24 hours and some random thoughts

24 hours ago teen was downstairs watching tv, annoying the dog, loud, obnoxious, happy go lucky as usual. 3:30 AM wakes me tell me his throat hurts. 8:00 I go to work. 3:00 PM he sees white patches and goes to dr. 4:00 PM has xray a 101 temp and finds out the diagnosis is bronchitis. Really who does that??

On another note, did I tell you hate conference night. Do you know why? Because of the parents? Nope. The 12 hour day? Nope. It is the FOOD. You see teachers love to eat, and conference night is a great night for POTLUCK. And do you kno where we keep the food for potluck? In the lounge and guess where the lounge is? Yep, out the back door of my office....cream puffs, nacho cheese, chili, chocolate mint brownies, tortilla chips. Nothing I would ever make at my house but by gosh sit it in the room next to me and the grazing begins.

THEN I come home to the wonderfu smell of french dip I made the peeps at home...here is the recipe, make it this winter, it will be the easiest think you ever make!!
Well that is relevant, but it is one of my favorite easy things to make!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Easy-Slow-Cooker-French-Dip/Detail.aspx

sigh

A moody tweener-I guess small fry will officially be one soon
A moody teen-oh how those middle school teen self-confidence  and-I-don't-fit-in blips are so painful
Moody students at school
A smelly dishwasher that I just can't convince hubby to kick to the curb

All of these make for one heck of an emotional eating binge on the evening horizon. Maybe if I just go to bed it will all go away.

To Terry

Terry Lee Walker. My dad. I don't talk about him much, he is after all just my dad. He wasn't a war hero by any means and doesn't talk about his time in Vietman much at all. The only two things he has ever mentioned that I remember were these two things. He was a door gunner in a helicopter and was very thankful. He said if he had been on the ground seeing what he was actually killing it would have been the end of him. The second was, he doesn't remember leaving Vietnam because of umm, you know a little bit of help from various medicinal herbs and plants if you get my meaning. That's my dad honest to a fault.

I think he spent a very short amount of time there compared to most, just one year. But I am sure it holds a lifetime of memories. So when I had a chance to see the Vietnam Memorial, the Wall, it was on the must do list.

It came up last on the list but not least. As I first walked up I had expected bigger (AND I was running through in my head how much time I had before we had to make a last chance dash for the airport) so maybe the impact wasn't quite there yet. As I walked by names, and more names. and then tokens left by families and friends, and then finally a women in a wheelchair with family around her holding her as she cried. Then a little girl much to young to have know someone, reading and touching names carefully. I so wanted to capture it in a picture that did it justice. Honestly I don't think one can. I wanted to look, and read every name. Wondering if my dad would remember any. Then you come to a book, a book with every name...it is astounding. Knowing the names of most were young men, someone's son or brother. I could have stayed and sat all day watching people as they paid their respect. As I said, one thing off my bucket list is crossed off.

 Do you see me in the reflection, didn't even notice that til later, here is to you dad.

Back home again

Wow, back home again from the big trip to the big city of DC. It is hard to believe I was gone since now I am surrounded with laundry and making dinner, but the memories will stick with me because after all there are great memores. When else will I get a chance to to Virginia, West Virginia, and Maryland all in one weekend. Probably never. When will a friend go with me and comb racks of pants to find yoga pants just for me? Probably never. Who will watch me buy four-yes four pairs of shoes and applaud my efforts-can't think of another person. Who will let me cook in HER kitchen and tell me what I made tasted fabulous (when I know her cooking skills far exceed mine).Gracious as always

I will let Karen share the rest, she is always better with words then me...Thanks for the visit friend.

List for karen

Mango Salsa ingredients
Pork with green salsa ingredients
Boots
Purse
Yoga pants
Wine

Think that about covers what I need!

Fall foliage, then and now

I have pretty much given up on family fall pics each year. It used to be an annual thing. Matching clothes, perfect hair, and plenty of candy on hand to bribe toddlers and preschoolers to be good. I am not sure if I have become less patient with the whole proces, found candid photos that work just as well, or just plain lazy. Still not sure which.

But today I was inspired by an early morning ride on the Mickelson Trail with a friend. So I gathered up boys and dog (I had forgiven her by now for the underwear fiasco). Here is the funny thing, I didn't have anyone change clothes or comb hair, we grabbed the camera and a bag of chex mix, with electronics in hand, and away we went.

I have to admit, the old feeling came back, with the same faces, eye rolling and bickering at the start of the walk. Where's the water? Can we get in the water? Is this poison ivy? ARE YOU SURE? Wait I need to put water on my legs I think it is poison ivy...I may have threatened to turn right back around to the car. But the beauty and nature took over and....here we are a little flashback to the old fall foliage days and some new ones to share. Dang, not bad for weekend photographer if I do say so myself. I love these guys, just what I needed this weekend.


THEN

 

 NOW

 

 

Oh so little 

And now, not so much 

 

Hmmm maybe not so changed after all

Who knew?

 

 

 

Number 4

4.
This is the number of MY underwear that MY dog chewed while we were at soccer this evening.
Needless to say we are not speaking to each other.