Christmas Eve Rescue

When I headed into work today, the last thing I expected to do was rescue a lost puppy. Around lunch time a small Husky pup wandered by our door as we were talking taxes. Joann asked if we saw what she thought she saw, and then we all headed to the door. There he was, as cute as could be, even tempered, beautiful black and white Husky. As we all stood outside to figure out what to do with him, my boss went next door to get some puppy chow, puppy treats, and toys. As she handed me the bag of goodies she said, "Take him home, his eyes match yours." Very funny.

When I arrived home it was all Jenn could do to contain her excitement. She danced at the idea of owning a Husky and was so thrilled to see this little fellow on Christmas Eve. I immediately reminded her that like all of the other pets we had rescued, this one had to have an owner somewhere that was missing him. We would try and wait to see if someone claimed him before finding him a new home. For now, Jenn is in puppy heaven. :)

I'm not sure when we might hear something from an owner since its so close to Christmas, but we left our number with a nearby veterinarian, a no-kill shelter, the animal shelter, and the pet store. I hope we hear something soon. We all will be leaving town on Saturday for the rest of our holiday vacation. I wish we could keep him too, but now is not a good time.

State Championship Slips Away

This past Saturday our high school's football team traveled to play in their first ever State Championship game. Though they had experienced an undefeated season, this was not their best played game. Some speculated that the news of one of the football team's players having been diagnosed with a brain tumor put a damper on their spirit. Rumors stirred at school today about particular players going out the night before the game who partied a bit too hard. Apparently the outing hampered their performance for the most important game of their high school football career. Regardless, it was an honor to make it to the championship playoffs; maybe they will repeat their undefeated season but go on to win the State Championship. It would be a great gift to their retiring coach!

Good Luck Red, White, & Blue!

Yes, tomorrow the kids high school's football team will go halfway across the state to play their first ever State Championship game! Can you tell, we are excited? Well, I won't be able to go, but Jenn will be performing during halftime with the band. She is riding a tour bus along with the rest of the color guard, band, football players, and cheerleaders. They leave here around 5:30 a.m. to get to the stadium before the game. Ryan and I will be cheering them on from the warmth of home. I would have loved to have been there, but the cost for all three of us to go was over $165.00. Right now, that kind of expense isn't realistic, so I've decided to spend it on the holidays.

"Go Big RWB!"

Siblings

It has seemed like years since I had to deal with any of my children arguing about privileges based on age. There was a time when my oldest daughter would be allowed to do something, or go somewhere, and her younger sister (by four years) was not, thus causing discontent among them. No matter how much we tried to explain to Pamela that she wasn't old enough to do the things her sister was, she didn't get it. It didn't help that they were about the same height, adding to the argument in her defense. Nonetheless, the boundaries were set.

Now it begins again. Tonight Ryan won "meet the band" tickets for a concert that he and his best friend are attending tomorrow night. His friend is coming home from college for the Christmas break, and they thought it might be fun to go to the free concert in a nearby town. The band's name is "We The Kings" and they have a current hit song titled "Check Yes Juliette". Well, Jenn wants to go too, but she has a full day of school the following day. She had asked me if she could go and she assumed since I didn't answer, that she could go anyway. You can imagine her disappointment upon hearing my answer.

Thus ensued the argument between them, but only for a few moments when I stepped in and ended their heated discussion. During their arguing I heard "that's not fair" to which I thought, "that's life". I would imagine that next year, there will be a whole new set of challenges as we experience the "only child" syndrome with Jenn being the only child at home. Oh wait ... perhaps she won't be the only one. ;)

Who's Got Senior-i-tis Now?

Meet Ryan, he turned 18 this last summer as he entered his last year in high school. He's a Senior. He is active in the FFA, plays on the high school's club lacrosse team as a co-captain, and is looking forward to graduating this coming June. He plans on attending college about an hour from home at a private school. We went yesterday to participate it's "Visitation Day" only to find out that the administration assistant had emailed us an announcement of the day's events from last year. It's all right though, they invited anyway us up for a private tour and lunch.

Meet Mike, also a senior in high school and one of Ryan's best friends. Mike is active in the FFA as Sentinel on the officer's team, he is on the wrestling team, and plays lacrosse for the high school's club team. This is Mike's third year as an officer for the school's FFA chapter. He previously served as Reporter as in his sophomore year, and as Secretary in his junior year. Last year, he, Ryan, and their friend Andrew, all served as part of the officers team. In fact, last year's team was what some might call a "Dream Team" of sorts. More about that another time. As we arrived at the college parking lot, we met up with Andrew.

