Expect the Unexpected

SO... tomorrow we leave for Alaska.

The flight we have scheduled to take from Long Beach to Seattle tomorrow has taken off late for the past four days - we only have like a 45 minute layover before our flight to Fairbanks leaves, so chances are we will be sleeping in Seattle tomorrow night. We have a hotel booked just in case, so we'll see...

Have you heard about the heavy rains? Yeah, apparently some of the bridges have closed, and the train we are scheduled to take later next week is closed at least today and tomorrow due to a mud slide.

I am so excited! I know that sounds odd, but wow - who knows what is going to happen! It is a little exciting, don't you think? As long as everyone is safe, who knows what kind of adventure we'll end up having!

Our credit card was declined
at Target today...
What?

So we call,
and the had put a block on our card,
so we could verify some recent charges...

$1500 at a car dealership in Lansing Michigan
Another $500 charge,
and 3 or 4 other charges

So our credit card is stopped,
and we will be getting new ones.

Grant asked them to rush the card since we'll be leaving for Alaska on Friday.

So, yeah,
Grant and I leave for Alaska on Friday.
ALASKA! It is almost surreal.
I am so excited.
I'll be doing my vacation blog for that one,
so check there.

My classroom is all set up.
Ready for a new year.
Well, mostly. Enough to make me happy, anyway.
Enough that I won;t be worried while gone.
Last thing I need in Alaska is to think about what I have left to do.
So why is it almost done?
Well, I printed up a bunch of new posters,
and decided to save ink and trees,
I would laminate them before I put them up.
Unfortunatly, we are out of laminate.
SO when I get back,
I will laminate.
If we have it then.
If not.
Oh well.
I'll put them up and laminate them later.

All supplies are bought.
folders for each kid,
pencil boxes,
book marks...

Ready to go.

Big Brother -
Kaysar gone
unbelievably sad
But its true -
he is too good for that game.
too good of a person.
I'd like to see him on the Amazing Race.
Anyway - HOH redo, due to technical difficulties.
Janelle won!
Unbelievably happy.
At least she is in for one more week!

Our August Date

So, as an anniversery gift to my hunny, I made up this dating game. I thought it would be fun to plan a special date every month that is out of the ordainary or not neccesarily spontaneous like most of our dates are. We have to pick cards on the 23 of each month to determine who will plan a special date for the following month. There cards have different things on them to make planning the dates fun.

So on July 23, our 1 year anniversery, we chose three cards to determine who would plan our August date. Grant (card 1) had to plan a medium length date (cad 2) that involved spending less then $20 (card 3.)

I was so excited when we went on our date - to Disneyland! Once upon a time we went on a date to Dinseyland every Wednesday. Now are dates there are less frequent or involve going with other people, so it was really nice to have our first date be there.

Also, we were able to eat at the new Cafe Orleans - we ordered the Monte Cristo (I got the classic and Grant got the all cheese and we went halvsies.) Grant got around the $20 rule becasue he used our Disney reward dollars.

We went on Buzz Lightyear Astroblasters and I got the highest score I'd ever earned - 604,800

You can check out the proof here - for 30 days, anyway!

Visit http://disneyland.com/buzzphotos and enter the following code number into the code box to view a photo of Star Command's newest hero:

*********************************************
CODE NUMBER: 056A42BCE915F316F354C1759D70CD8B

The Alligator

Well, maybe its a crocodile. I am not really sure.

It is a statue over at Westminster Mall. Right now its on the first floor, I think on the Macy's branch.

Kids crawl all over it. They start at the end of the curled tail, (some kids skip that part and start higher up), and they work their way up the animal until they get to the snout, which is raised off of the ground about 2 feet. Some kids crawl up, the braver kids walk up. When they get to the snout, they sit a minute, enjoying their accomplishment, and then they get off. Some jump, some slide around... and then they go back to the tail to start again.

It has happened this way for decades. When I was a child, I would start at the tip of the tail, and follow the curl around.

Another part of the mall has bear statues, but they don't have as much appeal. Sure, you'll find kids crawling on them - anything is a welcome break from being dragged from store to store full of clothes, or worse, shoes (no racks to play in at shoe stores!), while being carefully steered clear of KB toys.

But kids really love to play on that alligator.

Yesterday, I went with Angie to the mall. She wanted to buy some shoes that were on sale. Drew wanted to go play on the statues. I was more then happy to take him and Cori. Right outside the shoestore, and a couple shops up, was that dear old alligator. I was oddly excited to be hanging 'round my old freind again.

I watched as Cori and Drew, along with other children, played on the alligator. I watched the younger ones crawl up. I watched the bigger, braver ones, balance, like on a balance beam. I watched one girl, 10 or 11, just passing by, trot quickly in and take her turn among the little ones, while her mom watched from outside... the girl ran up the alligator, savoring the memory of her younger years... "just one more time, Mom," and then she jumped off the snout, joined her mom, and they continued on their way.

