path...)

Anyway, about the weekend and no rest...Bama and Ole Miss play at 2:30 on Saturday, and I am going to get there early enough to go to the Walk of Champions. We've talked about going to it for years, but we just never have made it over to the stadium for it. That is at 12:30, so we'll need to leave home by 8:30. 8:30 isn't all that early, but it's early enough that I won't get to sleep in. :) Since it's a CBS game (and CBS takes the LONGEST commercial breaks in the history of commercial breaks) the game probably won't be over until 6. At the earliest, we'll be home by 10. So...a long day.

Andy, who is in charge of the football contest I'm a part of, is a HUGE Auburn fan. When he sends out the picks for the week's games, he always has comments about the previous week's games, and he will sometimes comment about the upcoming week. He had a comment about Auburn's chances this weekend. He guarantees that Auburn won't lose this weekend -- Auburn doesn't play this weekend. I had to chuckle. Of course, if I said that, I'd be an obnoxious Alabama fan. (Nope, I'll probably never let that comment die. However, that was the week I decided I had better things to do with my time than read a particular blog. I can PROUDLY say I've read it only twice in about a month.)

That's about it for now. I have touch-up painting waiting for me. FUN!

Home again, home again, jiggity jig

We got home around 8 to absolutely gorgeous hardwood floors in the hall, living room, and dining room. Well, we think they are absolutely gorgeous. Considering the fact that they are around 72 years old, I think they turned out really well. There were a few pieces of wood that needed to be replaced, but again...they are 72 years old, so a few pieces certainly wasn't bad. Now, though, I have some cleaning to do. The dust isn't too awfully bad,except on the stairs going up, but I'm still going to have to get out the Rainbow and/or the shop vac. I can't wait to get everything back in place. It's going to be so much fun to decorate at Christmas. I wonder if I could convince John that we needed a live tree again this year instead of the artificial one I bought last year? Might be worth a shot. :) Once I get everything back in place, I'll post a picture or two.

The week at the lake went by entirely too quickly, but we got a good start on our to-do list. The two biggest projects--replacing the fuse box with a breaker box and replacing the fascia board--got done. Ron came over Tuesday, and he and John did the electrical work. The rest of the week, John and I worked on the fascia boards. We still need to paint them, but that won't be difficult. We're going back up weekend after next (the weekend of the Bama-Tennessee game) and hopefully, we'll get the painting done and get the lights put up. I'm going to try to convince John to go ahead and replace the hot-water heater that weekend too. The 12 gallon one ain't cutting it. :)

There were a couple of sad news happenings during the week. First of all, Misty, one of my closest and best friends, lost her dad. Mr. Smith had been sick for a couple of months, but it seemed as if he was slowly getting better. I was completely shocked when Susan called me Thursday afternoon and told me he had passed away. I haven't had a chance to see Misty, yet, and when I do, I have no idea what I'll say to her. I doubt I'll say anything at all. Sometimes just hugging someone says much more than words can ever say. The next few months, especially around the holidays, will be so difficult for them.

The next piece of sad news was from Mom. Their chihuahua, Gizmo, died about 12:30 AM Thursday. He had been attacked last Sunday morning by a German shepherd, and he just couldn't pull through. She and Dad were talking to him and petting him when he died. Gizzy brought such joy and happiness to them. They were only going to be puppy-sitting him for a couple of weeks or so, but that was six years ago. Long time to puppy-sit, huh? I knew this little guy had taken over my dad's heart when he (Dad) started letting Giz sleep in the bed with them. When I was growing up, animals belonged in the yard, and they certainly didn't sleep in the bed with you. Funny how a ball of fur can make a person change his mind. Mom says that Mule, their other chi, is completely lost without his buddy. They are looking for another red apple-head chihuahua, so if you know of one, LET ME KNOW! Both Giz and Mule can be considered rescue dogs, so they aren't opposed to one who isn't a brand-new pup.

I know there is more I probably wanted to post about, but I am dog tired. John and I worked our tails off this past week, and neither of us can sleep very well on the bed we have up at the lake. It will feel SO good to rest my tired bones on MY bed in just a minute.

I hope everyone has a great week.

Ugh!

Alabama again had a "guggy" win. One of these days, one of these teams is going to slip up on us and beat the snot out of us. There can't be any complaints about the fans being complacent. We were so loud--my throat still feels scratchy from all the yelling. I really dread Ole Miss coming to town in two weeks. They've already beaten Florida, so they'll be up, I'm sure. Hopefully our week off will be good. There were a couple of players banged up--nothing too bad, I don't think--so the week off will be good for them. They've played six weeks of pretty physical ball already.

And how 'bout them 'Dores?? (Yes, I know that is a horribly incorrect sentence, but sometimes even an English teacher uses incorrect grammar. lol) Like I said in my last post, I would love to see Vandy do well. For the last few years, they've done a little better, but they still end up with just a so-so season. I would love to see them in Atlanta for the championship game. Will it happen? If I were a betting woman, I'd bet not, but who knows? One thing I do know is that I have a LOT of very sad friends this morning.

We're leaving in a bit to head out to our swanky five-star resort for the week (otherwise known as the trailer at the lake.) When we get home next Sunday, our hardwood floors in the dining room, the living room, and the hall will be refinished. I'm so excited! I cannot wait to see how they look. I know they'll be gorgeous. The only bad thing is that I'm sure I'll have a foot of extremely fine dust all over everything. Cleaning that up will be worth it, though.