Photographed below are some highlights from our tour.
Enjoy!

Arts & Science Building

Ryan and Mike head to admissions to meet with
the admissions assistant while Andrew
went back to class until after lunch.

One of the first stops on our tour was a visit to the Cafe.
One thing is for sure ... these boys will not go hungry!

As we left the cafe we got a glimpse of some
sunshine and a beautiful view of the gazebo.

We headed over to the library, but stayed outside
as we didn't want to disrupt any real studying. The
building that linked to the library houses several
classrooms for the Science and Math departments.

As we crossed the campus to see where the music
department was located we passed by the Chapel.
Apparently you can earn a scholarship by simply
committing to work 80 hours events for the year.

Next we stopped by the weight room, aerobics
classroom, gymnasium, and racket ball courts. We had
completed our tour, it was not time to discuss what
was required for the guys to attend the college.

Finally, after a nice hot lunch, we met up with Andrew.
He had a couple of hours before he had to head to work
on the campus, so he gave the guys a tour of the dorms.

This is the Freshman dorm room. As you can see it's small.
As you enter the room there are two single beds and a small
refrigerator. The chair is to the desk on the other side of
the closets seen to the right of Andrew.

The other side of the room has a desk, bookshelf,
dresser, and closet on each side.
Can you tell they don't do much cleaning?

The guys stopped for a few minutes to play guitar.
All three of them have played music together
for the last two years. They are hoping to all
share an apartment in a couple of years.

Andrew escorted us to our van as the guys all
said their goodbyes. All Ryan and Mike could talk
about on the way home was how ready they are to
get to college. Seems I'm not the only one suffering
from senior-i-tis!

Teens & Appropriate Jobs

Ryan started his new job this week and is finding it a bit overwhelming. He is cashiering at a local gasoline station and one of the duties is to sell tobacco and alcohol to customers. Most adults are able to handle this since they have life experiences that help them identify those that are trying to pull something, or are too drunk to have another drink. For someone who is not accustomed to dealing with people that are deceitful or under the influence of drugs or alcohol, it can be very intimidating. His new boss has told him that if after a week's training if he feels that this line of work is not something he wants to continue doing that she will understand.

At this point he is already looking for another job at something a little less intimidating, and less danger of personal and physical harm. This past week alone there were over 20 robberies in our area, most at convenience stores. Apparently the store that Ryan works at keeps a scanner on site to stay atop these types of situations. Regardless, he is not comfortable with either the prospect of selling tobacco or alcohol to the wrong person, or putting himself in harms way should there be a robbery at his station.

Hopefully one of the jobs he has applied for at the grocery store will call soon!

Class 5A

Last night Jenn and her fellow guard and band members performed their last show for the season. Thought they are normally in a Class 4A classification for competing they were bumped up to compete with six other Class 5A bands. Since I had to work until 5 p.m. today, I made it down to the competition just as her class was to perform on the field.

The bands were great! They really had their work cut out for them. It was a good thing that the host band was not competing tonight as they would have been an additional threat. The most interesting and best performances of the night was by a band who were all dressed in black and white. As the musicians would turn to the music it was like an optical illusion.

Their uniforms were like a circus outfit of sorts, all black on one side, and all white on the other from head to toe. Their color guard changed outfits at least three times from white with diagonal stripes, to solid white, then to solid black. Their flags were also varied but all were black and white as was the name of the show.

The most thrilling moment of the night for Jenn was not so much the competition as it was the air gram she got as she entered the field. As the announcer read them we heard, "Jennifer, I said I was going to ask you something tonight ... will you go out with me?" Jenn is now officially no longer single. The look on her face was priceless!

Their band finished in 4th place out of seven, receiving Superior marks for a grade!

Moen, Moen, Moen ... oh, Mowing!

As the season changed the grass in my yard started growing slower, thus making it a bit easier on my budget. Having to mow 1.5 acres of grass each week with a 20" mower takes a bit of petrol. We've been able to put off mowing for the last four weeks with the cold weather, but it's time now. I asked Ryan if he wouldn't mind making sure the mowing was done, especially the grass next to the house, before I got home from work. The look on his face was priceless, sheer puzzlement! He scratched his head and asked what do Moen faucets have to do with the grass outside? Nothing. Ryan was suffering from a "deh, deh, deh" moment. When he heard me say we needed to get mowin' he couldn't figure out what the grass next to the house had to do with our faucet which needed fixing was in the house.

