CRAZY Housmans!!!

This picture is of my older sister, Donna, her two kids, Erica & Deanna & Donna's friend, Hank. Yep. We are related. Yeah. And we are sooooooo above Stearns County. Hardy har har.

Flash

First time leaving has sunk in.

Well, I had two very distinct & difficult moments today. We met with the architects regarding remodeling the science prep space. Two things happened:

1)The whole set up of the two "science prep" rooms represent my second and best incarnation of science teaching to me. I looked at all of that old stuff & visualized it being gone or at least totally rearranged into a foreign space & it made me sad. Difficult moment #1.

2)As I stood back & watched & listened to both Kat Stewart & Sara Johnson very confidently express their vision of what must happen for that space to serve its best purpose, I felt very, very proud while at the same time feeling very, very sad realizing that our careers would parallel one another for a much shorter amount of time than I would like. Difficult moment #2.

I'm almost glad that I got a preview. It serves as an awesome reminder to not take time together for granted. I am glad for today.

Flash.

Out O the blue:

Open up my email: From Mother Dearest:

No matter what his other accomplishments, Tiger Woods will be remembered for proving once and for all that hearing about other people's sex lives is even less interesting than watching golf on TV, and that's a considerable achievement.

end of e mail. No sig. Moms are great!!!!!!

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund | Home

Clinton Bush Haiti Fund  |  Home

EDIT...I would hide my face too if

I was excited about playing in the " BIG bean bag tournament"in Foley tomorrow!!!!

Jessica, Stearns County through & through. I LOVE this girl!!!!!!

Her MaMa :)


I took this pict. just after Jess & Dan got back from fishing on Beaver Lake yesterday afternoon just a hop-skip & a jump away from our house.

Dan just said to me in our morning conversation , " my grandfather fished on that lake 114 years ago.". I think he was more or less talking to himself, but I looked at him and said, "wow" & imagined what the countryside must have looked like 114 years ago.

Since Jess has been on break, she and Dan have caught enough fish on Beaver for two nights of fried fish. Have you ever eaten fish that was alive just an hour before you ate it? Maybe that didn't sound good... but you just can't beat it.

Flash!

Cute.

Woooooooooooo eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee.

I just came home from school and bit everyone's head off. I had to call a few parents and our phone, which has been acting up lately, just quit working in the middle of a conversation.

Uh yeah. I have retreated to the bedroom hoping and praying no one comes in here and gives me a what for.

Yikes!

4th birthday...... OOPS!!!

Connor is not 5 but 4.... oops!!!! Dan & I cooked (and ate) the Papa Murphy Pizzas. They are good pizzas BTW!!! We came home last night so I still get a day to veg. Picts:

Principles: When are they worth fighting for?

After reading Andrea's post I have a few things to say. First and foremost... I am glad that she posted an update so soon because I was curious about what was going to happen & for some reason her last comment that she "thought that it was the principle of the thing" struck me. Of course it was the principle of the thing, but the world does not revolve around people who are in unique situations. So when do you fight & stand up and yell" We are unique damn it! And we count!!! And when do you not do that?

And secondmost (ha) I am glad that I don't have to get up early tomorrow because this might take a little while and when I'm done I will likely pig out on something I shouldn't!

This is a less than equal analogy but believe it or not, I can relate.

I grew up with alternate ideas about who I was & what I wanted to do than the messages that the world around me was giving me loud and clear. Sometimes I fought & sometimes I didn't & for a very long time I did not realize that it was the "principle of the thing" that bothered me much more than being unique and not a part of the consumer mainstream. I guess some people are just slower than others. But as I sit here right now I can tell you that I am looking RIGHT NOW at an example of exactly what I mean!!!!! Can you tell that my heart rate just went up a few beats per minute? Well it did so I'm going to hurry up so I can get to the refrigerator.