It was such an odd, surreal experience. Watching Cori and Drew play, and having such powerful feelings about it.

In those moments, I thought about how amazing Drew and Cori are. Drew is such a caring big brother. He is thoughtful and considerate, inquisitive and charming. Cori is a character, dramatic and emotional, funny and charismatic. I realized how much I love those kids.

I had a memory of an old friend.

I had a glimpse of what it will be like when I have my own children, when Grant and I take them to expereince things that we did as a child. Disneyland, swimming in a pool, the alligator at the mall. I know that, in itself, will be emotional, but I didn't realize how much so.

An acknowledgement

I know my blogs are often full of typos and misspelled words.

I am not the greatest speller in the world, something I tell my students at the very beginning of the year, and I am not a very good typer, either.

In addition, I often type out my blogs quickly, because what is on my mind wants to come out, quickly.

Yes, I could use spell check. I do know how to use it correctly.

However, I think of my blog as my journal, and like I tell my students, a journal is all about content. I'm not concerned with mechanics and grammar. I am concerned with thoughts.

Saved!

I watched the movie Saved! last night.

I love that movie.

Loved it more this time then the first time I saw it.

Its a comedy/drama

Plot: Christian girl at a Christian high school,
Her Christian boyfriend admits to her that he is gay,
she prays and feels that Jesus has told her to have sex with her boyfriend
to help him with his perversion, to make him straight.
She thinks Jesus will resore her spirtual virginity.
His parents find a guy mag, realize he's gay, and send him to rehab.
She finds out she is pregnant,
and thus starts her senior year.

Great movie... some of the funniest scenes ever...

Awesome cast, too, Macaulay Culkin, Jena Malone, Mandy Moore, Heather Matarazzo, Mary Louise Parker, Eva Amurri

Here are some good quotes:

Mary: [about the Virgin Mary] I know this is wrong, but do you ever wonder if she just made the whole thing up? I mean, it's a pretty good one. It's not like anyone can ever use virgin birth as an excuse again.
[pause]
Mary: I don't really think she made it up, but I can understand why a girl would.

Lillian: I keep trying to remind myself that when Jesus closes a door he opens a window.
Mary: Yeah, so we have something to jump out of.

Cassandra: There's only one reason Christian girls comes down to the Planned Parenthood.
Roland: She's planting a pipe bomb?
Cassandra: Okay, two reasons.


Hilary Faye: I mean you're not born a gay, you're born again!

Pastor Skip: Let's get our Christ on, let's kick it Jesus-style!

Cassandra: I always get this really left out feeling at Christmas time
Hilary Faye: [to Patrick] Jewish.
[Back to Cassandra]
Hilary Faye: Well, if you decided to accept Jesus into your heart you and your people could join in on the fun!


Mary: So everything that doesn't fit into some stupid idea of what you think God wants you just try to hide or fix or get rid of? It's just all too much to live up to. No one fits in one hundred percent of the time. Not even you.....

Why would God make us all so different if he wanted us to be the same?

Random Stuff

I love Exercise on Demand...
My current favorite?
Jab, Kick.
When I started, last month, it was Jab, Kick episode 2
That expired yesterday,
and now it has Jab, Kick ep. 3
I love it.
But now I am all yucky sweaty,
and too lazy to do anything but sit here and type.

I've been back to my classroom,
starting to set up,
organizing,
cleaning out cupboards.

Last year, with my broken wrist,
everything just sort of got thrown in,
in a semi organized fashion.

I have so many great ideas for this year!
I am excited. It will be a good year.

So summer time
brings my summer shows...
watching the random episode of Days of our Lives
doesn't take many to catch up,
A Baby Story
which is on all year,
but I only really watch in the summer,
Bringing Home Baby,
a new TLC show about the first 36 hours home with a newborn,
and of course, Big Brother,
Go season 6 alliance,
James, Janie, stay cool, don't screw it up...
I hope Janelle or Kayser wins.
Also, watching the new Treasure Hunters.
It would be much better is it were not one long commercial
"lets use ask.com and then book our best option on Orbitz before our next Motorolla message comes through."
gag

I've been back on AIM
off and on,
I haven't used Instant Messanger in years,
but I sign on now,
to see if Amy is on,
Its odd not seeing her three times a week.
She is doing well by the way,
recovering from her Bone Marrow transplant,
if all goes well, she will be back in school in September for third grade.

The puppies are being lazy,
Kanga is laying on the dog bed,
curled up,
Belle on the couch next to me,
both napping,
you know, busy day,
eating, barking, sniffing,

I love summer