Can we say selective hearing?!

Mom, I don't feel good :(

It's funny, that no matter where your children are when they are sick, they seem to think you have some magical power to make them well again. Ryan called yesterday morning to tell me that his throat and tongue were swollen and that it was hard to eat and talk. Any other time this would be an easy fix. Call the doctor for an appointment, pick up a prescription, and put him to bed. Why not yesterday?

Unfortunately he is in Indiana for the week until Sunday. I called the teacher who tried to take him to a local urgent care facility, or an emergency room, but the best they could do was have him sit for six hours until they could work him in. So, we called his pediatric doctor who suggested he gargle with warm salt water, take some ibuprofen for pain, and get some rest.

I called earlier this evening to see how he was feeling and surprisingly enough he was much better. The teacher said he is talking up a storm and eating healthy again. I don't think they will return before the doctor's office closes on Sunday. Yes, I said Sunday. Can you imagine your pediatrician being open on the weekend much less Sunday? If he still needs to go, we'll go Monday.

Longer Days Are Just Beginning

Tonight I headed to my second job for training after spending a full day at my current job. I spent my first night of training watching several videos, reading multiple procedural documents, and completing numerous tests. Five hours later I was exhausted, and since there was nothing left for me to do I headed home. Thank goodness we are only open until 11:00 p.m. each night and that I will only be working six hours per night a few days per week. After working seven hours during the day I am praying that my night shift won't wear me out. My next scheduled day for training is Saturday for just three hours ... whew! LOL!

Funny thing? As my son headed off to bed he said, "Mom, it was really weird not having you home tonight". I thought they wouldn't even notice. ;)

A Surprise Awaits Jenn!

When Jenn arrives home today after her trip to Myrtle Beach she'll find a surprise awaiting her on her dresser. It was "Mr.D" idea to get her the companion book for the series "Ugly Betty" since she loves the show. When my favorite show is off air taping we'll grab some hot tea and a snack and watch it together. The shows main character is one of her favorite new stars; America Ferrera, who also starred in "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". There have been two movies in that series of books and she loves those too. I wonder if she'd like the next book in the series for Christmas? I'll have to do some further investigation.

America Ferrera starred in three other movies that I don't believe either of us has seen, "Lords of Dogtown", "Steel City" and "American Family", so we'll need to put those on our list of must see movies.

;)

Box Lacrosse!?

As many of you know, Ryan loves playing lacrosse. Well, he and two of his friends are getting that opportunity today as Coach Mac and Coach Kevin are hosting some games for the youth league players in our area. It's going to be a bit different in that they are playing indoors and the game is referred to as "Box Lacrosse". The rules are pretty much the same but there is a limited body contact and no boarding (knocking a player into the wall) rule for the day. If all goes well there will be games each Sunday for two age groups. This type of indoor sport should increase their stick skills for next spring.

The groups are broken up as ages U14 and 15+, each age group will play two games alternating times, one U14 then one 15+, then set again. Ryan is so glad this is becoming a fast growing sport for our area now, he has missed playing since his injury this spring. If they form an age group of 18+ some of the young marines want to play too, and Ryan says if it continues he will come home from college each weekend in order to play. If the college he attends does not have a lacrosse team, perhaps he'll help inspire a movement among students to form a team. After all, he is used to being on start-up teams!

Broadway at the Beach

Every year Jenn's high school marching band travels to compete at one other school with a nearby attractions and this year they chose Myrtle Beach. They originally had entrance into "Hard Rock Park" but they closed the park down due to the economy. So the band boosters agreed that the students could attend the attractions at "Broadway at the Beach". If they choose the "Ticket to Play" for $49 they will enjoy these fun events during their visit.

* 1 hour of play & a wand at MagiQuest
* 18 holes of mini-golf at Dragon's Lair
* 5 individual ride tickets to Pavilion Nostalgia Park
* 1 admission to Ripley's Aquarium
* 1 admission to IMAX 3D Theatre

It works out to be less than the original attraction cost and the students can add on to their fun with a race at Nascar Speedpark, a dip at Myrtle Waves Water Park, or live performances at the Palace Theatre. Sounds like a great idea for future vacations.

Who let the birds out?