Dan bought me a ground blind for Christmas. When I came home today it was set up in the middle of the living room. Before I even got my jacket off, I went into it ... I was pretty excited!!! But as soon as I got in it I was disappointed and thought (FUCK!) to myself!!!! It will not work!!!.... at least not for bow hunting which is what I really wanted one for. Why? Because it is built for a man. Let me 'splain this you: A man, in general, is strong enough to be able to pull a compound bow back from a sitting position. I am not. I have to be standing to be able to pull my bow. Although the ground blind is tall enough for me to stand in, the windows are placed at too low an angle for me to be able to stand & shoot at anything at any distance. It will be fine for me to use when I gun hunt; I can shoot my gun when sitting. It would be fine for a man who bow hunts. He can shoot his bow while sitting. I cannot!!! How much fucking harder would it have been for some idiot to think hmmmmmm. there might be a few short women who happen to like to bow hunt and who may need these windows juuuuuuuuust 10" taller? Since it likely was a man who designed the thing, it probably never did cross his mind in the first place ( ok... there goes 10 years of production time wasted) and even if it DID cross his mind he likely at the same time thought; but it might take a little more thought & the blueprints for the thing may have to be gone over a few times , so it might cost a little more for production and the demand wouldn't be very high so it wouldn't be cost effective so let's just forget about those "unique little short women" . Fuck yeah it's the principle of the thing!!!! We count!!!!!! Adoptive parents and their children count!!!!

I am afraid that my friend Andrea, being wired the way she is, is in for some challenging times. But she is strong & bright and will be a great advocate for her little boy & other families in similar situations.

Final note: Dan-the-man. Gotta love this guy. He has grown accustom to this type of situation & after a little thought told me that it's no problem, he can dig the ground out from below it so I can stand & shoot. But...... it is the principle of the thing.

Now I'm tired , my heart rate has returned to normal & I just want to give Andrea a cyber hug and go to bed.

flash

Star Wars & Ironman.

I will not be in school tomorrow. Dan, Jess & I are going to Rochester for Connor's 5th birthday party which will be on Saturday from 11- 1 pm.

He is getting this plug & play Star Wars game from me but I am afraid it will frustrate him ( I couldn't figure it out!) & when you move the controls to the right, the space ship moves to the left. That was confusing for me. You shoot things & the Star Wars theme plays, & you get points (without knowing why) yada yada. I think Ryan will LOVE it!

Dan & Jess got Connor an Iron man action figure. Jess said that it took Dan a long time to pick it out. I think that may be because he was in Fleet Farm & he just likes the ambiance or the smell.

I think Connor will like Iron Man better than Star Wars, but I will get a kick out of watching Ryan play with the plug & play!!!

Flash!!!!! See 'ya Monday..

Liked this.

It was posted on the motorcycle forum I frequent. I need to work on it & it rings so true. Maybe some of you are already familiar with it:

The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life.

Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or say or do. It is more important than appearance, giftedness, or skill. It will make or break a company ... a church ... a home.

The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past. We cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way. We cannot change the inevitable.

The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude ... I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me, and 90% how I react to it. And so it is with you ... we are in charge of our Attitudes.
Charles Swindoll


Damn. I need to fall back asleep or my attitude will be in the DUMP by 3:00 pm tomorrow. Nigh Night!!!

Flash

Last vaca. post./ Traveling Quilt

The picts:

1) Example pillows for Holly.

2) The 6 coasters Danielle made for and gave to me for Christmas. They were made by using a process called "glass fusion" one of the classes they offer at her place of work in Denver. D & L Glass. I LOVE THEM!!!!

3) Traveling quilt "All Around the Neighborhood" made by my Mom. Just arrived in the mail from my sister, Donna, yesterday. It won a blue ribbon in the 2001 Iowa State Fair.

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!! I'm looking forward to getting back to work in 2010!!

FlashG!!!!!!

Don't it make 'ya just darned 'ole proud????

WILL SOMEONE PLEASE COMMENT ON MY POST?!!!

You're killing me here!!!!!

Today's activities.

Dan & I played the Wii (bowling) & I am now watching On Golden Pond with Buster while Dan is cutting up some wood.

I am trying to NOT take a nap today as I need to kick the habit.

F