Since we'll be at the lake with no internet service, I won't be posting anything new or reading any other blogs. I will catch up on everything once we get back. After working out there all week, I'll probably enjoy veggin' out with the computer for a while. :)

Hopefully, we're going to get to see Maggie this week, too. We haven't seen her since she was just a week old, and I'm DYING to get my hands on her again! Connie sent a picture of her from her phone the other day. She is a DOLL--a female Will. :)

We're stopping by Phillip and Katy's today, too, so we'll get some Sam Time. We haven't seen him in a few weeks, either. It's hard to believe he's getting close to his 7 month birthday--it's this week. Where has the time gone?? Babies just grow up too fast!

Well, this is all for now. I've got to get a few more things done before we can leave. Have a fabulous week, and

ROLL TIDE!!!

Post of random stuff

There are several things I wanted to post about, and no single title would work, so this is a "post of random thoughts."

First of all, I had to take the pups to the vet for their annual shots. Since I was going in to work late today, I decided to drop them off when the office opened at 7:30. We have our normal routine every morning. As soon as John begins to put on his shirt, Bama starts "talking" to him because Daddy is about to give them a treat, and Bama knows that. After he and Ali have their treat, they curl up on the couch and snooze until it's time for me to leave. Right before I come out of the bedroom, they go sit by the gate at the breakfast room door because they know they'll get another treat, and then they'll be locked in "puppy jail" as John calls it.

OK--so to today...I asked them if they wanted to go for a ride with Momma. Naturally, they did. I got them in the car, got their leashes from the truck, and then had to come back into the house to get their collars. Finally, we got started. The vet's office is only about a mile from the house, so it wasn't a long ride for them at all. What was so funny, though, was the second I pulled into the parking lot, Bama groaned. NO LIE! It was SO funny. I felt so bad for him. He gets so nervous when I take him to the vet, and then I leave him there all day. Needless to say, he and Ali were very happy to see me this afternoon.

I got to go in late to work today because Misty and I had taken a professional day to work on the research projects for English 11 and English 12. We got tons done! We could probably take another full day to finalize everything, but that won't happen. Each teacher got a whopping $34 for professional development. That won't even begin to pay for registration to a decent workshop, so we combined our money to pay for one sub to split between the two of us. Today was the day that Misty didn't have AP English 12, so it worked out that all my classes could be covered.

John and I went to the Creole and Seafood Shack for his birthday. YUM-O! If you like creole food, you need to go. John had the shrimp creole with a cup of gumbo, and I had the seafood jambalaya. The place is nothing more than a little hole in the wall--it seats only about 20 people-- but those are usually the best kind of places. We wanted to get the bread pudding with rum sauce, but they were out of dessert. We'll have to make sure we go a little earlier next time, and there will be a next time!

I guess we'll be obnoxious Alabama fans again this weekend. Auburn is playing Vandy in Nashville, and we're hoping to see Vandy win. I would really love to see Vandy finally have a great season. I know that there are a LOT of Auburn fans out there who are pulling for Kentucky this weekend. The Bama-Kentucky game is another undefeated vs. undefeated game, and there a lot of Auburn fans who would love to see Bama lose and get knocked down in the ratings. I guess that makes them obnoxious.

Tomorrow is the last day before fall vacation. Yee Haw!! Misty was saying the other day that she doesn't know how she did it before we had the fall break. I guess we just took more days off.

I guess this is pretty much it for my post of random thoughts. Have a great Friday!

It's John's big day!

Today is John's birthday. He's 53--I don't think he'd mind me telling you his age. If he does, OOPS! Sorry, Hon! :)

When we bought our lot at the lake, we decided that we wouldn't get presents for each other anymore. If there is something we need, we get it whenever we need it. We do the same with our wants--within reason. There are things we both WANT, but we don't just rush out and buy something JUST because we want it. If that were true, he'd have two or three Harleys sitting in the garage, and I'd have a fire-engine red original Mustang convertible. I did get him a new wallet, though. :)

And, I did make reservations for us to spend next week at a swanky, five-star resort. John is taking off since I'm going to be on fall break, and with his birthday being today, it fit perfectly for us to take this once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Oh, wait...that's what I WANT to do. What we are actually doing is spending next week at the lake--working our bums off. (Go ahead--make a comment about an American using the word "bum.")

John is such an awesome man, and he deserves every wonderful thing that life has to offer. He works so hard to make sure that we can have all of the things we need in life and that we can do or have some of the things that we want. He is a kind and considerate person, he has a fabulous sense of humor, and he never meets a stranger. I know of no one who doesn't think the world of John. He is one of the most well-respected people that I know, and I'm not just saying that because he is my husband and I'm madly in love with him. I have people tell me that all the time.

We do have dinner plans for tonight. Even though we don't usually do gifts for birthdays, our anniversary, Christmas, or any other holiday, we do either have a nice dinner at home or we go out to eat--celebrant's choice. I think he's decided he wants to go to the Creole and Seafood Shack in Auburn. We saw it on Todd's Taste of the Town when Game Day was in Auburn for the Auburn-LSU game. We both LOVE Creole food AND seafood, so it sounds like a winner. :)

Happy birthday, Sweetie! I hope it's a fabulous one.

We love you,
Trina, Ali, and Bama