Ryan and I were sitting out front on the lawn when I noticed that the new Adirondack chairs he had built had some droppings on one of them. We had been talking about getting cushions for the chairs, but if we are going to have large birds flying overhead, we might want to consider purchasing some outdoor furniture covers to protect the chairs. It would keep them much cleaner and it would make visits outside more comfortable for everyone. We recently moved the chairs to the deck which makes it easier for all of us to relax after a long day, or enjoy a fresh cup of coffee first thing in the morning. Perhaps he's planning on making that love seat he's been talking about as a surprise for next spring?

Mother's day would be a great time for a surprise!

Just how safe are my JPG files?

It's that time of year, school is back in and there are plenty of picture perfect moments to capture. This is Ryan's senior year and Jenn's sophomore year and both are continually asking to use my camera to take photos. What worries me most is the camera's ability to protect my jpg files from being deleted from its memory.

When I mentioned my concerns to my boyfriend, he suggested my purchasing some sort of micro sd travel card for those times when the kids have my camera. One of its features is that is has a write/protect switch which would prevent my data from anyone mistakenly deleting valuable files. I think it might be something I'd use all of the time. Goodness knows, with all of the things I photograph, I could use the extra space!

PS Maybe I'll pick up a 2 pack for twice the space, you think?

Productive Labor Day Weekend

This weekend was a very productive one. Jenn and I went to visit "Mr.D" with a dual purpose, first to fulfill her commitment to mow his grass, and to spend some time visiting a loved one. We got up early Saturday morning to get the things done around our house before heading out. As soon as those things were done we headed to town to go by the bank, pick up some lunch, and then headed to my brother's house to drop off Ryan. When we arrived at our destination "Mr.D" took us out shopping for supplies for the weekend, and though we picked up food to cook for the weekend, our host insisted on Chinese take-out for dinner. We spent our first night dining and watching movies, one of which was "Multiplicity" starring Michael Keaton. What a riot!!!

Jenn's plan for the weekend was to mow the yard Sunday morning, and then wash the car on Monday morning. Unfortunately when Jenn woke up on Sunday morning she was feeling a bit under the weather, so our host assured her that it was fine if she did what she needed to the next day as long as she was feeling better. She knew that if she needed my help that I was there for her. Meanwhile I tended to drying and folding our laundry, and helping with the dishes.

Bright and early this morning after a delicious breakfast, Jenn and I started with our chores for the day. I started the mowing by cutting close to the house and outlining the area she needed to do first. There is a section where some roots are partially exposed so I like to mow there to avoid any injury to Jenn. She is not yet confident to get to close to the roots without hitting them which cause the mower to stop. After that she took over the mowing and I started on trimming the tree branches.

Next thing we knew our host had fixed all of us a delicious lunch ... Angus bacon cheeseburgers, complete with a side order of potato chips and a tall glass of iced tea. "Mr.D" you are too sweet! After lunch we finished our tasks, cleaned up, packed the van for the trip home, and said our goodbyes. It's really nice getting to visit, but equally as important that we had things to keep us busy while our host worked on things he needed to accomplish before he heads into work tomorrow.

Thank you both, Jenn and "Mr.D" for making this a most productive and profitable weekend!

PS Ryan finished sanding the chairs over the weekend, so they are ready for delivery and payment!

Fulfilling a Commitment

Last month Jenn and Ryan spent the week at a nearby camping location along with other students from around the state who participate in FFA events throughout the year. They both had the chance to hang out with their friends for the week making new friends, playing volleyball, tug-o-war, water-ball, canoe racing, and time learning about commitment and teamwork. Ryan and his friend, Mike, enjoyed preforming on talent night by playing guitars. Ryan had even written a song dedicated to his girlfriend that he sang that night entitled "She Smiles". All in all it was a great week for everyone.

Jenn & her friend Trish watching a volley ball game.

Mike & Ryan at talent night playing "She Smiles"

Jenn the Putt-Putt Pro

Ryan at bat in a game of "water ball"

Then earlier this month Jenn attended a leadership camp for her FFA Chapter. It is an annual trip made each year by the incoming officers team for another week's stay at the same camping site. Previous year's officers may attend, but this year it was only the current officers who would embark on the final adventure for the summer. Jenn was really excited to get to go with all of her new team, and even though she ended up going to the urgent care for pink eye, she still had fun.

One of the things that made these trips possible were the tasks that both Jenn and Ryan took on to earn the money to attend both camps. Ryan had worked this spring as a lacrosse referee and saved his money to pay for his trip this year. Jenn ended up mowing two yards, and washing cars to earn her money for the trip. One of the yards Jenn had to mow was a future commitment. Since her camp was earlier than our next trip to southwestern NC, I agreed to fund her trip until she could fulfill her commitment to mow "Mr.D" yard. She will get to do that this weekend as we are headed for a visit for a couple of days.

Ryan will stay here with his uncle to finish sanding two chairs for an order that he has committed to complete over the weekend. It's so nice to see them both sticking to the things they commit to do for others and for themselves. Now if only Ryan can find the job he'll keep, to earn the money, to save for the car and insurance, to make his life more mobile. That is one goal I am looking forward to him reaching in the very near future. Glass half full, not half empty!

Ryan & Maria Retiring Officers 2008

A Step Away from Uniformity?

Yesterday was the first day of school and both Jenn and Ryan complied with its new dress code. It really isn't that far off from what they normally wear, but it's still annoying that it had to be implemented in the first place. It is a real shame for whatever reason, clothing has become the ruler for the character of a person. It's not surprising though. When you see young people wearing pants around the top part of their thighs causing their entire buttocks to be exposed to view, covered only by their boxers underneath, or their tops cut so low they expose more than needs to be imagined, or expose rolls of excess midsection, none of which could possibly promote a healthy self-esteem!

Let's consider for a moment the health issues of some of today's lackadaisical dress code. If you wear your underwear on the outside of your clothing, it can be quite unsanitary. Think about it! How many times have you stood in line next to someone that had bad body odor? How gross a reality would that be, to have to sit in a seat where someone like that has just been sitting? After all, high school seats are not single user property; there are multiple users in each seat in a single day! Have you ever seen the janitor cleaning off the seats in a classroom?

I can see the enforcement of a better dress code, but it can be taken to extremes. It only makes sense to have students to wear clothing that fits their bodies in a way that they don't have to worry about an item falling off, exposing private parts, or strangling the breath out of them. If a student has on clothing that covers both their private body parts and their undergarments, and the fit doesn't endanger them or others in any way; then why be so picky? What is wrong with a t-shirt with a design or logo on it? As long as it is not promoting sex, drugs, racism, prejudice, or violence, then why shouldn't they have the freedom to dress responsibly?

There seems to be some confusion about the new dress code and what is really allowed as proper attire. Why? Perhaps it was the packet sent home by the school to order "school spirit" clothing? Why? You can purchase a hooded sweat jacket, an item of clothing not allowed according to the new dress code. So what is it to be? Can you really expect the students to comply when you cannot be consistent with your guidelines?

The only way you will make a clean break from choosing to dress neatly and responsibly on your own, is to implement a uniform dress code. After all, most parochial school students wear uniforms throughout their entire lifetime in the school system, and they have survived the ultimate dress code! Even the instructors made it a "habit" to dress in uniformity.

School Starts Tomorrow!

After a long summer vacation, or a short one for some, school will resume tomorrow morning promptly at 8:00 a.m. We spent a couple of hours today trying to find polo shirts for both Ryan and Jenn on a very limited budget. Ryan spent his birthday money on two of his three shirts, and I chipped in to get his third. Jenn was a bit harder to shop for, but after three stores she finally found one style of polo shirt in five different colors. So, we are all set for this new dress code for the time being.

They are both so angry about having to wear clothing that resembles a uniform. I can't say that I blame them, it has been difficult considering the funds are not available for them to get a wider variety of clothing. More difficult than that is the gas it takes to travel all over the triangle area to locate collared shirts for school. Maybe we'll be able to get some different styles as time progresses. The only saving grace to this dress code is that the kids can a least wear their favorite team or school t-shirts on Fridays.

Let's hope this works, otherwise there will be a lot of kids returning home tomorrow morning. Is it time for a sit-in for a bit of freedom in apparel on the high school campus?

Teenage Skin Complexions

As school is about to begin in a little over a week, Jenn and her girlfriends are making sure they get in the last bit of tanning before its time to hit the books. Though most of her friends have clear complexions, there are some that don't have that luxury. For those girls the challenge is to find a treatment that will work well with their choice of cosmetics. One in particular has had an issue with her complexion for years, but after having tried and successfully used Proactiv acne cream, she has been much more confident about her appearance. She is a beautiful young lady, and now she can relax about how she looks among her peers. Believe me, there is nothing fun about having a zit right in the middle of your nose. Been there, done that!